Chapter CXII
Disturbing Discovery
I continue to supervise the training for the next hour. As with the kunais, Naruto has no trouble using the shurikens. I have another trap planned, but I don't have to use it; the blond finally trusts himself. Quickly, his motor memory comes back to the surface. He was sabotaging his own body's efforts, for fear that it would resurface the traumatic events he's trying to forget. This was greatly slowing him down in his shinobi relearning. Since this problem is solved, I can move on to the next step.
"You're progressing well, Naruto. Much faster than anticipated," I say with a smile. "It's time to put all this into a real combat situation."
My words take the teenager by surprise. Perplexed, he analyzes the surroundings with his piercing eyes and sensitive nose, now on his guard. Obviously, he misunderstood me.
"I will be your opponent, Naruto."
Naruto's body shudders; at that, he shrinks and steps back, his shoulders so low that they slide on the ground.
"You don't remember, but we've done this dozens of times in the past. Training between shinobi is commonplace and essential to progress." I take an offensive stance. "On guard!"
I take a step forward, and Naruto steps back. A dark veil covers his face, which suddenly seems sad. This doesn't suit me at all. He doesn't want to fight me—probably for fear of hurting me. In order for the training to be effective, both for me and for him, he has to hit me back.
Despite his refusal, I rush forward. I land numerous punches that Naruto simply blocks and avoids by distancing me. His movements lack vigour and determination, and I don't care. I continue by pushing him back into his entrenchments. I want him to retaliate, to do a leg kick, to electrocute me … anything. One of my punches hits him in the stomach, and I follow up with a kick to send him flying to the ground. My student rolls and gets back on his knees.
"Stand up," I order curtly. "Stand up and fight."
Like a frightened beast, he shows signs of submission by prostrating himself before me, his forehead against the ground. This vulnerable posture indicates that he's not a threat and won't harm me; it's a silent request for me to stop.
"Stop thinking of me as a fragile little thing, Naruto," I grumble. "I don't look like one, but I'm a high-class ninja. You won't hurt me. Get up!"
Naruto lets out an inaudible wail and curls up even more.
"Get up, Naruto!" I insist, raising my voice.
However, the blond continues to capitulate. At my wit's end, I grab him roughly by the jacket to force him to stand up, on his two legs. When I let him go, Naruto almost collapses. Out of survival instinct, he holds my gaze.
"I tell you again. We've done this many times. Each time, neither of us ended up injured, even after a rather trying training fight."
Once again, Naruto steps back, makes himself tiny… I sigh and observe the black sky with a wandering eye. The quiet of the night makes solitary crickets and frogs sing, which will soon prepare to hibernate. The moon lights up the dark clouds that proliferate on this tapestry of stars, thus carried by distant winds. When my student's heartbeat resumes a regular pace, I plunge my gaze into his. I let out a long sigh. I resolve to put everything off until tomorrow.
"Naruto… We'll stop here for tonight. I'd like you to think about what I told you, about the importance of training in real combat situations. Besides…" I put a friendly hand on his shoulder. "I ask you to trust me."
Naruto looks down, ashamed of having disappointed me. When I remove my hand, he shyly takes me in his arms to hug me and ask for my comfort. Of course, I return the hug by stroking his golden mane.
I have to find a way to break his blockage that is holding us both back. We won't get anywhere if he insists on remaining on the defensive. Solo training is useless and ineffective. Of course, I had to start somewhere, and now that he has recovered his motor skills, I have to get down to business. I desperately need to loosen up my body, and this need is becoming more and more pressing… Alas, I can only submit to his pace. We're at an impasse if I don't find a solution. The night is still young and the day is still far from dawn. It annoys me to end my plans so early, but given the current state of my distraught student, we'll be moving backwards if I insist.
Without warning, a vile shiver slides down my spine; at that, I feel spied on to the deepest of my soul. Perplexed, I discreetly scan the surroundings, sniff the air. Apart from the two of us and our detestable bodyguard, there's no one…
I widen my eyes.
This familiar feeling… It's that of this darkness. It manifested itself and obviously, it sent me a signal to capture my attention. Is it trying to connect to me...?
'Is this the right time...?' I ask myself.
Another atrociously unpleasant shiver invades me, to the point of raising my shoulders. This feeling of being spied on increases, bristling the hairs on my arms, my neck… Angry waves are bombarded in bursts and without mercy, as if I were overwhelmed by anger. While Naruto stares at me with his small confused eyes, I realize that these waves come from this entity in me. I furrow my eyebrows, place a hand on the back of my neck while focusing on my mark.
'I'm not contacting you for that, imbecile.'
I jump when I hear a foreign voice intrude into my mind. This… This voice… It's that of this darkness, no doubt about it.
'You… We can discuss this way…?'
A silence.
'Yes and no…'
'What do you mean?'
Another silence.
I'm somewhat destabilized to hear a voice in my head. If I weren't aware of its existence, I'd be convinced that I was sinking into madness or dementia…
'This isn't ideal.'
'I see. What do you want?'
I'm obsessed by this exchange that is both disturbing and intriguing, and I forget Naruto, who is trying to get out of my embrace … but I'm holding him hostage with my arm without even realizing it.
'I feel a source of energy similar to mine.'
I frown and fix my gaze on a sulking Naruto, who is growling and wagging his tail. Is it referring to this darkness in him…?
'Not him, imbecile…' it sighs. 'At eleven o'clock. Three hundred metres. I want to know what it is.'
I direct my eye on the indicated direction; it leads straight to the forest downstream from the village…
Without warning, I receive a slap of the tail behind my head. "Can I know why you hit me?!" I growl.
However, my facial features soften immediately. Naruto's trembling hands cling to my jacket. His blue eyes are dark and veiled with worry.
