Once again Hinata found herself tending the garden when a Hyūga came to the gate. This time it was a female, small, slender and very young. Hinata almost cried out at the sight of her sister. The girls simply stood there and looked at each other for a few minutes until Hanabi arched an eyebrow and coughed to bring back her older sister's attention.
"H-Hanabi? What are you doing here?"It had seemed so long since she had seen her sister that Hinata wasn't quite sure how to react. She wasn't even certain of her sister's standing on the issue of her getting banished from the clan. Would she be ashamed, angry, scornful?
"Hinata, you seem to believe you are above your position. I was lead to believe that since you are no longer a Hyūga that you should address me as my station as clan heir dictates."
The snobbish tone in her sister's voice immediately caused Hinata's brow to knit as her eyes narrowed. "Perhaps that is the belief of your father, however many believe otherwise. Perhaps if your clan was indeed superior to everyone, then you would garner such respect. The Hyūga are not almighty though, and I would challenge anyone who says otherwise. We have all seen the results of such thinking."
"I fail to see your standpoint. We are the pinocle of this village's hierarchy. Those who think otherwise should learn their place in the world. Just because we decided to cut out our defective members does not make us weak by any means."
"Tell that to Neji-nīsan. The last time I saw him fight he ended up being taken away on a stretcher because of Naruto-kun." Hinata countered.
"Ah yes, your dear boyfriend the failure." Hanabi watched her sister's nostrils flair and smirked. "He had to resort to cheap tricks in order to defeat one of us. Take away his tricks and he would be as helpless as you."
"We are ninja. We use what we have in order to win our battles. I understand you don't know a lot about the reality of the real world we live in dear sister, but you will wake up soon enough. Once you become a full ninja, and kill, you'll understand. At least I hope you will."
"Well, if there is anything positive that came from you being shamed, at least you've dropped your annoying stuttering." Hanabi sneered.
"That's is because I had to grow up faster if I wanted to stand up to that man that supplied his genes for my birth. Naruto-kun helped me more than that egotistical asshole ever did!"
"You watch your mouth about what you say about father! He is a great man, and you couldn't compare to him in a million years!"
"He may seem a great man to you, but to me he's nothing but a disgrace that leads a disgraceful clan." Now it was Hinata's turn to smirk as her sister visibly fumed.
"I dare you to say that to my face. Open this gate and let me in and I'll show you just how weak you are." The small Hyūga ground out.
"No, I will not open the gate." Hanabi growled and was about to retort before Hinata beat her to it. "No it's not because I'm scared, this is not my estate and I am not authorized to let you in."
"Then I'll let myself in!"
Before Hinata could tell her to stop, Hanabi leapt over the wall. She waited for the inevitable, but was rewarded instead by a blue sphere of chakra enveloping her sister. 'Kaiten?' The poisoned senbon were repelled back towards the wall as the younger girl landed.
"You see, sometimes his little tricks fail in the face of superiority. Now you will fight me." Without waiting for acknowledgment, Hanabi charged in and began her attack.
"I see...but what you don't seem to understand is that those tags are only part of the security. We are ninja you know. We are our own defense as well." Hinata dropped into her modified stance, causing a smirk to pass over her sister's face. "I apologize, but you have trespassed onto private property, and as one who resides her I am charged with assisting in it's security. You may have been my sister, once, but right now you are nothing but a criminal and one more person against Naruto-kun." She waited until her sister was just about to hit her before making her move. Flowing like water she ducked and spun. She couldn't see her opponents face, but she imagined it was frozen in part denial and part shock as her hand snapped to Hanabi's thighs and shoulders, taking the strength from her limps and rendering her practically helpless as she crumpled to the ground.
"H-how?" Hanabi winced as she turned herself painfully to her back.
"Jūken is flawed Hanabi. At least it is for me. It took my time training with Naruto-kun to realize this. I find it funny that he discovered my problem as quickly as he did when our 'all seeing eyes' couldn't find it in all the years I was still part of the Hyūga."
"Jūken isn't flawed, you're just flawed and can't use it properly." The younger girl spat back in rage.
"Perhaps, but then my flawed Jūken just beat yours. Let me give you a little insight though Hanabi-chan. All those years you beat me in our spars, I wasn't weak I just didn't want to hurt my imōto."
"Being a ninja means having no weaknesses. You weren't able to beat me because you couldn't set aside your weakness to do your job."
"That may have been true at one time but, if you'd like, I am more than willing to put you in your place again if it would make you happier?"
Hanabi's arm began to twitch as the numbness began to abate. "Once father hears about this I won't have to worry about that ever again. He'll have you locked away for attacking the clan heir."
"You forget Hanabi-chan, it was you who trespassed and attacked first. I merely defended myself. If you wish to tell that man that you were beaten in a fight that you started, feel free. I will be waiting here when he tries to seek damages."
"Hmph, I'll simply tell him how I got in. Then you'll be drowning in Hyūga. You may be able to beat me, but how will you take on the entire clan?"
"Simple. Those that watch over this place will notify the authorities that there is a traitorous uprising while we sit comfortably inside our house. The ANBU will find the Hyūga trespassing on this estate and they will be arrested while we drink tea." By this point it seemed that their roles had completely reversed. Hinata was looking down rather haughtily at her sister.
"Like a couple doors and some glass windows could keep a ninja out." Hanabi spat venomously back.
Hinata then did something that completely unnerved the younger Hyūga, she laughed. "Dear sister. You know nothing about this estate. Believe what you want, but Hiashi knows his limitations and he knows that the defenses of this estate are beyond his powers to breach. If you're so curious about them then feel free to ask him because I am simply too busy to bother explaining them to you. Now..." Hinata strode over to her recovering sibling and picked her up, throwing her over a shoulder before heading for the gate. Hanabi swore at her the entire way,
When she was finally dumped into the street she spun up to a knee and thrust out her hand. She could feel her tenketsu finally opening as he arm moved, but she was seconds too late as her strike hit the cold metal of the gate. She looked up into the face of her sister through the openings and glared at her hard. "A few more seconds and it would have been you looking up at me!" She snarled out.
