...
For What It's Worth
...
Iruka stirred and realized he was lying down with Kakashi curled around him. Dawn filled the room. They must have fallen asleep. Iruka snuggled in closer and dozed, taken by sweet dreams of his mountain. He dreamed he and Kakashi were together walking through its green woods, side by side.
Little by little, his mind drifted to the waking world and the piece of the past Kakashi had regained.
Kakashi had been human. He had been a boy in this city two hundred years ago.
Iruka blinked awake and turned over to face Kakashi.
The man was already up and waiting with a smile. If Iruka didn't know him so well, he would be impressed with Kakashi's ability to bounce back.
"How are you?" Iruka asked as he absently rubbed Kakashi's cheek.
Kakashi took hold of his hand and kissed it. "Better." He suddenly pulled Iruka into his arms, holding him tight. "Jiraiya knows more. He's seen it." He nuzzled Iruka's neck. "He knows how my story ends."
"You don't need to know." Iruka squeezed him back, whispering fervently, "He might know where you started, but what happens next belongs to you." He buried himself in Kakashi's shoulder and corrected himself, "To us."
Iruka felt Kakashi's smile on his skin. "To us."
When they went downstairs to join the living, they learned Jiraiya had snuck away. Kakashi didn't seem surprised. Naruto was sitting at the table looking weary. There were bags under his eyes. He was still having nightmares, then.
"He left this for you." Naruto handed a folded note to Iruka.
Iruka opened it and quoted aloud, "'If there is one thing to be said about the monk in my tale, he never once gave up. No matter the odds.'"
Kakashi poked the paper asking Naruto, "Does this count as a prophecy?"
Naruto shrugged.
Iruka mused, "I'm not a monk, so does it work if it's not completely accurate?"
Kakashi plucked the paper from his hands. "I'm going to say yes, and that this is willful endangerment." Iruka laughed and swatted at Kakashi. Kakashi chuckled as he looked the note over again. "We have a kami with foresight on our side, and he couldn't come up with something more useful?"
Naruto had a look like he was carrying the weight of the world. "Don't worry. He'll show up again when it's his 'cue'."
Iruka was reconsidering every interaction he'd had with Jiraiya, making himself dizzy in the process. "He's a headache."
Naruto snickered. "You can say that again."
Naruto's grin made him look like a child again, and Iruka was helpless to smile back. The monk never once gave up. That thought alone invigorated Iruka. He pulled Naruto to his feet and gave him a strong hug. Naruto matched his enthusiasm and squeezed a strangled sound out of Iruka.
They stood there smiling like idiots. "So what's the plan, sensei?"
"Well, if Hyuuga-sama doesn't think it's safe for you to go up the mountain, then maybe you should stay here for now. We can ask Hinata-sama to lend us the blessed furisode. If you're wearing it the Onryou won't be able to detect you. Maybe she can spare a few miko to escort you too." He nodded to himself, confident that this would work. "Kakashi and I need to speak to the daimyo as soon as possible. Even if we don't know where Orochimaru is now, we know what his end goal is. With the Inari Shrine's help, I think we can prevent the coup. If anyone in his entourage has been possessed, I'll be able to detect them."
Kakashi was heavily pondering his words. Iruka didn't know what to make of it when Kakashi spoke up against him.
"The Shrine and the Daimyo already know the danger they're in. I don't think we have time to be cautious. If Naruto is our key to defeating the Onryou, we need to get him to the Inari Shrine as quickly as possible." He said confidently, "Orochimaru's plan falls apart if we destroy the Onryou."
Iruka shook his head, "Hinata-sama doesn't think the Onryou can be destroyed unless it's contained in a vessel that we can purify."
"And you think we should just wait it out until Orochimaru gets one? What do you think will happen once the Onryou is in someone he can control?" Kakashi added strongly, "We can't just wait for Orochimaru to make his move. We need to get ahead of him, otherwise we're just playing his game. We need to go to the Inari Shrine. The Daimyo will have to wait."
Kakashi locked eyes with Naruto, who after a moment nodded along with him.
"I think Kakashi's right," Naruto said, shakily. "Who knows, sensei, maybe between the two of us we'll be strong enough to destroy the Onryou without a vessel."
Naruto—who had been so adamantly against going up the mountain—agreed? Iruka couldn't understand it. "You really think so?"
"It's going to be fine!" Naruto put a hand on Iruka's shoulder. "I've got you and the rabbit god to keep an eye on me too, right? Once we get to Hinata, we can get rid of the Onryou for good!"
Iruka was still shaking his head. "I don't know, Naruto."
"I'm not a kid anymore," Naruto said with a huff. "You don't need to worry so much."
Iruka laughed as Naruto slung an arm over his shoulder. "I know, I know. Forgive an old man for fussing."
"We'll be as careful as we can, Iruka." Kakashi smiled tightly at the two of them.
Iruka sighed and nodded. Naruto packed up his things, and tried to sneak in the kitchen for some food. He was chased out in seconds by Temari.
Naruto yelped when she smacked his head with a wooden spoon. "I thought you had left already!"
"I live and work here, idiot." She took in Kakashi and Iruka before speaking to Naruto again. "Fine. Grab something for the road. If you clear out my shelves, there'll be hell to pay."
Not one to look a gift horse in the mouth, Naruto gleefully slipped past her into the kitchen and left her alone with Kakashi and Iruka. After a moment of consideration, she walked past them into the storefront to fetch something.
Iruka's stomach dropped when she returned with the white tanto.
"Jiraiya didn't say much after you left last night, but I can put two and two together." She stared at the sheath like it would leap from her hands. "Is it true your father made this?"
Iruka grabbed the back of Kakashi's kimono, heart in his throat.
Kakashi weakly nodded.
She offered it to Kakashi, saying, "Then it's yours. If you want it."
Kakashi hesitated. His hand was drawn to the hollow sheath, he couldn't deny it. He took it from her but didn't bring it close.
She added offhandedly, "I guess that means a lot of the swords in there are yours too."
Kakashi gave a winded laugh. "They're in much better hands now."
She smiled. "You've got that right." She paused before going into the kitchen. "If you change your mind, you know where to find me."
When they were alone, Kakashi turned to Iruka. He held the handle as if to open the empty blade but couldn't bring himself to do it. He undid the sageo cord and used it to bind the handle to the scabbard. He tied it tight and held the tanto out to Iruka.
"Can you keep this for me? I… I'm not ready to…"
Iruka cupped both hands over Kakashi's. He gently took the blade and held it over his heart.
"I'll keep it safe. I can do that much."
This was a piece of Kakashi—an actual part of him that was tangible and real. Seeing Iruka cradle it close, Kakashi knew he had made the right choice.
Naruto joined them, and they set off. The yellow tinges of light shone from behind darkened buildings of the theatre district. They walked through the pleasure quarter as it lazily came to life. Early risers filed out, children running out ahead of their parents off to the market. Couples kissed at the door as one headed to work. Elderly residents waited for their favorite teashop to open, greeting the owners as old friends.
In a blink and a burst of smoke, Naruto had assumed his other persona. People recognized her, and she waved enthusiastically to the neighbors and friends she had made. An elderly woman beckoned her over to give her a treat from the teashop. Naruto took the stick of dango and plodded back to Kakashi and Iruka.
At Iruka's questioning glance, Naruto said, "It's nice to be treated normally." She took a bite of dango and added, "Most people who know what I am just treat me… differently. You're an exception, sensei. Always have been."
Iruka took a few silent steps beside her before ruffling her hair. "Yeah, you're different. You're special, Naruto. Not because of what you are, but because of who you are. Anyone who doesn't know that doesn't really know you." Iruka bumped her side with a wink. "Ask Hinata-sama next time you need someone to remind you. In fact, you should bring her out next time. You'd be surprised how many people have been really looking at you and seeing you."
