Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Vengeful ❯ Chapter 9 ( Chapter 9 )

The morning brought a downpour of rain, and they found themselves huddled in the cart, cursing the bad craftsmanship of the builder of the leaky old thing. Kakashi motioned them to one side, looking through the cracks. They looked out and saw that two figures were stood outside, apparently unaffected by the heavy rain. One was a young man, but half the size of the other older man.

“Listen up,” he said seriously, nodding towards the figures. “Those two are Zabuza and Haku. They are similar to us, in that they are only travelling with this group, not as a part of it. This is important -“ he gave Naruto a meaningful look, as if he expected him not to listen, “don't speak to them, or even go near them.”

“But they -“ Naruto began, but Kakashi cut him off.

“This is not a discussion, Naruto. From what I know about them, they are very dangerous. That big sword isn't for show.” They stared at him, wanting him to explain the two further, but instead he drew out his book, sitting in a dry area. Sasuke looked around sceptically.

“Since there are other carts and wagons now, can we not travel in this thing?” Kakashi chuckled, and shook his head.

“The others are occupied, and harder to hide in. Maybe Sakura and Ino can travel on a different one, though.” Naruto let out a disbelieving squeak, and quickly cleared his throat, to grunt in disbelief instead. The girls, however, didn't look particularly keen to be separated from Sasuke. All of them gave the silver-haired man an annoyed glare, which he shrugged off, focusing on his book.

They settled down as the rain continued. Sakura had immediately dragged Sasuke to a corner, and snuggled up to him. He tried to push her away, grimacing, but eventually decided that it was too much effort. By chance, he looked up at Naruto.

The blond had a blank look on his face, and was playing with a knife absently. Somehow, it was far too quiet without the bubbly attitude that he had got used to. The silence was uncomfortable - as was the feeling of the annoying girl holding onto him. He shook his head, sighing inwardly. I can't believe I miss loud and cheerful, he thought to himself, still gazing at Naruto.

Although Naruto may have been deep in his own thoughts, Ino watched Sasuke carefully, noting the almost longing gaze he was giving to the other boy.

Now that she was suspicious of the two, everything they did seemed to point to something deeper than friendship. Although she tried to convince herself it was her mind playing tricks on her, it was obvious for her something was going on there. She looked back to Naruto, and grinned slightly. The fact that she wasn't told what was going on was annoying - but then again, she loved a good mystery.

The thing that worried her was not the fact that Sasuke might like Naruto - but rather that he might not like Sakura. If her suspicions were right, he was leading her on, probably for the sake of covering the secret. Sakura may have been convinced, but was he inadvertently setting her up to be hurt? He didn't exactly look happy about being with her.

Her eyes fell on Kakashi, and she was not at all surprised that he was giving Sasuke and Naruto the same appraising look from the safety of his little book. But how long had he known?

Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a horn. Kakashi immediately stood, and gave a gesture to the rest.

“That's our signal.” He said cheerfully.

“Signal for what?” asked Sasuke uncertainly.

“To start preparing for the journey. The next signal will be to start moving.”

Naruto immediately jumped from the cart, and ran out of sight, leaving a rather surprised Sasuke, who had been counting on his friend to free him from Sakura. So instead, following Naruto's example, he leaped down and ran in the same direction, hoping that he wouldn't be followed. This hope was dashed as she took off after him without hesitation; calling to him that he'd accidentally left her behind.

However, she was unable to keep up with the able-bodied prince, and eventually halted to catch her breath, feeling rather annoyed. Not only was she alone in the middle of a camp of strange people, but also her hair was ruined because of the rain. What was with him, running off like that?

She rested against one of the carts, slightly sheltered from the rain. She looked back, and decided to head back to the cart, where Ino was helping Kakashi with the cart. But as she began to move, she heard a familiar voice from the other side of the cart she had leaned against. Although she could not hear what was being said, she moved around so that she could see what Naruto was doing on the edge of camp, out of sight.

