Naruto Fan Fiction / InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Stains of the Heart ❯ Chapter Seven ( Chapter 7 )

Chapter Seven

 

“I can't believe you did that!” he huffed, crossing his arms slightly.

 

She glanced at him from the corner of her eye and scowled. “Gaara-sama accompanied me. I apologize, if I so must, that I did not tell you that I was going with an obviously more important individual to a place that I wished to go to before the sun was extremely high in the sky.”

 

Tsunade blinked, her lips thinning out as she watched their interaction. This was not what she'd expected from the shining, always bright Uzumaki Naruto, who'd usually smile at the smallest thing. True, he'd grown up since his last big mission with his old genin squad, especially since the death of his loved one, but she'd never seen him frown so often. And it was all directed at this new addition they were housing, for he'd smiled brightly at her earlier when she'd told him he would not be held accountable if she'd merely left the village. Then, she comes to find out that the girl had slipped out unnoticed and then the Kazekage had taken her out without telling or awaking Naruto. Something was just not right in that picture.

 

Gaara stood silently off to the side, not paying much attention to what was happening. He knew that once this was over Tsunade was going to ask him of her fighting style, but she hadn't seemed to want to show off her more advanced Taijutsu, and she hadn't even tried to use Ninjutsu or Genjutsu while he'd watched her go through a simply routine. Perhaps she was hiding her true power, or perhaps she simply did not want to show off everything she knew to strangers. He did not know and he did not care, he was still wondering exactly what she was obsessed with. It was an interesting mystery that he was determined to solve—that, and the reason why she did not like Naruto.

 

Naruto allowed his hand to fist, and scowled. “Fine, but why don't you explain the reason why there's a kunai sticking out of the wall in your room!” he said, turning to look into her eyes. She blinked at him, and he wondered what exactly her answer was going to be.

 

“I put it there,” she replied.

 

“Huh?” Naruto asked, confused.

 

“I put it there,” she said again. “I'm not going to lie to you. I took it from you because I was determining whether I should kill you in order to silence your snoring. By the fact that you did not wake, proves to me just how aware of your surroundings you really are. However, I decided that it would not do me any good to slit your throat, so I threw it into the wall and decided to go to the roof since I could not sleep.”

 

The sound of laughter began to enter her mind, and she growled at the voice in frustration as it came into her head once more. “Strange, but I believe lying when you say you're not going to lie is still lying, little girl.”

 

Shut up, I know what I'm doing, she hissed.

 

Gaara's eyes narrowed, sensing somehow that she was not giving the entire truth. He wondered if Tsunade or Naruto would catch it, but the horror of her words apparently had struck a nerve inside of them that stopped them from telling whether she was telling the whole truth. He silently took note that they were simply staring at her, though the expressions on their faces were much different from each other. Tsunade seemed to be making a great decision, and Naruto was still trying to grasp the fact that he could have died.

 

“You were going to…” Naruto stopped, turning his eyes to see the Hokage's reaction. Tsunade was blinking in surprise, and he could have sworn he saw a hint of fear in her eyes, before they hardened. His heart beat a bit faster, and he heard Kyuubi's growling in the back of his mind, though the fox did not say anything. She'd outright said she would have killed him, but she hadn't.

 

Tsunade's lips thinned further, her eyes turning to the woman standing before her waiting to be judged. “From now on, Naruto, you shall sleep outside of her room and there will be an ANBU posted outside of her window,” she nodded at her decision. “Though I am happy to know you're not lying, I am not pleased to find you would have killed a shinobi of this village so easily. This is only proving to me that you're a danger to others, and I will have to determine from your actions from now on if you'll be given back your weapons, perhaps even exiled from Konohagakure if that is the need.”

 

Kagome shrugged, “It is not my fault I'd rather sleep than listen to the annoying sounds that come from his mouth. Besides, reason is on my side, for I realized that I'd have Konohagakure chasing me for the rest of my days as a criminal.” She nodded to herself, before smiling at the Hokage. Her voice changed to her polite tone, and she turned so that she was sideways, in order to take less time getting to the door. “Now, if you'll excuse me, Hokage-sama, I do wish to return to the training grounds, since I believe I'd rather enjoy letting off some steam at this point and time.”

 

Tsunade nodded. “You may go.”

 

“I was not asking for permission,” Kagome said, her lip twitching a little. She turned, and quickly pushed the door open in order to leave. She knew that Naruto would be following her soon enough, so she felt the need to leave as quickly as she could. Then she'd make sure to use up some chakra in order to return to the training grounds quick enough that she could go through a more advanced routine before his chakra signal came close enough that she'd sense him.

 

Naruto, looking at the door, quickly turned to the Hokage, his hands slamming down onto the surface. “She almost killed me!” he shouted into her face, his eyes wide.

