Chapter 56: Bitter aftermaths

Those eyes...

He recognized those eyes.

It wouldn't be the first time he saw those eyes on her. Eyes that spoke of devotion, of affection, of love. And just like the many times before, they weren't looking in his direction. It was frustrating, irritating...but becoming impulsive would only make it worse for him in the long run. Patience and control were both talents he'd been forced to cultivate as time passed by, and right now, he very much learned to value them. Once before he'd made the mistake of killing her lover, allowing his anger to take over, he'd jumped, impaling the scum that dared try to lay claim to her. As if someone as unworthy could even dream of getting anywhere close to that woman. The satisfaction of watching life slip through the trash's eyes and the agonized scream had been immensely satisfying.

It had backfired, though.

After that, it was only hatred that shone in her eyes, and she'd tried to hunt him for a long time. Finally ending her life once the realization that her purity was being tainted dawned on her.

No.

This time, he would be careful. He would be patient.

The Uchiha boy couldn't die by his hand, and less of all right in front of her. He almost slipped as he saw them at the edge of the forest. The scent of her blood so close to him tried his self-control to almost new extremes. That he knew exactly why someone like Orochimaru would want to get his hands on her didn't help, his aura slipping by from the seal he'd forced upon it before getting close to Konoha at all. Before the girl could spot him, the man was forced to make sure to vanish from the clearing. At the very least, now that the girl was away from the village, those annoying Taishos wouldn't have any choice but to stand back. For a while, at least.

And if he moved the pieces well enough, then by the time they tried to breach the gap and reach her again, she would be alone. Alone and surrounded by people with a clear interest in her, paranoia would begin to make her doubt everything and everyone. With the right words, at the right time, then she'd perceive them as a risk to her. With the right words, there wouldn't be a need for him to lie at all. It would only be a question of timing his intervention right, and he would be the only thing she could cling to. But for that, he had to be patient, make sure all the requirements were fulfilled by the time he showed himself. Otherwise, the same distrust that refused to vanish despite the passing of time would make it impossible for his plan to work.

He supposed he should thank the snake Sannin for whatever he did that drove the Higurashi girl to abandon the security offered by the village. It was evident she'd stopped trusting Konoha, or at the very least, the faith she had in the village had waned enough for her to go to someone as infamous as Orochimaru. Sure, the man would try and keep both kids close to him, but it wouldn't take too much to shatter whatever it was that tempted them out of safety. Honestly, things were working very much in his favor, the rogue would keep away the Taishos, and the only thing he really had to worry about was the Uchiha boy she was clinging to.

Getting rid of the boy was his first priority, annoying as it was. However, it could not be by his own hand. Not directly.

Hiding the distaste of the place he was entering, the man continued on his way. This was certainly not a place that fit his standards but needs most. Scarlet eyes narrowed as they found the person he'd been looking for, and his lips twisted in a cruel smile. Time hadn't been kind for everyone. A bit of karma, he supposed, for the betrayal from almost 13 years ago. It wasn't enough for him to be completely satisfied, but it wasn't anything less than he deserved. Despite it all, the man could still prove a useful pawn, one more sacrificial piece to use in his game and one that would definitely pay for that treason sooner or later.

"...Naraku..." Hoarse and elderly, the voice was so different from the first time they met. "...or is there a new name for me to call you?"

"Naraku will suffice." There was no point in sharing his new alias with someone like that.

"I shall say...it doesn't look like you've changed at all...despite changing so much." Resentment dripped from every syllable. "Although, I did not expect to ever see you again or for you to look for me again."

"Why now, the past should remain in the past, should it not?" Naraku ignored the animosity hanging in the air. "Besides, despite that little...wrinkle...during our collaboration, it seemed to me that we worked together quite well, didn't we?"