Whatever she had been expecting, it was not the blond talking to Haku, one of the ones he had been warned to stay away from. Was he really that stupid? They were talking quietly, the voices drowned out by the rain, and she edged forward out of curiosity.

The twig snapping under her foot seemed to resound around her, and probably alerted the whole camp to her bad attempt at sneaking. She smiled sheepishly as they both turned towards her. Haku immediately ran off behind the cart and out of sight, presumably back to his own. Naruto jogged up to her, giving her an odd look.

“What are you doing here? I thought you'd stay with Sasuke.” Sakura sighed, and shook her head.

“More importantly, what were you doing, talking to Haku?” Naruto frowned for a moment, as if trying to remember the last few minutes.

“Umm that … oh yeah! I need to speak with Kakashi.” She blinked in confusion, but he took her arm, and began to run back towards their own cart. When they arrived back, Sakura was thoroughly soaked, and if she wasn't so curious about what was happening, would have scolded her friend for making her run through the rain like that.

“Kakashi!” Naruto said, between breaths, “I don't think it's a good idea to stay here.” The silver-haired man didn't look at him, tending to the horses. “Those two are wanted criminals! They're like, infamous and stuff!” Sakura stared, wondering what he was leading up to.

“What's your point, Naruto?” Kakashi said casually.

“I heard that they want to cause trouble in the village, something to do with really rich guy staying there.”
“That's not our problem.”

“But what if they get us into trouble?” Kakashi turned away from the horses to shake his head at Naruto.

“I've been assured by the company leader that they will not cause trouble for us.”
“But how can you-“ his question was cut off by a loud horn sounding, and Sasuke trudged towards them casually, returning from wherever he had disappeared to.

“Stop standing out here talking, we have to start moving now.” Kakashi nodded, and herded them into the back of the cart. He returned to the front with Ino, and shook his head.

“He's like a child, doing the opposite of what he's told to do.” Ino nodded in agreement, but remained silent, in her own thoughts. Sasuke had run off after Naruto, leaving Sakura as if she didn't matter. Was that what a perfect man was like? She had always dreamed of being with Sasuke, but maybe being with a handsome prince wasn't all it was cut out to be. But on the other hand, what would it be like to be the target of his affections? As the cart started moving, she fell back into her daydreams, blocking out thoughts of Sakura - and Naruto.

In the back, Sakura immediately huddled up to Sasuke, seeking warmth. He threw a blanket at her, and rested against the side of the cart wearily, hoping for rest. This was not to be, as Naruto came to sit in front of him, leaning forward curiously. He frowned as Naruto's face came close to his as he talked in a low voice.

“Where did you go earlier?”

“I was just exploring.” He replied, and Naruto looked at him expectantly. “You're right about Zabuza and Haku. They're definitely not people you want to cross paths with.” Sakura looked up slightly from drying herself. Had Sasuke been lurking around all along?

“Yeah…” replied Naruto thoughtfully, sitting back down. “I've been wondering, what type of entertainers these people are.”

“You have a point,” Sasuke murmured, having been thinking about himself. “Taking in runaways and criminals, it doesn't seem quite right.” Naruto looked up, and shook his head.

“I mean, what type of entertainment do they do? Is it like dancing, acting, magic?” He smiled slightly at the idea. “If it's magic, I'd really like to see it!” Sasuke narrowed his eyes.

“You do realise, those are only tricks? We have better things to do than watch cheap acts like that.”

“They could do real magic!” Naruto enthused. “I've seen people do it before.”

“I don't know what you saw, but entertainers are just that, there for entertainment. It's not real.” Naruto sighed at him, as if not expecting him to understand.

“I'm going to learn how to do magic like them, you'll see.”

“You still don't get it!” Sasuke shouted at him, causing Sakura and Naruto to jump. The prince glared at the bewildered blond. “The only `real' magic they do is making your coins disappear! Forget about it, and grow up.” With this, he lay down on his blanket, turning away from them. Naruto looked at Sakura, who shrugged back at him. She looked at Sasuke, and decided that disturbing him would be not such a good idea.