 

Tsunade closed her eyes, feeling the need to begin rubbing at her temples. “I am well aware of that at the moment, Naruto. Now, please, return to her room and make sure to take back your weapon. I don't want her to have another one, there's no telling what type of jutsu she uses and whether it requires them or not.” She sighed, and then opened her eyes to look into Naruto's, noticing that the man looked shaken from the knowledge that he could be dead at that moment. “I also want you to be more alert from now on, and have someone, anyone, help you watch over her. Make sure she doesn't know about them, too. Make it seem like they're simply talking to you or something, because I don't want her to know about this. Do you understand, Naruto?”

 

Naruto nodded, his smile returning. “Yeah, I'll go find someone right now!”

 

“There's no need, Naruto,” Tsunade stopped him. “Nara Shikamaru should be here in Hokage Tower. I'll have someone find him. For now, you follow her, and watch her. No more slacking off, Naruto.”

 

He nodded again, and then went to the window. Turning back to her, he brought his hand up and readjusted his headband. “Don't worry, Tsunade-baa-chan, I won't do that anymore! Believe it!” he said, and then opened the window, and jumped out, intent on returning to her room before heading out. He wasn't going to take the chance of forgetting about it and allowing her to try killing him again.

 

Tsunade turned her attention to the silent Kazekage, and allowed her expression to soften. “Did you see the way he changed so rapidly?” she asked, taking note that the young man was staring out the window Naruto had gone through. She saw him nod, and took that as her answer. “It's strange. He was so happy and bright when I told him he wouldn't be held responsible for anything she did, since she could have used a paralysis jutsu or used something in order to make sure he stayed asleep. Then, as soon as she entered the room, he became closed off, like he hated her for some reason.” Placing her forehead onto her hands, she looked at him completely, asking, “Do you think I should have someone else watch her, instead of Naruto?”

 

Gaara crossed his arms and leaned slightly on the wall. “No. Not unless Naruto proves to be completely useless when it comes to this mission,” he replied, not taking a glance at her. He stared at the wall, not caring for the conversation, since he'd been wondering the same thing. However, should Naruto not sleep within the same room, he doubted she'd try to kill him again, especially not with an ANBU outside her window. He'd need to gather more information before he'd truly be able to help the Hokage decide whether to appoint a shinobi who would pay more attention to their mission then anything else. Naruto was a good shinobi, but he needed to pay more attention to his surroundings.

 

Deciding that was good enough, Tsunade turned her attention toward the door, and shouted, “Shizune!”

 

OoO

 

It had not taken long to find the same spot she'd used earlier, though she hadn't gotten the chance to spar against the Kazekage before an ANBU had found them, saying that she was to return to Hokage Tower immediately. She blinked a few times, staring forward through the trees, easily seen to the two men sparring there in case they wished to think she was spying on them, deciding whether it was alright to go onto the grounds while they were using them. She saw nothing against it, but they may instantly know she was not apart of the village, and try to kill or capture her, since she was positive it would take a while for that idiot to catch up to her. She hated to admit it, but at that moment he may be the only one who'd be able to tell them why she was there.

 

The two stopped, and finally the one she'd sworn she'd seen before turned toward her. Her eyes returned to their guarded state, while she merely stared at them, bringing her arms up to cross over each other. If they chose to come at her, then she would make sure to either surprise them, or return to Hokage Tower as quickly as she could. She did not wish to have another penalty against her, the Hokage deciding that she'd be shackled down in some dirty old cell where she would never be able to get what she wanted. They'd probably make sure to shackle her hands far enough away from each other that she wouldn't be able to perform a jutsu, which meant she wouldn't be able to kill them, or spill their blood on the ground.

 

“You don't have to stay within the forest if you wish to use the grounds,” the man said. Kagome narrowed her eyes, wondering for a moment if it was a trick, until the voice in her head mocked the fact that she seemed afraid of the two shinobi. Huffing in annoyance, she made sure to give them a pleasant face, trying to make herself seem less threatening. No doubt they'd report anything to the female Hokage if they felt she was a danger to them.

 

“I apologize if I am interrupting your spar,” she said, tilting her head further to the right. Her hair fell with gravity, while her lips were brought up into a smile, but she held no doubt that her eyes gave her away. She was positive they were highly guarded at this point, especially when she felt the need to suddenly rip these two shinobi to pieces as an image flashed behind her eyes.

 

“And you are?” the other asked.

 

She frowned, but did not hesitate to answer, “Kagome.”

 

He gave a curt nod, and then returned his weapons to their original pockets. However, he turned to the other, his intense eyes glaring at him for a moment. “Do you know this girl so well that you suddenly wished to stop, Uchiha?” he mocked.

