Disclaimer: I don’t own Naruto and I make no profit from this work of fiction.
To MisatosPenPen: Thank you for the review. I hope you’ve calmed down, maybe plied with a drink or two? :D
I can’t say that I have ever read Rogue Squadron, so I will have to take your word for it that it is similar. You get to find out Itachi’s fate right away, so don’t kill me please. And I know I left a major cliff-hanger, but I just had to do it. But, I will tell you that some of your answers will be revealed in this chapter.
To Angel_Davis: Thank you for reviewing. You must really be a fan of Kisame…sorry for making him a bad guy. Just like Itachi, you will learn Sasuke’s fate quickly. And I should say that Sasuke and Naruto are not married yet, just engaged. :D It was absolutely meant to be rushed, as panicking people tend to rush into things. There is a saying that you shouldn’t start a relationship during a dangerous situation…I think that would go for committing to one too.
Chapter Sixteen
June 20-21st
Tsunade froze on the courthouse steps unable to believe her eyes. Itachi sat there, very much alive, being treated by the paramedics as a hyper blonde flitted around him in a flurry of limbs and exaggerated motions.
“Deidara, will you calm down already?” Itachi asked calmly. An oxygen mask nestled snuggly against the curves of his cheeks as he attempted to breathe deeply, his hand holding it in place.
“Calm down; calm down! Don’t tell me to calm down, yeah?! I watched him shoot you blank range! That was a kill shot meant to KILL you, yeah!”
“I know that Deidara; is that not why I had you waiting in the shadows?” He asked composedly, closing his eyes momentarily to focus on breathing the oxygen into his lungs.
“And a lot of help that was!” Deidara shrieked, causing Itachi to wince. “You could have warned me that he’d pull a gun on you and shoot, yeah!”
“You could have done what I asked you to do and followed him. No, you had to, unnecessarily,
rescue me. You took your eyes off your target and let him escape. You are troublesome.”
“Well, excuse me for being concerned about you, yeah!” He yelled. “Next time remind me to let you die!”
“There was never an ounce of chance I would die. All you had to do was follow my instructions, something you were incapable of performing to an acceptable standard.”
“Bastard!”
“What is going on?” Tsunade demanded as she stormed up to the Uchiha. Her gaze didn’t fail to notice a large purpling contusion prominently displayed on his half-naked chest. She swallowed thickly, guilt sinking into the pit of her stomach. This was her mess, her fault.
“That guy you put in charge of protecting Tachi tried to kill him, yeah!” Deidara growled, rounding on Tsunade in accusation.
“We suspected something was wrong when he didn’t answer his phone, but is that true? Did Kisame try to kill you?” She asked worriedly.
“Yes, and he believes he was successful.”
“Is that so? I must apologize for putting you in that position. I never dreamed…His credentials checked out…”
“There is no need to apologize. I could have easily apprised you of my suspicions, but I did not. And I had my suspicions about Kisame from the start; tonight just confirmed them. There are only three people I trust with my life, so I took the necessary precautions and donned a Kevlar vest.
“Are you one of those three?” Tsunade asked weakly with an attempt at a smile. Itachi shook his head.
“No, but I trust you and Sasuke with my life.”
Tsunade paused and swallowed thickly. “Then I failed you.”
“You did not fail me. It was impossible to know Kisame was working against us, but never mind that. How are Sasuke and Naruto? Are they safe?”
“Kisame didn’t tell you? Of course not, that would defeat… I don’t know where they are, Itachi.” Tsunade replied mournfully.
“What! Oww,” Itachi cried in pain as he jerked forward. “What happened? I thought you were watching them closely?”
“They were, but they found a way to sneak out earlier this morning and have been missing since. I was able to make contact with Naruto briefly, but our cell connection was weak and the call was dropped before he could tell me where he was. I haven’t been able to reach either of them since. We’ve searched everywhere for them, but I don’t know where they are or where they could have gone?”
“Are they at least together?”
It was a rare sight to see Itachi anything less than cool and collected and Tsunade would have laughed if the situation weren’t so serious. “I don’t believe so; not anymore at least. They were together, but then Naruto said something about Sasuke going after the guy. I don’t know how they figured it out? Again, I couldn’t reach him and it continues to go to voicemail on both phones.”
“They figured it out and believe they know his identity? Was something overlooked; something they noticed that evaded our eyes?”
Tsunade nodded her head. “So it seems. I don’t know how to find them, but if they’ve gone separate ways then we need to focus on finding Sasuke first. If we can find him then we know where to find Naruto.”
“Chief,” An officer shouted from his police car. “A call just came through about gunshots fired at the docks!”
“Get someone on it!” She growled, rounding on the quaking officer. He gave a shaky nod and ducked back inside his cruiser, relaying her orders.
Tsunade rolled her eyes, exhaling in frustration as she returned her attention back to Itachi. She opened her mouth to speak when the officer called out again. His urgency was palpable.
“They’re already on it. It’s an officer down!”
She felt her skin crawl, as it always did when an agent of the law was injured, whether in the line of duty or not, and suppressed the urge to shiver. She closed her eyes and turned away from Itachi, forced to attend to a fallen comrade first. With her finger pinching the bridge of her nose, she asked “Do they have the officer’s name?”
“They haven’t released the name, but it’s bad.”
“I can’t deal with this now!” Tsunade cried in frustration, her hands resting on her hips. “Ok, find out what hospital they’re being bused to and get a number for next of kin. I’ll be there shortly.”
The officer bent towards his radio again, relaying the message.
Tsunade inhaled deeply, rubbing her temples in slow circles in an attempt to alleviate her burgeoning headache. “I can’t take much more of this. Can it possibly get any worse?”
“Apparently it can.” Itachi winced, his gaze steady on the officer rushing towards them.
He looked ill, his expression wild with urgency. “You should go now, Chief. It’s Sasuke Uchiha and he’s in really bad shape. He’s lost a lot of blood - they don’t think he’ll make it to the operating room.”
“What hospital?!” Itachi demanded over-riding anything Tsunade was about to say.
“Konoha Medical.” The officer quaked.
Itachi winced and tried to stand up. Deidara, who was hovering in the background miffed that Itachi was ignoring him, began squawking and renewed his vigorous arm movements.
“What the hell! You were just shot!” He agonized to the heavens, trying to force Itachi to sit on the step despite the Uchiha’s reluctance. “It’s just like you to ignore a serious injury. Can’t you just stop and be treated like a normal human being, yeah!”
“Damn it! Calm down Deidara!” Itachi ordered, effectively silencing the blonde.
“Forgive me for being concerned about you! Next time die for all I care!” He stalked away and sat down heavily on the limestone steps, brooding. Itachi uncharacteristically growled and rolled his eyes.
“Kakashi you’re in charge of finding Naruto.” Tsunade demanded helping Itachi to his feet. “I don’t care how you do it, just find him! I don’t need to tell you how important this is.”
With her hand on Itachi’s elbow for support, she followed him to her car. Kakashi turned to his detectives, now under his command, and surveyed them critically. None of them knew Naruto well. Hell, even he didn’t know him that well. How would they find Naruto when he eluded them since morning?
“Do you have a list of places he could be?” Shikamaru asked suddenly.
“Only a few places I can think for certain.” Kakashi replied, thinking of the few places; all long shots.
“And what cell carrier does Naruto have?”
“What are you getting at?” Kakashi asked, narrowing his eyes.
“Chief Tsunade said the call dropped and she’s only been able to get his voice mail since. It’s safe to assume that he hasn’t moved from his current location and I don’t believe he would be stupid enough to turn his cell off now. He’s probably waiting for any news from Sasuke.” Kakashi nodded in understanding.