"Naruto? What's wrong?" I whisper.
The blond doesn't answer me. He hugs me again—rather, he crushes me tenderly. Quickly, he detaches himself from me with a smile.
"… Na… Naruto… Are you okay...?" I stammer, perplexed.
Naruto lets out a few silent laughs, and his smile increases in intensity. Something is wrong, and he hides it from me; the irregular beating of his heart betrays him. To say that I'm serene would be a lie…
Once again, a horrible shiver runs through my whole body… This darkness has just sent me another signal. It wants me to inspect what arouses its curiosity. I'm both intrigued and anxious; I don't know what I will find there…
"Come, Naruto," I tell him, pointing at the forest, and the latter nods in his own way.
With Naruto, I set off running and venture into the forest plunged into blackness. Fortunately, I know the place like the back of my hand; at that, the brightness of the moon gives me significant visibility. I reach the place in question. I'm on my guard, carefully scanning the surroundings, one cautious step at a time. My distrust is affecting my student, since he's looking for a threat lurking in the darkness of the night.
'Here!' exclaims that voice in my head. 'Infuse chakra into the ground.'
Despite the strangeness of its request, I place my two palms on the cold ground camouflaged by the grass and infuse my chakra…
My heart stops.
A bright azure-green glyph appears. These symbols, this evil energy that emanates from it… It's one of those seals with which this group teleports between our walls.
What does this mean?!
As for Naruto, he hisses loudly and his bright, bulging eyes stare at the seal. His black markings light up blue, and all his hairs stand on end. Lightning pulses from the pores of his skin, from his tail more than ever poisoned with anger. I no longer recognize Naruto in this enraged face that screams murder. Palms wide open, he prepares to leap and attack.
"Naruto! Calm down! I'll make it disappear!" I shout.
His mouth noise increases with aggression, although he keeps his positions … with difficulty. I slam one hand on the ground, perform a hand seal with the other. "Release!"
My flow of chakra destabilizes the weak balance of this glyph; its existence evaporates into nature, neither seen nor known. I don't even have time to remove my hand before Naruto's black tail wraps tightly around my waist, trapping my arms in the process. The blond pulls me up behind him and cries out as he lowers his fist to the exact spot where the seal was. Pieces of earth and stones fly away under the force of the impact, forcing me to turn my head and close my eyes.
With dread, I recognize those crazy eyes rotten with murderous rage. They're the same as during this probing session and this moment in the sewers. The blond almost puts himself above me to protect me, with his body like a benevolent blanket. He puts his hands on my shoulders to maintain his balance, and lets out icy hisses from beyond the grave while scanning the surroundings, his protruding fangs clearly shown. In this state, I can only wait for him to calm down on his own. If I move or struggle, he will crush me and break me in two…
I let out a sigh as I turn my attention back to the massacred ground. As soon as I made this glyph appear, Naruto got into such a state, and I don't know why; he's still far from regaining his senses too…
'What was that?' this darkness inside me asks.
I focus on my mark, frowning. 'You don't know what it is...?' I ask suspiciously.
A silence.
'How could I know? I've never seen one. You have the answers. I want them.'
'Hmm… The enemy uses these seals to teleport as they please,' I explain to myself. Hearing voices in my head and having a discussion with a voice that isn't the one in my thoughts greatly disturbs me. 'How did you manage to find it? These seals escape our best sensory shinobi.'
Another silence.
'I don't know. I feel the same or similar energies as what I am. These 'seals,' they are everywhere.'
I widen my eyes. This darkness in me… It's able to find these damn invisible seals, and if I believe what it says, there are still everywhere and in large numbers… These space-time techniques must be connected in some way to these entities that we both shelter… Since Naruto isn't in communion with his as I am with mine, he can't detect these glyphs that he doesn't appreciate at all, to the point of being enraged, able to destroy everything like a hurricane of violence never seen before.
'I understand that these 'seals' and these sources of energy similar to what I am are a threat to us?' it asks.
'Yes.'
A silence settles in.
The presence of this entity vanishes. It has returned to the depths of my mind.
I'm stunned by this dark discovery that freezes my blood. By collaborating with this darkness, I can find these seals and dispel them… However, it's a double-edged sword. The enemy is cautious, leaving no trace of their activity. If I start wandering around the village and the surrounding forests making all these symbols disappear, this group will realize it and discover this surprising ability that I now possess. They will be extra careful… I can't talk about it with Lady Tsunade either; these guys will find out by some means or other…
If my bodyguard didn't witness the scene and if I remain silent, it could work in our favour. This group will lower their guard, give me an opening to counterattack. Their return is inevitable. They're already concocting another plan to kidnap Naruto. They're waiting for the perfect moment to strike. That said, erasing a few glyphs from time to time won't give the game away; there are teams responsible for finding them blindly.
Naruto finally stops hissing, much calmer. He's himself again.
"Naruto, let me go, please."
Unfortunately for me, the blond turns a deaf ear. He wraps his arms around my neck to hug me, pins his head against it. If I struggle against his tail to get out, he tightens it… I sulk. I'm held hostage … again…
For some dubious reason, the teenager removes my shinobi headband, sliding it over my silver mane. I stare at him apprehensively, and with my useless arms, I can't do anything while I'm trapped in his damn tail. He grabs my face to pull me back and licks my forehead with his mutant, drool-dripping tongue. I try to shake myself off, grumbling primal sounds, but he holds me firmly in place…
"Naruto! Free me!" I order sharply, grimacing in disgust as the feelings on my forehead die.
Naruto ignores me, though he releases my soiled face… He hums useless sounds as he sniffs and rummages through my hair—probably to see if it's due for grooming…
I'm sick of it, honestly sick of it.
I'll scream if I have to put up with this again.
It's decided, I'm cutting my hair.