 

The Uchiha scowled, “Shut up, Hyuuga. I simply remembered her being with Naruto, something about a mission, and I wanted to know where he was.”

 

“Probably still whining,” Kagome muttered quietly. She brought her hand up, and made sure that her voice was loud enough for them to hear. “May I ask who you are?” she asked.

 

“Uchiha Sasuke,” the first replied.

 

The second blinked for a moment, his intense eyes staring into her own. “Hyuuga Neji,” he said. The Hyuuga narrowed his eyes a bit when he noticed the way she was standing, almost like she was ready to suddenly pounce on them. However, she turned her feet, and he bet that it was because she'd noticed his stare. He didn't care who she was, she'd ruined his spar with the Uchiha, and he'd been winning. He'd been proving that the Hyuuga Clan was mightier than the Uchiha Clan, and then she'd come out of the forest.

 

“Ah, are you related to Hinata-san?” she asked. Her smile returned a little, only enough to try and make him think differently. She had a feeling he was sizing her up, and her hand twitched to wrap around his throat, instead of simply standing there conversing with them.

 

“Blood.”

 

She growled, and shoved the voice away.

 

“How do you know Hinata-sama?” he asked, his eyes narrowing further.

 

She blinked, but then smiled at him again. “Because, Hyuuga-san, Temari brought Hinata-san to my room in Hokage Tower,” she said. Her voice was light, for she made sure to stomp out the dark undertone that would surely give her away. These two seemed to be highly trained, which made them higher risk than that foolish Naruto.

 

Neji turned his nose up a little, and scowled at her. “You're the woman who was brought here covered in blood?” he asked, casting his eyes down her again for weapons. His almost wished to use his Byakugan in order to check her chakra level, just in case, but did not wish to show it to a potential threat. “The woman that Hinata-sama spoke of? Stating that you were rather polite, but did not have a strong liking for Naruto.”

 

“Yes, that would be I,” she nodded.

 

Sasuke smirked. “So, you don't like the dobe already, huh? That's not surprising. Have you seen him eat?”

 

“No, and I would rather not stay in the same room as him any longer,” she brought her hand up, and seemed to check her nails. “He snores rather loudly, making it difficult for another to sleep when they wish to.” Bringing one of her nails up and slowly dragging it underneath another to try and remove the dirt, she continued, “He is lucky he is still alive. He should learn to pay more attention to his surroundings, or perhaps not fall asleep in a room with a person who could be a threat to him.”

 

“What's that mean?” Sasuke asked, his eyes narrowing.

 

“Exactly what I said, Uchiha-san,” she replied, bringing her eyes up to lock with his. She did not expect him to smirk, though, tilting his head to smirk at the Hyuuga behind him, though the other did not seem bothered by it.

 

“I knew the dobe couldn't pull something like this off,” Sasuke shook his head. “It figures that he's already got you to the point that you wish to kill him. You'll get used to him after a while, though.”

 

“Wish,” she spat. “Wishing has nothing to do with it, Uchiha-san. If I did not have a sense of honor, I would have killed him, plain and simple. Then his vigorous snoring would no longer fill the night air whenever he is near.”

 

They stiffened, and watched as she dropped her hand. She shook her head, and then her hand clenched, as she brought it back up. Her eyes turned toward them, and both narrowed their eyes, wondering what was going on inside her head. However, as she took a step forward, a blur came out of the forest and she was suddenly lying on the ground unconscious.

 

“Did she hurt you?” the wincing man asked. He seemed to be a little jumpy by something, though they weren't sure exactly why.

 

Then, Nara Shikamaru dropped down from the branch of a tree, crossed his arms and knelt down beside Kagome. Shaking his head, he sighed, stating, “This is such a drag.” He then tilted his head to the side and allowed his hands to fall to his sides as he checked her pulse. “Naruto, our mission was to watch her, not knock her out simply because you think she's suddenly going to attack something.”

 

Naruto flinched. “I saw her hands move! She was going to use a jutsu, I know it!”

 

“Now we have to carry her back to Hokage Tower,” Shikamaru continued, his eyelids dropping. “How troublesome…”

 

Neji blinked. “Why did you knock her unconscious?”

 

Naruto scratched the back of his head, and stared down at her. “Because, she tried to kill me last night, and I'm not taking anymore chances. If she makes another wrong more, I'm going to use Rasengan on her!”

 

“You know nothing of her own jutsu, Naruto,” Shikamaru tried to reason with him, knowing that it was probably useless. “She might have something that could counteract your own, or she might be able to remove herself from your path before you can even use something against her. It's foolish to go into battle without knowing at least something about your opponent.”

 

“I don't care, I'm not taking another chances,” Naruto huffed, crossing his arms. “There's no way I'm going to let her try and kill me again… though, it was kind of strange, that kunai.”

