Chapter V

The Unexpected Return

Konohagakure had allocated countless resources to find any clues that might lead somewhere. Many search teams were deployed across the country. Although unlikely, the possibility of Naruto being held prisoner in the borders could not be ruled out. The Land of Fire was vast, and its forests as far as the eye could see immense. The places to hide there were considerable. Rogue groups hid in hideouts out of sight. Despite the peace that reigned on the land, criminal activities abounded here and there.

The village remained in close communication with their sand ally, mutually awaiting new data to move things forward. Like Sunagakure, only Konohagakure had been the victim of these attempts of kidnapping. The other towns and villages of the country were unscathed. Rumours did not convey either; no signs of recent suspicious activity, no relevant word of mouth.

Their time was running out to save the two victims before they were thrown into a pit, their hearts ripped out and their bodies only good to feed the worms.

Of course, Kakashi's team was one of them. Under his command, there was obviously Sai and Sakura, but also Hyūga Hinata. The Copy Ninja had carefully chosen her for her Byakugan. Not only her pupils could detect chakra with ease, they could also see for miles around, and their formidable vision could penetrate matter. With these, she could find hideouts hidden underground, behind waterfalls or even in mountains. An asset and a valuable addition to his team.

A nameless rage and determination boiled in Kakashi's veins, ready to do anything to find and rescue Naruto. He slept little, if at all. He clung to this sad hope of pulling Naruto out of the clutches of this ill-famed group… Alas, his hopes were gradually corrupted by darkness, blackening his heart which was weakening forever.

The first week…

Nothing; penumbra.

The second week…

Nothing; dimness.

The third week…

Nothing; darkness.

In all, a month had passed since the incident.

Nothing; despair.

Faced with the impossible, Tsunade had greatly reduced the number of teams. Travelling the lands so blindly was futile, the efforts were vain; it was like looking for a needle in a haystack and she understood that. Reluctantly, she had to come to terms with the obvious that there was no point in continuing so hard, wasting so many resources for no result. It only brought disappointment after disappointment. Declining morale was felt, the exhilarating fire in hearts was extinguished and the troops lacked rigour. Like many others, they had concluded that it was already too late, that the search would only lead to a gruesome discovery. Lugubrious murmurs spread; a hope that the bodies would be found before they return to the earth and therefore, offer them a burial worthy of a life sadly torn away too soon.

Nevertheless, communications with Sunagakure continued and two teams were still in charge of this unachievable mission. In these teams, that of Hatake Kakashi was not one of them. She had ordered him to stay in the village after hearing Sakura's concerns about his physical and mental health. Kakashi was not a pretty sight; he was frightening enough to give nightmares. Excruciatingly dark circles marred his face, he was losing weight at an alarming rate, and his exhausted eyes betrayed the evil that plagued his tormented mind. The Copy Ninja sank day after day into darkness and he—cursing his pathetic weakness—withdrew into himself and solitude.

Few seen him, to believe that he had been kidnapped in turn. Since the incident, that fateful night, he had not once plunged his nose into his favourite book. No one was able to talk to him, not even Sakura whom he coldly pushed away, emphasizing his undeniable need to be alone. Either he was in front of the Memorial Stone, or he was about to collapse from intensive training that worried those around him. During one of his training, Kakashi had lost consciousness and he had been taken to the hospital… And as soon as he woke up, he had already run away to fall back into his devastating torments. He had redoubled his efforts, ignoring the cries of his body giving up.

The more time passed, the more his unstable psyche deteriorated; Kakashi had fallen back into this dismal period when he was running after his own destruction. As long as he persisted in pushing the others unable to reach him beyond this impenetrable shell, there was nothing to be done. Kakashi had lost himself in his own demons; he had sunk into the abyss, so deep that it was impossible to pull him out. Beneath this ocean which had swallowed him up and engulfed him, he was slowly drowning and was wandering further. He had left his body on autopilot; an empty carcass that haunted the streets with its sinister presence.

Just as his student already considered dead, Kakashi seemed to slowly join him in the eternal voids. Soon he would be forcibly hospitalized before he succumbed to his own madness. He would be securely tied up if necessary, even put in an isolation room, in order to preserve his life which was crumbling piece by piece.

