The Ends Justify the Means, By Whatever Means Necessary.
“Oh. Sasuke. I was beginning to think you would never come” Kakashi’s eyes left his book, eyeing up the dark haired boy. Sasuke looked like a shell of himself, just as he had when he stormed off days before. His hair clung to his forehead, dampened by a cold sweat, a stark contrast to the seething anger that usually radiated from him. The shadows under his eyes spoke of sleepless nights and relentless torment, each bruise and cut on his skin a testament to his internal struggle. He looked sick—not in the way of a fever that could be cured, but sick in a way that clawed at the edges of his spirit, cold and brutalized. The poor lighting of Ichiraku Ramen Shop did little to help his case, in fact it only made him seem even more deranged and unfortunate looking.
“Was Sakura here already?” It's a question, but Kakashi knows that much, but he can't shake the itchy feeling that the boy is threatening him.
He nods, “We talked right after you left us. She's going to be okay I think,” He responds in a somber tone,recalling Sakura's meltdown.
Kakashi could have sworn he saw Sasuke smirk at his reply, he lets the action go unnoticed.
“Are you going to be okay, Sasuke?” Kakashi questions, raising his singular visible brow.
“I'm going to be fine.” He responds quickly, it isn't convincing. Or at least not enough for the silver haired sensei.
“Sasuke- its okay, not to be okay. You know that right?” Kakashi says softly, his voice low and steady, the weight of the unspoken words hanging between them like a thick fog. The corners of Sasuke's mouth tighten, his eyes hardening as he stares into the distance, where shadows of memories swirl like a storm.
“Stop-stop it.” Sasuke struggles,”I am Sasuke Uchiha, I can't afford to be weak; not the way I am now.” He adds, the dark haired boy puffs out his chest at the mention of his surname, his pride and his motivation.
“Then why did you come?” He pauses, Kakashi’s voice is laced in what felt like disappointment? That wasn't right, Sasuke never disappointed anybody. “I came here to help you work through this. Losing a teammate, even if only temporarily, is a big change. We don't expect you to handle it all on your own, you know that.” His head is in his hands now, when will Sasuke lose his relentless pride? That was all he’d been able to think about, even if Naruto was missing, fixing the rest of his team and helping them through their problems was all he could muster at this point.
“I don't know..” Sasuke trailed off, his eyes were blank and confused, his voice barely a whisper. His eyes are vacant, lost in a sea of confusion and turmoil. It’s a look Kakashi has seen before, one he’d seen in himself; the weight of expectations, the struggle to bear grief alone.
Kakashi didn’t know what to say to him. He had never been told the right thing, if anything, when he was young; how was he supposed to tell Sasuke anything? He frowns, his eyebrows meeting together on his brow bone, he had thought he was done with these emotions long ago.
He patted the seat nearest to him at the ramen stand, gesturing the raven haired ninja to sit, the faint lights above them hummed with electricity, creating some background noise for the pair to distract themselves in.
---—-----------------------------------------------------
“Lady Tsunade, is this really a good idea? I mean we could very well just send some older, more experienced ninjas!” Shizune asked, stroking her pet pig in distress while she paced the length of the Hokage's office.
“Of course it’s a good idea—it’s the only idea!” Tsunade’s voice rose, sharp and urgent. “You know Naruto. If anyone’s going to look for him, it has to be the people he’s close to. If there’s even a chance he left by his own free will, it has to be his friends. He won’t come back for just any ninja. I’m sure of it.” She spoke the words as much to reassure Shizune as to steady herself, but a knot of worry twisted in her stomach.
In truth, the situation gnawed at her. This wasn’t just any ordinary disappearance; it was Naruto—one of the strongest, a jinchuriki, with ties that ran deep in the Hidden Leaf. The thought of someone pulling him away was unsettling. What could possibly have drawn him out? She felt a chill at the back of her mind. The only other explanation was that Naruto had chosen to leave, and that was a reality they had to prepare for. Tsunade had seen enough of his past to recognize the shadows that could cloud his choices, the pain that lay just beneath the surface.
Shizune doesn't comment any further on her decision, at least this time Tsunade wasn't entirely drunk while making it. “Call in the team that I have assembled, there can be no mistakes on this mission.” She orders.
