Burned
Chapter 5: Burned
Day 3 -
Sasuke left the Forbidden Forest with Neji and Sakura after everyone had eaten a breakfast of the normal ration bars everyone used on missions, water, and a very nice deer Tenten killed for them. Sasuke was as ready as he would ever be for the mission that would restore him or ruin him.
It had been decided that the best place to take the boy would be as far from the school as possible and that was the groundskeeper's home. The others waited in the forest. There wasn't any point in bringing everyone into the open. Even three people were too many for a simple kidnapping, in Sasuke's opinion.
They hid behind the groundkeeper's house. It was not exactly large, nor was it small. It was round, built of stone, with a thatched roof and a chimney puffing out gray smoke. Though it was winter, Sasuke could clearly see the furrows in the ground where a garden would be planted in the growing season. There were pens for animals set up on one side of the little house. A wide path had been shoveled from the door of the little house up to the school - a long, winding walkway with an inch of snow built up on it.
"You're sure he's coming today?" Neji whispered. He squatted beside Sasuke next to the stone house. On Sasuke's other side, Sakura leaned slightly to the left so she could see around the house. Neji snorted and reached over Sasuke to lightly slap Sakura's shoulder. "Don't do that. You'll be seen. I'll do it." He activated his byakyugan and stared at the stone house with those remarkable eyes that let him see through the building.
There was a moment's silence while they waited for Neji's report, but Sasuke - for the time being - wasn't interested in the boy they were about to kidnap. He glared at Neji.
"You have a problem?" Neji asked. It was easy to forget that with the byakyugan Neji could see everything in all directions. He could see Sasuke's expression without looking at him.
"Don't hit Sakura."
Sakura tugged on Sasuke's sleeve. "He didn't hurt me. It was barely a touch. Don’t worry about it."
But barely a touch was all Neji needed to kill. With the Hyuuga's fearsome fighting style, all Neji had to do was graze a fingertip against his enemy's skin and they would be helpless. "Don't touch Sakura," Sasuke repeated. "Well? Is he there, yet? I don't hear any footsteps."
"Not yet." Neji let his eyes turn back to their normal state. "He may not come."
"He'll come. He's a creature of habit and his habits include morning visits to the groundskeeper, Rubeus Hagrid." Sasuke stood and leaned over Sakura to look towards the school. Despite what Neji thought, Sasuke and Sakura were both well-trained enough not to be caught. A simple look would do no harm. They were only just able to see the front door of the little house.
The door of the little house opened and the groundskeeper stomped out. He was huge. Even after seeing him several times, Sasuke was awed by the sheer size of the man. His hands were so big that he looked as if he could crush a horse with his bare hands. Even with heavy layers of leather and wool to shield him from the winter cold, Sasuke could tell that the man was a solid wall of muscle. He carried a shovel that would have been impossible for anyone else to use. It looked as if it had been built just for him.
Sakura, peeking around the corner with Sasuke, stiffened at the sight of the groundskeeper. He was a shocking sight.
They watched silently while he worked on clearing the small build up of snow from around his doorstep then lean the shovel against his home. He smiled, satisfied with what he'd done, then lumbered towards the school, humming happily as he went.
When he was out of sight, Sakura relaxed. "No matter how many times I've seen him, that man is still incredible!" A smile broke out on her face. "I wonder how he is in a fight."
"Clumsy," Neji told her. "He's too big to move properly. He'd be too slow in a fight."
"That's what people say about Choji," Sakura reminded him. She pulled back to their hiding place and, again, they all crouched down together, waiting. "But he's pretty good, if you ask me. Not to mention Choji’s father."
Neji shrugged. Choji wasn't in Neji's league and everyone knew it. "Trust me. That Hagrid isn't a fighter. He's not trained."
A short while later, they all heard the soft crunching of snow at the same time and fell silent. Neji activated the byakyugan and looked though the house. "He's coming."
Sasuke swallowed hard. It shouldn’t have been a difficult mission. There was no reason at all to worry, but Sasuke worried regardless. Failure for a shinobi was to be avoided at all costs, but the knowledge of what it would mean if he were to fail this particular mission made Sasuke’s stomach feel as if it had been tied in a knot. ‘But I won't fail. I won't. I'll show them I've changed. I'll prove they can trust me.’ More than that, he would prove that his Cell and Iruka-sensei weren't wrong. If he DID fail, they would look like fools before the village because they'd believed in him. Perhaps the Hokage wouldn't give Cell 7 important missions. Perhaps Iruka-sensei wouldn't be trusted as he'd always been. ‘They aren't wasting their faith. I won't make the same mistakes again. I'll prove they can trust me.’
Sasuke and Sakura, unable to see like Neji, leapt up and landed on the roof of the groundskeeper's home to get a better view of the boy. They crawled on their bellies until they could see over the peak of the roof where they could watch the boy's approach. He walked slowly with his shoulders hunched and his robe wrapped tightly around himself. He carried a plain satchel with a long strap over his shoulder.