He could see the slightest tension fill the other man's body; Naraku held back a laugh. It was clear that he'd been expecting retaliation; this new approach had taken him off guard. Though only slightly, then again, someone who managed to survive this long wasn't someone who would become careless with just a simple thing as an offhand comment. Not in a world like this.

"Of course...and am I to suppose to believe that there is yet another venture in which we may work together again?"There was a mocking quality in the man's voice.

"Naturally," The smile on his lips was twisted. "We can even call it a continuation of our last endeavor, in a way. A second chance for it all to be patched over. I assume you've heard the rumors going on about here. There was one survivor of that long, lost class, a young girl taken in by Konoha."

And there it was again, the slightest reaction to the name.

He'd missed it during their first meeting, but now that he was looking for it, there was no way he could ignore such a reaction to the name of the ancient clan. Whatever his relationship with that clan was what had affected his execution the first time, and it would undoubtedly affect it a second time. Luckily for him, now he had the frame of reference to his actions; he could easily factor them into his plans and even incorporate it all into them. Though perhaps Naraku should invest in making sure he had the whole story...or as much information as there was available even for someone like him.

"And it would also seem like it was the Uchihas who took her under their wing. It isn't that surprising, of course, that she's quite attached to the one remaining member of that infamous massacre..." This was all well known information. After the Chuunin Selection exams, that name and its story were on everyone's mouths. "Now, however, they are both outside of the village, well on their way to Orochimaru."

"So, Konoha lost two bloodlines in a single hit all by the hand of their own disgrace..."The distaste in those words was definitely authentic. "If you wish for the same arrangement as before, however, I fear retrieval missions are not exactly my specialty."

A growl was forcibly pushed down his throat.

Oh, there was no doubt in his mind who it was who fucked up that particular part of the mission. The information Naraku had provided had been invaluable, and the only reward the man asked for was to be the first to pick a single female. The rest of the clan was supposed to be handled and divided between the others. All in all, the only one with little to gain was the man in front of him. The stupid excuse about an unexpected retaliation that forced the whole operation to turn from a seize mission into an extermination was beyond pathetic.

Patience and control, Naraku reminded himself as he stayed his hand. This very same day, he would begin to make preparations. People would need to be contacted. Capable and manageable people, someone who could keep an eye on the girl to make sure no more accidents happened. It was frustrating; she was just so sensitive to his aura that keeping himself hidden took all of his concentration and the slightest distraction brought a reaction out of her. No, someone else would need to keep monitoring her. And once he had her on his hands...then, he would make sure all of the incompetent idiots who'd butchered his plans were discarded.

"Thankfully, it's not a retrieval mission what I'm looking for. Instead, I wish for one simple thing. I will pay handsomely, naturally." The twist on his lips held cruel promises. "A single head is all I ask for, for you this shouldn't be too much of a problem, I believe...I just want Uchiha Sasuke's head."

Complete and utter failure, that was what this all could be described as.

And now, two of his teammates were in lethal danger...all because of him. Because they followed the strategy he'd thought of while he continued on, pushing any and all worries to the back of his mind to keep himself from turning back.

No, even then, it was nothing but pure dumb luck that there had not been any immediate deaths. The arrival of the Suna shinobis had easily saved his, Kiba's, and even Lee's life. It was more than just a metaphor in this situation. If Temari's competence was anything to go by, that team was leagues and bounds above them, and that should've been the level required for this assignment. Something like reluctant admiration had been born of this; however, the girl managed to understand the state of things with just a quick summary and then wasted no time in figuring out a perfect summon and unleash a devastating attack with no hesitation at all. From what little he'd managed to glean when the two Suna boys momentarily gathered in the Hospital's waiting room, the same thing could be said of all of them. The only one who found any actual challenge was Gaara...

Gaara, the guy who'd taken the combined power of what had to be the rookie powerhouse team plus the Taisho's team to bring down.

And he'd just send Naruto to fight such an enemy.

Overly confident...overly naive.