"I know dear sister, but I was also a Hyūga once. After all that sparring with you, father and everyone else, don't you think I would at the very least have the recovery time down to a science? Face it Hanabi, I am no longer your weak older sister. I am a stronger person that is no longer part of that make believe family." Hinata turned away, back towards the gardens. The glare that was trying to melt a hole through her back was nothing but an insignificant afterthought as she went over what had just happened.
She was always afraid of hurting her little sister, but seeing her taking up the path of her father was something she did not want to see. She had decided to show the girl that she was not as strong as she thought. Taking her down so swiftly was sure to cause some waves in both the young girl and the rest of the Hyūga clan. There was a feeling in her that she wasn't too familiar with, pride. Not pride in her sister but in herself. She had been able to defend herself and Naruto's estate from her sister and came out on top with little effort. An emotion that she had thought she would feel was oddly missing. She felt no sadness in beating her sister. In fact she felt very little of anything in regards to their actual fight. It wasn't that she had suddenly turned cold though. Instead it was more because neither were seriously injured physically, and she had proven her point.
The only part of the confrontation she didn't like was the possibility that Hanabi would convince her father to send some Hyūga over, armed with Kaiten, to try to ransack the place. She could only hope that the law and the strain it would cause in relations with other clans would be enough of a deterrent. That or that they would get enough warning to get inside and activate the siege seals before anyone got too close. Regardless, she would have to tell Naruto and see what he thought.
• • •
Isako screamed again as another welt was made on her, once flawless, skin. She was left panting and whimpering as she failed to hold back her tears. "Wh-why are you still doing this to me? I told you everything!"
Her tormentor just grinned at her. "Even if we believed you, this is all a part of your punishment, so get used to it."
"My punishment for what? Trying to strengthen my own clan? Hurting a demon that deserved what he got? Planning for the future of Konoha?"
"No, for kidnapping and raping a minor, torturing an innocent child, conspiring against the greater good of Konoha, corruption of a minor, attempted murder and attempted unwilling sterilization would be among your worst convictions." The man beside her, now steel-eyed torturer informed her.
"I didn't sterilize him, he was already sterile. If you haven't noticed my only child is his age."
"He has been...tested after the event you forced upon him and it has been shown that he is far from sterile. I guess you were just unlucky, or barren yourself. Of course it doesn't surprise me that you would seek fault in others as long as it turned it away from yourself. Then there is of course your constant breaking of the Sandaime's law. We can't have that of course, so as a finalization of your punishment it has been ordered that most of your crimes be made public knowledge and you will be executed with a limited audience after this week is over...I hope the knowledge that you've helped ruined someone's childhood, and possibly his ability to ever have a normal relationship, was worth it in the end."
"Like that demon could ever have anyone love him. He's just a fiend that deserves to die. They will understand and soon enough I'll be back where I belong and you will be the one chained to this slab of metal."
"And who would that be? The council? The threw you aside already. Why do you think you're still here? They know they have no say in the matter because of how far you've taken things. Now, I suggest you be the trooper we all know you are and take your punishment as it comes. We have a lot of treatments and not a whole lot of time to fit them all in. We have a busy schedule you know. Lots of criminals like yourself to keep in line."
"I am not a criminaAHHHH!" Isako's venomous voice was drowned out as another hot wire was whipped across her back. Her defiant speech was lost in her sobbing as the pain tore through her.
"Keep it up Anko. If we keep up the pace we should be able to fit everything in and still get our breaks. I can't wait until this week is over and we can finally say goodbye to this refuse."
"Hai! Well, looks like you and me get to have some fun today. I always wanted to give my compliments to the council for the way I was treated." Anko sashayed over to her tray of toys to select her next
• • •
They sat there and watched as their sensei and teammate played shōgi. It wasn't the most exciting thing in the world to do but they had just gotten back from a mission so the break was welcome. Had it been any other situation, Ino would have already dragged her protesting sensei out into the training field and make him teach them something. After her defeat at the hands of Sakura she felt she really needed to improve. After Sakura's defeat at the hands of Kin she realized just how pathetic she was. That was all the motivation she needed in order to improve.
Of course her teammates didn't always see eye to eye with her new attitude. Shikamaru would always complain about how the new training was too troublesome to do. Chōji would start his complaints not long after they started anything strenuous, telling them he needed to recharge his reserves via food consumption. Despite their grumblings, Ino managed to get them to gradually get stronger. On days that she wasn't meeting with her team she would go and train with the other girls at Naruto's estate, or Naruto himself when he was in. It irked her a little that he wasn't around as much as he used to be considering his new status. That, coupled with his lack of clan duties, put him in a prime spot to be available for a lot of mission and from what she heard he was being used for just that. Still, it was rather impressive that he would do so much when her own teammate was also a chūnin and simply didn't have the motivation to even offer to lead a team. Sure he'd had to a couple times, but other times he managed to get out of it by claiming he had clan duties to attend to.
"Chōji?"
"Yeah Ino?"
"Have you ever been in love?"
The sputtering and spitting from the chubby boy was loud enough to gain a small bit of attention from their sensei and other teammate for a moment before they went back to their game. "Wh-what are you saying Ino?"
"I used to think I was in love with Sasuke back in the academy, but then he...and now I think I'm in love with Naruto-kun, but how can I be sure? Was I ever really in love before? This feels different then what I felt for Sasuke, but how do I know which one is love and which isn't? I could have really been in love with Sasuke until he did...that, or I could really be in love with Naruto-kun now. It's really confusing so I figured that if I could get some help from someone else it could help clear things up for me."
"So you're asking me? I mean, don't get me wrong. Women swoon over the plump powerhouse, but we both know I'm not exactly smooth with the ladies." Chōji semi joked, letting Ino chuckle a little.
"I know Chōji, but love can be one sided too you know. Just because they don't love you doesn't mean you can't love them. Look at Hinata before Naruto asked her out."
"..."
"Oh come on Chōji! There's someone for everyone. You'll find a nice girl eventually." Ino tried her best to comfort him, suddenly regretting bringing up the topic.
"Yeah, I guess. I just don't see her ever seeing someone like me, and how would my parents think of me getting together with a civilian...they always wanted me to look for a strong woman to marry."