“You can huddle up with me, if you're still cold?” Naruto offered shyly. Sakura took another glance at the still form of the prince, before nodding to him. He walked over to put his arm around her, and she rested her head against his shoulder, eyes closed.

Sasuke heard this exchange, and cautiously looked back over his shoulder at them. He wondered what the hell Naruto was thinking, wanting to do magic. Apparently having a sealed demon wasn't exciting enough for him.

As he looked back, he saw Naruto had a content smile on his face as he held Sakura, and the prince frowned. Did Naruto seriously like her? He had seen it as playing around, but it was possible that Naruto really did want to be with her. He let out a low growl of annoyance unconsciously, but caught himself. Why would that bother him? Well, he certainly wasn't going to fight Naruto over Sakura. It would also be an easy way to stop Sakura clinging to him all the time. That was something he wouldn't pass up.

He closed his eyes, the irregular jolting of the cart unnoticed as he went through possibilities in his mind. Maybe Ino could suggest a way to get them together? He pushed away the niggling feeling that he would probably regret it somehow. As soon as they got to the village, he'd have to talk to her about it.

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A loud knocking jolted Sasuke out of his light sleep, and in a second he was on his feet and grabbing for his sword. Kakashi voice drifted through from the front of the cart.

“We're almost at the gates, make sure you're well hidden.” Naruto let out a sleepy grunt of acknowledgment, before falling back to sleep. Sakura however, suddenly wide-awake, jumped up, hit Naruto to wake him, and hopped over to Sasuke.

“Let's sit over here, Sasuke!” she said happily, gesturing to one of the corners.

“How about, you sit here, I sit over there?” She gave him a hurt look. “It's easier to not be seen if we spread out.” He said wearily.

“Oh, that's a good idea!” she enthused, and obediently sat down. Sasuke looked over to Naruto, who was already fast asleep, and shook his head. The idiot was so predictable.

“Naruto, wake up!” Kakashi shouted from the front, also having predicted this. Naruto opened his eyes, slowly stretching.

“Hurry idiot, we're there now,” hissed Sasuke, dragging the protesting blond behind one of the boxes by his collar.

The cart came to a halt, and voices could be heard from the front of the line. The prince held his breath, praying that the carts weren't searched. He was tired of fighting.

Ages seemed to pass as they sat in the cart, exchanging nervous glances as the soldiers' voices came closer. Sasuke saw that Naruto was shaking slightly, and resisted the urge to go over to comfort him. Sakura had her eyes closed, and he guessed she was trying to keep calm, or was praying. Perhaps both. He reminded himself that they were just civilians, and the feeling of imminent danger weighed on them a lot more heavily.

They drew in a sharp breath as the cart jolted slightly to started moving, and breathed in relief.

Suddenly, the cart came to an abrupt stop, and shouting erupted from the head of the line. Sasuke swiftly drew his sword, crouching behind a box, ready to attack. Sakura let out a squeak of fear, covering her face. The door to the cart opened, throwing light over the figure of Sasuke, ready to pounce.

“What are you doing?” asked Kakashi, having entered the cart. Sasuke breathed out a sigh of relief, but then glared at the innocent-looking bodyguard.

“What's happening?” Sasuke asked urgently.

“It looks like Zabuza is making his move.” Kakashi replied casually.

“Why are you acting like that's not a problem?” the prince spluttered.

“Oh, it is a problem. There are far too many soldiers there for us to fight.” He shrugged at them. “Now we just have to hope we are not recognised, and taken for part of the innocent troupe.”

The shouts of the soldiers in the distance were slightly clearer now, as the fighting got nearer.

“…Don't let…”

“…He has -“

“…Are getting away!”

The sounds of fighting were close, but soon got further away as apparently the two tried to escape. Footsteps sounded around their cart, and more shouting surrounded them. Ino appeared in the door of the cart, flanked by two soldiers.