Naruto scrunched up her face, fighting a sniff. Then she was grinning. She skipped ahead with a new bounce in her step.
Kakashi strode closer to brush shoulders with Iruka. "I said it once, I'll say it again. You're a great father."
Iruka blushed. "I'm… Well." He stifled his usual denial. Watching Naruto bound ahead of him, it was hard to say no.
"He's lucky to have you."
Iruka took Kakashi's hand.
Smiling faces greeted them as they went through the pleasure quarter, eyes still harboring hope and comfort from a peaceful night. The sight was so familiar to Iruka now. He knew these shops. He'd seen the owners enough to recognize them and their families.
Every once in a while, he would catch someone staring at the mountain. The cloud above it was larger than Iruka had ever seen. Light caught on the edges of it, sending rays and shadows out from its amorphous shape.
Even as these people tried to live their lives, the darkness loomed over them. It sat just behind their eyes, never forgotten.
Iruka's heart hurt for them.
The district was awake and buzzing by the time they put it behind them and walked under its torii.
What waited outside was another world. Silence descended as the bustle of the pleasure quarter faded. The shuffling of geta, the sudden snap of a closing door, whispers and fearful murmurs—these cautious sounds were all that echoed in the empty streets.
Enten was a ghost town. The life of the residents had been carved out of its streets. As they walked toward the mountain, hardly a soul passed them. The chill of it went down to Iruka's bones. His chest—the seed—pulled in, tugging at all his strings and putting him on high alert.
As they drew closer to the market district, they noticed stragglers standing between buildings, arguing in hushed tones. When they spotted the trio, their eyes shifted over them like hungry dogs. Kakashi hid his hands in his sleeves, no doubt holding his tanto. Naruto fell back beside them, all her bubbly energy stuffed away.
They came to the canal and were surprised to find more people. There were abandoned carts in the road. The contents had been rooted through and stripped of anything valuable.
The residents of the district kept their heads down and crossed the bridge toward the market district in fearful silence. Iruka and Kakashi fell in line with them, hiding in their numbers. There were others shuffling along the banks, watching the water. Iruka peered closer at a man whose hand was resting on his sheathed katana. His head snapped up, and Iruka ducked down out of sight.
The trio passed under the shade of that great tree on the banks and crossed the long bridge. This road, that cut through the heart of Enten, should have been bustling and thriving but instead was hushed and tense. Windows that once displayed wares were locked shut. In the market there wasn't a child or elderly person to be seen. Only cowering people, snatching hands, and suspicious glares were what remained. These people didn't have any other means of feeding themselves or their families. They had no choice but to brave the market.
"This is wrong." Naruto muttered. He had shifted back when Iruka wasn't looking. His eyes were bright blue, hiding under a scowl. "Something's wrong here. They need help."
Iruka bit back his gut response. He wanted to stay and help too, but Kakashi spoke with reason.
"If our plan works, this will all be over. We need to get you to the shrine." Naruto glared daggers at him. Unfazed, Kakashi said, "You know I'm right."
Kakashi and Iruka waited for Naruto. They had stopped in the road. The terrified residents shuffled past, too afraid to look and see what was wrong.
Iruka felt eyes on them. He spotted a woman at the edge of the street. Her face was hidden under a woven hat. The woman noticed his attention and pulled the hat down protectively. She swiftly disappeared into the alley.
Suddenly Naruto agreed with Kakashi. "Let's go." With new determination, Naruto started off toward the mountain again.
Iruka let Naruto walk ahead, dragging Kakashi back a step.
"Did you…?"
Kakashi nodded, "I saw her too."
"Do you think there'll be trouble?"
Kakashi grinned. "With our luck?"
They stayed in the crowd and continued down the heartline of Enten. They passed buildings old and new, evidence of the Furisode Fire's destruction. They weren't even that close to the base of the mountain, yet Iruka couldn't escape the shadow that dominated the sky before them.
The heat of the crowd was stifling. Iruka wiped sweat from his neck. Had the road to the shrine always been this long? It seemed to stretch endlessly ahead of them.
The faces around turned and stared at them as they went. Their fearful eyes were locked on Naruto. What was happening? What was wrong with them?
Kakashi called Iruka's name, startling him to attention.
Naruto's breaths were coming in harsh pants.
Iruka put a hand on Naruto's back. It was soaked with sweat. "Are you okay? What's wrong?"
Naruto shook himself and gripped fists at his side, struggling to focus. The light of day rippled off his shoulders with unseen heat.
"I can't do this, sensei." His eyes burned into Iruka, a blazing red. "I shouldn't have left the quarter. Hyuuga-san was right. I'm corrupted." Naruto stared at his hands. Light was glowing from within, transforming them. His fingers elongated into monstrous claws. "We have to get out of here. I'm dangerous. I'm going to hurt people."
Iruka grabbed Naruto's face, forcing him to turn. "You're not. I know you're not. You don't have to fight this alone. If you can't go to Hinata-sama, we'll bring her to you, do you understand?"
Whispers rose around them, like a buzzing, jittering chorus. Something was off about it—the chittering wasn't a human sound. The crowd's attention scattered like they could hear it too. The people searched each other for the source—they scanned the ground. They flinched and snapped at each other when they collided by accident.
The sea of people was roiling with tension, and it wasn't just fear rising in their faces, but rage.
Iruka spotted a few in the crowd just as confused as he was. They watched their neighbors and friends changing before their eyes.
Kakashi spoke harshly in Iruka's ear. "We need to get out of the road."
Glass shattered somewhere nearby, and the taut string snapped.
A muttering disagreement rose to shouting. The sea of people parted where two men faced off. One took out a kitchen knife, and the crowd exploded into panic. People toppled over stalls to escape. Others stayed and watched. Their eyes were locked on the promise of violence.
Kakashi held Iruka and Naruto firm against the flood, moving them to the side of the street. Behind them, a window opened.
"Come inside!" A creaking voice called out. It was an elderly woman. Her eyes were clear of whatever had taken the rest. "Come in, it's not safe!" She had an old bruise smeared across her cheek.
Iruka glanced behind him and caught the moment the fighting men dove at one another like rabid animals. Iruka clenched his hand over the sinking feeling in his gut. Kakashi pushed Iruka and Naruto to the woman's door. She let them in quickly as well as another woman who had gotten separated from her partner.
Iruka and Kakashi walked to the front window. In the corner was a pair of young siblings—the woman's grandchildren. They babbled questions at their grandma, asking where their parents were.
Iruka tore his eyes away to stare out the window. The older woman stood with them scanning the horrified faces for her family. Those who stood still against the fleeing mass slowly closed in on the two original men. Madness was thick in the air.
All at once, one of the men tipped over the precipice. His head dropped forward, and his arms hung twitching at his side. Then suddenly he scrambled to grip his neck. He grabbed for his throat—clawing and scratching as if he could reach the inside. His head snapped level, and Iruka gasped.
The man's face and skin were stained with thin dark lines, like his veins were filled with poison.
The man screeched, raw with pain and rage.
Weak with shock, Iruka said aloud, "I know what this is." He grabbed Kakashi's arm, saying again firmly. "I know what this is!"
Kakashi knew him well enough not to resist when Iruka pulled him away from the window. They bolted out the front door. Naruto called after them, hot on their heels.
Iruka ran ahead. The people in the road startled and parted for him.
The possessed man locked on Iruka and readied his knife.
The knife Iruka had forgotten. As the man lunged forward, white flashed in Iruka's eye. Kakashi's tanto flew past Iruka's face and struck the man's shoulder. He spun off target and screeched. The sound split the air.
Iruka stammered, "Hold him—just hold him!"