Ino sat there looking at him with her mouth hanging open. She snapped out her daze and grinned, scaring him slightly. "Well, well, well. So Chōji-kun has his eye on someone. Care to elaborate?"
"Um...Weren't we just talking about you?"
"Yes, but something much more interesting came up. Now, spill." She leaned over towards him conspiratorially.
Chōji sighed. He knew he couldn't get out of this if he tried. Ino, the queen of gossip, was on his trail and he was already backed into a corner. "Alright, it's..."
"Ok that's enough training for today! Get some rest and we'll see about getting a mission tomorrow." Asuma announced as he was thoroughly trounced by Shikamaru yet again.
Chōji had taken the moment to get a head start on his timely exit, unfortunately for him Ino had gotten much fast thanks to her increased training schedule. He soon found himself restrained by the blond tornado. "Come along Chōji-kun. You can tell me about her over a good bowl of ramen!." Ino missed the boy's horrified face as she dragged him away from the training ground.
Behind them, Asuma turned to his last remaining student. "So, what do you think will happen?"
"Either Chōji is going to be to embarrassed to talk for at least a week, or he's going to be asking for some time off soon." The two looked at each other and couldn't help but burst into laughter.
• • •
Despite having just left the interrogation department, Anko was nervous. The reason? She was on a self imposed mission, the likes of which she had never taken on before. She decided it was far past time that she did the right thing, and if she was ever going to be relieved of her own burden then she needed to do this now. An apology. Simple, easy, and something she had done only once before in her entire life! Back then she was pleading for her life though so it was more something she had to do than something of her choice.
Turning onto the street that held his estate, Anko couldn't help but feel her apprehension shoot up even more. She suddenly felt like she was in the hall in the interrogation building, on her way to her own torture session. Before she knew it she was standing outside the front gate and staring inside. It wasn't that it was difficult to admit when she was wrong, but admitting it to someone else was an entirely different story. Her choice was taken away from her though as she heard the scuffing of feet settling on the ground behind her.
"Can I help you Mitarashi-san?"
She winced a bit at his tone as she spun around to look at him. "Ah...Hey. Um..." She suddenly found herself at a loss for words. The apology she had been working on the whole way over, despite its shortness, was lost.
Naruto stood there for a few minutes, watching the woman fumble with her words before a sigh of annoyance escaped his lips. "Listen, if you're just going to stand there could you please move? I have things to do inside my house, which you seem to be very content in blocking..."
"Oh! Um..." Anko quickly stood aside and looked a little ashamed for a second before strengthening her resolve as much as possible. "L-listen runt. I came to apologize for my comments in the hospital. Because of my position, I was told about exactly what happened..."
"I see. So it's pity then? No thanks. Have a nice day Mitarashi-san."
"W-wait!"
The gate clanged shut behind Naruto, but he stopped on the other side. "If you're truly sorry, then just make sure you choose the right side when push comes to shove."
Anko was shocked at his statement, but surprise quickly turned into anger. "Are you questioning my loyalty to Konoha brat?" She growled a bit as she attempted to glare him into submission.
Naruto just turned his head to the side slightly, giving her a view of his profile. "In a way, 'Snake-whore' of Konoha."
"How dare you!"
"Yes, how dare the 'Demon-boy' call you that? Right? How dare I remind you of where you stand in this village? We're more alike than you think Anko. You're just the next step down from me on the hatred scale, don't forget that." Before she had a chance to ask what he was getting at or even throw a retort his way he was already closing his front door. She hadn't even realized he'd been walking away from her.
• • •
Naruto let out a frustrated sigh as he entered his house. He leaned back against the door as he closed his eyes and just stood there, soaking in the calm feeling he got from the building. He wouldn't have been surprised if his dear old dad had somehow made it that way. Whatever the case it helped ease the tension out of his shoulders. It didn't go away completely of course, it never did, but it was still a relief. Over the past year he had been subject to an emotional roller-coaster like never before. Sure his emotions has fluctuated before, but it wasn't until recently that he had some new emotions thrown in. Friendship, companionship, kindness from more than just the old man and a couple of cooks, acceptance,...happiness. Going from those good emotions to all of his worst emotions and back again was putting a lot of strain on his mind that he wasn't used to. 'I wonder how long it will take me to snap with things going like this?' He half-jokingly wondered to himself.
He was brought out of his musings as he heard some footsteps coming towards him. "Naruto-kun?"
"Hai Haku-chan."
She was taken slightly off guard. He sounded more tired than he normally did recently. "Is something wrong?"
He cracked his eyes open and looked at her. He could see the worry shrouding her features and couldn't help but sigh again. He used his shoulders to push himself off the door as he wiped his face with his hands. "Haku, could you gather the girls please? We need to talk about some things and it might as well be now."
She waved off his tone as exhaustion as she helped him over to the couch. "Are you sure? You look like you're about to collapse..."
He took her hand in his and kissed it slightly, causing her cheeks to redden slightly. "I'm sure. If I don't do it now I may not get a chance to do it myself later." Leaning back into the cushions he let out a slow breath.
"O-Ok...Do you want Ino-chan and Tenten-chan too?" She waited a few minutes as she watched his eyes move under his lids. She was about to ask again when he answered.
"I suppose they should hear this too. Actually, bring as many of the rookies as you can. It's about time the skeletons come out and it'll be better if they hear it from me than someone else."
"...Alright. What should I tell them for a reason?"
"I'm sure you'll think of something. I'll be out back." He slowly got up and half stumbled to the door, making Haku a little nervous as to whether or not she should really leave him alone or not.
Despite her better judgment she decided to do as he said and set about gathering the others of his graduating class as well as Kin. Something big was going to happen soon and from his condition, she guessed it was only going to be a one time show. Best she get her part over with as soon as possible too.
· · ·
An hour later had most of the familiar genin as well as the newly appointed chūnin assembled in the back yard of the estate. Some were waiting a little more patiently than others, but they all showed up which was more than he expected really. He took a deep breath before walking out into the open, bringing all of their eyes to bear on him.