"He's injured," Sakura said with a little frown. "He's got a limp. What happened?"
"A school yard fight," Sasuke answered. "Three-on-one and he took the worst of it. He was in the infirmary the last time I checked on him. While he pretended to sleep they burned his foot." He’d thought it strange at the time. Why would the boy's attackers go to so much effort and then just leave an enemy alive? Torture? It seemed the most likely reason and it made Sasuke think less of the students at Hogwarts. Torture was nothing but unnecessary cruelty. Unless, of course, it was part of the job. There were some shinobi who were artists when it came to torture and took great pride in it.
More odd still, why had the boy pretended to sleep while he'd been burned? Sasuke had been sure that he'd been awake.
The boy went directly to the stone house where he waited patiently at the door, his arms wrapped around himself while he frowned at his feet. The sunlight on the snow seemed all the brighter when looking at the boy dressed all in black.
Sasuke moved forward, bracing himself against the thatching of the roof. It would have been simple to jump down and seize the boy. Sakura stopped him with a hand on his arm. When he looked at her questioningly, she pointed down the path where the groundskeeper was coming back to his home. The groundskeeper smiled brightly at the boy.
"Didn't have to wait for me," the groundskeeper laughed. "It's not locked."
"That would hardly be polite. Don't normal people wait to be invited in?"
"I guess. You're welcomed here. You know that, right?"
They went in together and the door was closed behind them.
Sasuke and Sakura slid down the roof and back down onto the ground, landing silently next to Neji. They all squatted down, sitting on their heels.
"We wait." Sakura leaned her back against the house, balancing on her feet with her arms wrapped around her knees. "We don't want any witnesses. We can wait. He's a loner. We'll catch him alone sooner or later."
The chance came just a few minutes later, in fact. The groundskeeper left his home, walking briskly towards the school. He didn’t quite run, but he wasn’t wasting any time, either.
"Now. Let’s go," Sakura whispered, pushing herself to her feet. There was a window directly above where they hid, but they wouldn't try it. "No need to frighten him. We'll just walk in. It'll make him feel more at ease."
They entered the house with Sakura at the lead and Neji bringing up the rear.
The boy sat in a chair by a fire. Obviously, everything in the house was built to suit the huge groundskeeper. This boy’s left foot was bare and set up on a footstool. They could all easily see the white, swollen burn in the middle of the sole of his foot. His schoolbag sat on his lap and a plate of food rested on a large table next to the chair. The moment they entered, he looked up at them sharply with suspicious black eyes. His long, bony hands tightened on the arms of the chair he sat in. "What are you doing here?"
There was a low, menacing growl from a gray-muzzled old dog. It had been sitting by the boy's feet, but now stood with a lowered head and its teeth bared. Old it might be, but it had an attitude that would have done any of Kakashi-sensei's hounds proud. The dog lashed its tail back and forth, warily eyeing the intruders.
The boy absently reached down and touched the dog's head. "Hush, Ol' Man. Hush.” The dog quieted and lay down, again. The boy then said to Sasuke, Sakura, and Neji, “You'd better go. He doesn't like strangers."
"We came to see you," Sakura told him, brightly. She smiled sweetly and breezed into the one room house with a light step, completely ignoring the dog. Sasuke couldn't manage her light-hearted attitude so easily and slid himself into the darker shadows around the perimeter of the room. Neji, still and silent as ever, stood near the doorway and kept his eyes focused on the outside. Sakura asked, "Are you planning to go away for the holiday?"
"For Christmas break? No. I'll stay here." He frowned at her and grabbed his boot, pulling it on as quickly as he could, despite the burn. "Why? Who are you?" While he spoke, the boy kept looking at the door where Neji stood as if hoping for an escape.
Sakura sat down in a chair opposite of the boy and crossed one leg over the other. "We aren't here to hurt you so you can stop looking so bleak. There's nothing to worry about. You can call me Sakura."
The boy's eyes darted again to Neji and his whole posture screamed of wariness, of fear. The boy did well to hide it, but not well enough to hide it from a shinobi. The caution was sensible. Even without his all-seeing eyes, Neji was an intimidating character. Strange that the boy also tensed when he glanced at Sasuke. He wasn't menacing, not like Neji.
"That's Neji," Sakura said when she saw where the boy was looking. "He'll tell us if anyone's coming to interrupt us."
"You don't have to tell him everything," Sasuke muttered, irritably. He knew why Sakura had taken the lead. She was the friendliest out of their lot and, being so, was better able to put the boy at ease. However, Sasuke had always believed in keeping some things secret and he feared that Sakura, in an effort to relax the boy, would say too much.
"It's only good manners. Lies are useless and unproductive at this stage." The smile never left her face. "That grump is Sasuke, in case you're wondering. He’s a friend of mine. And what's your name?" It was just another ploy to relax him. Sakura already knew his name. Sasuke had told her as soon as he’d found out.