Kakashi darted forward and quickly disarmed the man. He twisted his arm behind him and threw the man to the ground. This close, recognition dawned in Kakashi. Kakashi pinned him hard, but the man was shocked for only an instant before writhing on the ground. He twisted until his shoulder popped out of its socket to escape Kakashi's grip. He rolled away and scrambled to his feet.
The man's arm seemed to take on a life of its own, and the shoulder snapped back into place. He grabbed the tanto to arm himself, but it turned to smoke in his hand.
Kakashi hissed, "Iruka, you better do whatever it is you're gonna do."
"I got it, I got it. Just keep him still."
Kakashi rolled his eyes. "Easy for you to say."
Kakashi dove at the man. At first it looked like Kakashi had tripped, then he flipped and brought his heel down on the man's head. The kick bobbled the man's head. Iruka saw an image of Gai in Kakashi's place and couldn't help but smile.
Meanwhile, Naruto faced the circle of men around them. Even with a grimace, he tried to sound lighthearted. "Fellas, don't get any funny ideas. We're trying to help."
Kakashi grappled the man again, "Now, Iruka!"
Iruka didn't have full confidence in his plan but sprinted forward anyway. He put his hand on the man's chest and instantly felt the seed's hungry maw open. The man screamed as the dark blue veins contracted in his skin. The black stain pulled away from the man's neck and face. Iruka lifted his hand as energy poured in.
There was so much less of the Onryou in him than the samurai at the post town. The last whisp of black smoke leeched out. It floated off the man's chest, shifted to white dust, and dissipated.
The man sank limp in Kakashi's arms, unconscious. Kakashi helped him to the ground.
Iruka grinned, "That was easy!"
Another growl burst behind them. Iruka pivoted to see another man turning. The veins spread from his throat, digging that dark color up his neck until the man's will was overcome.
Naruto stepped between Iruka and the man. His kimono fluttered. His eyes, as he peered over his shoulder at Iruka, had turned burning red.
"Naruto!"
The man dove at him, and Naruto let him tackle around his middle. Naruto brought his elbow down into the man's back, but when he didn't let go, Naruto kneed him over and over again in his stomach.
Iruka was about to help when Kakashi lunged to Iruka's side intercepting another turning man. Kakashi flipped the man in the air, sending him crashing onto his back. Kakashi put a foot on his chest to hold him down.
Naruto kicked the man off him at last. He lifted a clawed hand, twisting it with a flick of his wrist. Leaves appeared pinched in his fingers. He flung them at the man, and they struck with a thump. Three shuriken struck out of the man's chest. He fell to his knees, flinching and grasping at the metal. He pulled one of shuriken out and stared blankly at it.
Naruto was starting to glow. His hair bristled around his face like a gold halo. He snarled through clenched teeth. The air around him was stinging hot.
Iruka shot past and dropped to the man on the ground. He shouted back at Naruto, "It's alright! You're okay!"
Iruka put a hand on the man and quickly drained him of the Onryou's influence. The man slumped to the ground like a puppet with cut strings.
"Iruka, I need you here!"
"Wait a second!"
Iruka cautiously approached Naruto. His palms burned in the air as he reached for him. Naruto's mouth was open on a low growl. He sneered, showing dangerous teeth. He stared straight ahead with vicious red eyes.
Iruka put his hands on Naruto's shoulders. He flinched.
"You're alright, Naruto. We're right here with you."
Just as he'd felt with the other men, the Onryou's influence drained away. Still, there was a hot, bubbling rage beneath that belonged solely to Naruto. It was contained, but just barely.
Naruto's eyes were blue once more. He snapped his focus to Iruka.
"Thank you, sensei."
"It's not over yet."
Iruka got down and drained the last man of the sinister energy. Just as Iruka stood again, a nearby doorway slid open. The shop owners and residents leaned out of doorways and peered from windows to see if the danger had passed.
Iruka called out to them, "They're being controlled! They're not themselves!"
Then they heard a child cry, "Mama!"
From an open doorway, a possessed woman staggered out holding a tanto.
Kakashi grabbed Iruka's arm. "We need to run."
Iruka didn't say anything, only glared pointedly at Kakashi.
Kakashi sighed and released him. Kakashi stepped into the woman's path as she ran at Iruka. He quickly disarmed her and similarly twisted her arm to push her into the ground. Iruka didn't waste time and touched her neck.
There black mark on her skin went below her collar following a path to her stomach, Iruka imagined. The mark faded as the last of the energy was sucked away.
Kakashi pulled Iruka to his feet when it was over. "Now you're done."
The residents on the sidelines and those observing from their houses and shops made Iruka hesitate. They weren't like the possessed, but there was something wrong with them.
The child from before was oblivious. She ran out into the street after her mother. She dropped to the dirt at her side, wailing. The grandmother and her grandchildren watched from their window. There were some eyes that remained clear, but the rest were eerily blank, staring at something Iruka couldn't see, haunted in a way that was familiar.
It reminded Iruka of the yakuza in the teahouse.
"There's something else here, Kakashi."
Kakashi paused, going between the unconscious people on the ground and the dazed residents. The pieces came together for him too. Orochimaru was close by. He had to be.
"You might be right."
Iruka said fiercely, "We won't get another chance. We better find a safe place for Naruto to hide."
Kakashi started to protest when Naruto stepped up to Iruka. His mouth was set in a firm line.
"I'm not leaving you, sensei. Whatever it is, I can handle it."
It made Iruka smile, despite everything. The rabbit god was stronger with Naruto here.
"Alright," Iruka said. "Together then." He asked Naruto, "You can feel it too, right? The Onryou is reacting to you, just as much as you're reacting to it."
Naruto nodded. Even with the air soaked with the Onryou's influence, Iruka sought the seed's guidance. There was a dark heart throbbing beneath them. Faint, but sending veins of pain and fear under the earth. Iruka let himself be pulled back up the road. He stopped in front of the alley where that woman had been watching Naruto.
He was queasy just thinking about going down the shaded alley.
Kakashi put a hand on his shoulder. "We're right behind you."
The alley led to the merchant's side of the market. Without the thick swarm of people, the dirt clearing was gaping empty. There were carts strewn about, abandoned, but not because they had been raided. It was clear supplies were still being loaded in from somewhere. Unlike the average resident, the merchants probably had hired protection. The eyes of wary shop owners and merchants watched them from the far windows. They were all waiting for the dust to settle.
Iruka crossed the clearing quickly.
They hadn't come this way before. The buildings here were older, survivors of the fire.
Somewhere nearby, Iruka could hear water.
"Are we close to the canal?"
Kakashi shook his head. "Not the main channel. There's a lined canal the market uses for transporting goods around here."
The seed forgotten, Iruka followed the sound of water. He stepped onto a cobbled path between the tightly packed buildings. The buildings were so close together there were bridged walkways above connecting them.
Iruka squeezed between the buildings and down stone steps. There was greenery here Iruka did not expect. Moss and weeds squeezed between the stones. He took a moment to dig his fingers into the green. The air was wet and cool. There was a small tree growing at the side of the building, blowing in a breeze.
Iruka came out of the crushed buildings to a path worn into the grass by carriage wheels. The walls of the canal dropped down to the water below. It was narrow. Two boats could barely pass one another. There was a long thin boat tethered on the water below them.
Iruka spotted steps leading down that hugged the stone wall. Iruka walked to the edge and could see where this the walls of this canal sank closer to the water and connected with the main channel in the distance.
There was someone standing by the water.
Iruka recognized her as the woman from before. He grabbed Kakashi and Naruto by their sleeves and pulled them back into the cover of the building.
He hushed Naruto and peered around the corner, shielded by the young tree's leaves. Iruka froze as she stared in their direction.
Not just in their direction—but straight at him. And Iruka knew her in an instant.
It was Anko from the teahouse.
