Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Regret Not A Thing ❯ Ch. 24: Lost Children ( Chapter 24 )

Regret Not A Thing

By Mizerable

 

 

Ch. 24: Lost Children

 

 

Shikamaru was slow to return to the group, smoking as he made the walk back. An odd sense of relief had settled over him and he finally took a moment to study some information he'd gained on this mission. Or to be more specific, why Sasuke, after finally succeeding in getting his revenge, hadn't seemed particularly relieved after the ordeal.

 

And more importantly, why did the Akatsuki seem so certain Uchiha Itachi sold them out to his brother?

 

Was it possible the pair had reconciled after all that happened? And if they did, what prompted it? It seemed unlikely Sasuke would offer forgiveness to his family's murderer lightly. He was definitely missing a big piece of the puzzle. Once things were settled and Sasuke was presumably saved, would he finally be willing to talk?

 

Shikamaru wasn't even sure it was his business to ask.

 

He could hear voices so he had to be close to the others. Just as he was about to turn the corner, a white butterfly fluttered by before disappearing into the darkness.

 

“You still hanging around, Chouji?”

 

He remained still, staring after the butterfly even though he could no longer see it.

 

“Shikamaru?”

 

He looked over to see Ino waiting for him. She appeared to be shaken up by something, but didn't seem to have incurred any injuries.

 

“Did you…?”

 

“Yeah,” he replied as he exhaled smoke, “I took care of it.”

 

Her shoulders sagged as if a great burden had been removed from them.

 

“He would be proud,” Ino spoke gently as she placed a hand on his arm.

 

“No. Asuma is proud,” he gave a weak smile as he put his arm around her.

 

“You're right,” her voice wavered as she tried not to cry, “You're right.”

 

They pulled apart at the sound of someone clearing their throat.

 

“Are you ready?” Neji asked.

 

“Sure. Let's get moving.”

 

* * *

 

Kankurou constantly shifted his attention between the ritual and the doorway, anxious over the seeming lack of attention they seemed to be garnering from the Akatsuki.

 

It's been too quiet. I doubt the others were able to pick off all of the enemies…

 

He glanced again at the medics as they steadily worked on Sasuke. He took particular notice of Sakura, who had grown frighteningly pale as time passed. Considering how hard she pushed herself, despite her injuries, he couldn't fathom her lasting much longer in such a condition. Perhaps he might have spoken up, when he caught something flash by the corner of his eye. He looked back towards the open door and found a single white butterfly.

 

A butterfly? Down here? I knew things were going too smoothly—

 

“Sakura-chan!”

 

She was listing to the side, eyes rolling back, all the while chakra stubbornly flowing from her hands.

 

“You're gonna die if you keep this up!” Naruto pleaded with her, “Can't you rest for a little bit?”

 

He couldn't bring himself to ask if Sasuke would be okay if she stopped. Not that he would have gotten an honest answer from her, but if they both ended up dying…Naruto could not allow himself to think these things, let alone say them.

 

“I didn't come this far to quit,” her voice sounded distant as Naruto helped her sit up; her bleary eyes tried to stay focused on the jutsu.

 

“Then use my chakra!” Naruto demanded, “We all know I've got plenty to spare.”

 

Sakura didn't say anything at first. Her mind was too busy calculating the impact it would have on the ritual.

 

“We can do it,” Hinata advised slowly, “It will be difficult to maintain stability, but it can be done.”

 

“Just tell me what I need to do,” Naruto waited for Sakura's word.

 

“…Put your hands on top of mine.”

 

Naruto did as he was told and the result was instantaneous. The glow of chakra intensified, almost blindingly so, and Hinata tried not to visibly wince from the heat. And just as Hinata had stated, Sakura was finding it hard to maintain her flawless chakra control. Naruto's energy was overwhelming.

 

Kankurou remained the silent observer, uncomfortable with the fact that there wasn't anything for him to do. But more so, it felt awkward to bear witness to the sheer desperation of these people. People, in all honesty, that he didn't know particularly well. To watch them struggle so much to save this one life made him feel quite the outsider. After all, he had accepted this mission for his brother's sake. And he certainly wasn't doing much for Gaara's cause while standing by idly.