“Here’s my idea: I know for a fact that certain cell carriers have a blackout zone where reception is choppy; competing companies and all. If we can narrow down some of those places Naruto could be and cross reference them for cell towers in the area there is a good chance that we can locate him quickly.”
“That could work.” Kakashi admitted, impressed.
~REVENGE~
I took in a shuddering breath, staggering as he dragged me up the stairs and forced me into my bedroom. I stumbled a bit before regaining my balance, turning to confront the man who took my parents from me. He stood there staring at me. A feeling of deep loathing flooded my senses, driving fear clear from my mind.
“It’s been so long since I was last in your room, Naruto. It brings back memories.” He laughed, his eyes glassed over reliving past memories.
“Why?” I demanded, clenching my fists painfully, but he only chuckled. “Answer me!”
His sick and twisted smile slid from his face, resting into a frown. “Why did I kill them? Well, it’s simple really. It’s entirely your mother’s fault.”
I certainly wasn’t expecting that. “My mom? What could she have possibly done to you?”
“That isn’t important.” Madara drawled.
“It’s important to me!” I was furious and I knew it was overriding my better judgment, but I couldn’t stop the boiling in my veins.
Madara stared at me with an impassive gaze, gun resting in his slightly slack hand and hanging limply next to his thigh. “I’ll tell you one more time, it isn’t important.”
His tone was steady, but I could tell he was holding himself back.
I knew the danger of provoking him, but if I was going to die anyway, then I would say whatever I wanted to say. Still, I couldn’t stop my own gaze from resting on the gun momentarily, swallowing thickly. “Answer me.”
“Don’t say I didn’t warn you.” He hissed.
“That nasty whore took the one I love from me!” He snapped. I took a step back, struck by the harshness of his words and swallowed again, my chest rising and falling rapidly. “She took him and dared to make a family with him, to be happy with him!”
“Wha-what?” I asked quietly, confused. “The one you love?”
“Your father; the man I love.” Madara ground out.
I took another step back with his admission, stunned. He was crazy, nuts, fucking psychotic! He was blaming my mom…He killed them because -- he was in love with my father? It was impossible, he couldn’t have loved…
It didn’t make sense; why, why would he kill my dad? I felt like I couldn’t breathe and choked out a garbled, “Why?”
He seemed to understand what I was asking, because he answered me calmly, “I never intended to kill Minato; I love him. But he got in the way, tried to protect that whore; tried to keep you from me. I told him we could raise you together, we could be happy together. But he chose that whore over me. So I had to punish him for that.” Madara whispered venomously reaching out to trace my scars.
I would have jerked away if I wasn’t frozen to the spot, shaking like a leaf, and breathing heavily. His hands were unbelievably cold and the very feel of him repulsed me. Summoning courage I turned my head harshly to the side, breaking his frigid contact.
Madara frowned, letting his hand drop to his side.
“Minato was furious at what I’d done to you, but you were a good boy for me. You didn’t utter a word as I cut you…all because I said I wouldn’t hurt your father if you kept quiet. Everything would have been fine, but Minato was able to break free of his restraints and we struggled; he was fatally wounded. I never meant for it to happen.”
My eyes widened as shadows of images began pouring into my mind. It started as a slow trickle, but soon burst, releasing a deluge of cloudy memories and feelings. I felt my knees weaken and I sank to the ground. It wasn’t making sense...
“It can’t be,” I cried. “Granny Tsunade said…she said they were both tor-tortured?”
His eyes were dark and cold, endless and without warmth. His voice was chillier still. “Yes, I don’t doubt you’re slightly confused. I told you I had to punish Minato for being a bad boy. He didn’t listen to me when I asked him to leave the tramp for me. He refused and suffered dearly like the tramp.
“He couldn’t understand that it was her fault. She was the problem; it’s all because of her!” Madara snapped his face twisted into grotesque forms with each flash of fireworks illuminating the room. “But I could take care of him. I would show him I could take better care of him, take care of both of you – better than that whore!”
“You could take care of…us? Y-you could…? But you didn’t! My Dad died because of you! You killed him!” I shouted out in anger. “You say you loved him, but you murdered him!”
“I never wanted to hurt him, I love him. But he couldn’t accept the death of that slut! He threatened be if I so much as looked at you.” He hissed, repeating himself, “I never wanted to hurt him.”
“But you did!” I gasped out, my anger thrumming through my veins. It was an irritating feeling, making my skin crawl, and I hated it. I didn’t want to be angry, but I couldn’t stop it now that I was feeling it, my mouth spewing what my heart relinquished. “You hurt him, you murdered my mom; my dad’s wife! Y-you scarred m-me and you…h-hurt… my dad! That isn’t love, that’s madness! You don’t hurt the ones you love!”
I was out of breath by the time I finished, both sides of my face drenched with tears that dripped down my neck and soaked the collar of my shirt. I was shaking uncontrollably, my heart beating madly.
Madara showed a menacing frown, voice low and controlled. It was too soft for my ringing ears. “Obviously, I overestimated you. You are incapable of understanding.”
“Understand?” I laughed bitterly. “No, I can’t understand how you could hurt the person you claim you loved! You don’t do that! And everyone else; what could they have done to you to deserve that!”
Madara’s laugh filled the room, a dreadful and harsh sound. It set the hairs on the back of my neck on end.
“They did nothing to me. I didn’t kill them.” He intoned.
“You LIE! You murdered them, all of them!”
“No,” He spat. “That was someone else made to look like I murdered them. I had her commit those murders so I could get to my true targets: the Uchiha’s and your filthy whore of a mother. Minato had only to listen to me that day and none of them had to die; even your mother would still be alive.”
“You’re blaming my dad now for something you did? You did this you bastard!” I yelled and clenched my fists tighter, digging my nails into flesh and drawing blood.
“No! They did this!” He snapped back, taking a step closer to me. “The Uchiha’s were Minato’s closest friends and they just had to stick their noses in where it didn’t belong. They would have lived, but I was forced into killing them.
“Minato, how I love him, is unbearably stupid at times. He had to go to Fugaku, trying to keep me from him - from you. We could have been happy you see; just the three of us.”
I shivered at what he thought passed as a smile. He was crazy, insane, and what made matters worse is that he believed we could be happy with him.
“But Minato wouldn’t listen, he wouldn’t leave his wife, and he dragged Uchiha into it. I would have dealt with the Uchiha family the day I confronted them, but a pattern had already been established. That stupid woman couldn’t bring herself to kill the children; going so far as to remove them from harm’s way. I was forced to strike at an inconvenient time while the brats were at school.”
I felt my jaw drop, stunned into silence. He killed them just because he could, just to cover up his true targets? “You killed them for nothing?”
“No, not for nothing Naruto…”
I felt something inside me snap as he spoke. It made me sick to my stomach, his voice enunciating my name with piercing clarity. I never wanted to hear him speak it again. “Don’t say my name! You have no right!” I snapped harshly.
“Why not, Naruto? It has such a nice ring to it.” He laughed. “Did you know you were named after Minato’s mentor in college? I believe you know who he is; Principal Jiraiya. Your father named you, a gift from him to you. Therefore, it is only natural for me to speak it; Naruto.”
“Stop it! Stop saying it!” I cried out. I knew it was silly really, but I wanted nothing to do with him. I didn’t want him talking about me like he knew me, and saying my name made me feel just that.
“Would you like me to call you a dobe instead, Naruto?”