The boy shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "I’m Severus Snape. Does Mister Hagrid know you're here?"
"No. We need you, Snape-san. You see…"
"Incoming," Neji muttered.
Sakura frowned. "Out, then."
She was entirely right. While they could probably have taken Snape-san without incident, there was a chance of being seen and there was very little likelihood that Sasuke could turn himself into Snape-san before the groundskeeper walked in. It would have to wait. Sasuke pressed his hands together and transported himself a short distance to behind the cabin.
Neji joined him seconds later. "It's three of the four boys you reported earlier."
Sasuke nodded, but steeled himself. Sakura was still inside the groundskeeper's house. Those boys had little in the way of restraint and were therefore dangerous. Sasuke pressed his ear to the wall. He used the tips of his fingers to open the window a crack, just enough to hear Sakura's voice.
"Don't breathe a word about us," Sakura said softly and Sasuke could imagine her holding up a finger against her lips. "It's a secret."
She appeared next to Sasuke an instant later with only a small puff of smoke. The three of them crouched close to the window and listened carefully. Sasuke, as he'd been closely watching Snape-san for the past week, recognized the first voice to speak. Sirius Black - school bully.
The dog, Ol' Man, was growling just as menacingly as he had when the shinobi had walked in. The only difference was that Snape-san didn't try to hush him.
"Well, what have we here? Snively, did you come by to harass Hagrid? Or was he the only one who could stand to be near you? You sure smell like an animal." He stomped gracelessly into the little house and his voice oozed contempt. "Oh, breakfast? Too good to eat with us commoners, are you?"
When Snape-san spoke it was sharp and biting - his usual tone for Black-san. "If you're so bored, why don't you go play with the whooping willow? It's great fun. Better still, go tease Malfoy about his hair." Sasuke could practically hear Snape-san grinning. "Do tell me when and where you'll do it, though. I'd give my left foot to see that."
"You know, you're not one to be teasing other people about their hair. At least Malfoy keeps his washed. I think I'll tell Hagrid you're lurking around eating all his food." Just from listening, Sasuke could hear two others walk into the room behind Sirius Black. "I don't think he'd appreciate you dripping your grease everywhere."
"I was invited here, unlike some trespassers," Snape-san answered. "I'll have to tell Mister Hagrid he should set up some security spells to keep unwanted mongrels out of his home. At least Ol' Man only drools and bites. Merlin only knows what some mutts would do when let loose in a person's home. Soil the carpet, most likely."
Sasuke had yet to figure out what all these jabs about dogs were about. What was said wasn't exactly insults, as Sasuke heard it, but the tones were definitely insulting. If Snape-san's tongue weren't so sharp, perhaps Sasuke would have had an easier time with the mission. Sasuke preferred to ignore whoever was irritating him and just walk away. Being ignored was often the worst thing that could be done to a person. Sirius Black was the type of person who would be infuriated to be ignored.
They heard the front door open again and Hagrid-san's booming voice, "And what would you lot be doing here? Don't recall having given out invitations to breakfast. Off with you now before you get yourselves into mischief."
"We were just coming for a visit, Hagrid," one of the other boys, James Potter, said, charmingly. "We haven't seen a lot of you lately and thought you might be lonely. I can see we were wrong. We'll just head back and let you get on with whatever you were doing. Come on, Siri. Pete."
There was silence for a moment until the heavy door closed again. "Isn't that odd? They haven't come visiting since their first year and then they were only curious, like all the little ones are. Well, never mind. I've got something from Madam Ratian that should clear up that burn on your foot." Hagrid stomped heavily across the room and stopped near the window. "She said this should clear it up just fine, but wanted me to give you a talkin' to about skipping out when she's not looking. She wanted to give you another once over. Here, what's that look for?"
There was a moment of long, tense silence. If Snape-san told the groundskeeper about their visit, it would complicate matters. Not too badly, but badly enough. Sasuke would have told. He wouldn't have hesitated to tell his superior about suspicious characters invading his home. In fact, if he'd found someone prowling around Iruka-sensei's home, he would have killed the intruder before he reported it.
"Lad?" Hagrid-san asked, sounding concerned. "Is there something wrong?"
"Do you have a backdoor?"
Sakura whispered to Sasuke, her breath warm on his ear, "He didn't see any of us leave. He saw the smoke, but that was it. He must think we just vanished."
"Wizards can do that," Neji added. "It's called apparition, I believe."
Hagrid-san laughed at Snape-san's question. It was a loud, bellowing sound that showed how terrible Hagrid-san's voice might have been if he weren't quite so good-natured. "You've been visiting me for two years, lad. Right since that first day of your first year. You know I've only got one door. Now, get your foot up on the stool. Why did you put that boot back on? You'll do yourself no favors if you don't rest yourself. Madam Ratian said you could skip classes if it's bothering you too much."