"Oi, what the hell did you drag us all here for?" Kiba got a quick punch in the gut from Kin as she admonished him for his behavior, earning herself a sneer in return.
Yes Naruto-kun. We wish to know why your flames of youth seem to be barely burning lately!"
Naruto just waved Lee off warily as he took a seat in front of them. Most of the girls present made to sit with him, but he motioned them to sit with the others as well. He wasn't at all sure how anyone was going to react to this news, so he didn't want them to be too close should they react poorly. "Everyone shut up. I have a lot to tell you and none of it is going to be easy, for any of us." That got their attention instantly.
"Naruto, is this about your father?" All eyes shot too Shikamaru including Naruto's, who's were narrowed dangerously causing the Nara to gulp.
"No Shikamaru, it is not about my parents and I would thank you for not talking about them." He pinned his fellow chūnin with a glare that told the boy that he would be rewarded with death if he finished his train of thought. Naruto knew the Nara were smart, and to be honest it wouldn't take that much of a thought process to make the connection, but he didn't need certain people in attendance to know that much about him. Specifically a certain mutt that would just love to get some dirt on him.
"Then is it about the glares and stuff?" Chōji asked between bites of his chips.
Naruto's gaze shifted to him, then back to the Nara. He sighed in exasperation before letting a small chuckle escape his lips. "Should've known. You two are attached at the hip sometimes I swear. Yes, that is part of it, the first part really. If you chose to stay for the rest of what I have to say that's up to you. If not, then one of my clones will be at the gate to let you out."
He looked over the small crowd. They were his comrades, friends, teammates, loved ones, precious people. For the most part they were the few that stuck with him through everything so far, the only exception being Kiba but he figured that once he stated the law the boy would, at most, let his mother know that he knew. Despite knowing their disposition towards him he began to wonder how many he would still be able to count amongst those after this.
"No doubt you have seen, or at least heard about, my treatment from the village." He watched them all nod in affirmation. "Well, there are things you don't see as well as the reasons behind such things. I'm not one for pity, so I'll just go right to the reason. You all remember the story of the Kyūbi from the academy?" More nods.
"The Yondaime killed the demon and saved the village, more or less, end of story. What about it?" Neji asked.
"No, that's not quite true, is it Naruto?"
"Always the studious one huh Shikamaru?" Naruto shook his head. "No, the story you were told was a coverup." They were thoroughly confused now for the most part. The only ones that seemed to not care at the moment were Shikamaru and Chōji. Even the girls seemed a bit wary of what was going to come out of his mouth, he felt his chest tighten when he saw that. "Before I tell you what really happened though, I have to tell you about a certain law. The law states that anyone who reveals the information I'm about to tell you will be executed."
"Then don't tell us Naruto-kun! We don't want you to put yourself in danger."
"Don't worry Hinata-chan. I'm exempt from that law."
"You're exempt from a law? Why the hell would you be exempt from a law with a death penalty?" Kiba asked as though it was completely unfair that someone should have such a privilege.
"It's because the law revolves around him or takes him into account in some way." Shikamaru theorized.
"Correct. The law was made by the Sandaime shortly after the Kyūbi was defeated. It was made so that the younger generation wouldn't be privy to certain information that those who were old enough to remember the attack knew about. Understand that after I tell you what I plan on telling you that you will be bound by that law as well, so if you are uncomfortable with that then I ask that you leave now." Unfortunately those that he half hoped would take the opportunity to leave were too enthralled to care about some law that they didn't care about since they didn't know what it was hiding.
Seeing no one was willing to leave, Naruto stretched back into the grass a bit, putting his hands on the ground behind him for support while he gazed up into the sky. "Sugar-coating is pointless now. The Yondaime couldn't kill the Kyūbi, so he sealed it...in me." He waited for the yells, the accusations, the beating. When nothing came, even a whisper, he chanced a look at his audience. Most had their mouths open, trying to form words. Others had a more studious look about them as though they were choosing their words carefully before speaking.
He decided to fill the void by elaborating. "The term for my kind is jinchūriki. It means 'power of human sacrifice', which is what the Yondaime was when he decided to seal the demon inside me. The strength of his conviction to save this village, a village he loved with all his soul, was enough to warrant the power he needed to seal the Kyūbi. It would only cost him his soul, but he already knew that. He also knew that it was his only option. I don't blame him for what he did, but I was told that his last wishes were that the village treat me like a hero..."
Finally some of them found their voices, and the reactions were as varied as the people.
"You...have the Kyūbi sealed inside you?" After a nod, Kiba continued. "No wonder everyone hates you. They think you're tainted from it. Wait till I tell..." He was stopped from getting up when a small white blur slammed into his chest. He looked at it to find a growling Akamaru.
"I think you're partner has proven once again that he's smarter than you Kiba. If you go around blabbing about this you're as good as dead. You might as well walk into Iwagakure with a Konoha flag strapped to your back." Chōji noted, causing the boy to pale with the realization.
"So, is that how you beat me in the chūnin exams? You used it's power didn't you?" Neji narrowed his eyes in suspicion.
Naruto sighed again. "Yes, Neji. It's how I reopened all of my tenketsu after your attack. Other than that though the fight was all me. By the way, just so you know, doing that hurt like hell."
"So if you didn't have that thing in you, you probably would have lost."
"No, if I didn't have it in me I would have grown up normally with a proper education instead of having to rely on myself to learn correctly. As such I would have been a lot more wary of what you were doing instead of letting myself be caught up by your attack. Of course that's just a guess, but I think it's pretty accurate." Naruto clarified.
"...perhaps." Neji may have lost his father, but at least he had help getting trained.
"If he's sealed in you, then you have a seal on you somewhere right?" Tenten looked the most curious of everyone there as she seemed to be scanning his body.
"Other than my training seals, there is one more on my stomach. It's the seal that keeps the Kyūbi at bay, but it only shows up when I channel chakra."
"C-can we see it?"
"Trying to get me naked already Tenten-chan?" He chuckled as the girl blushed, along with some of the others, at the insinuation. He lifted his shirt a bit anyway and molded a little chakra, letting the seal appear briefly before he stopped. "Satisfied?"
"It's definitely a complex seal, that much is certain." Neji confirmed.