My body hardened; a feeling of being struck by lightning tingling along my nerves. How could he know that Sasuke calls me that? Sasuke! If he was here then where was Sasuke? My eyes widen and I felt my breathing come out in short gasps. No, he couldn’t be. He just lured Sasuke away. They never crossed paths…yeah, that would be it. Sasuke would be on his way here any minute. He had to, he promised. Gulping and barely able to speak, I asked, “How do you know…?”
“That Sasuke
called you a dobe?” He laughed.
“Called?” I squeaked out, feeling like an iceberg had settled into the bottom of my stomach. Did that mean Sasuke was…? No, he promised never to leave me and I believed him. He wouldn’t leave me! We were getting married…
“Hmm, yes; called would be the correct term. I was just to meet Sasuke and had a lively talk before I shot him. I’m afraid your precious Sasuke is dead.” Madara laughed coldly.
I shook my head in denial as the pain only loss could bring gnawed at my heart. “You’re lying!”
“No, Naruto, I’m not.”
“No! You’re lying! He did nothing to you!” I cried, sinking to the ground. “Please, no! He did nothing.”
“I know it hurts.” Madara stated with mock sympathy. “But I can make you feel better if you let me.”
I felt red-hot anger course through my veins again and, with a choking sob, lunged for the man who stole my parents from me, who stole Sasuke from me. He pushed me back to the ground like I was nothing but a feather in the wind, crying out in pain and anguish as my back hit the ground hard. “You’ve got spunk, Naruto, but it is futile to fight me.”
“Just kill me and get it over with then!” I screamed as he hauled me from the floor and pulled me against him. I was repulsed by his very touch and struggled against his grasp. “Let me go!”
“You’re wasting your time and energy in fighting against me.” I felt bile rise in my throat as he chuckled close to my ear. I couldn’t suppress the disgusted shudder that wracked my body. He was definitely too close for comfort.
“Get away from me! Just kill me already!” I growled in anguish.
“That is a tempting offer, but it would ruin all my plans.”
“What plans? Just shoot me and be done with it. How hard is that?” I snarled. “I’m tired of looking at your ugly face!” Why can’t it be done, over with, so I could be with my parents? I didn’t want to be here, not with
him, not when Sasuke was waiting for me too…wherever he was now. Now that I had a taste of what it was like to live with him and be thoroughly loved, I couldn’t bring myself to live without him. It wouldn’t really be living anyway. I didn’t want to feel this pain anymore. I just wanted to die.
Madara growled and pushed me from him. I stumbled to catch my balance and hit the bed. I turned to stare as he leveled the gun at my furious glare, waiting for some god awful reason to pull at the trigger.
“Come with me Naruto?” He asked suddenly. “Come with me willingly and you will want for nothing. I can make you happy; I can treat you better, the way you deserve. Come with me now.”
He held out his other hand to grab, but I couldn’t move, frozen in place, staring at him in shock. Did he really just ask me to go with him? “Y-you’re nuts if you think I would willingly go anywhere with you!”
“So you force my hand, Naruto. We could have done this the easy way.” He grumbled to himself. Staring down the barrel of his gun and straight at me, he smiled in pleasure and slowly squeezed the trigger. I stared defiantly at him, waiting.
~REVENGE~
Itachi burst into the emergency room with Tsunade hot on his heels. He knew where to go by the line of officers in blue waiting to know the fate of a fallen brother. He strode up to the first nurse he could find asking for any information on Sasuke. She informed him Sasuke was still in surgery and that he would have to wait for the surgeon for any more information.
Itachi strode over to an empty chair and plopped down with a heavy thud. He rubbed at his purpling chest when it began to throb painfully, but he couldn’t stop his heart from beating rapidly against it.
“I’m sorry Itachi. We were always two steps behind him and never able to catch up.” Tsunade murmured sitting quietly next to him. “I should have called and told you personally when Sasuke and Naruto disappeared. I just didn’t want to worry you; your court case was more important in that moment. And I was confident that we would find them quickly. This is my fault and I can’t apologize to you more for what happened to Sasuke. If he dies…”
“He is stronger than you give him credit for, Chief Tsunade. And I would have been just as confident that I could locate them quickly as well, so do not blame yourself. It is not your fault; none of this is your fault. The person to blame is that psycho; he caused all this. He set everything in motion when he murdered his first victim.”
“I handled this investigation poorly from the very beginning all those years ago. I only had a theory to go on with no proof, and I couldn’t even offer you proper protection.” She muttered in self-loathing.
“You did your best with what you had. Cases go cold every day whether we want them to or not, we both know that. And the Council certainly did not help you along in guarding the victims…”
“Haku Yuki woke up three days ago.” Tsunade admitted suddenly. “He wasn’t able to identify the man because he got him from behind. So how did they find out who he was? They had the same information as we did, but they got results when I didn’t’?”
“So Haku did not die after all? That was smart to conceal that fact from everyone. Hn.”
“I could only trust a few with the knowledge; the less who knew the better.”
“Then I will not hold it against you that I was not included in those few.”
“It was nothing against you…” She defended.
“And the less who knew the better.” Itachi repeated.
He stared at the white walls of the hospital, ignoring the patients filtering slowly by being admitted to the emergency room for various causes, lost in thought. “Hmm, about Sasuke and Naruto…maybe they were looking somewhere that you were not.”
“Possibly.” Tsunade sighed. She kept running over every aspect of the case, wondering what they had missed. What had Naruto and Sasuke seen that she had not; that all her detectives had missed? Her eyes widened as something clicked in her memory, something that Kakashi had told her.
“Kiba! I need to call Kiba.” She blurted out, fumbling for her phone. Itachi looked at her in slight confusion, wondering why she would need to call an Inuzuka of all people. Noticing his perplexed state she decided to enlighten him. “He was relaying them information about the investigation from the beginning. He would know everything they had access to.”
Itachi nodded, waiting while Tsunade dialed Kiba’s number and placed it on speaker phone. She held it between the two of them.
‘Yo, chief.’ Kiba answered.
“Kiba, tell me everything that Naruto and Sasuke were working on? What they had you doing?”
‘Uhh, they were looking into the Council.’ His voice crackled over the speaker, loud and clear.
“Why?”
‘Uh, well, it was all Naruto’s idea really. He just found it strange they wouldn’t accept the theory of a serial killer despite the overwhelming evidence and thought they might have tried to cover something up, but I never really found anything. I gave them everything from our databases including everything I could find on the man who vacated his Council seat. There wasn’t much there because his files sealed and no judge will to let us search them with just a theory and no evidence. So Sasuke asked me to search old newspapers for any mention of him. The only news article I found just mentioned about the open seat and that an election was scheduled. There was nothing in it to find…’
‘Chief, this is Neji. I know the old Councilman from dealings my uncle had with him when I was younger. His name is Madara and currently the CEO of Akatsuki Corp. I helped Naruto search for information on him, though he didn’t give me the impression that he had realized anything.’
“Akatsuki? I’ve never heard of it before.”
‘Damn it!’ Kakashi swore suddenly. ‘Kisame was hired out of Akatsuki. It’s a catch-all company that doesn’t stick to just one field or demographic. They branched out, almost like a jack-of-all-trades business.’ Tsunade frowned and turned an apologetic look on the young lawyer who shook his head in understanding.
‘Is there any news on Sasuke?’ Sakura asked worriedly.
“Nothing yet, he’s still in surgery.”
‘I wish I was there, but I know that finding Naruto is more important. Sasuke wouldn’t forgive me if he knew I put him over Naruto’s safety.’