Snape-san answered quickly, "I'll be fine. I don't think that'll work, though."
"No?"
Snape-san snorted. "Madam Ratian keeps outdated salves. What I make is fresher and, therefore, better. I've already tried my own mix on the wound and it didn't work. In fact, it hurt more. It'll just have to heal on its own."
"Well, there you are!" Hagrid-san said, cheerfully. "Of course it hurt. Gotta hurt to know it's working."
Severus scowled and jerked his foot away from Hagrid's hand. "Your logic is flawed. I don't want it."
Hagrid sighed and sat back on his haunches. "What can I do, lad? I want to help."
There was silence for a long time in the hut. "Thank you."
"For what?"
"Never mind. I should go to class."
"You haven't eaten, yet. You love eggs."
"I'm not really that hungry. Thank you." They heard Snape-san's slow, limping walk move across the house. The door opened then softly closed.
"He's outside," Neji whispered. "The groundskeeper is not following." The veins around his eyes pulsed. "Hagrid-san is sitting on a large chair with his head in his hands. He doesn't look as if he's going anywhere."
Sakura nodded, sharply. "Let's go."
Snape-san hadn't gone far. When the three shinobi moved around the cabin, Snape-san was only about ten yards from the front steps. Sakura sped up her steps until she was right behind Snape-san and lightly touched his elbow. "Hi."
The reaction was almost violent. He spun sharply around and glared, his black eyes glittered angrily and one hand had slipped into the folds of his dark robes. From the way his arm tensed, Sasuke knew the boy had found something in there and was gripping it. A wand, most likely.
Snape-san realized, belatedly, who it was and his stance relaxed, somewhat. "You again?"
"Yup. Me, again."
Despite her effort in being friendly and her hands clearly being empty of weapons, Snape-san backed away from Sakura. His eyes flickered away from her to Sasuke, then to Neji, then back to Sakura. He focused on her, apparently deciding that she was the leader. "What do you want?"
"You. It's time to go on a little trip."
Snape-san's eyes darted behind them, towards the groundskeeper's home.
"He won't come," Neji said. The veins around his eyes were protruding, pulsing again. Snape-san recoiled a step when he saw the Hyuuga byakugan. "That man is clearing away the dishes from your breakfast. He paused to pat his dog. Now he's started to mop up slush that you and those other boys tracked into his house." The veins around Neji's eyes became normal and he focused on Snape-san instead of what was happening inside the little stone house. "You see? It's no good hoping for a rescue. You will come with us."
"I really haven't the time. Excuse me, I'm late for class."
Sakura shook her head. "I'm sorry, but you have no choice." Sakura lurched forward quickly and seized Snape-san by his skinny shoulders. She yanked him hard enough to pull him off his feet, but it was Sasuke who caught him and held him until Neji tapped the spot on the back of the neck that left Snape-san insensible.
The boy slumped at once. He never even had time to yell. Sasuke carefully lifted Snape-san onto his shoulder to carry him and the three of them made for the forest as quickly as they could. Students would start coming out of the school before long and there was always a chance that the groundskeeper would leave his house and spot them.
They ran until they reached their camp where the rest of the Cells were waiting for them. It was no trouble for Sasuke to carry Snape-san. The boy was lighter than any girl of Konohagakure.
They took Snape-san to one of the large trees, an ancient thing that must have been a thousand years old. The first branch, several feet wide, was almost twenty feet from the ground. On that branch the rest of Cells 7 and 9 waited. The three of them ran up the tree's trunk and stopped at that first branch, the place Gai-san had chosen as a sort of campsite. It was safer, he'd said, than camping on the ground.
Sasuke stood in front of Kakashi-sensei and laid Snape-san on the tree branch on his back.
"So," Kakashi-sensei was lounging with his back against the tree's wide trunk and his legs straddling the branch. "This is him? Good choice." Even as he spoke, Kakashi-sensei kept his one uncovered eye on his book. "Do you plan to wake him or keep him asleep until he gets to Konohagakure?"
Neji shrugged, but Tenten lightly slapped his arm. "Oh, wake him up. Poor guy might as well know what's going on."
When Sasuke had laid Snape-san on his back his robe had fallen slightly apart, showing his too short black trousers and the scuffed black shoes. There were little pockets on the insides of Snape-san's robes and whatever was in those pockets weighed the robe down enough that it hung off the branch. The effect made Snape-san look like he was an immense bat resting on the branch with his wings hanging down.
Just a slight touch was all it took for Neji to wake Snape-san and he woke as if he'd never been asleep. His whole body jerked, seeing all the faces looking down at him, but when he tried to scramble away, he noticed where he was and looked down. He froze. His pale skin went deathly white as he looked at the ground far below. His breath hissed between his teeth and he forced his eyes back up to his captors. "What is this?"
"A kidnapping." Kakashi-sensei closed his book and tucked it back into his vest. "Yours to be precise."
