Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Vengeful ❯ Chapter 4 ( Chapter 4 )

Ok so I felt bad about the cliffhanger thing (honestly :P ) so wrote this chapter up quickly. It is slightly shorter than the rest though - will have to make up for it with a longer chapter next time heh. Well anyway, enjoy!

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Sasuke spun around to face the pursuers, but found that there was just a single man now, who was watching him curiously. He was dressed in black, and wore a loose mask over his face. Not wanting to be caught off guard, Sasuke drew his sword, and pointed it towards the masked man - but found he was pointing towards nothing. His target had already disappeared into the woods.

He was startled by a distant shout that he recognised as Naruto's voice. He frowned; the shout was back in the direction he had come. Keeping his sword drawn, he ran towards where he had heard it. When he got closer, he could hear the sound of fighting, and sped up urgently.

He arrived at another clearing, and quickly took in the scene. There were four Imperial Guard soldiers, three of them surrounding Ino, the fourth holding Sakura with an arm around her neck. Naruto stood in the centre of the clearing, yelling obscenities at the one holding Sakura, whilst waving a borrowed knife uncertainly.

“Tell us where the prince is and we won't hurt the girl,” one of the soldiers said calmly to Ino.

“I don't know! Let her go you bastards!” One of the soldiers tapped his sword against his shoulder-plate thoughtfully.

“I don't believe you.” He pointed the sword at her menacingly.

“I'm over here.” The soldiers simultaneously turned around to face him. He hid a smirk at how well his quickly planned strategy had worked; they had their backs to Ino, and Sakura had been freed. The enemy were off guard.

Then, in a disastrously idiotic move, Naruto, infuriated by the treatment of Sakura, charged at the closest soldier with a loud and attention-drawing battle cry that caused two of the soldiers to turn back to the three behind. So much for that great idea, Sasuke thought, readying his sword. This could have been so much easier.

The first soldier came at him, sword raised, and he sidestepped, slashing the soldier across the torso. The man instantly collapsed onto the grass. Sasuke hesitated as the next soldier approached. Ino had already taken out the other two - why were they so weak?

He had no time to think as the soldier charged at him - and ran straight past, heading into the woods. Cursing, he made to follow.

“Ino, he's going to get help, stop him!” he shouted. However, before Ino could react, Naruto decided to jump in - literally. Getting a boost from a tree branch, he leaped towards the retreating soldier - and landed on his back.

The soldier, as surprised as Sasuke, stumbled and fell with the sudden weight. Victoriously, Naruto dug the knife into the man's back. He jumped backwards and landed with remarkable agility as the man screamed in pain.

Sasuke and Ino watched this with astonishment, almost disbelieving their eyes. Sakura looked on slightly fearful; when he had jumped, she had seen the red glint in his eye that indicated the demon's power. By the amazed and slightly admiring look from the other two, she guessed they had not seen it.

“Naruto, that was dangerous!” Sakura said, trying to sound annoyed.

“Yes, it was.” Sasuke agreed. He looked curiously from the tree branch to the body, and frowned slightly. “That was an incredible jump you did, though. Idiot,” he added as an afterthought. Naruto shrugged embarrassedly.

“Uh … thanks, bastard.” Sasuke looked slightly taken aback by the answer, but recovered quickly. He now examined the bodies, and looked pensive.

“Were there any others with this group?” He asked Ino. She shook her head.

“No, just these four. A four-man scout squad, I believe.” Sasuke nodded slowly - that was why they were weaker in combat. He frowned again, and they looked at him questioningly.

“Before I came here, there were a group of at least five following me.”

“What? You had five Imperial Guard trailing you when you were alone?” She gazed at him concernedly. He hesitated, and cleared his throat.

“They weren't Imperial Guard - and they didn't attack me. I don't know who they were - they were dressed entirely in black, and the one I saw wore a mask over his face.” He didn't notice Sakura and Naruto freeze beside him. Ino was also apparently shocked. She swallowed, and spoke up.

“Masked figures - do they think they were …”

“Akatsuki? No.” He answered to her unvoiced question. Sakura and Naruto leaned forward eagerly, now very interested.

“Can you be sure of that?” Ino asked uncertainly.