"I would hope so. It would be kind of sad if the strongest bijū was held back with the simplicity of a storage scroll." Harume deadpanned as Shino nodded in agreement next to her. Neither looked very fazed by the information. Not too surprising on account of Shino having insects inside him and yet not growing wings himself.
"Sounds like something Orochimaru would do, except his reasons would be a lot less honorable. Even if his sacrifice did make your life hell, at least his heart was in the right place." Kin grumbled out.
Ino didn't seem to know what to think. Her own life was going through loops lately, and now this. Despite that she tried her best to give a supportive smile. If nothing else, she owed him that much. After all, a demon wouldn't have saved her. A demon would have joined in.
He looked the last two girls in the group, Hinata and Haku. Both had been listening to what the others had to say before looking at each other. They nodded and stood, walking towards Naruto, but again he motioned for them to sit again. He smiled at them to comfort their worries, but even so they sat closer to him than they had been. If nothing else the fact that they were still comfortable with him made him elated.
"You said that they did more than just glare at you Naruto-kun. What else did they do?" Lee asked
"I also said that I didn't want pity, so I'm not going to tell you about that. We all have some secrets we want to keep." Lee looked a little ashamed along with the others that had been eagerly awaiting his answer to that question. He took his previous relaxed position once again. "But because of events happening in a few days, you will probably end up finding about one of those events." He couldn't help but let some bitterness enter his voice, shocking those who had never heard him speak that way.
"Kiba I want you to leave for this part. You too Neji."
"What? Why?"
"Because, honestly, I don't trust either of you to keep this a secret. Even though there is no law surrounding this one, I don't want a whole lot of people to know right away, so either you leave or I escort you out." He gave a small dark undertone to his last statement to get his message across.
"Che, I get it. Like I want to hear about how you got spanked by some shopkeeper because you were painting graffiti on his walls." He nearly wet himself from the killing intent that hit him, but when he looked at the source he found that he wasn't staring at Naruto, but four of the girls instead.
"Kiba."
"Get."
"Out."
"Now!"
The Inuzuka was forced to run for his life as a small rain of kunai came soaring at him. The four sets of eyes looked at the older Hyūga in challenge. The boy just turned and walked towards the front gate, not letting them see how much he was sweating under the pressure. Once Naruto's clone dispelled, telling him that the two were indeed gone, he closed his eyes and continued.
"Thank you girls. The reason I wanted them gone is because this is a sensitive topic that very few know about. That group is growing lately, but I still want to keep it contained as long as possible simply because it's my life. Four of you already know about what I'm going to talk about, well some of it." He looked pointedly at the four who defended his choice of kicking the two others out. "They found out who she was."
Hands shot to mouths or throats as the four girls found it rather hard to breath at the moment. Their reactions confused the rest as even Shikamaru had no idea what was going on.
"Wh-when...Wh-who?"
"I'll answer in a second, but first I should bring the others up to speed, don't you think?" He didn't wait for their approval as he continued. "This event happened while we were still in the academy, during one of my more...extended absences. After class I was walking home when I got blindsided and kidnapped. I was taken into a cellar where I was...raped...tortured...and left for dead." He watched the blood leave the faces of everyone present. Even those that already knew found themselves growing colder simply from the lack of emotion on Naruto's face.
"Thankfully, I guess, I was unconscious for a lot of it. I have no doubt that some of the concoctions she injected...into me, would have been excruciatingly painful otherwise. I found out that she had special suppliers around town that supported what she did and sold her some special materials that they guaranteed would leave lasting scars, or simply cause my brain to shut down from the pain."
"Yet, here you are." Shino noted simply.
"That's one thing about the fox, I don't know if he does it willingly or not, but I have highly advanced healing. Every stab wound, every burn from acid or fire, every bruise and broken bone, even the...sterilization she tried...all of it was healed over the time I was absent." Another shiver went through them as some of what he went through was described. Chōji was a lot greener than the others and proved that the tales were getting to him when he hurriedly picked up one of his empty chip bags and filled it with the contents of his stomach. Even Lee sat quietly as he tried to keep his own face from matching the color of his outfit.
After taking a few minutes to recompose themselves, Shikamaru finally got his mouth working again. "You said that this was necessary to understand something that was coming up soon."
"You all know that three people that are rather well known, at least to us, were put in prison recently."
"Yeah, Uchiha and the two Haruno bitches." Harume scoffed out before her mind caught up with her mouth.
"Yes, during their initial interrogation of Isako Haruno, she said enough to confirm that she was the one that...kidnapped me. Apparently she got it into her head that breeding with a jinchūriki would somehow bring out a new bloodline. It's not entirely unfounded, but after she figured she was as close to getting pregnant as she could she decided to make herself the only one that could use that source. Now she's going to pay for her supposed 'good intentions'. She's currently going through a rather rigorous torture session with Ibiki and Anko. Inoichi chose to stay out of it since he was afraid that if he got involved then she wouldn't make it to the end and still know what was being done to her. At the end of the week she will finish her punishment..." He looked away from them a bit, again questioning how they would take the news.
"Will she be released again, or is she going to rot in prison like she deserves?" Ino growled out. She would give anything right now to take her father's spot in the interrogation department. Forget the rest of her punishment, she would rape the woman's mind until there was nothing left!
"After her torture is finished she's going to be executed in a private area with a limited audience. She'll have the choice of seppuku, but her second has been instructed to be prepared to take that honor away from her." He answered, still not looking at them.
"You're still not telling us everything are you Naruto? Where are you going to be when this happens?" Kin asked, not sure she wanted to know the answer.
"Me? Heh, I get the best seat in the house. I'll be holding the sword..." He heard the gasps behind him and knew what they were thinking. 'He's going to kill the mother of one of our classmates.' would probably be the thoughts of those his age. For the rest it would most likely be along the lines of 'He's going to kill one of the council members.' What he didn't fully expect was to be embraced by anyone so quickly.
He turned around to see both Hinata and Haku latched onto him with Kin seemingly trying to find her own spot to grab a hold of. He couldn't help himself and looked towards Ino and Tenten to see that both were in some quiet contemplation as they fidgeted on the grass.