"I see." Snape-san's hands clutched at his book bag, apparently more afraid that it would be taken from him than he was of being kidnapped or falling to his death. His eyes narrowed. "You can tell my uncle this won't work."
‘Interesting.’
"My uncle sent you, didn't he? There isn't any other reason for a kidnapping. My estimation of him has gone down considerably. How unsubtle." As was usual for him, when in a stressful situation, Snape-san opened his mouth and said exactly what he was thinking. "You think the headmaster won't notice I'm gone? You're all more idiotic than you look and I would have thought that was impossible." He looked sharply at Kakashi-sensei. "What kind of cut-rate kidnappers is he hiring if he's got to resort to old men and children?"
It was enough to make Naruto bristle, Neji scowl, and Kakashi-sensei chuckle.
Snape-san trembled all over either from pent up rage or anxiety about the situation. "Can't you even give me an answer? Are you all so stupid that you can't even speak? What's his brainless plan? Going to take me to him and then what? Kill me? How unimaginative." Snape-san laughed bitterly. "Hasn't even got the courage to come himself. That dirty, lying…"
"You talk a lot," Kakashi-sensei said softly, but in such a tone that Snape-san stopped talking. Kakashi-sensei put a finger to his ear and scratched. "Honestly, I don't know what you're going on about."
"True," Gai-san nodded. "We haven't anything to do with your uncle."
It made Snape-san all the angrier and Sasuke hadn't thought that was possible. "Don't treat me like a fool!"
"Then don't act like one," Neji said in a low, no-nonsense tone. "Tenten, are you sure this will work? He acts nothing like Uchiha."
Tenten nodded confidently. "It'll work. Sakura-san and I have worked out all the details. This one is perfect. Uchiha can keep up the act and it's only for a couple of weeks."
"Right," Neji nodded briskly, making the two long strips of fabric hanging from his hitae jerk, then turned to Snape-san. "Take your robe off."
Really, Snape-san couldn't be blamed for his reaction. Anyone would panic and Neji wasn't the most tactful of people. Snape-san pulled his wand out, but never had the chance to use it. Sasuke snatched it from Snape-san's hand, easily.
Sasuke looked at the wand appraisingly, turning it this way and that. "This is what they use to channel their power. A wand. I'll need your other stuff, too."
Snape-san wasn't a coward. He leapt at Sasuke, but Naruto had grabbed him and threw him onto his belly on the branch. Then, Naruto sat on Snape-san's back to keep him from wiggling free. When Snape-san started to reach into the folds of his robes Lee took hold of his wrists to stop him.
The whole situation would have been a lot easier if they hadn't been so concerned with the terms of the contract. No one was to be hurt and that included Snape-san.
"Let me go!" Snape-san yelled as loudly as he could, but Lee and Naruto weren't about to let go. Snape-san kicked and thrashed as furiously as he could.
"Geeze!" Naruto complained. "Do you always make so much noise? It's not like we're going to hurt you or anything. Calm down and we'll let you up."
"Unwise," Neji muttered.
"Shut up," Naruto snarled. He'd never liked Neji. "Just because we've got a job to do doesn't mean we have to scare the poor guy."
While they argued, Sasuke curiously activated his sharigan and examined the wand. It was nothing more than a stick. It looked dead. "It's only wood." Sasuke couldn't understand. When used by one of the wizards or witches, the sticks would light up brilliantly. Once, when he'd first started watching Snape-san, Sasuke had wondered what it looked like when a wizard focused and released all that magic that he'd seen hovering around them. He'd looked with the sharigan and had almost been blinded by the flash of intense light that shot out of the wand. "How does it work? Why?"
Kakashi-sensei said, "I couldn't tell you. Boys, let him up."
Naruto and Lee quickly did as they were told and let Snape-san go, but the moment they did, his hand snaked inside his robe and he pulled out one of the many tiny vials he kept there. Sasuke knew about all those little glass vials. He'd been watching long enough to see Snape-san making the mixtures and taking tiny samples to keep. Snape-san was obsessive, checking them every morning and night as if he were afraid they'd be stolen or damaged.
Snape-san threw the vial onto the branch where it shattered and a choking storm of dust erupted from it, taking them all by surprise. They shouldn't have been. They'd seen and used similar weapons on missions, but never coming from a vial.
‘Very interesting.’
Sasuke, as he held his arm over his mouth and nose and leapt away from the dust to the branch of another tree, found himself wondering what other things Snape-san kept in those dozens of little bottles.
When the dust cleared, Sasuke saw that both Cells had leapt away from the branch except for Kakashi-sensei who still wore his mask over his face and didn't seem bothered by the dust. He stood in front of Snape-san and held of both of Snape-san's wrists far enough over the boy's head that Snape-san was forced to stand on the tips of his toes.