‘Ok, so there are two blackout towers near two of the locations. One is by the harbor where we know Konoha Elementary is situated and the other is just on the outskirts of town in the Maelstrom district. If I had to choose it would be the harbor. The other location doesn’t make any sense. Unless you know why Naruto would be in the old Whirlpool district?’
“Whirlpool?” Tsunade spit out.
‘Yes Chief, Iruka said there was a ramen bar that he frequented, but cell reception from his carrier is relatively decent there, so it has to be the harbor.’
“No, Shikamaru, you’re wrong. Naruto is in Whirlpool; he went home.”
‘Home, but his apartment isn’t near either of the blackout towers?’ Tenten murmured.
“I’m not talking about his apartment; I’m talking about his childhood home. The one his parents died in. That is where you’ll find him.”
‘Tenten; you, Shino, and Lee head over to the elementary just in case he is there. Temari and Sai, check out his apartment, I doubt he would go there, but we have to be certain. Sakura; you, Kiba, and I will head over to the house in Whirlpool. Shikamaru…?’
‘I’ll head over to the hospital, but I have to check one more place before that.’
‘Where would that be?’
‘Sasuke’s house; I have to be sure he didn’t go there either.’
‘Fine…’ Kakashi muttered as Tsunade hurriedly disconnected the phone when she spied the surgeon walking up to them.
“Itachi Uchiha?” She asked. “I’m the one that operated on your brother. He was shot twice; once in the shoulder and once in the abdomen. The shoulder was a through-and-through and the less serious of the two. The wound to his abdomen was a little more complicated. The bullet didn’t exit the body and lodged itself near the spinal column. It’s a tricky position for a bullet to land and even trickier to remove, but we managed to extract it without complication. There will be a bit of swelling in that area for a short time, but thankfully, there was no damage to the spinal cord or to any surrounding organs. Your brother is in recovery now. He’s not out of the woods yet, but I’m confident that he’ll make a full recovery.”
Itachi sagged with palpable relief. “Can I see him?”
“That shouldn’t be a problem.” Chiyo smiled. “He’s just through those doors. The anesthesia should be wearing off shortly. Please try not to tire him out.”
“I will not keep him long.” Itachi murmured and made his way towards the door. He paused when Chiyo spoke again.
“Tsunade.” Chiyo repeated.
“Chiyo, it’s been awhile.”
“Hmm and how has Naruto been?” She asked, her voice cracking with advanced age.
Tsunade swallowed the bad taste in her mouth, her arms crossing her abdomen tightly. It wasn’t for her comfort, but to occupy her hands from doing something she wouldn’t regret. Naruto liked Chiyo, another person he called Granny, and she didn’t like that. “He’s fine.”
Tsunade kept her reply as simple as possible refusing to inform Chiyo of is MIA status. The old bag would hold it over her for ages. A cackle of laughter burst from the short woman. “He’s fine is he? Why do I not believe you?”
“I don’t care what you believe. I said he is fine and I mean it.” Tsunade snapped.
“You better find him Tsunade or I will never forgive you.” Chiyo remarked. “That boy has suffered enough as it is.”
Beady eyes study the Chief of Police, from her darkened, weeping eyes, to her stiff posture; right down to her tightly fisted hands shaking with a mixture of anger and remorse. “I don’t need you to tell me Naruto has suffered. Unlike you I lived with him, every day, as he trudged through life barely living. You’ve seen only the tip of the mountain that I have seen. So, I will find Naruto and bring him back if it is the last thing I do.”
She pushed passed the diminutive surgeon and through the swinging double doors. Once Tsunade was out sight, Chiyo allowed herself to sag in weariness. “I do believe you will bring Naruto back, Chief Tsunade.”
~revenge~
Tsunade was halfway down the hallway before Itachi caught up to her, her eyes focusing on the man lying peacefully inside the room. He was shirtless with his abdomen and shoulder heavily bandaged, the pale skin tinged orange from the iodine. There was a nasal cannula feeding him oxygen and two IV’s, one feeding his body with painkillers, the other forcing saline into his dehydrated body. There were multiple wires measuring various functions of the injured man.
“Are you coming in Tsunade?” Itachi asked from just inside the door.
“I don’t think I should be here.”
“I think he would want you here; and we will need to explain to him why Naruto is absent.”
“Yes.” Tsunade nodded and followed Itachi through the door.
Stepping inside the room, she was able to hear the steady rhythm of the heart monitor, confirming Sasuke was in a stable condition. Itachi walked up to the bed and grabbed his brother’s hand softly in his. Relief flooded him as he looked at his younger brother’s prone form.
“We are fighters, Sasuke.” Itachi whispered to the silent room. “And you have someone to live for now; so think about him. He needs you to be ok, to be that fighter...”
A gentle knocking against the door frame interrupted his monologue. Itachi turned and watched a young nurse walk in slowly, almost hesitantly.
“The CSI’s have taken your brother’s clothing for evidence.” She whispered. “This was on his person when he was brought in, but they didn’t think it was important to their investigation. So I thought you might like to have it.”
“Yes, thank you.” Itachi murmured and reached out his hand.
The nurse dropped the small green twist tie into his up-turned palm and turned to leave. He looked at the small round object and frowned, confusion clouding his onyx eyes.
“Excuse me miss?”
“Yes?” She asked, turning around at the door.
“Can you explain this?” Itachi asked.
“I really couldn’t tell you anything about it. It was around his finger when he was brought in and, as per procedure, it was removed. I couldn’t tell you more than that.” She smiled sadly and backed away.
“Thank you. Any idea what it means?” Itachi asked turning to Tsunade as the nurse continued with her rounds.
“I don’t have a clue, Itachi.” Tsunade replied, shaking her head.
“Na…”
“Sasuke?” Itachi called desperately. He turned towards his brother, leaning in closer.
“To…”
“Sasuke?” Tsunade called gently as Sasuke opened his eyes and blinked rapidly.
“W-where’s Naruto…” He whispered softly.
~REVENGE~
I blinked rapidly. I know I heard the gun fire so why was I still standing? Shouldn’t death be more, I don’t know, painful? It took me a moment to realize that I was in fact not dead and very much among the living. I felt an odd sensation tingle through my body and wasn’t sure if I could identify it. Was I sad about being alive or happy? Maybe it was a combination of the two, whatever it was the tingling sensation was annoying.
I glared at Madara as he laughed out loud. Was this all a joke to him?
“I have no intention of killing you, Naruto. I have plans for you instead.”
Madara grabbed me tightly by the forearm, dragged me from the safety the small little house provided and into a waiting car. I refused to make it easy for him and earned a fist to the gut for my troubles. Wheezing, I was shoved, kneeling, into the back seat and next to a woman. This had to be the woman, the one that murdered those other families.
I scrambled as far away from her as I could get as she stared at me mournfully with her amber eyes. I felt someone behind me and stalled. Another man was getting into the back seat with us as Madara made his way to the driver’s side. The blue tinged man grinned showing two rows of finely sharpened teeth. I felt safer next to the woman and shifted back towards her.
“It’s nice seeing you kid.” Kisame grinned.
“What is going on?” I wheezed, clutching my abused stomach. I recognized him; I recognized this man!
“Haven’t caught up I see. Well, it’s nothing you need to concern yourself with at the moment.”
“You were outside the courthouse that day; when we dropped Itachi off. What did you do to him?!” I demanded.
When he refused to answer and continued to grin, I felt the tears run down my cheeks. Itachi was dead too. Of course he would have to be if Sasuke was…
“Are you crying?” Kisame laughed as he reached out to wipe away my tears. I flinched away like he was diseased. Like hell I would let them touch me and so intimately, too!