 

But his observation was a correct one. Naruto was desperate. He had yet to feel any accomplishment on this mission. He certainly hadn't taken out any Akatsuki members, as Sakura clearly had. He hadn't been the one to draw Sasuke back from the brink as Hinata had. Granted Sasuke wasn't out of the woods yet, and Naruto was trying his damnedest to make sure Sasuke did survive, but there had to be something more he could do. Something more than paint seals and letting the girls draw from his seemingly infinite well of chakra.

 

The constant worries leaked through his very being, turning his chakra from pale blue to fiery red.

 

“Naruto, we'll make it through this. You've gotta cool it,” Kankurou attempted to mollify him, “The Akatsuki are—”

 

A swarm of butterflies abruptly hovered around the doorway.

 

—going to notice us.

 

“Fuck.”

 

He glanced back at Naruto uneasily, realizing either he didn't notice the “visitor,” or was blatantly ignoring the presence in favor of helping Sasuke. He exhaled sharply before approaching the threshold alone.

 

Konan stood in the hallway, or rather, floated as a limbless specter as sheets of stark paper danced through the air around her. Kankurou could only offer a bemused sort of smile before he spoke.

 

“Sorry, this is private,” he stated plainly, “Nobody invited you.”

 

She didn't reply right away. Kankurou imagined perhaps she was thinking up the sort of witty retort powerful enemies like her always seemed so fond of.

 

“You're in my way,” she replied crisply, “Move aside.”

 

“Ch',” Kankurou quickly came to accept this was a no-nonsense sort of woman, “You know I'm not gonna do that.”

 

She chose not to say anything this time. Instead, the paper surrounding her folded into shuriken and took their aim at him. In a heartbeat, he had Karasu at the ready and it flew apart at its joints. The puppets many blades ripped the weapons into shreds. The paper, in turn, merely changed direction and rained down as countless razor-edged shards. Kankurou had no choice but to evade, dodging and rolling away as the blades rained down on him. And while he managed to avoid any serious injury, he still suffered a number of cuts.

 

He rose to his feet cautiously while rubbing his cheek with the back of his hand, smearing his face paint red.

 

“I've no interest in you,” her voice was calm, gentle almost, “Move aside.”

 

Kankurou scowled up at her. Her brusque manner about the situation angered him more than anything else.

 

“Do you really think I'll stand by and do nothing against the people looking to kill my comrade? Against the people looking to kill my brother?”

 

“Even though you will die if you continue this fight?” she paused, seemingly thoughtful, “We only want what is inside of him. I can't change the fact that jinchuuriki die from the process.”

 

“You bitch!”

 

Konan turned her head just as Karasu released a cloud of poison gas.

 

* * *

 

“Naruto,” Sakura's voice cracked like rustling leaves.

 

“I know,” his eyes kept darting between the open door and the eerie pallor of Sakura's face as chakra reflected against it, “But I can't just leave you.”

 

Or him.

 

“It's the Hokage's duty to protect everyone,” she raised her eyes briefly, just enough to shoot him a rather pointed look.

 

The red chakra seemed to grow diluted before fading away from the flow.

 

“We'll be okay,” Hinata added, “You have my word.”

 

And you know I will never go back on my word.

 

Naruto rose slowly, concerned by how pale the glow of energy became without his presence. He paused only briefly to brush a stray hair from Sasuke's face.

 

I won't let you down.

 

He came to a halt once more, glancing over his shoulder at the medics as they carried on with their work.

 

I won't let any of you down.

 

At last he strode into the hallway, head held high.

 

“So,” he crossed his arms in a casual gesture, “I hear you're looking for me?”

 

Konan's eyes drifted over to him as the last of the poison dissipated. The sheet of paper that had shielded her nose and mouth fell away with natural ease. She did not seem particularly concerned by this turn of events.

 

Kankurou, despite having learned enough about Naruto to know of his bold ways, was surprised to see him standing out in the open. To him, it seemed Naruto was on this mission solely because it involved Sasuke. The Akatsuki seemed so…secondary in his priorities. He just hoped whatever scheme Naruto had in mind didn't backfire. Assuming, of course, that Naruto actually had a plan.

 

“You should come along quietly,” she advised plainly.

 

Naruto replied with a harshly thrown kunai. It did no more than graze her cheek before imbedding itself within the stone wall, but he was fairly certain it got his message across. Whatever the situation in life, Uzumaki Naruto did not go anywhere quietly.