"That was clever." Kakashi-sensei sounded like he was laughing. "You're a bright boy. I think you'll make life interesting at the village for the next few weeks. Pity I won't see it."
Snape-san snarled and kicked, deliberately catching Kakashi-sensei in the crotch. It made Sasuke cringe. Kakashi-sensei released the boy and doubled over. "I hate children," Kakashi-sensei muttered.
Snape-san, once dropped, turned to run away from Kakashi-sensei. There wasn't much room to run. As he ran further out onto the branch it narrowed and he lost his footing. He would have fallen if Lee hadn't leapt from where he'd gone to escape the dust back to the large branch and caught him by the back of his shirt. "Let me go! Let me go, now! You babbling ape! Let go!" It seemed he would rather fall to his death than be captive.
"Ah! Such a brave fighter! Gai-sensei, he shows great courage!" Lee was obviously charmed by Snape-san's fighting spirit.
"That he does, my youthful charge!" Gai-san stood beside where Lee was kneeling, holding Snape-san as he dangled in midair. "As heartwarming as it is to see that even wizard youths have such inspiring energy, I really think you ought to stop and think, young man." He crouched down to talk to Snape-san. "You'll do yourself harm.
Neji nodded and dropped down from the branch he'd been on to stand beside Gai-san. "You should not try to avoid what is inevitable. Pull him up, Lee. If he won't behave, I'll put him back to sleep and you can have Hinata-sama wake him up at the village."
Snape-san snarled at Neji, "No matter what you have planned, it won't work."
"Of course it'll work," Tenten replied, easily. "You're absolutely perfect - a loner with no close friends who tries to keep out of sight, generally. You go out of your way to avoid attention. You're exactly who we've been looking for."
As soon as Lee pulled Snape-san back up to the tree branch everyone went back to surround Snape-san, it was a tight fit for them all. Sasuke didn't like it. He hated crowds. Hated the feeling of being trapped. Luckily, Sakura stood next to him and that gave him a bit of comfort.
Naruto, as soon as he could, easily snatched one of the little vials from Snape-san's robe and held it up to the sunlight. "Do all these little bottles make dust? That's kind of handy since you don't have any chakra." He shook the vial, curiously, and smiled at the little orange bubbles.
Snape-san's eyes shot wide open. He made a sort of choking sound, then surged away from Lee. Snape-san clearly wasn't trying to attack Naruto which was why Lee didn't stop him and why Sasuke didn't throw Snape-san out of the tree. Snape-san snatched the vial out of Naruto's hand, turned, and threw the vial as far from the tree as he could.
It exploded gloriously several yards away from them.
"Wow." Naruto stared at the charred branches and half-destroyed trees. "Just… wow."
Snape-san glared at him. "Are you entirely stupid or just insane? You do NOT agitate Ocean Tears!"
Naruto, used to more vicious insults, brushed the comment aside and asked, "Why do you keep stuff like that in your pockets?"
"Because I like a little excitement when idiots pick my pockets," Snape-san told him, sharply. "Maybe you've done me a favor, though. That explosion will attract attention. They'll come here, soon."
"Who?" Sasuke asked. He really wanted to know. "I've been watching you. Who are you close enough with that they'd search for you?"
Snape-san's shoulders drew together. His glare was fierce. He straightened his back and met Sasuke's eyes. He didn't answer.
Tenten, as direct as ever, spoke first, pushing forward until she stood in front of Snape-san. "Let's get to the heart of matters, shall we? We aren't going to hurt you. If we'd wanted to, you'd have been dead ages ago. We could have killed you without you even being aware that you were being killed. We didn't and we won't. All we're going to do is take you away for a couple of weeks. You can think of it as a vacation. If we do our jobs right, no one will even notice that you've gone missing."
"What jobs?" Snape-san asked.
"We're just going to look around your school a bit. That's all." Tenten looked closely at Snape-san. "Uchiha, your nose needs to be changed."
"Yes," Sasuke said. "I see what you mean. It's not a problem." He frowned and stepped closer to Snape-san, putting his hand out.
Snape-san flinched and stepped back.
Sasuke frowned and narrowed his eyes a little. "I need your nose. Hold still." He reached again, but again, Snape-san backed away and glowered.
"He needs to get a sense of your nose." Lee stood beside Snape-san and spoke softly. "He won't hurt you. All you have to do is stand still."
Snape-san shook his head, holding his book bag in front of him, as if that would protect him.
Gai-san laughed deeply, throwing his head back as he did. "Ah! I'm moved! Such loyalty! Such devotion to one's schoolmates! Obviously, you don't want to betray your schoolmates or your teachers. You'd rather fight us, though you understand you have no chance of winning, rather than let us have a chance of getting close where we might hurt someone. I'm touched."
The look Snape-san gave Gai-san was almost laughable. His lip curled up and he regarded Gai-san with disgust. Clearly, the idea of protecting his schoolmates was not a pleasant thought.