Chouji and Neji were paying the consequences now. And at this point, there he had little faith that Sasuke and Kagome managed to get away.

The Hokage and her personal assistant were personally overseeing the worst injuries; if there was anyone capable of rising their odds, it was those two. Capable medics were also taking care of Kiba's and Akamaru's wounds; thankfully, Lee managed not to get too injured before Gaara managed to take over. However, technically speaking, the eccentric's genin's actions were not his responsibility since the guy took off after them of his own will. And right now, he had no clue what had happened to Naruto.

"There's no use in fidgeting." Temari's voice cut through his stream of self-deprecating thoughts. "Sacrifice is an inevitable part of missions...didn't you receive emotion training?"

"Training and actual combat are different. In a mission, you don't know what's going to happen." Which was...obvious...and something the girl probably already knew considering her own experiences. "And I...was a team leader for the first time in this mission, because of that I understand that I...am not cut to be a shinobi."

"Unexpected fragility..." the girl muttered; there was no pity in her voice. "Men are strange."

"I shouldn't have been the team leader this time...I just trusted everyone..." He might as well have sent them to their deaths. "I was laidback...I didn't have enough strength...it's all my fault."

"Are you afraid of being hurt?"

It wasn't anger that made him stand up...it was shame.

After all, Shikamaru could tell with just one glance. Temari did not possess any special bloodline techniques; all of her jutsus had been obtained by regular strict training and had dealt with pressure and tension for a long time. While it was clear something had changed in the redheaded Suna genin in the last few months, Gaara had undeniably been a risk to both of his siblings at some point. The woman was capable of dealing with death and the dangers of their choice.

Shikamaru...well, he was the Nara heir, blessed with a comfortable life with little to no worries. Always passing by his school days without ever truly understanding the meaning of the words his teachers told him. A unique technique had been passed down to him; his teammates were always people he could trust and rely on...and here he was, ashamed and useless as he walked down the hall, fleeing from the person who saved his life the moment he was confronted with something he didn't want to acknowledge.

"Shikamaru," And of course, his father was here too. "You're being talked down to by a girl and running away?"

"I don't want to have a troublesome argument because I'm not a girl." There was no bite to his words.

"Yes...but you're also not a man." But there was definitely judgment in his father's words. "You're just a regular coward. Even if you quit being a shinobi, missions will still occur; someone will carry them out. Your teammates will just go out with a new leader. So then, maybe your companions will die...

"But if you're their leader that time...they may not reach that end...if you look at this time as an experience and learn from it, maybe you can carry out your missions with fewer problems." The words hit him just as bad as Temari's, and yet he could find no way to defend himself. "If your companions are actually important to you before you think about running away...consider that you may become greater for the sake of your friends...that's what it means to be a real teammate...you coward!"

"It's alright now!" the voice of their Hokage cut through the silence. "The continuous destruction effects of the pill were stopped by an antidote that I put together; this time, his life was saved...I used a special drug mixing manual from the Nara clan." He felt his knees shake. "There were some serious things in that, the result of constant study?"

"Thanks.."

"Tsunade-sama!" The Godaime's assistant burst into the room. "Hyuuga Neji...his condition has stabilized! Also, I have some information. Just now, Hatake Kakashi and Uzumaki Naruto have returned, and although he was injured, his life is in no danger."

"Just the two of them..." Tsunade-sama's words managed to hide the disappointment Shikamaru knew had to be there, the one he was feeling, though it reflected some of his relief. "Shikamaru...it seems like your mission was a failure, but everyone is alive...and that's more important than anything else."

They were alive...

They were all alive. Somehow, they all made it out alive and would recover.

"Next time...definitely." There were tears dripping down his cheeks, and his voice was shaking, but he forced himself to continue speaking. "I'll show that I can do it flawlessly."

It was embarrassing, having to wipe his tears before following the Godaime down the hall, but his relief had been impossible to contain. For all the emotion training he had gotten at the academy, it did nothing to damp what he felt once he heard those words coming from the medic.