"Is...is that why you saved me? Because of your own past?" Ino asked tentatively.
He saw Kin flinch as well and wondered if she was thinking the same thing. "No Ino. Well, maybe in part, but mostly I did that because it was the right thing to do. I can't honestly tell you what I would have done if I hadn't had the past I did, but I'd like to think that I would have acted the same. Right now though I'm more concerned about my other announcement. Aren't you all scared of me or anything? I mean I'm the same type of thing as Gaara is."
It was Tenten who called him out this time. "No, you're not! Gaara is a psychopath. He didn't care for anyone. He would have let any one of us suffer, if not kill us himself. Look what he did to Lee! Sure he can still be of use by throwing and as long as he's careful not to use his injured limbs he can still fight, but Gaara was still remorseless in what he did. Not to mention he would have killed Lee if Gai-sensei hadn't gotten involved!"
"...Thank you Tenten. That means...a lot." He gave her a soft smile as he hugged the other girls close. Silence reigned again for the next few minutes with everyone still lost in their own thoughts. "Well, if you're all willing to stick around, I think we could scrounge up something to eat. I don't know about all of you, but I'm kind of hungry right now." As if they just remembered they still existed, a chorus of grumbles echoed from numerous stomachs. Everyone grinned a little sheepishly. "Guess that answers that."
• • •
A knock on the door alerted her that she was about to have a guest. "Enter." She shuffled some papers to the side and took another sip of her sake before grabbing more from the opposite pile.
"Tsunade-sama? Getting into the job already I see."
"Yeah well, if I'm going to be taking this damn job I might as well get some of this crap out of the way. What do you need Shizune?" She didn't even look up, at least not until some more files were laid on the desk. Only then did she look up into the face of her apprentice to see the grim look she sported. "What are these?"
"Medical records for Uzumaki Naruto..."
"Shizune, I don't have time to look at the gaki's past injuries. Just put them back and I'll start going over things like that later." She waved the girl off as she turned back to her paperwork.
"No. You need to read these Tsunade-sama. This isn't all of them either, just a few of the files and one that he pointed to me personally. It relates to..."
"Listen Shizune, I'm sure that all his bruises and broken bones are very interesting but Sarutobi-sensei has been in the hospital for well over a month and this paperwork is so stacked up that I don't have time to look at any medical files right now. I'm not even sure that I'll be able to take a break to get food. As it stands I'm going to be here for at least a week just to make a dent in this crap."
"But..."
"And if that wasn't bad enough, most of it is the civilian council asking for crap from ninja, or rights that should only go to ninja, or the development of some training grounds into more shopping areas or to be made into lavish houses. Don't these people realize that this is a ninja village?"
"I'm going to leave these files here anyway. If you decide you need a break, please look through them. It may change your opinion of Naruto-san..." Shizune lowered her head a bit letting a tear escape her eye, but it went unnoticed by the older woman.
"Sure, whatever. Could you go get me something for supper and some more sake too, I'm almost out. Thanks Shizune."
She knew a dismissal when she heard it and went about her assigned task. She couldn't fault her mentor. She had a point, there was an awful lot of paperwork there.
• • •
Naruto had crashed into his bed almost as soon as the last person left. It felt good to get that off his chest, somewhat, but now he would have to live with the consequences. There was hesitancy amongst those that came. He wasn't quite sure what to think about Ino or Tenten since neither seemed to make a move to come near him, even if they seemed to understand his point. Either way, the next week would prove to be interesting.
He woke up a couple days later a little later than usual due to his heavy training the day before. He looked down at the faces that greeted him. Despite his arguments against it all three girls seemed adamant to sleep with him until this ordeal was over or he was back to his normal self, whichever came last. It had caused some rather...uncomfortable situations on numerous occasions.
Despite common beliefs it is not always comfortable to wake up with someone else laying on top of you, especially when arms or legs are pressing into painful places. After one such painful event, he decided that it would be in his own best interest to forbid them to sleep completely on him when it was three on one. This lead to a couple cute pouts since they all wanted to be near him, but that only lasted until he told them that they would all be kicked out of his room if they didn't agree. Feelings or not, he wasn't going to go through life with bruises in uncomfortable places.
This morning it was Kin to his right, Haku to his left and Hinata to her left. They looked so peaceful that he hated himself for what he was about to do. It never failed when more than one was here that he would always wake one of them when he got up and try to drag him back down. Firming his resolve he began to move out of their grasp, trying his best to be careful but it was for naught.
"Mmm Naruto-sama, don't get up yet." Kin tiredly whined as he attempted to unwind her arm from his.
"I have an important appointment to go to today Kin, you have to let me go now." He whispered back.
She stubbornly tightened her grip on his arm. "Don't wanna."
"Kin..." He lowered his voice with an underlying threat. "Let go."
"Aww." She poked her lower lip out, but complied.
"Go back to sleep. I'll be back for lunch."
"What appointment is so important that it can't wait for another hour?" She propped herself up on her elbows as she watched him gather his clothes, a position that accentuated her own growing assets though it was difficult to tell in the low light.
"One that none of you are allowed to go to, so just, go back to sleep please."
She narrowed her eyes at him, unable to comprehend what he was talking about in her sleep-hazed brain. "Fine. Leave then." She quickly collapsed on the bed and turned towards the others making Naruto wince at the possibility of the action waking the others. Thankfully they only stirred a little, so he grabbed the rest of his gear and made a quick exit in order to change in the bathroom. The last thing he would need is for Kin to try to jump him when he was exposed.
Once he was dressed he got a quick bite to eat. There was no meeting of anyone in the halls this time, no waking of anyone else in the house, so he silently slipped out and made his way towards the interrogation building. This was the day that a large part of his torment would end, a day that he would be freed from the torture of seeing what he considered a true demon. If that was the case, then why was he so reluctant to keep his path. He found himself wondering if Ichiraku's was open, even though he was already pressed for time.