Sadly, the dark days also overwhelmed Konohagakure's other shinobis and kunoichis…

Alas, life being life, they had to keep living…

- XXX -

Morning had just broken over the village. The summer breezes made this morning cold, which the sun had not had time to warm up. A fog filled with humidity spread over all of Konohagakure and gave a sinister appearance to the ghostly streets with almost no one around. This misty veil haunted the surroundings and the gentle wind whistled in an unsettling and disturbing echo. With recent events, this dark and otherworldly atmosphere made everyone feel uneasy.

Despite the places of horror, the village was stretching and waking up little by little. The people began their routine before going to work or contributing in some way to the community. While they still had the privilege of having a hot drink and enjoying the morning quietude, for Kamizuki Izumo and Hagane Kotetsu, it was a dream that had become impossible for many days. Assigned to guard the main gates on which the hiragana "a" and "n" were inscribed, they had to be there before the first rays of the sun. Since the recent events, they had not had the slightest leave and fatigue was felt; dark circles still young adorned their exhausted eyes.

Ever since he was at the post, Kotetsu had been unable to stop yawning. To his dismay and misfortune, only an hour had passed; he felt as if time dragged on mischievously. In addition, he was much less alert, both eyes in the same hole, just like his partner by the way.

"I can't take it anymore," he grumbled, crossing his arms before taking a comfortable position. "I want this day to end as soon as possible so that I can finally go home and take a good hot bath…"

"With the luck we've had these past few days, we'll be lucky if we get our day off tomorrow," Izumo added with a hint of exasperation in his voice.

"Since that night, Godaime has even assigned a night shift and just like us, they are washed up…"

"From what I hear, one of them is about to freak out."

"I don't pity him. I'm at my wit's end too…"

His brother-in-arms shared his thoughts by nodding, then a silence settled. They watched the children run through the streets as a flock of screaming birds passed overhead. The two shinobis waited impatiently to be freed from the drudgery of the gates. They were looking forward to the next Chūnin Exams. They wanted to be entrusted with a mission, even a terribly boring level E one… They were ready to accept anything and everything to chase away this growing and unbearable boredom that their role as prolonged guardian engendered.

Nonchalantly observing the somewhat gloomy forest, Izumo noticed a staggering figure in the horizon. Because of the distance and the fog, he was unable to see anything. He nudged his comrade to get his attention and point to the said figure in question. When he saw it, he stood up and never took his eyes off it.

After a few seconds, the individual collapsed, merging into the mist which swallowed them whole; it was impossible to identify them several metres from the entrance, not to mention the ghostly veil that made them invisible. The two men exchanged fleeting glances and thought the same thing. Immediately, they quickened their pace, in case the person needed help.

When they arrived there, their hearts suddenly stopped and both fell into absolute stillness. They were convinced that their minds were playing nasty tricks on them. They recognized Uzumaki Naruto plunged into unconsciousness. He had been missing for fairly over a month and the chances of ever seeing him again were unlikely; there was already talk of a burial since they believed he was lost for good.

At first glance, Naruto seemed in a poor state; drops of sweat beaded profusely on his forehead and his temples; a repugnant smell of carrion clung to his skin; he was breathing noisily through his mouth with a rapid but regular pace; his greasy and sticky hair was shiny; his clothes were dirty, unclean and in tatters; dried and fresh blood stained his skin and clothes; dark circles hollowed out his excruciatingly thin face even more; in his trembling right hand, he was firmly holding his headband with the engraving of a leaf.

However, Izumo and Kotetsu couldn't analyze him any longer since the blond was seriously injured. The teenager had left in his wake bloody marks dripping from a deep gash in his right arm and one in the abdomen. His left hand was black and scarlet from compressing the stomach wound that was bleeding at an alarming rate. According to the crimson pool that was emerging under the inert body, Naruto was bleeding out.

Every second counted.

"Call the medical unit and quickly!" Kotetsu hurried as he rolled Naruto onto his back.

He grabbed a piece of fabric that he tore from the orange and damaged clothes. Wasting no time, he used it to compress the wound and control the scarlet rush that soiled his hands.

"May Godaime be informed immediately!"

Izumo nodded and rushed to find help in order to save Naruto's life.