“Yes, I'm sure. I know that those that work for Akatsuki have a red, swirled pattern on the chest of the clothing.” Naruto gasped in horror, recalling the night they had been attacked; the assailants had what he thought looked like a red cloud pattern on the clothes. A glance at Sakura told him that she'd realised the same thing. Ino and Sasuke were looking at him questioningly.

“Akatsuki?” he said anxiously. “Who are they?”

“Well, to be honest, I'm not really sure myself.” Sasuke responded ponderingly. “They are an organisation run by some very powerful people. They have great influence over several major countries, including this one.” Naruto took this in, looking unusually contemplative.

“How do you know so much about them?” He asked. Sasuke looked away from his gaze.

“My brother works with them.” Ino nodded, while Sakura and Naruto gaped at him. “In fact, they sent some of their followers to aid in the capture of the castle.” He sighed again. “I am guessing that they made a deal with Itachi that if they helped him get the throne, he would have to do what they say.”

“They want to use the power for their own evil purposes.” Ino added darkly. Sasuke looked at the still stunned Sakura and Naruto, and narrowed his eyes suspiciously.

“Why are you so interested in Akatsuki?” Sakura began to deny it, but Naruto cut in.

“We've seen them before, back home.” He didn't notice the angry look he received from his friend. Sasuke stared at him inquisitively, and Sakura spoke up.

“We were just passing when we saw them,” she said hurriedly.

“What were they doing there?” Sakura exchanged a glance with Naruto, and Ino frowned at their hesitation. Naruto sighed and lowered his eyes to the ground.

“They captured one of the men in the village,” he said quietly.

“What would they want with a man in an insignificant village? Was there something special about him?” Naruto shook his head.

“He was rich though, maybe that was the reason.”

“It wouldn't be that - after all, they have a kingdom in their pocket. They wouldn't need the money.” Ino nodded at Sasuke. Naruto saw their doubtful looks, and decided it wouldn't be a good idea to push that further. However, he needed whatever information he could get.

“Do you think … he would still be alive?” Sasuke and Ino had begun salvaging the packs of the soldiers, looking for food or water. Sasuke shrugged at him.

“If he's as unimportant as you say, then I doubt it.” Naruto stared in horror, and Sasuke realised that the person must have been important to him. He felt a sudden wave of sympathy for him, but wasn't sure how to comfort him.

“Sasuke's right.” Ino agreed. “They wouldn't keep someone alive unnecessarily when they have what they want. Of course, if they have reason to keep him alive, or some use for him, then he would still be of value.” She looked back to the corpses. “So we don't know anything about the others who were following us?” Sasuke shook his head.

“If they wanted me, they could have attacked me when I was alone.” Naruto and Sakura exchanged an uncertain look again, which the other two didn't catch. Did this mean that those people were after Naruto as well as Akatsuki?

Ino stood up and stretched. “Well standing around won't help. We should get back to our packs.” The others nodded in agreement, and they made their way back to the clearing.

When they arrived, Sakura grabbed the two packs and dragged Naruto to the other side of the clearing to talk to him. Ino watched them walk away, until they were out of earshot.

“They were lying again,” she murmured.

“I noticed,” Sasuke said shortly. She looked at him expectantly, and he sighed. “What?”

“Doesn't it bother you?” She asked, watching him closely.

“What do you mean?” He replied coolly. She gave him an exasperated look.

“Stop acting like it's okay that they're keeping something important from us! Not to mention they're involved with Akatsuki somehow.”

“Enemy of our enemy.” He responded simply, shrugging.

“What if they're dangerous? We're just trusting them based on their word! Which doesn't mean much, considering they lied.”

“We lied too, remember? We shouldn't push them if it's private.” He looked back up at the scowling girl. “They haven't given us any reason not to trust them other than that. Besides - they don't exactly look dangerous. Naruto's crude combat techniques don't hint at any real training, and Sakura can't even fight.” He raised his eyebrows at her, and turned to watch Naruto pacing frantically in front of the pink-haired girl.

“I don't trust them! I think you're just doing this because you like Naruto.” Sasuke's head shot back up.

“What do you mean by that?” He asked warningly.