Doing his best to ignore his own apprehension, Naruto place another foot forwards and continued on his way. It seemed like it took hours to get to the building and another half at least to just open the door. He wasn't sure if he actually heard the lady at the counter talking to him, but he felt himself nod before taking a seat on a nearby bench. By the time the two ANBU came to pick him up it felt like he was watching himself from outside as they lead him down numerous dark halls. The blood that was pounding in his ears kept him from hearing their footsteps as they approached a large metal door.
The door swung open to reveal a seating area, which by this time was already mostly filled. Whether more would come he wasn't certain, but there were already many important figures present. All but one of the clan heads gave him a sympathetic look, it made him queasy. Hiashi and the civilian council members had murder in their eyes as they shot looks between him and the last notable figure in the room. The Sandaime gave him the best encouraging smile he could manage in such a situation. All of them were situated in chairs overlooking a small empty stage.
The ANBU lead him down the stairs leading to the stage and it suddenly felt like he was the one that was about to be executed. He had to fight his own instincts in order to keep from running out of the room, even so he couldn't keep a few shivers from crawling over his body. As they approached the stage it only became more foreboding. Spotlights shined down on the empty shackles, illuminating the already stained wood that they were attached to. Dried blood covered both the metal and the boards, significantly more-so on the latter. To one side sat a table covered with a cloth. Odd lumps in the fabric only hinted at what lay underneath.
The small procession came to a halt at the back of the stage and turned crisply towards the audience. He watched the Sandaime straighten and announce the accusations and sentencing. The fact that he didn't ask for any last minute objections was not lost on him and he silently thanked the old man for not allowing this do be drawn out any longer than it seemed to be. His brief reprieve from the tension was interrupted by the sound of another door opening.
To the side of the stage a second metal door swung wide and banged against the wall. Instantly, they could all hear the muffled screams coming from the room beyond as the prisoner was dragged forward. Naruto unconsciously stepped a little further into the shadows, unknowingly hiding his paling face. Pink hair peeked out from between two more ANBU as the woman was dragged unceremoniously to the shackles and locked in place. Her legs were clamped tight against the stage at the ankles and knees to keep her in place while the arm shackles would allow her to move somewhat freely.
Again the Sandaime said his piece as the woman seemed to be pleading behind her gag. It was obvious that her own objections meant nothing, as her tears hit the boards, creating the first wet spots of the day. He looked at her from his place in the shadows. Her hair was streaked with caked blood, most likely from the times that she was hung upside down and beaten. Her ears were mostly gone along with three toes on each foot. They had dressed her simply in a long robe in order to hide her body, but from the blotches of red on it everyone could tell that the damage was not limited to her extremities.
The Hokage said something to the guards and they whipped their heads up in surprise. The councilors turned to hm with horror on their faces and he could tell that they were trying to argue with whatever he said, but when his face tightened up and he spat something out it was clear the argument was over. Isako hung her head in defeat as the ANBU grabbed her robe from the back and tore it off, earning a groan of pain from the woman.
As her body was revealed, all her wounds became obvious. Burns, holes, scrapes and scratches. Patches of skin were either missing or hung loosely off her body. Welts from whips and hot irons were spread across her back, legs and arms. He couldn't see it but he imagined her front was the same. They must have at least attempted to clean her a little, there wasn't nearly enough blood streaks to account for the number of wounds. Blood was pounding in his ears again. He noticed that the majority of the wounds matched up with his own wounds after that event. He knew, he'd seen the pictures.
The Sandaime spoke up once again and Isako looked up at him, shocked. He waved at the table beside her and an ANBU took the sheet off. A small stand was taken an placed in front of the woman. Another cloth was pulled off of it to reveal a small dagger. Isako shook her head violently and pleaded around her gag for mercy, at least he assumed that's what she was trying to say given the situation. The old man shook his own head before nodding over to Naruto. He felt himself pushed in the direction of the table and noticed the other objects. A katana, polished to a high shine and a gourd.
Grabbing the sword in on hand and the gourd in the other, he poured the contents of the container over the blade. The sound must have alerted Isako to the presence behind her, as she turned her head as best she could to see him. When their eyes met her face contorted into rage and she grabbed the tanto from the stand in front of her as she tried to get within reach to stab him. The shackles held firm though and she merely succeeded in swinging the blade towards her own side. She was able to catch herself before the blade ever met flesh, but that would be her own dishonor as the tanto was forcefully removed from her hand by one of the guards and placed out of her reach.
Naruto slowly walked over to her side, being sure to stay out of the reach of her arms as she swung them wildly about. Suddenly she found herself unable to do even that as the chains of the shackles were pulled down through holes in the platform and her hands hit the boards near her knees, forcing her upper body to stick out from the rest. Fear replaced rage as she looked for help amongst the crowd. Some turned their heads away while the Hokage simply looked at Naruto and nodded.
He rose the sword above his head, trying to ignore his own shaking. His mind traveled back to that night. The look on her face, the feeling in his chest, the fear in his own mind. He remembered the scorn she gave him and the pain that followed her actions. He thought about the pictures of what he had looked at afterward when Ojii-san wanted to know how some of the marks were made. He couldn't answer then, but he had a good idea now. After what seemed like the most tense moment in his life, for some reason all of his apprehension washed away. The blade stopped shaking, his eyes hardened and he swung.
With a spray of blood, Isako's head lolled forward as her body slumped to the floor. The only thing keeping her head from rolling off the stage was a small strip of skin on the front that kept it attached to her neck. A perfect strike. He wasn't about to dishonor himself by going farther. He swung the blade once to get the blood off before setting it back on the table. There wasn't a sound in the room as he walked to the back of the stage. No one moved as he crouched down. The only cue they got that the spectacle was finished was the moment his heaves brought up his breakfast and spilled it over the edge of the planks. He could hear some shouting as he pitched forward and darkness took him.
• • •
He woke up in another room. He guessed he was still in the prison compound since it was the same stone. He could feel the person nearby and it was slightly comforting to know he was there. "How long was I out?"
"About two hours. No one blames you Naruto, so don't feel ashamed. We all knew what she did and even those who were against you were rather abhorrent of her actions after they found out her true motives. Certain people more than others when it was noted that she could have effectively made her family part of a clan if one of their men had been in your place. Of course she probably would have met her fate a lot quicker had that been the case."
"Why wasn't Tsunade there?"