"I was thinking..." Shikamaru said, once his voice was back under control. "Can I ask you something?"

"What is it?"

"For the level of the mission and the members of the team, there were different conditions, but..." This was something that had been bothering him for a while in the back of his head. "For such a team, shouldn't we have been assigned a medic-nin?"

"I understand what you're saying...a long time ago, I wrote the same thing in a report on team survival and mission success rates." The woman shook her head as the two of them kept walking. Now that no lives were hanging by a thread, there needed to be a proper briefing; this had to continue on the Hokage tower. "But it's not easy to train a medical ninja.

"Medical ninjas require a different set of skills compared to shinobis who focus on fighting. You must have every aspect of your chakra control refined to perfection...study a large amount of specialized knowledge, have the ability to apply that knowledge and never give up..." That...made sense, though now he had to wonder how many medics they actually had on hand. "Also, there is something more, the most important thing that makes a first-class medical ninja."

Tsunade-sama's were never spoken, but Shikamaru could hear them all the same.

There had been one genin with the right set of skills in the village, one whose bloodline would easily give her an upper hand in their training. After all, if what he'd gleaned from the conversations with the village's prankster's word were true, then Higurashi Kagome already had experience with healing. Her match with Neji showed that the girl already had some knowledge of human anatomy that could easily be applied in medical jutsus. Failing this mission had lost them more than just two more genins. There were ramifications already, and more would probably show up too.

Forcefully, the teen pushed back those thoughts. Later, when he had some time to decompress, he could worry about that. Right now, there was something far more worrying to face because he knew there were more immediate consequences.

If there had been any hopes of the heirs to both the Uchiha and Higurashi clans disappearance dying down quietly, they all went down the drain after the chuunin exams. The only ones who managed to garner more attention had been the Taishos, after all, which meant an official story would be needed, and it would be needed fast. No time for a comprehensive investigation; no, even if they tried, Shikamaru wasn't sure there would be enough information around to even get the full picture.

Shikamaru could already imagine it. Just as Kagome had made a reputation for herself as a peace-maker, Sasuke had his own reputation, one that hadn't gotten any better after the insane Uchiha's reappearance. Even his own interactions with the girl seemed to hint at her trying to cover for Sasuke's actions.

People would jump at the idea of the youngest Uchiha going down a similar road to his brother and painting the girl as a victim.

And he knew that no matter what, there was at least one person who could vocally oppose to it...and as team leader, Shikamaru had to at least have the courage to break it to Naruto.

The scream got stuck in his throat, lungs fighting to take in air.

Cerulean eyes flew to his hands, the echo of a different scream still playing in his nightmare, in his memories. Through the blurry images that filled his mind, only that sound remained as clear as crystal. And then was the sight of Kagome slipping through the water, painting it crimson as her blood mixed with the river. Not quite as detailed, with still a haze in his sight, but clear enough as his panicked eyes found his still extended hand. His clean hand.

"...N-na...Na-ruto-kun..."

The soft, stammering voice was not one he expected.

"Huh?"

Slowly, he blinked a couple of times before accepting that yes, Hinata-chan was on the floor of his hospital room, a small knife on her hand and a bag of oranges rolling around her and a fallen chair...oh.

Oh...

"Hi-Hinata-chan?!" His voice rose, and he tried to force a smile to his face. "Ahhh, I'm sorry. Umm, this..."

"Ah, n-no, no. It's alright. I-I'll pick it up!" Before the blond could move to get off the hospital bed to pick up the scattered fruit. "I-I mean...your body, it hurts, r-right?"

"Oh, this...this is nothing, hehe, you know me..." he trailed off.