Madara grasped Kisame’s wrist tightly from the driver’s seat. I kneeled there in silence waiting to see what would happen in morbid fascination.
“Do not touch him!” He threatened dangerously.
Kisame smiled and pulled his hands back. “I get it, the boy is off-limits. I’ll keep my hands to myself.”
“See that you do.” Madara growled and forced the car into drive.
“Where are you taking me?” I demanded, trying not to panic as the car turned the corner and moved towards the highway.
“You don’t need to worry yourself about that, either.” Madara laughed.
“Why? What do you want from me? I don’t understand?”
“You’ll understand soon enough.”
I felt ice slip into the pit of my stomach again, fear gripping me in its steely hands. I made no move to sit in the seat, my knees bent against my chest as I sat on the floor. I could feel every bump and dip as rubber sped over blacktop, the sound of fireworks exploding overhead ever-present. But all I could think about was ‘why didn’t he kill me?’
~REVENGE~
Kakashi pulled up outside the Namikaze home with a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. It didn’t escape his notice that the front door was wide open. Drawing his gun, he exited the car quickly, Kiba and Sakura following close behind. Stepping slowly inside the house he motioned the other two to clear the ground floor as he advanced slowly up the steps and along the landing.
He searched the entire floor, until there was one room left, and found no trace of Naruto. This room was left for last for a reason. Kakashi took a deep breath and turned the knob, the door swinging open on the horror inside.
What had once been a spotless cream-colored carpet was now stained a nasty shade of brown; 16 years’ worth of exposure to air. It was a miracle Naruto came out of it with his sanity intact. Kakashi didn’t fault him one bit for not remembering.
“Clear!” Sakura yelled from below followed by Kiba’s muffled bellow of “Clear!” from the basement.
Unbidden, flashes of a picture entered Kakashi’s mind. Naruto as a seven-year old; cheeks stained red from the wounds inflicted upon him and covered from head to toe in his parent’s blood. It showed him sitting next to his parent’s lifeless bodies. It was a horrifying picture made all the more disturbing by his eyes. They reflected nothing but a soulless boy who had lost everything, including the will to live. Tsunade had to take the picture for evidence before removing him from the room. Shaking himself from the memories, Kakashi shouted, “Clear.”
“Kakashi?” Sakura muttered, coming up behind him moments later. Kakashi reached out and pulled the door shut before she had a chance to see inside. “What’s wrong?” She asked worriedly.
“Nothing’s wrong, Sakura.” He replied. “You can live without seeing those images seared in your memory.”
“Naruto’s not here.” Kiba wheezed making his way up to the landing. “But he left his phone in the office, so he was here. I checked the call log; he didn’t make any calls after talking to Chief Tsunade; not even to Sasuke. He must have felt he was safe here.”
Kakashi reached out and grabbed the shiny orange phone. The first thing he noticed was the lack of reception in the house. “‘Emergency calls only,’ Shikamaru was right.” He admitted in a whisper. “There’s no reception here, or very little.” He amended when two signal bars highlighted on the screen.
“Where do we look for Naruto now?” Sakura asked.
“Wait, are we sure that he isn’t just somewhere else; that he left for some place unknown and forgot his phone?” Kiba asked.
“Why would he leave? If he felt safe here waiting for Sasuke than he wouldn’t leave, right?”
“Maybe that’s the point. Who says he felt safe here? If he didn’t feel safe after Sasuke left him he could have decided to leave; forgetting his phone like I said before.”
“Anything is possible. He could have left on his own volition, then again, maybe not.” Kakashi replied.
“But if he was taken how would they know where to find him? How would they know he was here?” Kiba questioned, crossing his arms and shaking his head.
“We won’t know that, Kiba. Not yet anyway. What we can do is to set up roadblocks, try to catch them before they get too far.” Kakashi stated and walked towards the stairs, making the necessary orders. Kiba turned to look at the closed door.
“It happened in there?”
“Yeah, but let it be.” Sakura whispered, her eyes traveling over Kakashi’s back as he made phone call after phone call.
Kiba gave a quick nod in understanding. In truth, he had no inkling to look inside the room. “So why do you think he would return here, Sakura? I can’t see there being anything in this house that would lead him to believe that this Akatsuki guy is the culprit. And we don’t even know if he has Naruto.”
“I hope he doesn’t have Naruto, but we have to assume they do.” Sakura muttered, staring at the room next to Naruto’s. The door was slightly ajar and the bedding disturbed, unlike the rest of the house. “Kiba, what is that?” She asked and pointed to a dark spot on the bed; contrasting against the white drop clothes and linens.
Kiba stepped inside and picked it up swiftly. His fingers fumbled over the piece of jewelry, examining the symbol closely. “What the hell is this?”
“Obviously, it’s a ring.” Sakura replied, rolling her eyes. Kiba shot her a glare. “Maybe this is what Naruto made his way here for. I’m going to send a picture of it to Chief Tsunade; maybe she has an idea?” Sakura pulled out her phone and snapped a picture, sending it to the Chief before rejoining Kakashi.
“We found this.” Kiba muttered and handed him the clunky ring.
“I sent a picture to Chief Tsunade thinking that could be what brought Naruto and Sasuke here. The other room was considerably disturbed and that was lying on the bed.”
Kakashi dialed Tsunade’s number, enabling the loudspeaker. “Tsunade, we didn’t find Naruto, but we know he was here. Sakura and Kiba found something in the master bedroom and just sent a picture to you...”
‘I received it, but it was unnecessary. Sasuke just told us about the ring before you called.’
“He made it out of surgery then? Did he say if Naruto stayed here after he left or did they split up and go separate ways?”
‘No, Naruto stayed at least until Sasuke left him. I’ve sent someone to Neji’s house and to the station, they’ll notify me if he shows up at either place.’
“I don’t think he will.” Kakashi replied slowly. “When we pulled up the front door was wide open. Naruto wouldn’t be so careless no matter how much of a hurry he was in.”
‘So you think he was taken? Was there a sign of struggle?’ Tsunade asked, her voice sounding frail and tired over the phone. Kakashi slid his eyes closed for a moment, enough time to reflect on how tired he felt too.
“No signs from what I could see, but I can’t shake this feeling that something is off. With Itachi and Sasuke crossed off the list we should be finding Naruto’s body. So why didn’t he kill him here? And why did he go after him so soon?”
‘It would make more sense if you remember the way Minato and Kushina died. Remember that they were tortured for hours. It’s the only MO left that hasn’t been used. As for why now; I couldn’t hazard a guess.’
Again her voice sounded tired, and Kakashi was sure he heard it break. He could sympathize with the Chief, his gut clenching with the thought of hours of torture Naruto faced. “Then it’s imperative that we find Naruto quickly.”
‘We have until sun rise to find him; he’ll be alive until then. We’ll get the cell carrier to track his number…’Tsunade replied.
“No, we have his cellphone here. I went ahead and set up road blocks on the off-chance that Naruto was taken. It’s just a matter of waiting for them to show.”
‘Then you should make your way back here. There is nothing left in that house…” Everyone paused as a shrill ringing pierced the silence.
‘What is that?’ Itachi asked.
“Naruto’s phone…” Kakashi answered and handed his phone to Sakura, answering Naruto’s quickly and placing it on speaker phone. “Naruto...” He asked only to have his heart nearly stop when the voice on the other line wasn’t the blonde’s.