 

Konan responded with a wave of her hand and paper neatly replaced the gouge in her cheek.

 

“So she can't be poisoned or cut,” Kankurou muttered, before looking over at Naruto in alarm as a red chakra tail took shape.

 

“Then I'll shred her.”

 

Konan appeared decidedly unperturbed by the display of raw, uncontrolled power, and did little to express any thoughts she may have had on the matter. Not even after several kage bunshin appeared. Not even after a pair of them began to form a Rasengan.

 

Right out in the open…?

 

The other clones came at her with fists and blades, attacks she smoothly avoided. Each one popped into puffs of smoke easily and not even Kankurou's added efforts with Karasu did little to deter her.

 

One would think being able to see the attack would have enabled her to dodge it. Instead, the jutsu caught her in the chest. Her body seemed to hover weightlessly in the air as the Rasengan threw her back. That was, until her body dispersed into countless paper birds.

 

“Damn, it's a fake!” Kankurou snarled, pulling at his puppet sharply.

 

She reformed behind Naruto and his bunshin with a paper sword in hand and sliced through them cleanly.

 

“Naruto!”

 

Naruto stumbled before he, too, disappeared into smoke.

 

“Fuuton: Rasenshuriken!”

 

Naruto charged out from his hiding place within the prison cell, Kyuubi chakra absent, with Konan's back exposed to him. She, however, backflipped over his rushing body to avoid the hit. His attack gave out just as his hand hit the adjacent wall with a crack. It sent fissures across the rock and the ceiling shook violently, raining debris down on them.

 

“That was too close,” Kankurou scowled, grateful the jutsu hadn't been at full strength when it connected, “You could've brought the whole place down—!”

 

Konan had been unfazed by the attack and continued her advance, flying through the air with paper wings. Kankurou hurriedly attached his chakra strings to pull Naruto to safety. Unfortunately for him, just as he got Naruto out of the way, the red chakra chose to return. And this time, it formed with a second tail. It burned fiercely, scorching the chakra strings as well as Kankurou's hand as he tried to disconnect. He pulled his hand to his chest, gritting his teeth through the pain.

 

“…Naruto?”

 

Naruto only glared at him with red eyes, fangs bared, before returning his attention to Konan.

 

* * *

 

The girls carried on with their endeavor, trying to ignore the battle just beyond the door. Hinata bit her lip as sweat poured down her face and left her hair stuck to her skin.

 

Naruto-kun…

 

Her vision was proving to be a burden for once as she could see beyond the wall. As she watched the Fox Cloak take over Naruto's body. How she wished she could call out to him, ground him, as he had for her during the Chuunin Exam all those years ago. But she could not. She would remain silent and use all her energy to save Sasuke, just as she vowed she would. A ninja did not show any emotion during a mission…right?

 

However, her eyes now told her of something she could not ignore.

 

“…Sakura-san?”

 

Blood began to stream from Sakura's nose and it didn't appear she noticed it, let alone heard Hinata.

 

“Sak—”

 

“Just keep at it,” Sakura ground out, “…please.”

 

Sakura stubbornly ignored the warm wetness on her face, the burning behind her eyes, the burning in her gut.

 

C'mon, body, stay together. You've gotta keep working. Just keep me alive…

 

* * *

 

Konan observed the scene from above with wings still unfurled.

 

“I hadn't realized Jiraiya-sensei had taught that jutsu to someone else,” she commented off-handedly.

 

Those words seemed to suck the energy from Naruto's very bones; his tails disappeared into air.

 

“…Why did you call him `sensei'?”

 

“Oh? Did he not tell you about his other students?” she asked blandly, “I suppose after teaching the one who would become known as the Fourth Hokage, we must seem rather…unimportant.”

 

“You're lying,” Naruto growled, “He would never just—just—”

 

“`Just' what? Abandon us? Lie and say we never existed?” she did not raise her voice, though the violent stirrings of the paper were rather telling, “It would certainly be rather convenient, to forget. Forget that he left his own students poor and alone in a war zone.”

 

“But he had to have a reason!” just like he had a reason to hide Sasuke's return to Konoha, “He wouldn't have just left you!”

 

He wouldn't just hide you from me, either.

 

“How naïve,” even her sneer seemed flat, “I imagine he must regret not taking Orochimaru's advice all those years ago to kill us before things got out of hand. Consequence is a terrible weight to bear.”