"You know," Kakashi-sensei said. "I think you're right, Gai. After all, who would want to leave such a place? They treat you so well, don't they?"
Snape-san glared and clenched his hands into fists.
"Now, now," Kakashi-sensei laughed. "Don't look so cross. We understand how reluctant you are to leave them. After all, they've always been so kind to you. When you need them they're always there for you."
Snape-san said, "Your pitiful attempt at a psychological trap will not work. Obviously, you know exactly how I'm treated; you've been watching me. That's hardly the point. I'm not going to let you just take me away."
Naruto scratched his head and frowned. "We aren't working for your uncle, if that’s still bothering you. We aren't going to hurt you or anyone in that school. Look, it's just a job. We're just going to look around. You might as well make the best of it."
"And he will." Neji was suddenly behind Snape-san and brushed his fingers against Snape-san's lower back. Instantly, Snape-san's legs collapsed under him. Again, he almost fell off the branch. "We haven't the time for this nonsense. You will be still and silent. We can do this just as easily with you asleep."
Snape-san gaped at his legs. "What have you done? What have you done?!"
"I've put them to sleep," Neji answered easily.
Snape-san turned almost purple with rage. His hands grasped the strap of his book bag so tightly that his knuckles turned white. However, he didn't try to speak and when Sasuke approached him again, he didn't jerk his face away. Sasuke's fingers traced over Severus's crooked nose. "Stop moving. You're making this harder."
"Well?" Kakashi-sensei asked when Sasuke drew away from Snape-san.
"It's workable." Sasuke put his hands together. His fingers flashed a series of signs. There was a sudden puff of smoke around Sasuke and, when it cleared, Sasuke had a new nose.
Severus blinked, clearly stunned.
Sasuke touched his new nose with the tip of his fingers. "How does it look?"
"Perfect," Sakura told him. "That's detail number one. Number two is the voice."
Sasuke had never had need to disguise his voice, but he understood the necessity. Snape-san had a very distinctive voice. He squatted in front of Snape-san and put his hand over Snape-san's throat. "Speak."
"What?" Snape-san obviously didn't like having his throat touched anymore than he liked having his face touched. He didn't pull away, but Sasuke could feel that he was sweating and shaking just from the touch. If he could have, Sasuke was sure that Snape-san would have jumped out of the tree rather than have anyone's hands on him.
"Say something. Anything."
"I've got nothing to say."
It was enough that Sasuke had been able to feel how Snape-san's throat made sounds and he was able to copy it. Sasuke stepped away from Snape-san and manipulated his voice just a little before he spoke. "I've got nothing to say. How do I sound?"
"Just like he does," Naruto assured him. "Can you keep it up?"
It would take a lot of chakra and concentration, but Sasuke was sure that he could. The last detail was the hair. Though the color and length was the same, that was all that was the same. Hair oil from Gai-san would be enough to make the hair exactly right without forcing Sasuke to use more chakra.
Gai-san produced his bottle of hair oil and handed it gravely to Sasuke. "Precious youth, take great care of this - the secret to my luscious, silky hair." He dramatically struck a pose with one hand on his forehead and gave a toss of his hair. "To think that one so young, so full of life and potential, should be honored in being allowed to touch my oil!"
It sounded vaguely obscene.
Sasuke turned the bottle in his hand and looked at it, trying to figure out how to use it. His appearance had never been a great concern in his life so he’d never even thought about using hair products.
The problem was quickly resolved when Gai-san snatched the bottle back from Sasuke and laughed heartily. "Ah! The trials of youth! I fondly remember teaching Lee the secret techniques of hair care. Now, student of my esteemed rival, you, too, shall bask in my wisdom!"
Sasuke knelt down and allowed Gai-san to do his work. It was the last thing he wanted to do. It had been hard enough letting Kakashi-sensei touch him to paint the wards on his arms and Sasuke both liked and trusted Kakashi-sensei. He hardly knew Gai-san. But, Naruto and Sakura knelt right next to him and Kakashi-sensei stood in front of him so he was almost entirely surrounded by the people he trusted. He kept his eyes on Kakashi-sensei and was reassured to see that Kakashi-sensei kept his eyes on Gai-san. It was entirely for Sasuke’s peace of mind, of course. Kakashi-sensei trusted Gai-san without hesitation.
Gai-san poured oil onto his hands and rubbed it into Sasuke's hair, flattening it until oil ran down the sides of Sasuke's face and down the back of his neck and Naruto had to wipe it off with his shirt sleeve. Gai-san used his hands to pat Sasuke's hair down until it was hanging and stringy, just like Snape-san's.
"Now the robe," Sasuke said. "I'll need that."
Snape-san, naturally, fought for his robe, but it wasn't much of a fight. They were faster and stronger than he was. Sasuke then exchanged shoes with Snape-san as he was fairly certain no witches or wizards wore toe-less boots and it would be sure to make him stand out if he did wear them. Tenten told Sasuke, "Give him your cloak, Uchiha-san. Fair's fair. It's freezing; you can't expect him to go to the village like that."