‘You can stop trying to look for him. Where he is going you can’t follow.’ The voice taunted.
“What have you done to him?” Sakura demanded, but the voice just laughed.
‘I’ve done nothing to him…yet.’
“I don’t believe you; let me talk to him?” Kakashi demanded calmly. The phone shook in his quivering hand waiting for the only voice that mattered at the moment.
‘Why not, go ahead Naruto, say hello to the Lieutenant.’
‘Kakashi?’ Naruto whimpered through the phone.
“Naruto are you ok?” He demanded, his ears straining for background noise, anything that could identify where he was or where they were taking him.
‘I’m fine.’
“He hasn’t harmed you in any way has he?”
‘No, I’m fine.’ Naruto wheezed.
“What happened; you’re wheezing? Are you hurt?”
‘My struggling wasn’t appreciated.’ Naruto groaned out a laugh as the throbbing increased in his gut.
“Do you know where he’s taking you?” Kakashi asked.
‘No, he doesn’t.’ Madara laughed.
“I will hunt you down to the ends of the earth to bring Naruto home, do you hear me? You would do well to let him go now!”
‘Your threats don’t scare me, lieutenant. I have him now and you will never see him again.’ Madara taunted again.
Kakashi snarled as the line went dead. He tried to re-dial the number, but it was sent from a blocked number. “Damn it!” he cursed and clenched the phone tightly.
‘It’s my turn to tell you to calm down, Kakashi.’ Tsunade’s voice crackled over the phone. ‘You’ve mobilized officers to cover all means of departure in and out of Konoha? I’ll contact our neighbor’s to the north; they are always willing to cooperate with us should they slip past the roadblocks. He can’t get out of Konoha without us knowing, it’s just a matter of time before they are found.’
“I wish I could be as confident about that as you.”
‘Who says I’m being confident.” Tsunade answered. “I’m scared out of my mind that I will never see Naruto again. No, I’m not confident; I’m petrified.’
“What would you like us to do now?” Sakura murmured, hugging herself tightly. She was afraid if she let go that she would fall apart at the seams.
‘Make your way to the hospital for now. There is nothing more we can do but wait.’
~REVENGE~
Tsunade hung up the phone with a snap. She felt queasy to the stomach at the thought of Naruto being at the mercy of that man. A feeling of helplessness paralyzed her, and she knew she was barely hanging on and it was only from the strict discipline learned at the academy that kept her from breaking down every second her grandson was gone.
~revenge~
I watched the Chief through a pain induced fog, feeling like I was weighted down. She was barely holding it together and I felt my heartbeat speed up with the revelation. Chief Tsunade was supposed to be the calm one; the one in complete control; the one that never let anything or anyone interfere with what needed done. So why wasn’t she in control now? I needed her in control; so that Naruto would be returned to us safely. Damn it, why had I let myself fall for him? It was all Naruto’s fault for making us love him so deeply!
I watched her honey brown eyes shoot up watching my heart race across the monitor. I wouldn’t lose the dobe to some psycho. I still had to marry him, damn it! I grit my teeth and shifted uncomfortably on the hospital bed trying to get comfortable, but with every minute Naruto wasn’t by my side the more agitated I became. I needed to get out of here and search for the dobe myself.
Why didn’t I send him to the station when I left him? Where was my head? What was I truly thinking? I know; I wasn’t thinking at all! I made so many mistakes from the beginning and now I was getting what I deserved, but Naruto didn’t deserve this. Why did they have to take him?
“Sasuke, please calm down. Do you want the nurses to have to administer a sedative?” Itachi said softly.
“Don’t tell me what to do!” I spat. “The only reason I’m tolerating you now is because of Naruto. If I had my way you wouldn’t even be my brother!”
Itachi didn’t look fazed by my outburst; in fact he looked like he was expecting something like this. Like I cared what he expected. I hated him and nothing he said would change that.
“Hmm, so Naruto told you about my involvement with his assault? But did he tell you everything?” Itachi asked quietly; calmly.
I offered Itachi my best glare, wanting to flip him off. But my arms felt like lead and every little movement caused pain to ripple through my battered body.
He took a seat in the chair next to my bed and stared at me. I stared back, in complete silence, trying to kill my brother with sheer looks alone. If Itachi had been a lesser man I might have succeeded. Curse the Uchiha in us! “I will take that as a no. Then let me be the one to enlighten you. I was a junior DA then, but that is no excuse and I am not out to make excuses. I take full responsibility for my foolish actions.”
“Hn…”
“I was friends with Kabuto Yakushi, having gone to the same middle school for two years before he transferred. I was not aware at first that he was accused of physical assault and attempted rape when the then DA assigned me to the case. I interviewed Kabuto first, shocked to find him in an interrogation room. I listened to his account and found myself believing his words without ever once looking at the damage he caused Naruto. The police report and the doctor’s report went unread, the pictures overlooked by my normally keen eye. I based my assumptions on Kabuto’s statement alone and set out to prove Naruto wrong, because in my mind, he was still that friend from school…I did not want to believe he was capable of the violence Naruto was accusing him of. I foolishly believed I was sticking by a friend against a false accusation.
“So I convinced myself that Naruto was lying; that he was striking out to gain some attention. I had my first misgivings when I saw him sitting in a chair at the police station. He looked like he was ready to crumble at the slightest touch and his eyes… They still haunt me to this day. They were soulless, reflecting nothing but hurt and pain. But I continued to stand by my friend.
“I ignored the bruises that littered his arms and face and approached him with a cold and harsh attitude. I made him feel worthless, trying to force him to drop the charges. I made him believe men were not victims, that they were not the ones assaulted. In the end I was unable to change his mind. It felt like I was letting my friend down.
“Then something happened that changed my mind completely. You see, Kabuto’s father was a judge with many friends on the bench and his best friend just happened to be the District Attorney. Clearly, strings were pulled and charges dropped. I realized in that moment that Kabuto was truly guilty and that he had just gotten away with a serious crime.
“You cannot imagine the guilt
I carry over this. I stood by and watched Kabuto get away with it, allowed the justice system to fail an innocent boy as I did nothing to stop it. So I resolved never to allow such a miscarriage of justice to occur again. I have worked tirelessly to see that it never happens on my watch again.”
“That’s impossible.” I growled. I didn’t want to believe his words. I wanted to stay angry at him even though I promised Naruto that I wouldn’t.
“It may be impossible little brother, but I owe it to Naruto always to try, never to give up.”
“You owe it to him?” I spat. “It’s a mystery to me how he can even tolerate being in the same room with you!”
I was aware of going against the promise I made Naruto and this wasn’t even close to working things out with Itachi, but it felt nice to release some of the anger and hurt clouding my judgment. I was furious; furious at my brother, furious at Naruto for disappearing on me, furious that I wasn’t there to protect him, furious that I was so stupid, furious that I was shot…I was furious at myself! This was my fault!
“I do not understand his reasoning either Sasuke.” Itachi responded. “If anyone should hate me it would be Naruto.”
Silence filtered through my room, Itachi sitting in his chair looking like a broken and defeated man, Tsunade leaning against the wall with her arms crossed and oddly minding her business. Didn’t she have anything to say about this?
“I never expected his forgiveness, Sasuke and I never went looking for it.” Itachi started again. “But, I happened to cross Naruto’s path in his final year of college. He was attending the same campus I was guest speaking at for the DA’s office, trying to earn votes for Yamato’s campaign.