“I mean he's the closest thing you've had to a friend since, well, ever. That's why you're pushing your common sense aside!” He looked back down, and sighed.

“My common sense is intact, and it says we have potential allies and friends who don't pose a threat to us.” Ino opened her mouth to protest again. “Until we have reason to believe otherwise, we will stay with them. Understand?” She looked about to retort again, but then sighed and leaned back against her pack.

“If this gets us killed, I won't forgive you.”

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Meanwhile, Sakura tried desperately to calm a panicking Naruto.

“What if they've killed Iruka? What will I do? I'll never see him again, ever!”

“You don't know for sure. Neither does Sasuke, he's just guessing.”

“What reason would they have to keep him alive? What use could they have for him?” Naruto asked, on the verge of tears. Sakura paused, as a possible reason dawned on her. Noticing her sudden silence, Naruto looked at her in confusion. Then he realised the answer to his own question.

“They're going to use him to get to me.” He whispered fearfully. Sakura nodded sadly, and Naruto slumped. “Where do you think we'd find an Akatsuki member willing to make a trade?” She locked his eyes angrily.

“Don't even think about it, Naruto. You know Iruka would never want you to do that. Besides, you can't trust them to keep their side of the bargain.”

“We have to try!” He insisted, but Sakura shook her head.

“The only thing we can do at the moment is hope.” She watched sadly as Naruto leaned over his pack, face in his arms. “We have to worry more about them chasing us … from what Sasuke said, do you think there are two groups after us?” Naruto sniffed, and looked at her thoughtfully.

“Well, it would make sense that they were after me if they didn't attack Sasuke. I wonder what they want.” He sighed and lay down on the grass, gazing at the clouds. “Why is this happening to me - and why now?” Sakura lay down beside him, putting a hand on his comfortingly.

“Back at the house, they didn't want to kill you. That's a good thing right?” She shifted slightly, turning to look at him. “Because while you're alive, you can still hope. There's always a chance everything will work out. Sometimes fate needs a little push.” Naruto turned and grinned at her slightly.

“Like with you and Sasuke?” He said sarcastically. She shoved him slightly.

“Yes, like with me and Sasuke. My fate is to become a princess - it just needs to be pushed along a little.” Naruto laughed.

“A little? Pushed by a hundred-man army more like.” She shoved him again, pouting.

“When I go to live in the palace, you'd be my handmaiden, Naruto.” He scrunched his nose with disgust. “You'd be able to wear my pretty dresses too, if you're good.”

“Naruto in a dress, hmm?” Ino said musingly, her and Sasuke having walked over to them. Sasuke smirked at the offended-looking blond. Ino clasped her hands together gleefully. “Yes, we'll have to do that when we get to the Fire country! Do you think he'd look good in pink?” Sakura agreed enthusiastically, and they squealed delightedly as they discussed dressing the poor boy.

Sasuke sighed, and offered his hand to the blond, who took it grudgingly, and let himself be dragged to his feet. When Sasuke opened his mouth to speak, Naruto glared at him.

“Don't you start as well,” he huffed. Sasuke smirked again, turning back to the girls, clearing his throat for attention.

“Well, I was going to suggest avoiding the village at first, but it looks like they know where we are, so we may as well sleep in a bed tonight.” This was met with nods of approval.

“That means we can go to the hot springs!” Sakura enthused, bubbling with excitement. Naruto and Sasuke looked sceptical, but Ino approved heartily. Sighing, Sasuke looked in the direction of the village. The sky was already darkening, and the air getting cooler.

“Let's go, we don't want to be moving at night.” Naruto nodded, and a new thought struck him.

“Ramen!” Sasuke looked at him in disbelief, but the blond just grinned, hopping animatedly. As they set out for the village, Sasuke watched amusedly as Naruto took the lead, babbling about how great ramen was. It never ceased to amaze him how much energy and brightness the other boy could show, even after a long day and fighting.

For the second time that week, he found himself smiling slightly as he watched his new companion - and friend.

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Naruto lay on his bed, staring at the ceiling blankly. He was tired out after the day's events, and now he couldn't seem to get to sleep. In truth, he wished he were sharing a room, so that he could talk - he hated silence. He couldn't shake the feeling of uncertainty that he felt. Were the ones after him dishonourable enough to kill someone in their sleep? He doubted they were beacons of morality.

