Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Mended Hearts ❯ Naruto Sleeps! A Jinchuuriki's Last Refuge! ( Chapter 20 )
[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. I wish I did, but I don't.
Original Summary: AU Naruto hides many secrets from Konohagakure no Sato. As time continues, Naruto's precious people learn the hard way that many secrets are best left untouched, and that Naruto is not at all what they believed.
New Summary: AU Beginning and ending with his name, Naruto's past is veiled in mystery. Even as Kakashi teaches him the meaning of affection and love, Naruto's secrets come into the open, and it falls to Naruto's precious people to protect and support him as his father's name and legacy threatens to crush him and destroy the Hidden Village of the Leaf.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~Chapter 20: Naruto Sleeps! A Jinchuuriki's Last Refuge!~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
“I am pleased to announce that we have found the Yondaime's heir!” Tsunade announced amid happy cheers. “For his own protection, the Sandaime changed his name and sealed away his records, and this wonderful news is long overdue! Kazama Kazuki was hidden in Konoha under a false name to protect him from his father's enemies. He is well known in this village as Uzumaki Naruto!”
Shocked silence fell over the crowd…
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“Tora-san…” he said, wincing in pain, “Why? Why are you doing this?!”
Tora flicked her katana upward so the tip pressed against the hollow of Naruto's throat. “Because you're his son,” she said, “Because your father was the man who destroyed my entire family! Blood can only be washed away with blood!” Her voice had risen to a hysterical scream by then, and Tora gave an insane smile which was hidden behind her mask. “I will make you scream! I will kill your precious people one by one, and they will die because of you!”
She flicked the katana, and for the blonde, instinct took over, and Naruto's hands flew into a seal and he vanished in a puff of smoke. Tora stiffened as the smoke slowly dispersed, revealing a log pinned to the wall by her blade.
“Che,” she muttered, “He performed kawarimi… No matter. I'll make him watch as his loved ones suffer and die one by one, just as his father made me watch my family die one after the other.”
She stalked away. The wall rippled and bulged and a genjutsu fell away, revealing Kurohyou, an unconscious Zeiguwa under one arm. His free hand curled into a fist.
“Unforgivable,” he whispered. “You trained him to b a Hunter, knowing who he was, and now, suddenly, you seek revenge? What happened to the woman who raged at us about his mental state just the other night? To destroy years of hard work… Unforgivable…”
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
“Kazama Kazuki…” Iruka whispered, staring blankly at the ceiling of his apartment, an arm thrown over his eyes. “Naruto… I never imagined…”
The tinkling sound of glass breaking had Iruka on his feet instantly, and his eyes were drawn toward the masked figure in front of the broken window.
“Ano… Oinin-san?” Iruka ventured, noting the bloodstained uniform and the leaf-like emblem standing out in stark contrast against the Oinin's pale skin, “Daijoubu?”
The Oinin rose slowly to her feet. “Aa… Daijoubu…”
Iruka's eyes widened as a barrage of kunai and shuriken rained toward him…
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
“Are you trying to tell me that Tora has turned on us for no apparent reason at all?” Tsunade said.
Kurohyou nodded. “She has been aware of the fact that Naruto-kun is the Yondaime's legacy, but for some reason, she suddenly decided to seek revenge after all these years. It's illogical!”
“Revenge against Naruto?” Tsunade said.
“Tora's clan was a clan of information specialists from Kumo, and after the war, Kumo and Konoha exchanged an Oinin, a genin, a chunin, and a jounin permanently as a sign of good will. For one month of a year, they are allowed to return to their home village to visit family and friends. Apparently, all of Tora's family was shinobi, and they died in the war. Tora blamed the Yondaime for her loss, so it's not surprising that she would want revenge. But to wait so long despite knowing that Naruto was the Yondaime's legacy…”
“It doesn't make sense…” Tsunade finished. “Anyway, keep an eye on Naruto and have the other Hunters keep an eye on the people that are close to him. She helped raise him, so she would know that the ideal way to hurt Naruto would be to target the people that are most precious to him, then leave his self-destructive habits do the rest. No doubt, she'll take full advantage of all the knowledge she has about Naruto's habits.”
“Ano, no offense, Hokage-sama,” Kurohyou said, “But wouldn't it be better to have the ANBU watch them instead?”
“Perhaps,” Tsunade said, “But recall that there are members of Naruto's friends who can spot the ANBU, such as Uchiha Sasuke and Hyuuga Neji. No, for the Konoha Twelve, only an Oinin can watch unnoticed.”
Kurohyou nodded. “Very well, I will see to it. However, perhaps if we brought Tenzo to help as well? After three years standing in for Kakashi, I'm sure he would have a good idea of how the Konoha Twelve may react. His help would be invaluable.”
“Impossible,” Tsunade snapped. “Tenzo cannot be spared at this time. You will have to work with the resources that we currently have.”
Kurohyou bowed. “As you wish,” he said, and vanished in a puff of smoke.