“There was no shock, no attempt to run and hide from me. Naruto talked to me calmly, like I never wronged him in any way. I thought that, possibly, he did not recognize me at first; but then he called me by my name. I said before that I carry my guilt with me every day, and that day was no exception. A day has not gone by that I do not think about how the justice system failed. It hung between us, unspoken; but then Naruto did something I never thought he would.
“He told me he forgave me a long time ago and that I should forgive myself. He understood the pull of friendship, what that does to a person, and he never held it against me. You cannot understand how that lightened the burden on my shoulders. I felt this overwhelming sense to help him, to fix some of the wrongs committed against him…all because he found room in his heart to forgive me.
“So I have been secretly working on Naruto’s case trying to find something that I could charge Kabuto with; and I found something. Even though the Statute of Limitations expired for Naruto, I discovered there were more victims. I convinced them to file charges against Kabuto and early today he was finally convicted for his crimes.
“Really?” I asked quietly. Did he really convict Kabuto?
“Yes, Kabuto is in prison as we speak.”
A feeling of weightlessness overwhelmed me knowing that Kabuto was where he belonged, that he was finally paying for his actions. I wanted to tell Naruto, to see his reaction. Would there be happiness or a sense of peace? Would he show any reaction at all?
“There is still some time before sentencing, but he will be in prison for many years and far away from Naruto. Undoubtedly, Kabuto will receive the royal treatment upon arrival. His father is responsible for putting away half the prison population.” Itachi remarked.
Something in my memory burst to the surface, something I needed to know the answer for. “You told me to treat him well?” I whispered.
Itachi’s lip quirked; showing a shadow of a smile. “You have to understand how much I respect Naruto. He wants you; I could see it plain as day. It is the same look you have every time his name is mentioned. He deserves to have the very best and he believes that is you. Do you agree; little brother?”
“You think I’m not good enough for him?” I demanded. Here I was just beginning to forgive him and he had to imply that I was no good for Naruto!
“Uchiha’s are…We do not…He loves you and that is all that matters.” Itachi admitted.
“That doesn’t answer my question.” I snapped, far from forgiving him now.
“That is not an answer I can give you. Naruto believes you are good enough for him and only Naruto knows what he wants.”
“Well, he wants me!” I stated matter-of-factly, just in case Itachi didn’t know it.
“That’s the spirit, Sasuke.” Kakashi agreed, walking into my room. But where his usual smirk would be hidden beneath his turtleneck, there was nothing but a neutral expression. It drove home that fact that Naruto was missing, not that his presence wasn’t missed.
“Hn.” I replied, but it lacked my usual Uchiha vigor.
“I’m glad you’re ok!” Sakura cried and rushed to give me hug. She was mindful of my open wounds as she wrapped herself gently around my neck with a small peck to the cheek.
“Thanks Sakura.”
“Did we hear anything back on the road block?” Shikaku asked. He shot me a curt nod that I took to mean he was happy I was alive.
“Not a word.” Tsunade replied, her head turning towards the door as more people filed in.
Shikamaru walked over to the window, leaning against the safety bar and looking bored with the world. Really, I thought this would be more than enough excitement for him. Kiba stopped in the door way, trying to make himself smaller when Neji and Gaara walked in behind him. Iruka followed, which made me happy for some reason, and hugged Kakashi’s side. And then there was Temari, who made her way to Shikamaru’s side, and Sai, who was being amazingly quiet for once. Maybe it was the deadly glare Temari was shooting him? Or maybe something was finally getting to him?
“You don’t think they could have slipped by?” Sakura asked from her perch on the end of my bed.
“I don’t want to think about that yet.” Tsunade replied truthfully, taking a seat across from her, biting at her thumbnail. “Besides, it’s still too early to tell.”
“We don’t know how much of a lead they have on us. They could have easily bypassed the roadblocks before they were even set up. And let’s not forget that this is Founding Day. Our officers are already stretched thin policing the celebrations.” Shikamaru replied, Shikaku nodding his agreement.
“I know that.” Tsunade whispered.
“Why do think he took Naruto?” Temari asked, leaning against Shikamaru for comfort. “I mean, he couldn’t have known we were heading to the Namikaze house…”
“He could have anticipated our arrival in advance and prepared to take Naruto with him from the beginning. No doubt he has planned every detail out and how to navigate around unforeseen obstacles. I have a feeling there wasn’t much we could have done to keep him from getting to Naruto, short of killing Naruto ourselves.” Shikamaru remarked.
“Don’t say that!” Temari shrieked, pulling away from his side.
“It’s true though.” I whispered. “That would be the only way…”
“So his goal all along was to get to Naruto?” Temari demanded of the silent room.
“Of course, Naruto was the last child of his parental victims.” Itachi responded.
“There was something else.” I started. “He said something about the other’s not being his true targets. I have a feeling that my family and the dobe’s were the real targets from the beginning and…”
“The other families were murdered to conceal that fact.” Sakura finished.
I gave a nod of agreement and hissed a second later when my shoulder gave a nasty throb, burning as if it was on fire. I pushed the button to my morphine drip, releasing the small amount of medication that was safe for my body, but it really didn’t do much to alleviate my pain.
“How did you know?” Kiba asked me accusingly. “I spent all that time looking for you for nothing.”
“It wasn’t for nothing considering Naruto was right. He was on the Council…”
“So, how much do you believe they know about this?” Temari asked turning to Shikaku. “Do you really believe the Council would cover for a murderer?”
“I don’t know the extent of their involvement, but Daimyô wouldn’t have been involved with any of it. I will vouch for him.” Shikaku drawled. “And you have my word; I knew nothing about Madara.”
“We’re not accusing you, Shikaku.” Tsunade stated. “I don’t believe your conscience would allow you to cover for a murderer and I don’t believe your wife would either.”
“No, she wouldn’t.” Shikaku admitted.
“How did you know where to find him, Sasuke? When Chief Tsunade was able to talk to Naruto, he said that you went after him.” Sakura asked.
“He called me.” I answered and turned to stare at Chief Tsunade. “He was right under our noses the entire time, looking down on us from the Konoha Garden Tower.”
“Are you serious?” Tsunade asked. Anger colored her cheeks as she pulled her phone out and ordered all available officers on scene.
“You can’t believe they would go back there do you?” I asked.
“They don’t know that you or Itachi are alive. They may, believing it a safe haven…” She paused and put out a new order for plain clothes officers only. They were to go door-to-door and inform her immediately if Naruto was spotted.
“So how did you sneak out?” Iruka asked. He was furious and I didn’t suppress the shiver that ran down my spine. Yes, I, Sasuke Uchiha, was afraid of Iruka Umino. I could deal with Chief Tsunade, I could even deal with Sakura, but Iruka was scary.
“It wasn’t easy, but I managed to be as quiet as possible. I guess because it was for Naruto I was able to pull it off.”
“It was reckless…” Iruka snapped, but was interrupted by Sakura. I silently sent her a thousand thank you’s for saving me from a verbal lashing of epic proportions.
“Naruto called you, but why?” Sakura asked, eyeing the steaming Iruka wearily.
“It was the Akatsuki Organization symbol. Naruto recognized it when he researched Madara’s name at Neji’s. He remembered…”
Iruka gasped. “He remembered?”
I gave a short nod, mindful of my shoulder wound. “The dobe remembered his Mom and Dad fighting. He remembered picking up the ring, too, and hiding it in his room.”
“Naruto went in there?” Tsunade demanded. She looked shocked, angry, and sad all at once.
“Yeah, that’s why he called me.” I muttered, frowning in disapproval.
“You didn’t want him going in there?” She asked, eyeing me closely.