Her face was twisted with determined rage. She turned to peer at the water below. Without checking her surroundings, she dropped down out of sight.
Iruka was about to jerk forward, but Kakashi stopped him.
"It's a trap. It has to be."
Iruka smirked, "It probably is."
Kakashi grumbled as Iruka and Naruto walked across a narrow stone slab bridge. Naruto eyes were fixed on a house across the canal. It was two stories high, the same as all the others. Iruka ignored him and went to where Anko had disappeared. There wasn't a set of stone stairs below, or a boat Iruka could see.
He sat on the edge. The wall of the canal wasn't straight down, like he first thought. There was a sharp slope to it.
"Iruka?" Kakashi trotted close behind him.
He slid to the thin stone lip at the edge of the water.
"Iruka!"
He searched both ways down the thin lip of stone, but there was nothing.
She had vanished.
Kakashi's voice echoed above Iruka, suddenly playful, "What are the odds."
Naruto burst with excitement, "Shikamaru!"
"Hey—Let's not wake the neighborhood."
Above Iruka on the other side of the canal, Shikamaru appeared at the edge. He took his hand off his katana.
"I thought I was seeing a ghost."
Kakashi chuckled, and his tanto dissolved back into smoke. "It's been a while."
Shikamaru grimaced. "Longer for you than for me. You weren't really in a talking mood last I saw you."
The last they'd met, Iruka and Sakura were parting ways. Shikamaru had arranged the cart to carry Kakashi's unconscious—presumably dead—body to Gai's dojo.
Kakashi only smiled. "Right."
"Let's move this inside, shall we?" He looked down at Iruka, finally acknowledging him. "If you're looking for what I think you are, we can help each other out."
Kakashi reached down to pull Iruka out of the canal. "Did you slip?"
Iruka huffed, "No! I was investigating."
"Well, don't go running off without us."
They crossed back over, and Shikamaru led them up stone steps between buildings. He opened a side entrance to one on the canal and invited them in. From the outside it looked as deserted as the others.
Iruka should have been so surprised to see Sakura sitting at the cracked window. She was pale with shock. Iruka anticipated her pallor wouldn't get much better when Kakashi walked in the room, but Sakura surprised them both. She got to her feet and pulled both men into an embrace.
She hugged them and said with a tight voice, "You're both idiots."
Kakashi wrapped his arm around to hold her gently. "It's good to see you too, Sakura."
She pulled back taking in Kakashi's masked face. She smacked his chest. "What were you thinking!? You died! You died because of me." Her cheeks were red, but no tears yet. She fell back into their hug with a huff. "What the hell are you anyway? After everything I've seen, how are you the lesser of evils."
"Been having a hard time?" Kakashi mused.
Her voice sank with true despair. "You have no idea."
Iruka only squeezed her harder. "I'm so sorry, Sakura. We've been wanting to find you for a while now."
She collapsed into his shoulder with a weary sigh.
Unable to handle the silence, Naruto loudly asked, "Where's my hug?" Sakura glared at him sharply. Naruto winced, mumbling, "Sorry, I was just— Sorry."
Sakura laughed, reaching for him. "I was joking. Come here." She gave him a quick squeeze. "It's been a while. Have you been staying out of trouble?"
Naruto sighed, "Apparently not."
"And here I thought you'd outgrown running from your problems."
Naruto sputtered, "I'm not— I've definitely—!"
"I'm joking! Geez." She sighed, smiling at him. "We're not kids anymore." Then she glanced at Iruka, "And if you're with Iruka, then I know it's complicated."
Seeing his two students standing side by side was moving. It made him wonder more and more what else he had missed in the years apart. And when this was all over, he looked forward to sharing a drink with them to find out.
"Iruka-sensei?"
A young boy stepped into the room. Iruka recognized him at once.
"Udon? What are you doing here?"
The boy trotted to Iruka. His eyes were glazed behind his glasses. Iruka knelt down in time to catch him in his arms.
"Have you seen her? Have you seen Moegi? Is that why you're here!?" His voice was hoarse, his tears spent. "Tsunade-sama said she was fine—Moegi went to meet her new family, but I heard her whistle! I know I did!" He gripped Iruka's kimono. "I heardit."
Iruka snapped his head to face Sakura. She had gone cold with bridled rage. He said to Udon, "No, sweetie. I'm sorry. I haven't seen her. But we're here to help you, okay? We'll help however we can."
Shikamaru got down with them and rubbed Udon's back. "Hey bud, let's get you upstairs. The adults need to catch up. Chouji will bring you something to eat."
The boy was too dazed to answer. He stared at the floor between them. Shikamaru was out of his depth.
He called, "Hey, Chouji."
Chouji walked in the room and zeroed in on the child. He knelt and touched Udon's shoulder.
"Udon, let's grab something to eat. I know you haven't had lunch yet." Udon lifted his tired face to Chouji. Chouji smiled and swept the boy up in his arms. "Come on. What're you cravin' today?" He smiled weakly at Iruka from over Udon's head.
Once Udon and Chouji were out of the room, they spoke quietly.
Kakashi asked, "Are any of the other kids here?"
"No," Sakura said. "Udon snuck out and followed us last time we checked in with Ino. She helped us get the kids out of the quarter. We didn't think it was safe anymore, after everything."
"What's happened to Moegi-chan?"
Sakura harrowed expression only darkened. "She was already gone before the teahouse was attacked. Tsunade sent her off to her adoptive family. I didn't think anything of it, but not long after we got the kids settled, Udon thought he heard her whistle. She used to do these bird songs to alert the guards—"
Iruka said suddenly, "I remember." His heart hammered in his throat.
"I thought it was just a bird, but he was convinced." She dug in her sleeve and opened her hand. In her palm was a small bamboo whistle. "Then we found this."
Silence fell over the room.
Iruka went cold all over. Despite that, he found his voice. "Then you know."
Sakura had to sit down and put her head against her knees. She was beyond words, but her eyes were filled with pure venom.
Shikamaru answered in her place. "He's smuggling people." He went to the window. "We managed to track Orochimaru's activity to that house. He was using the usual chaos of the market as a cover. I've got multiple witnesses that have seen boats come and go, but he isn't sending people out of the city anymore." He stared through the gap to the outside. "I can't figure out why."
Kakashi spoke up. "He's setting them loose." Shikamaru and Sakura stared at Kakashi, not understanding. He hesitated to say more. "Sakura, maybe you should go upstairs."
She spat out, "No. I need to hear this."
Iruka sat down beside her. He took a deep breath. "Orochimaru has been taking people from the pleasure quarter ever since the Onryou appeared. He's experimenting on them, trying to make the Onryou possess them."
Sakura's face drained of color. "Why?"
"He wants to control it. The Onryou feeds on pain and fear. Orochimaru has been creating chaos in the city to make it stronger." Iruka made eye contact with Shikamaru. "He might not be directly behind Asuma-san's death, but I guarantee he's been escalating things ever since—"
Sakura slammed her wakizashi on the tatami floor. "But why the pleasure quarter?" Tears filled her eyes. "Why?"
The answer hung in the air among them. Iruka and Kakashi had seen for themselves how the pleasure quarter had remained untouched as the rest of the city fell to ruin.
Iruka couldn't bear it. "There's no way Tsunade-sama would have helped him if she knew the truth. But if Anko is here, then… I just can't believe she would be involved. The kids love her so much. And she—"
"—Anko?" Sakura slowly sat up, eyes wide. "What do you mean 'Anko'?"
"She was just there." Iruka pointed toward the canal. "Didn't you see—?"
"That was—!?" Sakura was off the floor before he could breathe another word. She stormed to the door, pulling out her blade.
Shikamaru grabbed her arm. "The Daimyo's men are on their way. We have to wait!"