A knock on the door startled him, and he felt under his pillow for his knife, looking cautiously at the door. It slowly opened, and Sakura popped her head tentatively around the door.

“Naruto?” she whispered. He sighed in relief, slumping back onto his bed.

“Come in Sakura, what is it?” she entered the room, closing the door behind her, and sat on the edge of his bed. After about ten minutes, he decided she wasn't going to speak without prompting, so he cleared his throat loudly, making her jump, and looked at her expectantly.

“I couldn't sleep.” She murmured, smiling slightly, but then her expression darkened. “Earlier, when we were fighting … was that …”

“The demon?” he finished, and she nodded. ”I'm not sure,” he said slowly, “I still had part control of body when it happened though.” Sakura looked at him thoughtfully.

“That could be a good thing …” she said hesitantly, “if you're able to control the power of the demon while fighting - not to mention no killing of everyone in sight.”

“It could be.” He agreed. “But - I hope that doesn't mean that the demon come out more often. Sasuke and Ino are already suspicious.”

“Yeah, I was surprised they didn't question us more about ourselves.”

“Me too.” Naruto nodded. They sat in silence for a while, thinking it over. After a while, Sakura turned awkwardly to look at him.

“Um … could I ... stay here tonight?” He looked surprised, but then smiled warmly.

“Sure.” She smiled, and lay down next to him gratefully. She was glad that he didn't ask why, she wasn't sure what she would have said. The truth was, being alone in the room made reminded her too much of her home, which was why she couldn't sleep. But as she looked over to Naruto, lying contentedly next to her, she found herself smiling again.

Despite everything, she didn't regret her decision to leave.

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A figure watched through a window as the pink-haired girl entered into the room, walking over to the bed. Cautiously, he stretched his legs out, trying not to make a sound. He had been waiting for an opportunity for a while now, but his plan to attack the boy while sleeping had just fallen down. Damn demon, he thought angrily, dragging innocents into this.

He almost lost his balance on the tree branch as another person climbed up next to him quickly. He frowned at the newcomer, but received the usual stoic expression. Sighing, he leaned against the trunk, running a hand through scruffy brown hair.

“The demon is with the girl now.” The other commented, watching the window.

“That's right.” He replied irately. “How are we supposed to get it if it keeps involving others?”

“Calm down, Kiba,” the other replied evenly, “our chance will come.” Kiba glared at him.

“You keep saying that, but we haven't been able to get near it since that dark-haired boy starting travelling with him!” The other frowned, pushing dark glasses up as Kiba waved his hand around in a frustrated manner. “Now the Imperial Guard is involved as well!”

“Keep your voice down. The dark-haired boy is the Prince of Thunder, don't forget that.” Kiba shrugged indifferently, and he continued. “They're more alert now that you've made our presence known.”

“It wasn't my fault that he saw me.” Kiba mumbled defiantly, and his eyes drifted back to the blond boy sitting up in his bed. “We need to do this soon, we can't risk Akatsuki getting to him.” The other nodded in agreement.

“I haven't seen any of them trailing the demon, but I doubt they've given up. This is important to them.” Kiba gave him a sideways glance.

“I think we might have to try stopping it, even if it means injuring the innocents.” Shino frowned and shook his head.

“Our orders are clear. We don't want to harm innocents if we're killing the demon to save them.” Kiba matched his frown, but remained quiet. They sat watching for a while in comfortable silence. Kiba yawned widely, earning a disapproving look. Kiba shrugged coolly, and rested his head on his hand.

The other sighed, and made to climb down again. “Shino?”

“What?”

“Have you uh - seen Akamaru?” Shino looked at him exasperatedly.

“That dog is going to get us caught, sometime, if you don't keep him disciplined.” Kiba frowned, and folded his arms. Shino sighed again, and continued to climb down. Kiba turned back to the window, and scowled when he saw the girl lie down.

Well, plan failed, he thought wearily. He climbed down the tree slowly, so as to not make noise. They would have to trail the demon some more, and more urgently. If they didn't act soon, they would be too late to stop it.