 

“What's strange about a kunai, dobe?” Sasuke asked.

 

“Well, she said she stole it from me, but I had all the weapons I usually do on me when I went to go get it,” Naruto blinked. “Do you think it wasn't mine?”

 

Neji sighed, “The only logical explanation was she lied to you and the weapon was stolen from someone else. Or perhaps she'd had one hidden somewhere, and it wasn't detected.”

 

Naruto thought about it and then nodded. Reaching down, he grabbed her by the arm and hauled her up, not caring for her comfort. “Yeah, you're probably right. I'll have Tsunade-baa-chan check her over again, and make sure that all her weapons have been taken. I don't want to wake up one morning to find that I'd failed and allowed her to kill everyone in their sleep!”

 

“There are jounin and ANBU posted to keep the village safe at night,” Shikamaru muttered.

 

Naruto turned, and then waved at Sasuke and Neji. “Well, I gotta get her back to Hokage Tower. Who knows how pissed she'll be when she gets back up.” Seeing them simply blink at him, he looked at Shikamaru, and said, “Come on, Shikamaru!” He raced off, hauling the woman along with him while he held her up onto his shoulder.

 

Shikamaru sighed, “What a drag.”

 

OoO

 

Tsunade's eyebrow twitched as she looked down at the woman Naruto had shoved into the chair in front of her desk. “So, you knocked her unconscious simply because you thought she was going to use a jutsu?”

 

“Yes,” Naruto nodded, grinning. “Personally, I think you should be thanking me, Tsunade-baa-chan. I mean, I might have saved both Sasuke-teme and Neji's lives!”

 

“Or you might have just angered a woman far more than you should have,” Tsunade shook her head. Gripping the bottle of sake she'd hid away just for one of these occasions, she slammed it onto the desk, and then glared at Naruto. “If you really want me to, then I'll look her over once more, but in order for me to do that, you have to leave.”

 

Naruto scowled, “Don't try to drink instead of doing it, Tsunade-baa-chan.”

 

Tsunade huffed, and then tightened her grip on the bottle. “Anything to get me out of paperwork,” she sighed. “I've had to deal with it for the last five days straight. I've barely had any sleep and you're very annoying at this moment, Naruto. So, if you don't leave, I AM GOING TO HURT YOU!”

 

Naruto jumped and nodded, before rushing out the door as quickly as he could.

 

Tsunade sighed, and then went to open her sake bottle. Once she'd managed to do so, she lifted it up and gulped down a couple shallows. After doing so, she went to pull herself out of her chair, the bottle held limply in her hand as she went to stand beside the strange woman inside her village. She wondered for a moment what she was going to do with her, but then shook her head, lifting her sake bottle once more in order to take another shallow. Then, she jumped when a hand grabbed onto her clothing, and she looked down to find a pair of blue eyes glaring up at her.

 

“Where is he?” she hissed.

 

“N-Naruto?” Tsunade asked, wondering why she was stuttering suddenly.

 

“Yes,” Kagome growled. “That idiot put me into a state of unconsciousness when I did nothing wrong. I was speaking with Uchiha-san and Neji-san, and I had planned to ask them if I could spar with them, and then he comes out of nowhere. I wish to pay him back.”

 

Tsunade stiffened, “I can't allow you to do that.”

 

She scowled, and then lifted her lip in order to show off her teeth. “Very well, Hokage-sama, I shall not hurt your precious shinobi,” she said, “but I will not tolerate him knocking me unconscious again. Do you understand, Hokage-sama?”

 

Tsunade, stiffening further, nodding in understanding. She wondered why she'd just done so, but then the door opened and the Kazekage stepped into the room. She felt Kagome's hand slip from her clothing, and her eyes softened enough that they weren't glaring at her. She turned away from her, and Tsunade relaxed enough to show the glaring man that she had not been hurt.

 

“Ah, Gaara-sama, what a pleasant surprise,” Kagome smiled.

 

Gaara narrowed his eyes. “What happened?”

 

“Naruto was an idiot, and I was telling Hokage-sama that I will not tolerate his stupidity to that point any further,” Kagome stood. She continued to smile, and moved so that she was standing beside him, her head cranked back so that she could see him. “Nothing more and nothing less. Now, if you don't mind, I feel the need to fall into bed after I was so rudely hit from behind not long ago.”

 

Gaara watched her leave, and then turned back to Tsunade to find that the Hokage had brought her sake bottle to her lips and was draining the entire thing. He wondered if the alcohol, the paperwork, or old age would kill her first, before shaking his head and deciding he'd be the one to watch over the obsessed woman that night. It seemed Naruto was becoming too frightened for his own good, which was bad, considering the fact it gave his opponent the ability to scare him so easily that he'd stand frozen, instead of fighting back.