She looked back at him with a scowl. "I'm done waiting." She swiped her sword at Shikamaru, and he jerked away, releasing her. She threw open the door with a crack.
The men ran after her. She was already dashing across the stone bridge. She leapt up the short foundation of the house, grabbing onto the sill of a window. The thin wooden grating and paper of the window was no match for her blade. She hurled herself through it and inside.
Shikamaru went around one side, ordering Kakashi, "Watch the back door!"
Kakashi darted to the side door and checked it only to find it jammed shut. He pointed at Naruto and Iruka, "Stay here." Without another word, he leapt onto the stone foundation and followed Sakura through the window.
In his confusion, Iruka grumbled. "Why are you—She didn't go in the house!"
Naruto scoffed beside him. "What are you talking about? We all saw her."
Iruka shook his head fervently, pointing to the canal. "No! She didn't. She went down there."
"You're older than I thought, sensei. Your sight is going."
The side door clattered, and they both jumped to attention.
Out stepped Kakashi. "She's not here—"
Iruka huffed, "I could have told you that."
"—but they found a stow of bodies. Come here. I need you to check if the Onryou killed them."
Iruka's stomach flopped. He dutifully followed Kakashi inside.
Shikamaru and Sakura were tearing the place apart. Shikamaru was prying boards and panels loose while Sakura flipped tatami mats, stacking them in the corner and exposing the dirt floor beneath. Most of the households in this area weren't wealthy enough to afford tatami, drawing their suspicion.
That was how Sakura found the bodies upstairs in a hidden compartment.
There were four bodies crammed into the floor. Immediately Iruka could tell they didn't die at the same time. The oldest was practically bones. Its skin was pulled tight over its frame like it had been sucked dry. The other three were in a similar state, only at different stages of mumification.
Iruka didn't need to get closer to know the Onryou wasn't responsible for their deaths. These bodies hadn't just been crammed into this wooden tomb; they had been locked in. The bodies were bound and covered in gashes. The inside walls were stained with dark smears, and the bed of the compartment was wet with thick, coagulated blood.
The freshest corpse's face was drawn up in a horrified expression. He had broken free of his ropes and died trying to hold the wounds closed.
Taking a step back, the wood was stained darker than the rest in the house. It was as if the blood had leeched into the wood, spreading out into the house itself, down to its foundations.
Even now, the dead body was still of use. It was still being drained.
Iruka's first thought was of what he had seen in the teahouse during the attack. He recalled Orochimaru dragging his hand the fresh blood of the man he killed.
"It was Orochimaru. I think this is the price of his gift." Iruka said a silent prayer for these tortured souls. "I don't think we'll find anything here."
Naruto's face was pale just looking at them. "Jiraiya told me Orochimaru purposefully never used his ability in front of him. He only knows it's compatible with the Onryou somehow."
Considering the last thing Iruka saw him use it for was to summon a giant dragon and a swarm of demons, Iruka had no doubts they were compatible.
Iruka put his hand on Naruto's shoulder. "We'll face it together, whatever it is." He spoke to Shikamaru, "I saw him disguise his men as demons before. I think this place is meant to throw people off his tail."
He led them downstairs and outside. Outside, the light was already fading. The water was dark below them.
"I watched Anko-san go down to the canal."
Iruka slid down as he had before. Kakashi followed him, but the others waited above. Kakashi stuck close with a quick smile. They walked down the narrow path but didn't see an entrance of any kind.
When he went under the stone bridge, he faltered. He could have sworn the shadow of the bridge passed over him twice.
He shut his eyes and put his hand on the wall. He dragged it along the stone as he walked back and forth under the bridge.
The stone dipped. He stretched his hand forward into a cool nothingness.
He stared at his hand where it rested. To his eyes, his hand was relaxed in front of him, arm bent and resting on smooth stone. Yet he knew his arm was extended.
He looked above, and there was a dizzying trick of light. He wasn't standing under the bridge, yet its shadow had fallen over him.
"Iruka?"
Iruka stepped into the narrow tunnel.
Exclamations rose up behind him. When he looked back, the hole was obvious. Kakashi was standing in front of it, testing the air with his hand.
Iruka took his hand and pulled Kakashi forward. They collapsed into each other in the tight space.
Kakashi sneered, "Neat trick."
The others came after. The hole was so narrow they had to walk single file. Kakashi squeezed in front of Iruka and led the way with his tanto out.
Shikamaru whispered from the back, "We checked the aqueducts in the area, but they were blocked off or caved in. I saw them myself." His thoughts poured out, "We need to check them again. We need to let the Daimyo know."
Sakura snapped at him. "You can go back if you want. I'm not leaving Moegi down here a second longer."
Iruka said to Shikamaru, "Killing people isn't Orochimaru's goal. At the teahouse, he made a spectacle of himself on purpose. The more people we involve, the stronger the Onryou will become. You'll only be playing into his hand."
Worn steps took them deeper down. The light of day couldn't help them here and gradually faded to darkness. Kakashi pushed on all the same. If Anko had gone this way, so could they.
In the black, sounds rose up all around them.
They started low, so quiet none of them noticed. Scratching from within the stone. Skittering at their feet. The deeper they went, the closer the walls felt. The dark was swallowing them, squeezing them tighter and tighter.
The distance between Iruka and the others grew suddenly. He frantically reached ahead for Kakashi. His hand grabbed empty air. He darted forward, but he couldn't see. He blinked uselessly in the dark. He couldn't see his hands in front of his face.
How had the darkness come so quickly? He could almost see shapes moving in the inky blackness.
His heart was pounding. His ears latched onto every tiny sound, desperate to hear his friend's footsteps. Instead he heard whispers. He heard distant screams. He felt a puff of breath on his neck.
He jerked around and threw up his hands to shield himself. Yet there was nothing. Nothing he could see.
He didn't know which way he was facing anymore. Had he turned around? He touched the wall beside him to find it wet.
Instantly he thought of the soaked wooden tomb coated with thick blood.
He pulled in his hands. Lost, but unable to stop, he took step after step in the endless dark.
Then a low growl vibrated through the tunnel. The ground, Iruka's bones, all shook with it.
Iruka faced the sound and saw light. He blocked his eyes from being blinded by it.
Once again, he was in a narrow tunnel containing his friends. He saw Sakura and Shikamaru's silhouettes lit up by the glowing figure of Naruto. They were flinching back, lit up by his heat.
His body was made of churning embers, and he illuminated the hall. He was panting. His mouth was full of sharp teeth, but his eyes were blazing bright blue.
Iruka pushed through Sakura and Shikamaru to him.
"We're right here, Naruto." He pressed into the scalding hot air, taking Naruto's hand. His skin burned, but he didn't let go. "I'm here."
Naruto blinked back to himself, locking on Iruka. "Don't let go."
Iruka smiled. "Never."
Sakura and Shikamaru's dazed faces regained awareness.
Sakura got control of her panicked breathing to say, "Are you okay, Naruto?"
He grinned, "Never better. Need some light?"
She laughed weakly.
Naruto led the way. His orange light was a protective bubble holding the fatigue and confusion at bay.
Iruka's heart dropped when he realized Kakashi wasn't with them. He dashed ahead, heedless of the warnings calling him back.
Naruto's light reflected off the slick walls just enough that Iruka could see the path descend more stairs. He skid down to where the tunnel opened into a larger chamber.
Kakashi had stopped walking.
Iruka approached carefully, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Kakashi?"
Kakashi was staring at the ground with wide and unfocused eyes. At Iruka's touch, his awareness returned. His face soured, reeling from whatever he'd seen.
"What is it? What's wrong?"
Naruto's glow filled the room when they caught up.
Dark water waited at Kakashi's feet.