“Please exit the cart,” one said, “all members of the group are to be taken into custody, and the carts thoroughly searched.” Kakashi nodded to the other three, and they slowly jumped down, surveying the area.

In every direction, soldiers hurried about, going to all of the carts, shouting orders at the terrified entertainers. The rain had finally stopped, an eerie fog surrounding the group. One of the soldiers, an officer judging by the uniform, came up to them, and ordered them to hand over any weapons. After they had complied, the officer ordered them searched.

Sasuke went slightly red with humiliation and annoyance. Never in his life had he been searched, and here he was, the Prince of Thunder, being searched by some lowly soldier. When they were satisfied, the officer ordered their hands tied, and Sasuke suppressed his anger at the treatment. When this was done, the officer waved them to follow him, and several soldiers accompanied them.

“As a precaution, all of you will be arrested and questioned regarding the criminal activity shown by some of your company. Do I care if you are innocent, or if this inconveniences you? No. If you don't do as we say, you will be executed.” Sakura and Naruto instantly paled, and Sasuke cursed under his breath. He didn't like this treatment, or the officer's attitude. If it weren't for the circumstances, it would be that guy executed, Sasuke thought angrily. Of course, this was instead a rather complicated situation.

All he could do was hope that they were not recognised. After this, he certainly wasn't in the mood for a reunion with his brother.

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Naruto had never been in a prison. He'd heard tales, seen pictures, and had an image in his mind, but it was rather different to experience it first hand. Kakashi had said that it wasn't a normal prison, instead one originally designed for captured prisoners of war when they fought the Fire country. It was not so much a prison, as a bunch of cages. Rather similar to those used to kept animals - except in these cages, the occupants were chained to a wall.

He decided he didn't like prisons. Although, he reflected, it did put life in perspective.

The rest in the large cell jumped in surprised as Naruto snorted in laughter at himself, and then all stared at him as if he was crazy. However, none felt like saying anything, wrapped up in their own thoughts about been locked up in a cold and empty room with nothing to eat or drink. Needless to say, none were thinking pleasant thoughts.

Naruto attempted to start a conversation up, mostly relating to ramen, and was ignored completely. The next half a day was spent in what Kakashi described as `biding their time'. Naturally, Naruto fell to sleep rather quickly on the cool ground.

He was awakened by the sound of keys shaking, and looked out the bars to see a guard unlocking the door. Naruto sat up hopefully, his stomach yearning for something to eat. The guard looked at each of them turn, and they looked back dumbly. He scratched his head, and Naruto noted that although he looked young, the man had light grey hair. He had no time to ponder this as the guard fixed his eyes on Sasuke. He drew a small sword cautiously, and unlocked the chains binding the prince.

“I have been ordered to take you to my superior. Please follow me.” Sasuke glanced at the sword appraisingly, before following the guard from the cell, and the door was locked behind them.

“This is bad,” Kakashi growled as the two left the corridor. “In fact, it couldn't get any worse.”

“You think they've found us out?” Naruto asked worriedly. The silver-haired man nodded gravely, and cursed himself for letting this happen.

A few minutes of silence passed, and Sakura's quiet sobs were all that could be heard. Naruto watched her sadly. He had barely considered how this experience was affecting her.

The silence was broken by footsteps from outside the cell, and Naruto looked up hopefully - but it was just the patrolling guard. She passed by the cell wearily rubbing her eyes, and began to walk away. Abruptly, the footsteps stopped as the guard spun around, and looked frantically around the cell. Naruto raised his head in confusion as she called out for another guard.

“Where is the other one?” she demanded of them, which was met with bewildered stares. The other guard rushed into the corridor, and she turned to him. “One of the prisoners has escaped, raise the alarm!” Kakashi and Ino exchanged a glance, and watched the commotion unfolding with an increasing sense of foreboding.

The situation had just got a lot worse.