His smile slid off his face when his eyes opened, and he saw the expression on the Hyuuga's face. From his experience, Hinata-chan's expressions always ranged in a cycle. Always blushing and going from shy smiles to embarrassed confusion and that look she had whenever Kagome-chan would ask him to move a bit away to avoid the other girl from passing out. Now, however...now she was looking at him with plain concern in her pale eyes, no blood rushing to her cheeks as her hands stopped their frantic movements to re-bag the oranges.

"N-naruto-kun..y-you are not okay...a-are you?"

The denial died on his tongue.

The strength he'd managed to find a couple days ago when Shikamaru and the old granny visited him and explained the official story, what allowed him to smile and pretend he was alright, refused to resurface once more. Instead, his gaze found his hand once more.

"I...it's okay, you know...t-to not be okay." The Hyuuga heiress kept stealing glances towards him, probably wanting to make sure he wasn't reacting badly. "B-because...as l-long as you keep on s-standing up...then you can always try again."

"...but I hurt her...badly..." Far worse than that. "I almost killed her! It was my fault, and yet...!"

And yet, there was something else, something that bothered him since the time he woke up and had enough time to think on his own. Because while it was true that he wasn't the sharpest kunai in the punch, Uzumaki Naruto was not an idiot.

Genjutsu.

Kagome's genjutsu.

That was the one and only thing that had become clear since he failed to bring his childhood friends back. That what he'd gone through that night...him chasing after them all over the village, it had been nothing more than an illusion...and it was Kagome's. Because while he very much remembered Kakashi-sensei mentioning how the sharingan could give people an edge with using genjutsu, that just wasn't Sasuke's style.

And that just made something quite clear in his mind.

The girl had been involved with all this from the beginning. Which meant nothing about the decision to leave was impulsive. The Higurashi heiress was a planner; she didn't like to leave things to chance when she had the chance to iron any potential problems out beforehand. They had known they would leave the village for a while now, planned it...and in the end, left him behind.

Abandoned.

"They didn't trust me..." The words were out before he could really think through them. "They wanted to leave, but they didn't tell me...they planned this...we've been together for so long, but they couldn't bring themselves to confide in me, why?!"

Naruto cut himself off...because what right had he to be angry when it was him who almost...who injured so heavily one of his best friends?

And yet...

And yet, anger still coursed through his veins at the memory of that illusion. Of those words, cold and uncaring.

"Ne-Neji-niisan!"

The girl's stammered words were bizarre enough to break through the cloud of self-deprecation and rage that had been fighting over him.

"Wha..."

"I-I mean...Neji-niisan wa-wasn't wrong t-to be angry." Hinata was looking straight at him, for once, and despite the crimson on her cheeks, she looked very much determined. "H-he didn't handle it w-well, but that doesn't mean he wasn't hurt too."

"He almost killed you..." he mumbled so low it was a surprise the Hyuuga heiress was able to hear him at all.

"It w-was wrong of him t-to do that," still, her pale gaze held his. "But he was r-right, the way the clan handles things is wrong, and he was r-right to be angry about it. Y-you can be angry and l-lash out and sometimes, p-people hurt others w-without meaning to, but it doesn't invalidate their feelings...had you three never f-fought before?"

"I...I don't think so..."

At least not to this extent.

Sure, he and Sasuke were always bickering in some way or another, but it was never serious about anything serious. Not once had their fights reached a point where Naruto had to wonder if their friendship could survive. Never had he had to ponder if Kagome had been hiding something behind her smiles.

Hinata's words were dawning on him, soothing his own worry, and yet, he now felt lost.

"What do I do now?" The question escaped him before he could truly think about it.

"W-well, do you know w-why you're angry?" At his confusion, she continued. "I-it's just, s-sometimes we think we're angry a-about something, but that's just to hide the r-real reason why...N-Neji-niisan was l-like that too."

That...kinda made sense.

He stopped to think for a minute.

There was a lot to be angry about. From the taunting to the abandonment, to the deceit and the actual fight. Even the fact that it was Orochimaru of all people they were running away to. It was maddening to think they chose to go to the person who invaded the village, who killed the old Hokage...but was that it?