This was the aqueduct. The roof of the tunnel lowered sharply until it was only a few feet above the water. The tunnel continued into the dark, but this was where the pathway ended.
There was evidence that a boat had been tied here, but Anko must have taken it. Iruka knelt down, but it was impossible to see how far the aqueduct went.
Without a word, Sakura dropped some of her belongings on the ground and stepped off the edge. She splashed into the water holding her wakizashi over her head.
"It's shallow," she said. When she stood, her head and neck were just above the water. She stared up at them from the black. "Are you coming or not?"
Naruto swallowed heavily before joining her. His glow illuminated the murky water and cast light onto the walls of the deeper tunnel. "It's cold!" As terrified as he was, he smiled up at Iruka.
Iruka took Kakashi's hand, squeezing tight. There was sweat beaded on Kakashi's forehead. He cast a sideways glance at Iruka and nodded.
They leapt in together.
The ceiling was low, but when Iruka reached up, his fingers couldn't reach it. He looked around at how the mouth of the water gaped into a larger waterway past their entrance. Naruto's light, now diffused under the surface, barely illuminated the space at all. Iruka couldn't see the edges of the water where the ceiling curved down.
"Look," Sakura pointed to another light ahead. Its distant reflections danced on the water.
It had to be Anko. It had to be.
They trudged forward.
The water pressed in on Iruka's chest. It was tiring to move through it, and each step was heavier than the last. The sounds of water slapping on stone, splashing and bubbling, echoed in the chamber.
The light ahead was only a whisper, but still enough guide them. Meanwhile, Naruto's glow made a glare of light on the surface that obscured what was beneath. Iruka's legs were just warped black shapes.
The floor beneath slopped ever so slightly down. Sakura bobbed in the water, her chin dipping briefly before pushing herself in another step. A subtle current pulled them to the side, likely to where the aqueduct emptied into the canal.
Naruto suddenly flinched, splashing in the water. He searched around his feet.
A chill shot up Iruka's spine. He moved his arms in the water, keeping himself upright. He felt something shift the water around him.
As if the fear had passed through them all at once, they scrambled to swim towards the light.
The water roiled around them. Iruka saw something—a great many things—pass through the glow in the water. Their thin black shapes were too fast to see clearly.
The group was scattered, fighting the water. The ground sank further and further until they were dipping and sinking—unmoored. Wild panic choked Iruka. He kicked his feet and swam, yet he couldn't make any progress.
Sakura's head went below the water. Her arms flailed above. She burst through the surface screaming, "Help—!Please!" Her voice leapt in pitch, making her sound young. She fought the current. "Please!"
No matter how they moved, they couldn't reach her. The water stretched between them, pulling her further away. She sputtered water and true helplessness overcame her. Her cries echoed on the merciless stone, "HELP ME!"
She disappeared below.
Kakashi surged forward, knife in hand. His red eye brimmed with rage, and he went underwater after her.
When he resurfaced, he had Sakura's arm over his shoulder. She coughed and sputtered, voice bursting out in choked, terrified sounds.
Something snagged Iruka's leg. Crawling and slipping over his body, his arms, his shoulders, Iruka was dragged away from the rest. Naruto's horrified face was the last thing he saw before the water swallowed him up.
He thrashed under the surface and kicked at the absent floor. The air in his chest pushed painfully at his throat, but he refused to let go. He could only just orient himself. He knew which way was up, yet he was held just beneath it.
He opened his eyes in the water. He could see the surface. His fingertips brushed it, disturbing it in fruitless ripples.
Then the world above exploded with fiery light. The water's current shoved him aside as something with incredible mass came for him.
Iruka's strength was fading. He needed air.
Light beneath the water suddenly blinded him. A great glowing hand ensnared him and wrenched him above water. Before he could look, the light died, leaving him dazed and unadjusted to the dark.
Iruka sucked in desperate breaths as the water poured off him. He was dropped onto stone. They had reached the torchlight. In its dim light, Iruka saw Kakashi haul Shikamaru out of the water. Sakura shrank against the wall behind them, eyes locked on what had saved them.
Hunkered beneath the low ceiling a gargantuan, half-formed beast crowded the chamber.
It was sitting in the water causing waves to lap loudly against stone walls. They watched the enormous head turned from side to side, slowly searching. Eyes in the dark landed on them. Then limbs too long and thin pulled it closer and into the wavering light. Water sloshed and flooded the ground they sat on. Anko's boat bobbed, straining its tether to the piling.
The snout and face of a fox came abruptly out of the dark. Shining red eyes blinked their massive lids, unseeing. It sniffed rapidly to scent the air. It was soaked with water making it appear skeletal.
It opened its long mouth full of jagged teeth and let out a low snarl. Its ears fell back, and those sightless eyes darted.
Iruka got to his feet. "Naruto?"
An ear flicked to attention, catching the sound. The great beast turned its head so its eye could come close to Iruka. Still it growled.
Iruka laughed weakly. The growling paused, taking in this new sound and familiar voice. Iruka cautiously raised a hand and rested it on the snout.
"It is you, isn't it." He pet the wet fur. "You did a good job, Naruto. We're safe now, okay? You can change back."
Naruto turned his head again, almost knocking Iruka over. Iruka ducked under the muzzle. Naruto looked back to the water. He opened his mouth again, snarling. Fire lit in the back of his throat like a burning hearth and brightened the chamber.
The water was murky but empty.
"It's safe," Iruka said again. "Come here." He beckoned, opening his arms.
The fox took the invitation and shoved its nose into Iruka's chest. It knocked the breath out of him and butted up under his chin.
Iruka scratched the sides of its snout. "You know what I mean! Smaller, please."
A fierce claw lifted out of the water and smacked heavily on the landing. The stone groaned.
"Naruto!" Iruka gripped handfuls of fur.
The monster's eyes widened to red disks. Then golden light bloomed from within it. In a hurricane of shimmering gold embers, the fox pulled into itself, spiraling in the circle of Iruka's arms.
It condensed into a small fox that Iruka quickly caught and cradled close.
The fox clawed up his chest, nuzzling its head in the crook of Iruka's shoulder. Iruka held it tight, petting down its back.
"That's better, I guess."
Kakashi approached, offering his hand for Naruto to sniff. The fox tail batted against Iruka's arm as it wagged. Kakashi smiled and gave his ears a quick scratch.
Shikamaru helped Sakura to her feet. She was still horribly shaken.
They stared into the water together.
She hugged herself, shivering. "What was that?"
"I don't know," Kakashi said. "I couldn't hit any of them."
Iruka put an arm around her, giving her a squeeze. She smiled warily and said, "I'm alright."
The fox sniffed to assess her. Then he turned to the wooden doors awaiting on the platform and snarled.
Iruka soothed the fox and said to the others, "We should keep moving." Still something about the water was nagging at him. He couldn't put his finger on it.
Kakashi took the lead and opened the way.
Mismatched lanterns hung within, casting long shadows across the broken wood floor. Holes made from fallen stone sank into utter shadow. Braces of wood cut through the large hall at odd angles to help the crumbling stone columns. They walked down a handful of large steps to the main floor. The wooden pillars and flooring had the same dark red color, as if they had been dyed with blood.
The doors snapped closed behind them, and they all jerked around to see.
It was then Iruka realized the walls were plastered with ofuda. Paper talismans covered the walls and columns. Ropes spiderwebbed from wall to wall with wooden kifuda hanging from them. The charms on them had been carved with frantic hands. They clattered together in the cool air shifting about the room.
Iruka approached the doors, reading the talismans. "Is all this meant to keep people out?"
Ever since they'd entered, the burr had started throbbing in Iruka's chest. Naruto on his shoulder was shivering. His form was shifting, like he couldn't quite hold it.
Shikamaru answered. "They're to keep something in." Shikamaru touched one of the ofuda with a nostalgic smile. "Asuma showed me once."