 

“How dare you try and blame him for all the things you've done!” Naruto shouted, the air around him tinged red, “You chose to become a murderer!”

 

“You'll understand soon enough,” she continued on calmly, “Jiraiya-sensei is smart enough to likely realize where you are, and yet he has not come. He will not come.”

 

Naruto was ready to argue that he wasn't looking for anyone to save him, but the words grew hesitant in his throat. He couldn't ignore the falling out he'd had with Jiraiya. The sting of secrets kept still burned; they hadn't spoken a word since their argument. Though that was mostly due to the fact the Naruto had made a point of avoiding Jiraiya at all costs. Part of him wondered now if his teacher chose not come because they never reconciled…

 

“We didn't come here to listen to your life story,” Kankurou spoke up, “Why are doing all of this? Why are you collecting the bijuu?”

 

Konan's eyes shifted to the empty space behind them.

 

“Because it is God's will.”

 

A chameleon summon materialized behind the pair. They turned quickly as its mouth opened and a rather human hand reached out. It took hold of Naruto's arm and yanked him inside. The jaw shut tightly before the summon faded from sight.

 

“Damn it!” Kankurou whirled around to face Konan again, “Goddamn it!!”

 

Konan merely pressed her hand to her ear.

 

“Konan,” came the voice over the radio.

 

“Yes?”

 

“Take care of the other problem.”

 

“Yes.”

 

Rather than continue her fight with Kankurou, she flew towards the open cell and never looked back. Not even to see Karasu after it was sent in pursuit. Instead another barrage of paper weapons drove Kankurou back. Only one slipped past his defenses, but it was a costly one. A dagger pierced his wrist and pinned it to the wall before it reshaped itself into a shackle to hold him in place.

 

There was nothing more he could do in this fight. One hand was burned and useless from the Kyuubi chakra, the other was immobile. All he could do now was give warning.

 

“Hyuuga! Sakura!!”

 

* * *

 

“Hinata,” Sakura's voice had grown so small.

 

“I don't think we have a choice,” Hinata replied sullenly.

 

If they halted the ritual early, they would lose Sasuke. But if they didn't fight, they would all be killed. Both girls briefly looked one another in the eye as they prepared to disengage at the same moment. Sakura's hands trembled with indecision. Things couldn't just end like this. She couldn't just let Sasuke die, not after coming so close.

 

That was when the shadow cast itself over them from the threshold.

 

* * *

 

Tsunade idly shuffled cards from her chair next to Anko's bed. She'd been playing solitaire for a while now, for wont of anything else to do. She hated this, hated all this waiting. But it was better than sitting home in the dark drinking herself stupid, she supposed. Once Jiraiya had departed, she couldn't stand downing the bitterness alone. And while she hoped all those kids wouldn't do anything foolish, she prayed he didn't do anything even more foolish.

 

`Tsunade-sama?” Shizune entered, voice soft to avoid waking Anko, “There's a call for you.”

 

Tsunade kept herself from anxiously asking if it was news on the missing ninja.

 

“Who is it?”

 

“They didn't say…”

 

Tsunade strode purposefully to the front desk to answer the call.

 

“Tsunade-hime?” a woman's voice spoke on the other end, seemingly muffled by something.

 

“Who is this?”

 

“There's poison in the root.”

 

“Excuse me?”

 

There was no answer; the line had already gone dead.

 

“Is everything okay?” Shizune asked while Tsunade hung up.

 

She didn't respond, already busy trying to understand what exactly that call was about.

 

Poison in the root…Could it be…? It's got to be the Anbu Root. What's ol' Danzou up to now, of all time?

 

“Shizune, keep an eye on Anko. I'll be in my office.”

 

* * *

 

When he was young, in the years after the incident, he used to leave the radio on and turn on all the lights before he went to bed. He would lie there and imagine there were other people in the house. Imagine that he wasn't so completely and utterly alone. Imagine that everything and everyone hadn't been stolen from him.

 

As he got older, he could no longer maintain this ritual. Especially while he spent those long years locked in the dark.

 

Now that he is free from that place, the other man always keeps a candle lit throughout the night. And he knows that man has no need for it.

 

As he lies awake, he stares intently at the flame and remembers how deeply he has longed for light.

 

 

 

To be continued…