No...

It was upsetting to even think about, but it wasn't what really angered him...it wasn't even the fact that Kagome had used a genjutsu on him. The deceit hurt, but it wasn't quite that either. No, there was something that was so much more painful.

They didn't trust him.

Even though Naruto trusted them with his life, his deepest, darkest secret...neither of his friends trusted him with theirs. And now it all felt like a one-way street. As if only the blond felt that way. Did the days they shared hold the same meaning for Sasuke and Kagome as they did for him?

It hurt...it was painful...and it was infuriating all at the same time.

"D-do you know?"

Hinata's soft question probably meant his face betrayed his feelings; still, the boy nodded silently.

"W-well, if you know, then the next thing is if it can b-be forgive I-it's okay if y-you're not sure right now. A-as long as you know, t-then you can look for the answer."

"Bur Orochimaru wants to use them; they are in danger!" Because regardless of his anger or theirs, the last thing Naruto wanted was for them to...

"A-are they?" Once more, Hinata-chan blushed before continuing. "I-I mean, they are t-together, and K-Kagome-san is smart...S-Sasuke-san listens to her, r-right? S-so they should be fine for a w-while."

Well, that was true. If those two planned all this, then it meant neither of them was being deceived, so... "wait...you believe me?"

"Y-you are the one who k-knows them best...even now, so if you say they chose to l-leave, then I b-believe you."

There was not a single doubt on the Hyuuga heiress' voice, and it felt...different.

Earlier, when he'd talked with Shikamaru, he'd felt some sort of satisfaction when the other teen showed some hesitancy to buy the official story being pushed, but it was clear the blond wasn't being believed.

"I see..."

It was true, with Kagome's intuition, there was no chance they could be taken off-guard. Which meant there was no real need to go running before Naruto could come to terms with what had happened...

Because unless he had his answers, Naruto couldn't even be sure about what he wanted to do anymore...but for him to get answers...first of all, the fox had to stop interfering...

"You know, you keep finding me when I'm in the weirdest moods, hahaha." Confusion filled the Hyuuga's expression; clearly, she did not expect this reaction. "But you know, talking with you really helps me out. You're really good at this, Hinata-chan."

This time, Naruto managed to smile; a more genuine if smaller smile than the one he'd shown the old hag and Shikamaru. He didn't know exactly where to go now, but...Hinata-chan was right; he didn't need to. As long as he kept moving forward...as long as he learned how to get the demon inside him under control, he could figure it out later.

A/N: I am so, sorry for being this late, real life got...kinda crazy and I just had no time until now. But finally, here we are, the continuation and some of the fallout from the pair's leaving. I honestly thought a lot about the kind of repercussions I wanted this whole thing to have. Especially for Naruto since I honestly feel the whole "Kyuubi can get out of control and is dangerous" kinda hollow, we never really see anyone get hurt on screen, not badly at least. Sure, Jiraiya says he almost got killed but we don't see that and Sakura got hit in an arm but it didn't really seem to actively affect her other than to mention it, like, she can still use her arm and all, it just hurts. And for it to truly matter the person who got hurt had to be someone he cared about and in here, that would be either Kagome or Sasuke...I honestly considered it being Sasuke the one who gets hurt but ended up deciding against it since it would've made Kagome a bit unpredictable, plus, it made far more sense for her to jump in in the last second.

Of course, Naruto is feeling guilty but that doesn't mean he can't be angry at the same time, but I figured knowing his character (and how he still clung to Sasuke in canon even tho he had very few reasons to) he'd be less angry about them betraying the village and more about them not trusting him and keeping secrets. In a way, their actions are mirroring Itachi's. We'll get some of Kagome's and Sasuke's perspectives next chapter tho.

As always thank you guys so much for reading and any and all review/criticism/comment is greatly, greatly appreciated.