The air was saturated with wet cold and clung to Iruka as he walked forward.
Across the hall was the face of a sunken temple. The roof sagged half-collapsed over the entrance.
Iruka was drawn toward it. He stepped down onto the wooden flooring.
"Iruka!"
A low hissing was his only warning before a snake shot out of a hole in the floor. It landed heavily beside him when he dodged.
Suddenly he was aware of rising sounds around him. Slithering, hissing, clicking, crawling. The grinding of shelled bodies and insect legs. The ground peeking beneath the wood was alive and pouring into the open.
Coiled centipedes, spiders, and snakes dragged themselves onto the ground at Iruka's feet. He scrambled onto one of the larger stones that had fallen from the ceiling. He kicked at what crawled after him. Every animal instinct in Iruka was screaming to flee. Fangs and pincers snapped at him. Spindly legs tapped and twitched.
"Get back!" Kakashi guarded Sakura and Shikamaru. He shouted at Iruka, "Stay where you are, I'm coming!"
First the tunnel, then the water, now this? How many traps had Orochimaru set? Iruka's heart was pounding. He was dizzy with adrenaline. Looking at his friends their fear was palpable. It hung in the air around them like a cloud, wearing them down. It was just like the yakuza in the teahouse. Fear had scattered them, blinded them. It had spread through Enten like a sickness.
Iruka took deep breaths to calm himself. He focused on the warmth of the seed and settled his heart.
For just an instant, the shape of the creatures around him wavered.
His thoughts clicked into place. The teahouse didn't burn. It had been set alight from the inside, and yet it didn't burn.
Iruka stared into the sea of writhing bodies. He readied himself to jump.
Sakura shouted, "Iruka, what are you doing? You won't make it!"
"Stop, Iruka!" Kakashi cried, "Wait for me!"
The fox on his shoulder whimpered and wrapped tight around Iruka's shoulders as he leapt into the chaos.
His feet hit solid wood.
The wet crunch of his feet hitting the ground echoed oddly in his ears. The tiny creatures clamored up his legs, yet he couldn't quite feel it. His skin crawled and flinched in anticipation, but there was no solid sensation. Just what his mind constructed.
Had he really been pulled under the water? Or had he just sunk down, believing something had him?
He kept his breath steady and took a step. There was nothing holding him in place, nothing on the ground to kick, no resistance as his leg swung forward.
The creatures wavered around him like disturbed reflections in a pool.
A manic laugh burst out of him. "It's not real. They're not real!"
The others were calling for him. Shikamaru and Sakura held Kakashi back. Kakashi was horrified, enraged. He roared, yanking free from the others.
Iruka strode back to them. Their eyes looked through him, locked on where he had landed. He wondered what they were being shown.
Now that he was free of it, Iruka realized what lingered in the air wasn't just fear. There was an energy in the room that had the faint smell of metal.
He knelt down into the illusion and put a hand on his heart. "Will you help me?"
It wasn't just the seed that answered, but Naruto. The little fox settled its breathing and began to glow.
In an instant the mist wavered. It wasn't much, but the cool air spiraled around him and cleared the ground. He stood and turned to his friends. Their shocked faces told him the vision had been broken, at least in part.
Kakashi reached out a hand, "Iruka?"
Iruka walked over and took it. "I'm fine, Kakashi. It's an illusion." He looked around at the writhing floor. "I can't get rid of it all, but it's not real."
They followed him through, still wincing and gasping when something leapt at them. Together they waded through the sea of writhing creatures. Naruto's faint glow created a boundary that the scrambling insects couldn't cross, but still the sounds surrounded them.
At last, they approached the temple entrance. Ofuda overlapped on every pillar, and completely sealed the door.
"I bet these were blocking Jiraiya's gift," Kakashi said as he took his tanto and cut around the edges off the doors. When he pushed them open, the inner chamber was completely dark to their unadjusted eyes.
What had once been a shrine was now corrupted. Rows of stone slabs filled the main chamber. Atop them were moving shapes. Slowly, as their eyes adapted to the dark, they saw that strapped down to the slabs were dozens of children in varying states of consciousness.
There were black stains on the stone. Some of the children were smeared with it, oozing black from healing wounds. Darkened veins stood out against their skin. Hiding their faces were blank white masks, the brightest, cleanest color in the room.
Barrels lined the walls, containing the sounds of panicked splashing and muffled cries. In the far corner was a collection of masked children snarling and swatting at a figure cowering on the ground. When they heard the door, the children stopped in their tracks. They stood slowly and turned those blank white faces to the group. Shielding herself on the floor was Anko. Her arms and face were beaten bloody.
"Moegi!" Sakura cried out.
A child in the crowd twitched. Despite the mask, Iruka recognized her pigtails.
Before Iruka could move to help Kakashi grabbed him, but he didn't manage to stop Sakura. She sprinted for the corner.
Anko lifted her head from the cover of her arms. She spotted Sakura and gasped. Through bloody lips she tried to speak, but her voice bubbled and croaked.
Along the walls were disturbing paintings of monsters and demons, captured in ink and paper.
At the back of the room, illuminated by green paper lanterns, was an altar holding objects that sent a sickening chill through Iruka. A faint and tattered painting was on display, accompanied by stumps of ancient, gnarled wood. Nailed to the trunks of wood were dozens of straw dolls. The trunks and painting had worn ofuda on them, barely containing the sinister energy bubbling within them.
Sitting in a place of honor was a black drinking gourd tied with a blood red cord and sealed shut with charms. Beside it on the ground was a barrel of black liquid. The liquid roiled on its own, brimming with life.
Iruka's blood ran cold, realizing in an instant what must be inside.
"I got the idea from you, Obou-san. The effect isn't permanent yet, but I've made significant progress." Leaning in the dark by the painting was Orochimaru. He separated from it, as if coming alive. His golden eyes shimmered in the low light. "I've found that when the vessels are young, they don't break down as quickly. They don't have a strong enough understanding of hate or pain to conceptualize it." He wandered over to a trunk of wood, eying the paper dolls. "The Onryou can't possess them the same way as an adult so they aren't as physically strong, but they are easier to prepare. And to control."
He reached for one of the paper dolls. When his nail tore through the seal, the ropes binding one of the children frayed and snapped. The child lurched up. Black oozed from beneath the mask, and its shape began to shift. The white crawled and tightened against the child's face. They scrambled, clawing at the edges of the mask as it tightened. Shapes emerged, the nose elongating, ears forming, and a snarling mouth tore the mask apart like a seam ripping. Eyes opened, one set, then two, then three. The eyes danced and circled wildly, before locking on the group.
A mask like a demonic cat with wild yellow eyes scrambled off the slab, wailing and charging at them.
Orochimaru dragged his hand along the trunk, shredding the paper talismans as he went. Screams rose up and the room erupted into chaos. The demons took shape in the masks: a woman with a stretched smile slicing her face in half, a horned devil with tusks, a red face covered in eyes. Creatures from beyond the veil of their world were seemingly pulled in by the Onryou's power.
Iruka caught the first child and instantly dropped to his knees as visions of pain and fear flashed through his mind, too fast to catch. The energy drained into him, but it knotted sickly in his stomach. The rabbit god was afraid.
Iruka begged aloud, "Please, I need you." He breathed deeply and tried to center himself again. At his shoulder, Naruto's fox form was shaking. He snarled viciously, jaws snapping. All intelligence left the fox's eyes, and he coiled to spring at Orochimaru.
Iruka caught him just in time.
"Shikamaru! Get him out of here!" The children swatted at Iruka as he lifted the fox out of reach. Sharp teeth and wide jaws smiled up at him.
Orochimaru chuckled. "It was kind of you to bring the Inari here. If nothing else, my experiments have given me confidence that some vessels have an affinity with or without my intervention."