"Oh she was busy sleeping. She's been having some late nights catching up on our paperwork. She's not one for these types of things anyway, being a medic and all. She agreed on the paperwork to get out of spectating." The Sandaime half chuckled. "You did miss her coronation though. She's now officially the Hokage, and of course everyone cheered for her. "
"That's ok. I wouldn't have been very welcome anyway."
"Now don't say that. You are a ninja of this village. You should be proud of your new Hokage." The old man scolded.
"Yeah, maybe, and maybe she'll grow up someday and get over the fact that I made her do something she didn't want to do. Honestly Jiji-san, she acts like more of a kid than Konohamaru."
"Hah! She does indeed. Well she'll have to grow up now, she has responsibilities to an entire village now, and if the paperwork doesn't break her then the council will."
"..."
"...How do you feel Naruto?" The old man seemed his age suddenly. The sorrow in his eyes spread to the rest of his features the longer they sat there.
Naruto sat up and pulled his legs to his chest. "In truth? I'm not sure. Everything feels the same even though I know it's not. I thought I would feel safer you know? I thought maybe there would be a slim chance that this would make it all ok."
"Naruto what she did to you took a lot from you. Isako's death isn't going to make everything alright instantly. Give it time. I already have you scheduled to talk to Inoichi later if you feel you need to. Just don't close it off. Bottling things up will only make it worse. You have others living with you, talk to them. I'm sure they will be more than sympathetic."
"I will...Thank you for being here when I woke up Ojii-san. It means a lot to me."
"If it makes you feel better, we had to remind a certain set of admirers of yours that they weren't allowed to come here multiple times before they gave up and set up a post outside the building. They refuse to go anywhere until they see you're ok."
"Well, I guess I better stop making them worry then huh?" Naruto threw a smile on his face with such practiced ease that it nearly broke Hiruzen's heart. Naruto got up off the cot they put him in and opened the door before wheeling the old man out into the hall. They chatted about nothing in general as they made their way to the front desk where they separated. He thought he saw a bit of sympathy creep onto the face of the old woman behind the counter as he passed, but he ignored it as just an apparition.
· · ·
True to his word, four girls were sitting against the wall outside the ANBU complex. They were just sitting there, watching the people go by. He in turn watched them for a few minutes before Hinata turned her head and noticed him. She disappeared from view only to reappear latched onto him.
"Naruto-kun! Are you ok? Why did you leave without saying anything?" She cried into his chest as she hit him, making them both spin around a little.
"I told Kin I was leaving..."
"Yeah but you know how she is in the morning, she didn't realize what you were talking about!"
"I...I just wanted to be by myself for a bit. I'm sorry, but it was just something I needed to do alone. Understand?" He wanted them to know why he did what he did, but he wasn't really even sure why he did it himself.
"So it's done then?" Haku asked as she came up and gently hugged onto him as well, nuzzling into his neck a bit.
"Yeah...it's done..."
"Good. She deserved it for what she did."
"Kin, please..."
"Sorry, I just. It makes me mad, still."
"I know, I'm still not sure that it's real, but...Let's get out of here. I need to get some food. Ichiraku's sound good to you ladies? I'm buying!" The girls looked between each other and nodded. His smile was disturbing them, but if a meal would make him feel better then they would agree to anything.
As they walked away, the group was so ignorant of their surroundings that they completely missed the four shapes speeding the opposite way. Perhaps if even one of them wasn't so concerned for the blond they could have changed the coming events, but by the time it all comes to pass they may find that they wouldn't have wanted to even if they were observant.
• • •
Tsunade sighed as she signed off another application for vacation. She was making progress in the stacks but it was slow. For every three papers she completed another two seemed to replace them. She absently wondered if this was some scheme set up by the old man to punish her for being away for so long. She took a small break every few hours to enjoy some sake, but other than that she stuck to her pace. If anything, the constant work kept her mind off of where she was. The seat that both her fiance and brother had desired to occupy.
She was about to take her first sip of sake on her first break of the day when a loud explosion shook the tower. She jumped out of her hair and rushed to the rattling window. "Report!"
"Hokage-sama! It seems to have originated from the prison cells. We are currently looking into the cause."
"Find out and let me know as soon as anything is found!"
"Hai!"
Not waiting for another person to show up, she made her way to the roof to assess the situation. She could see various ninja rushing about to get to their stations. "Lock down the village! I don't want anyone leaving until we've found out what happened!" Behind her an ANBU in hiding bounded off to relay the orders just as another appeared on the roof.
"Hokage-sama! It appears that one of the prisoners has escaped with outside help!"
Tsunade narrowed her eyes. "Who?"
"Uchiha Sasuke."
"Che."
Another ninja, this time a jōnin, appeared beside the ANBU. "Hokage-sama! We found a returning patrol assaulted half a mile from the gates and a set of wall guards were killed, recently."
The sannin growled. "So they may have gotten away. I want squads organized and sent in every direction. We have no idea who they are or where they went. I want any Inuzuka available to get the Uchiha's scent and split up with different squads before they leave. Go!"
Both of the ninja disappeared and shot across the roofs before splitting up to get their divided tasks done. Efficiency at its finest.
"Damn it. This just has to happen now. That brat's going to roast when they bring him back. Bloodline or not, he's a liability."
• • •
"Danzo-sama, Uchiha Sasuke has escaped from the village. It is unknown where he is headed but the Hokage has mobilized a mass force after him."
Danzo gripped his pen a little tighter before loosening his grasp. "No matter. Now that we have Tsunade here she'll no doubt go about passing his genes on quickly. She's too soft to do otherwise, and if they manage to catch him it will be all the better."
"Sir, whoever helped him escape managed to do it just as the squad assigned to get the first samples was headed to his room. They never completed their task..."
This time the pen snapped in two. "Follow the ninja as best as you can. Do anything possible to make sure the Uchiha is brought back in working order. I want that sharingan under control!" As his fist hit the desk the ROOT ninja disappeared. "You Uchiha are far too much trouble. Once I get a few bred I will kill the last of you myself. Then the next generation will be completely loyal instead of the traitorous line that seems to run rampant currently.