Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Return of the Lost Son ❯ Trapped ( Chapter 15 )

Kenichi stood frozen in place, unable to move an inch. “What is this jutsu,” he mumbled to himself, trying to figure out what his options were.

 

“You are in my world Kenichi Uzumaki,” a voice called out from the darkness, as if responding to him.

 

“What world is this then,” Kenichi asked, hoping to get enough information to fix his situation.

 

“It is a world where you are powerless and can no longer pose a threat to Konoha,” and upon hearing that, a wooden cross materialized above him with chains hanging down from the four ends. Kenichi followed the chains down and saw, to his surprise, that they were attached to his arms and legs. A floating white hand then appeared and took the cross in its hand, controlling Kenichi like a puppet. His arms and legs danced on their own and, like the voice had said, he was powerless to stop it.

 

The puppeteer then manipulated Kenichi's limbs so that his hands reached down and pulled out a kunai each. Viciously, the puppeteer forced Kenichi to slice and stab himself repeatedly.

 

“Even your Kyuubi cannot save you here,” the disembodied voice called out again from the darkness. Kenichi realized the voice was once again right because when he looked down at his freshly opened cuts and saw that not only were they not healing, but that they were also bleeding profusely. He fought to regain control, but it was pointless. How had the Kyuubi been rendered helpless? Kenichi had always thought that it was a part of his soul; he had never imagined it even possible to separate it from himself.

 

Then something came to him in the darkness. He had wished to be free of the Kyuubi many times when he was a child, but he was only able to imagine what it was like in his mind. That was it - his mind was the only place that the Kyuubi could be separated from him. Finally understanding his situation, Kenichi used the last part of his body that he had control over to make his escape. He bit down hard on his lip, cutting through enough to draw blood. He saw the sky quiver when he bit down, so he bit down harder and the ground started to shake. The chains had started to melt, and Kenichi could finally feel control of his arms and legs returning to him.

 

Taking advantage of his temporary freedom, Kenichi took his free arm and slashed himself across the face. The pain was sharp and clear, but it was enough because all around him he could see the genjutsu fading away. Finally, the fog that had previously blinded him rolled back, leaving Kenichi standing in the open fields outside of Konoha. In front of him were the very trees that he had hidden among earlier in the evening. Everything was starting to make sense.

 

He must have fallen under the genjutsu spell sometime after his brother had hit him, most likely when that flare was sent up. It was obviously a signal for someone to do something. Everything after that had to be the genjutsu. He had been chasing an illusion when he went after the fleeing Yondaime and Namiko, and this was where they had led him. Kenichi felt childish for having fallen for such a ruse, but soon felt proud of himself for overcoming it. Whoever had created the illusion, used a very powerful genjutsu to subdue him, considering it took two bites and a self-clawing to dispel; most other genjutsu could be dispelled with one bite to your lip.

 

The only thing that Kenichi was not sure of was when he had originally been placed under the spell. He was sure, but not positive, that it had been after the flare. What if it had been earlier, and his attack on Namiko had been part of the illusion? He didn't know and the only way to be sure, was to return to the previous battle site. But that wouldn't work because if he had injured her, she would have been taken away by the medical-nins. His only option was to find her. Kenichi would tear through every building in Konoha if he had to, but he had to be sure one way or the other if Namiko was safe.

 

Kenichi turned around to make his way back into Konoha when he saw an even larger gathering of shinobi than there had been in the alley. While he had done significant damage to the unit he had met in the alley, it was obvious that Konoha had replaced its lost shinobi with fresh bodies. If he wanted to get back into Konoha, he would have to claw and kick his way through this gathering first. With a primal scream, he dived into the pack of shinobi, renewing their fight from earlier in the night.