He took the gourd in his hands. Slowly he uncoiled the rope.
Shikamaru snatched Naruto from Iruka's hands. Iruka shoved them at the door. "Get him out now!"
Orochimaru popped the cork. He poured thick black liquid onto the ground.
Iruka put himself between Shikamaru and the black hell that exploded from the ink.
In a flash, the black slammed into a shimmering barrier. The air around Iruka filled with particles of light.
Screams of pain pierced the room. Some of the children dropped to the ground as the ichor was pulled out of them. Their masks returned to the blank white. The black retreated, spiraling in the air above them all. It swelled and gathered itself before slamming down on Iruka's barrier again. Another wail burst out of the children.
Sakura knelt in the corner over the now unconscious Moegi and wounded Anko. Smoke was violently drained from Moegi and the other children. It sapped from her blank mask, dropping her limp on the ground. The streams of black pulled together into the growing cloud.
Orochimaru was watching the Onryou in awe, not noticing the thrown white blade before it slashed across his face. He whipped his head to face Kakashi.
"I thought I killed you."
Kakashi grinned, "I get that a lot."
Kakashi summoned the blade into his hand again and dashed at Orochimaru. Not releasing the gourd, Orochimaru drew a long blade. He fended Kakashi off, blocking and slashing. The length of his blade kept him safe, but the tide turned when Kakashi closed in. Kakashi slashed the tanto across Orochimaru's chest, and Orochimaru kicked him soundly away.
Kakashi slid to a stop. He refocused and lunged back into the fight. His eye flashed red, and for an instant the room stilled.
Kakashi staggered to a halt, breath caught in his throat.
From behind a mask at Iruka's feet, he heard a tiny voice say, "Ka…kashi."
One by one, "Kakashi." The children's voices melded into one, high and broken. "Kakashi… Kakashi…"
Their bodies jerked on the ground, and their masked faces turned to look at him. There were flickers of expressions formed on the blank white, like shadows caught in strange light. Faces in agony, raging, crying, screaming.
"KAKASHI!"
Kakashi grasped at his burning red eye and fell to his knees.
"Make it stop!"
"Kakashi! What's happening?" Iruka took a step forward, only for his barrier to be shoved back by the Onryou. He looked behind at Shikamaru and Naruto. "Get Naruto over here, it's not safe!" Shikamaru ran to his side, cradling the quivering fox.
"Kakashi!" "KAKASHI!" "Why?" "YOU DID THIS."
The Onryou swirled over Kakashi, dipping down to brush against him. Kakashi cried out as if he had been struck and held his shoulder where he had been touched. He was frozen, expression lost.
The white faces dragged themselves on the ground toward him.
"Where am I?" "KAKASHI!"
"Make it stop!"
"Take me back!"
"I WON'T ACCEPT IT." "You killed her!"
Iruka had heard these cries before. His whole body shivered. "Kakashi! I can't reach you! Please!"
"KAKASHI!"
The tiny hands grasped at his legs and Kakashi's head flexed back with wide eyes.
Before Iruka could move, the black cloud expanded and consumed them all. The miasma pressed in, and the walls of Iruka's barrier wavered. Iruka pulled Shikamaru and Naruto close to him, holding them tight when the shield of light suddenly shrank. Iruka felt another set of hands on him and turned to see Naruto in his human shape. When he put his hands on Iruka's back, Iruka felt energy enter him and the barrier surged with power.
Through gaps in the swirling darkness, Iruka watched Kakashi rise up. His feet slid from under him, and he left the ground. The hands of the children reached from the floor. The black was pouring out of them, all of the Onryou was drawing into Kakashi, seeping into the scars on his body, flooding his glowing red eye.
The torrent swirled, spiraling in until suddenly the room emptied.
Kakashi hit the ground at Orochimaru's feet.
Orochimaru's snake eyes glistened. "Fascinating."
When he reached for Kakashi, an enormous, clawed hand extended between them, slamming into the wall at the back of the room.
Naruto stepped forward and flexed his transformed claws to crush the brittle stone. His eyes shone bright and feral. "Don't you touch him."
Orochimaru swept back and dashed for the painting. He ripped away the paper talisman, and the painting undulated. The colors deepened and saturated the air.
Shikamaru shouted, "He's getting away!"
Naruto swung his hand, but it was caught by a nest of snakes that ripped from Orochimaru's kimono. They tangled around his arm, sinking their teeth in. Naruto flinched back, shaking them off franticly.
Orochimaru had an amused smile on his face. "It seems you've come back to yourself, Inari. What a pity."
The painting behind Orochimaru tugged at the seams of reality and stretched itself larger and larger. The scene on the scroll became iridescent, and fissures broke across to release something beyond.
Another world was revealed. Trails of lights sailed across a distant starless night. A large arched bridge stretched behind Orochimaru. There were shadowed figures walking there—not quite real. Music and rich smells drifted into the chamber.
Iruka knew this scene. In the world beyond, he saw the rickshaws and ships illuminating the skyscape. He knew this world.
Orochimaru stepped backward into the hole in reality. As he did another shape grew around him, coiling and writhing around the illusion of his human form.
His voice hissed and layered upon itself. "Another time, Inari."
Then he pivoted and strolled away on the bridge.
Drawn to the spirits within, Iruka ran after him and reached for the other world.
"Sensei, stop!" Naruto bodily blocked him. His monstrous hand stretched over the portal. His claws dug into the kaleidoscope edges and gripped them closed. The edges of the portal strained against his hold. "Shikamaru, can you seal it?"
"Way ahead of you." Shikamaru carefully removed ofuda from the wall and imbued them with energy. He flung them at the cracks and slowly the hole closed. Naruto dropped his hand when the painting returned to normal.
A tableau of the bridge was depicted there in ink just as they had seen it. However, standing in the middle of the bridge was a figure strikingly like Orochimaru smiling directly at the viewer. Shikamaru applied more ofuda just to be safe.
Iruka rushed to Kakashi's side. Iruka held his face and called to him, but Kakashi didn't respond. Kakashi's eyes were slightly open but sightless. Iruka pulled Kakashi into his lap to check his back. There was no blood, no wounds to be found.
"What was that?" Naruto knelt beside Iruka. "Did the Onryou possess him?"
Iruka shook his head, "It was just a piece." His voice was shaking. "It was just a piece, not the real thing. I can take it out."
"Why did the kids say his name?"
Iruka burned where he touched Kakashi. This wasn't like the others. The Onryou's possession of the children was a poison that latched onto their spirits and bodies. Iruka couldn't feel anything that wasn't Kakashi. There was no piece of the Onryou to be cleansed.
Naruto asked again, "Why did they know his name?"
When Kakashi had been struck down, when his body was cleaved open, Iruka had felt something. There was something inside Kakashi holding him together. He wasn't a kami, he wasn't mortal. Tsunade called him malformed. Cursed.
Iruka pulled Kakashi into his arms and held him tight.
"Don't leave me again. Please. Please, don't leave me behind." He stroked Kakashi's hair and whispered, pleading, "Let me go with you."
He shut his eyes and focused on Kakashi's heart beating against him.
He let himself drift, like falling asleep. A dream skirted at the edge of his awareness as the outside world fell away. It reminded him of the vision he had seen of Uchiha Itachi. Now, Iruka sought the Onryou itself. He sought out the child crying in the dark.
Iruka's own words felt far away. "Please. Let me go with you."
A torrent of wind abruptly battered against him, but he kept his eyes shut and held firmly onto Kakashi. In the distance he heard Naruto and Sakura's voices calling his name.
Iruka listened to his own steady breathing and let himself be swept away.
Y'all, I had way too much fun. I cannot WAIT for the next chapter.
See you next time!
Nut