Sasuke did as he was told and, before they knew it, Snape-san was dressed in Sasuke's cloak - though he didn't look happy about it - and Lee took hold of Snape-san's arm. "We have to leave now."
Snape-san looked back in the direction of the school. Whatever he was thinking, he kept to himself. After a long moment, he let out a defeated sigh. "You said I'll be gone during Christmas break?"
"Yes," Kakashi-sensei answered. "It's not all that long."
Snape-san gave it careful consideration. "Maybe there is a silver lining here, after all." He nodded briskly to Lee. "Fine. Let's go then. Going with you has got to be better than going with Uncle Marcus." But he shot them another glare. "If you hurt Mister Hagrid, I'll strip the flesh from your bones with a mixture of goat's milk, ear wax, and lilac leaves."
It was a creative threat, if nothing else.
Lee flashed Snape-san a bright smile, then gave his arm a jerk. He pulled Snape-san onto his back so that he was riding piggy-back.
"What do you think you're doing?" Snape-san demanded. He smacked Lee over the back of the head, but Lee didn't even acknowledge that he'd been hit. "Put me down! Make that one fix my legs and I can walk!"
"Oh, I don't think so." Lee hoisted Snape-san up until he could securely put his hands under Snape-san's legs to hold him steadily. "It'll be much faster if I carry you and this way, you won't be tempted to kick me and I can get us to the village much faster than if you were trying to keep up. I'm sure Hinata-sama will be pleased to fix your legs as soon as we get to the village."
"At least give me my bag!" Snape-san demanded.
Sasuke shook his head and pulled the book bag over his shoulder as he'd seen Snape-san wearing it. "I need your schoolbooks."
"Then keep them. I only need one. Give me my potions book. There's a double in there. I only need the one with the notes in the margins."
Sasuke couldn't think of a reason not to. So long as there was one book, it should be enough to get him through the mission. He handed the bag to Snape-san and let him rummage through it until he pulled out a tattered book and hugged it against his chest. "That's all I need."
Lee gave everyone a thumbs-up. "Good luck to you all. We'll see you back here at the end of the mission." After a wave good-bye, he and Snape-san were gone.
"What are you waiting for?" Tenten prodded Sasuke's arm. "Sorry. Sorry." She held up her hands in defense when Sasuke rounded sharply on her. He hadn't meant to. "Didn't mean anything."
"No. It's all right." Sasuke adjusted Snape-san's cloak to hang just right. The tiny bottles, each in their own little pockets on the inside of the cloak, made no noise at all. He wore the cloak just as Snape-san had worn it and replaced his open-toed boots with the ankle boots Snape-san had been wearing. They were tight and had to be laced up. Sasuke stopped before putting on the left boot. "He was burned."
"What?" Naruto asked. He crouched down next to where Sasuke had sat to put on the boots.
"On his foot," Sasuke answered. "I watched his classmates burn his foot while he slept in the infirmary. He was limping, earlier. I need some fire." The disguise had to be perfect, after all.
Gai-san broke a smaller branch from the tree, but handed it to Kakashi-sensei instead of Sasuke. Of course Kakashi-sensei, the genius copy-cat, could breathe fire just like Sasuke could. It took only a small breath to set the stick a flame. "Take a deep breath and give me your foot."
Sasuke leaned backwards, balancing himself with his hands, and held up his foot for Kakashi-sensei. It didn't hurt as much as Sasuke had thought it might. He did clench his teeth together at the first touch. It was nothing. Pain was nothing.
Naruto leaned close enough that he pressed against Sasuke's arm and watched Kakashi-sensei carefully. Sakura slipped her hand over Sasuke's.
At last, Kakashi-sensei took the fire away from Sasuke's foot and looked at it. "It's done. You'll be able to operate with it?"
"Of course." He'd survived the chuunin exams and Orochimaru. He would survive a simple burn. "I'm ready."
It was well past dawn when Sasuke, trailed at a respectable distance by Tenten, left the Forbidden Forest. He stood on the edge of the forest for a moment and tightened his hand around the book bag's strap. He would have felt better with Sakura as his shadow or if the communicators had worked and he could talk with Naruto. As it was… he felt very alone.
Tenten was out of sight and she would stay there unless he needed help - which wouldn't happen. It was only a few weeks. One week of which was a vacation week for the students. They were mostly going home for Christmas - a cultural celebration. Something to do with presents, mistletoe, and eating. It would be useful for Naruto, Kakashi-sensei, Neji, and Gai-san who were all handling the physical area around Hogwarts. They would be able to slip inside more easily and find hidden security concerns. Sasuke's job would be made harder. How could he infiltrate students who weren't there?
Determined, Sasuke hunched his shoulders and lowered his head, slightly. He started towards the school.
To be continued…