“No, I didn’t want him to, but he insisted. I made damn sure he wasn’t in there longer than he had to be. We got in and we got out.”
“And you spent all day where?”
I should have known that the conversation would be turned towards this. She couldn’t let it go!
“Do you think now is the time for this?” I demanded. “He wanted me to look at this ring, to see if I recognized it. And I did; Madara was wearing it that day, arguing with Mom and Father.”
“I have no recollection of this.” Itachi replied, the lines of his face drawn longer with his frown.
“You were still in school and I was home with a fever that day.”
“Why didn’t you bring this to me when you discovered it?” Tsunade demanded.
“Why,” I whispered recalling the day’s events. “That’s a decent question, but I don’t know why.” My response didn’t seem to mollify anyone, it didn’t mollify me either.
“I think I would have…if it wasn’t for the phone call. Madara called my phone and told me where to meet him. I don’t know what I was thinking.” I whispered again.
“You weren’t thinking; that’s what!” Tsunade spat.
“You don’t have to tell me that I screwed up! I know that very well. If you haven’t noticed I’ve been shot twice and Naruto taken!” I fumed, trying to calm down. I didn’t need the nurses to come in and drug me; I needed to be alert. The pain helped with that though.
“I should have listened to Naruto when he told me to call you after Madara baited me, but I wanted this over with. I never dreamed he would know where Naruto was or I never would have left him there alone.” With a growl I rubbed my palms into my eyes hiding my furious tears. It was then that I noticed the ring was gone; Naruto’s ring. My stomach dropped and my heart skipped a beat, where was it!
~REVENGE~
I was confused. I found my world literally flipped upside down and too quickly to comprehend it all. We drove for a considerable length of time before pulling to a stop in a small, square underground parking garage, once again bypassing the flashing lights that seemed to have popped up on every corner. It was a game to him, to weave around the city and around the roadblocks set up to prevent, to what I could only hope was, our passing. This guy was too good and I felt fear choke me.
Madara swiftly exited the car, Kisame following closely behind him. The woman briefly remained seated next to me before unbuckling and exiting too. I was left alone in the car for a moment before Kisame reached back inside and hauled me closer to him. But I was having none of that.
I started struggling against his grip; kicking, scratching, and even biting any part I could make contact with. I’d be damned if I was going anywhere further with them; not if I had anything to say about it!
Kisame growled as he took my well-aimed kick to the gut. He released my arm and clutched his abdomen in pain. I seized my chance and set off in a hurry, trying to find an escape. Madara chuckled behind me.
“You won’t find any exits, Naruto.” He called out, taunting and mocking.
I realized soon enough that his words rang true. The only way out was an elevator and it required a key to operate, a key that I didn’t have. I growled in frustration and pounded on the closed elevator door in anger and despair as Kisame and Madara strode up behind me. The woman stared on passively.
I was turned roughly to face them as Kisame bound my hands with little struggle. Not that I had a choice when a gun was pointed right at me? It seemed stupid that they would threaten to shoot me when Madara said he had no intention of killing me. Still, I didn’t like the idea of a bullet hole to tend with when I had to deal with these psychopaths.
“Why do you force my hand like this, Naruto? I would rather not have to use such tactics against you, but I will if it forces your compliance.”
“That’s a good look on you kid.” Kisame laughed, staring at my murderous glare. Madara forced the key into the elevator, opening the doors, and walked inside. I was pushed inside and toppled over; landing with a thud on the floor.
“Is that how we treat a guest, Kisame?” Madara’s voice grew low, taking on a hard edge.
“It’s just a little pay back for the kick to my gut.” Kisame grinned.
The elevator closed with a sickening snap behind us and slowly ascended upwards. I didn’t like the feeling of being trapped inside a rectangular box with murderous people.
“See that you treat him with respect from now on.” It was a subtle warning and not one to take lightly.
“Will do boss.” He grinned.
The elevator dinged all too soon to signal we had reached our destination. Dread settled into the pit of my stomach as the doors slid open to reveal two men standing, waiting. Madara moved passed them, not bothering to see if they turned and followed him down the hall. He knew they would.
Kisame bent down and tossed me over his shoulders like a sack of potatoes. And this was how I currently found myself, being hauled around over his shoulders like some weakling that couldn’t walk on his own two feet.
I resented the fact that I was being treated like an invalid or some stereotypical weak woman out of those black and white movies. I resented the fact that I was going to play into the stereotype by kicking and screaming like one too, but hell I had to try something. Maybe if I made a lot of noise that would attract attention. And that attention could only help me, right?
I took in a deep breath and yelled at the top of my lungs, “Let me down you jerk! I’m not some woman or sack of potatoes that you can haul around wherever you like. Put me down!”
“Are you sure you’re not a woman? You certainly act like one the way you’re flailing around.”
“You bastard! Do I look like a female to you?”
“No, but with the right touches you could easily pass as one. You’d be a looker too.” He laughed.
“Bastard, take it back! And another thing: I will not be manhandled by the likes of you!”
“Do you ever shut up?” Kisame groused.
“No, so get used to it! Now let me down already!” I yelled, trying to bring my heel back on his forehead. Unfortunately I missed.
“Yes, let’s put him down. You can place him over there Kisame and be sure to tie him down securely; we don’t want him running around wreaking havoc.”
Kisame was quick to comply, dropping me down on a plush bed and securing me tightly to the cast iron head-board. What the fuck was a bed doing here?
“It is pointless to continue with your struggling Naruto.” Madara laughed, taking a seat and facing me.
Kisame took up position behind Madara, like a personal body-guard. The other two guys stood on either side of the door as the woman pushed the door shut behind her and stepped over to a minibar. She poured a drink and handed it to Madara as he sat staring. He was leering at me and it made the hairs on my arms and neck stand on end. I scooted towards the head-board and as far away from them as I could physically get. The woman sat down next to me and offered me a glass.
“Would you like a drink?” She asked kindly.
There was a sad look in her eyes and I found myself accepting immediately. She placed the cup in my hands and I was able to tip it my lips even though they were bound. I drank it in one go, savoring the taste of water on my lips. “Would you like some more?”
I shook my head as she removed the cup, placing on the side table. “What do you want with me?”
“I thought that would be obvious to you, Naruto.” Madara chuckled, resting on his elbow, his fingers curled around the contours of his cheek.
I narrowed my eyes and spat, “Do I look like a fucking mind reader to you?”
My answer was another deep chuckle from Madara. He was amused by me, by my entire situation. “If you were, you no doubt wouldn’t be in the predicament you find yourself in now.”
“You fucking bastard!” I snapped.
“Kisame.” Madara ordered softly. He wouldn’t look away, staring at me like a piece of meat with his eyes that resembled Sasuke’s. Oh, god, I didn’t want to think about Sasuke.
Kisame made his way over to the minibar, bypassing the woman now sporting a fearful look, and pulled out a vial and syringe. He shoved the needle into the bottle and forced out the air before tipping the bottle upside down and pulling the plunger back out, filling it with a clear liquid.
I gulped, watching Kisame loom over me. He pinned me down, dodging my attempt to kick him. There was no way in hell he was going to put that in my arm! I didn’t even know what it was!
“Don’t come near me with that thing! Stay away!” I yelled, struggling, but Kisame was stronger and not restricted by ropes.
He grabbed my upper arm tightly and plunged the needle into my skin. The sedative released into my bloodstream and immediately began taking effect. I felt heavy, unable to move, though I was still wide awake. It was the singularly, most horrific feeling in the world to be completely cognizant, but unable to move your body. They could do anything to me and I would be unable to fend them off…