He reappeared on the roof of the Tower and leaned against a railing and frowned behind his mask. “She's not acting like herself…” Kurohyou mused quietly to himself, then stiffened as a terrifying thought emerged in his mind. “Has Hokage-sama been compromised?! Dammit… If she has, then Konoha may be in grave danger!” He shook his head to get the thought out of his head. “No, Tsunade-sama has always had a soft spot for Naruto,” he told himself, “Her odd behavior is probably because she's worried about him…”
He shook his head and vanished in a puff of smoke. He needed a drink, but he was on duty… Maybe he could drag Shikoe out for a drink after he set up the watch on Naruto's precious people and reported in…
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Iruka slumped against the wall. It was cold… He knew he was loosing too much blood too quickly, but somehow, he couldn't bring himself to care… The pain of his wounds were disappearing…
There was a picture frame on the ground next to his left thigh, the glass was shattered… His eyes were fixed on the picture… Naruto had one too, he remembered fuzzily… Sasuke had been brought back to the village, he thought, and Naruto had been so happy that he had treated both Iruka and Genma to Korean Bar-B-Q that night…
The last thing he heard was Genma's voice calling his name as he sank into unknowing darkness….
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
It is a vast and dark place… The floor ripples as white feathers fall upon it and drifts away… In the vastness, there is a Cage and a Crucifix, large in their own right, yet insignificant in comparison to the vast darkness… In the cage, a nine tailed fox is curled up, its tails wrapped around its body as though for warmth. The fox is chained, and the chains are threaded throughout the cage, and behind the cage is a crucifix which is bound to the cage with the very chains binding the fox. A naked man with shoulder-blade length golden blonde hair is chained to the crucifix. Three scars line both cheeks, and an intricate seal pulses on his navel according to the rhythm of his heartbeat. Majestic White wings springing from the man's shoulder-blades hang limp, chained and supported by the very same chains that binds him to the crucifix…
Jinchuuriki Ninpo… Makai Mariboshi no Jutsu…
Pale blue eyes open slowly…
A jutsu which is engraved in the mind and memory of a Jinchuuriki from the very moment that their prisoner is bound to them… A ninja art that can only be performed by the Jinchuuriki when they have been betrayed twice… It is the art of escape… But instead of transporting the body away like Shunshin or swapping with another object like Kawarimi, the mind sinks into the depth of their consciousness… There they reside… Their eyes turned inward, and their body lies, unseeing, unhearing, unmoving, uncaring… It is a state the Jinchuuriki will remain in until either the danger passes, or they die…
…and close…
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Neji notices the Oinin following him almost instantly, and vanishes into the trees, surprising Doketsu when he appears in front of him.
“Why exactly are you following me, Oinin-san?” he said.
Doketsu said calmly, “Because I was ordered to.”
“Does it have anything to do with the Hokage announcing Naruto's true heritage?”
Doketsu shrugged. “I was only told to watch you, though I can guess at the reason. If you are as precious to Naruto-kun as people seem to think, you should know why without having to be told.”
Neji closed his eyes and shook his head. “You think that an enemy will try to attack us to hurt Naruto?”
“It is a possibility.”
“You have to work on your stealth by the way,” Neji vanished.
Doketsu glared. “Not even Zeiguwa, who is among the best of us has ever been able to hide from the Byakugan, Hyuuga,” he snarled as he moved to trail his charge.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
It is a jutsu given to the Jinchuuriki by Kami… A jutsu to be utilized when their mind can no longer withstand the strain of the living world… It is the Jinchuuriki's last refuge… One from which none have ever returned...
Inside the cage, the fox stirs…
Kakashi… Will you hate me… if I leave you… and never wake again?
…but does not wake…
Kakashi… Will you hate me… if I choose to remain here… in my mind… dreaming… watching over and over the events of the past… never living… only remembering… never returning…
The wings shift…
Kakashi… Will you hate me…?
…rattling the chains slightly…
Kakashi…?
…and white feathers drift free…
Will you hate me…?
…and fall to the ground…
Will you…?
…and the feathers slowly drift away…
Hate me…?
…and a tear slides down his face…
Kakashi…?
Then all is still and the man and fox sleep on in sweet oblivion…
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
The sun had set long ago, and any ordinary person, even a lesser ninja, would have been wary of the lengthening shadows and the silence of the street. Ino, however, was sure of herself and her own abilities, and was unconcerned. The path from the Haruno residence to the Yamanaka Residence was familiar to her after long years of friendship. It was also a plus that the very street that she was on lead straight to the convenience store from which she was currently returning with the makings of dinner.
Thus, she was understandably surprised when the Huntress materialized in front of her, clad in a bloodstained uniform, a bloody katana in one hand. The Huntress surged forward, and Ino dropped her bag of groceries and reached for her kunai, leaping back as she did so…
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CSA Version 7 Mended Hearts What Are You Hiding?