As Shizune left to gather the requested ninja, Tsunade reviewed her decision. Shikamaru was the most intellectually involved of the group, and his deep connection with Naruto made him a no brainer, he was to lead the mission. Neji was her next choice, despite having a unique relationship with Naruto, his eyes and tracking skills were valuable to any team. Hinata was similar, with strong visual prowess she could easily assist, not to mention her loyalty to Naruto; it was almost frightening. Kiba was a shoo in, his nose was excellent for finding both friend and foe. And finally, Sasuke. Kakashi had warned her of his state, and how having him tag along would prove paradoxical. Despite that, he was one of the most capable of the Leaf Village Genin, and he could reach Naruto in ways that the others couldn’t even comprehend. That was enough for her, the stakes were too high to rely solely on the strength of ninja, she had to ensure that they were not only skilled but deeply connected to Naruto’s will.
Her candidates arrived only shortly after she put in her request, their punctuality only emphasised the seriousness of the mission they were tasked with. The room grew quiet in moments, each of the ninja looking amongst themselves for some sort of answer; for a reason for their being requested. It was Shikamaru who took the reins from the group and began speaking, “It's for Naruto isn't it? We're going to go find him, right?” He questioned, his voice was low and raspy, not unlike his fathers.
Tsunade is momentarily surprised that Shikamaru even knew of the issue facing the hidden leaf village; she had thought that Kakashi only told Team seven of Naruto’s absence. However, she supposed Shikamaru was capable of finding out that information on his own, and probably was responsible for informing the others. Whether that was the right decision or not, is debatable. Hinata looked only moments away from bursting into tears, and Kiba was practically crying already- despite whatever tough boy mask he attempted to wear.
“That's right, you five are going to be responsible for bringing Naruto back to the village.” Tsunade said she was like a drill sergeant, assigning tasks to her soldiers. She pondered for a moment whether they could handle it, they were only kids after all. Was it really okay to assign them to a mission like this? She dispelled her thoughts, they knew what they were getting into when they entered the academy, they would be just fine.
---—-----------------------------------------------------
I woke up in a cold sweat.
My hands are numb, and so are my arms, actually- everything feels a bit numb right now. Immediately, I try to stand up, which doesn't go well for me. After crashing and falling to cold hard rock with a thud, I am cruelly reminded that the Ichiraku Ramen stand is not, in fact, made of rock. I take in my surroundings only to find the cold hard truth; I am not at Ichiraku Ramen, and instead am in a small dark and cramped stone room.
“I see someone is awake. You were asleep for a long time, Naruto Uzumaki.” Kabuto’s snakelike voice is all I need to become energised and aware of my surroundings. With effort, I pushed myself up from the floor, my legs shaky beneath me. Desperation surges through me as I flail my arms, throwing clumsy punches in his direction. “Sit down, Naruto. You could hardly fight me while you can walk, let alone now.” His smirk was infuriating, as he relished in my struggle.
“Get away, Kabuto!” I shouted, but my voice came out weak and breathy, a mere whisper of its usual strength. Frustration bubbled inside me, igniting a flicker of defiance. I couldn’t let him see how vulnerable I felt. It takes less than a wimpy push for him to send me back to my newly acquired friend; the floor.
Kabuto flashes a smug and absolutely abhorrent smirk before closing the door that he had entered through, the little light that it had provided seeps away just as he did. I am left in the dark once more, with nothing less than a racing brain. Whatever the situation had been before Kabuto came, it was ultimately ten times as bad now that he had been brought into the picture.
I crawl to the door, my hands grappling at its rough stony surface. With whatever power I have left I manage to push it open and crawl from the dungeon like room, unfortunately the fantasy dreamland I had secretly hoped lay outside of my prison was nowhere to be found. The hallway I made it too seemed to stretch for miles, it was a narrow corridor filled with nothing but stone and the occasional torch bringing light to the surrounding area. For a moment, I grappled with the idea of staying where I sit and crying; but that didn't seem very ninja-like, not at all. I persevere instead, my method of travel is a mix of crawling and panting, it feels like days before I have made any significant progress in my search for something.
My head poked out of a massive doorway, inside revealed my two favourite people (You can laugh, I am told I'm funny by everyone); Kabuto, and Orochimaru. Their piercing reptilian eyes meet mine.
“Why look who has finally come out of hiding.” Kabuto sneered, his glasses catching the light of a nearby torch.
“Kabuto, be kind to our guest. It's not everyday we bask in Jinchuriki royalty.” Orochimaru lisped, he made no effort to move closer to me (What a relief for that). Instead I was invited to join them at the..Dining table? It was weird to say the least, I crawled forward- in fear that I would likely be turned into Snake-Ramen should I not comply with their requests (Do snakes eat Snake Ramen?). Joining them at the table might have been even weirder, I felt like a lamb who had decided to dine with the wrong lions.
“Naruto, do you know why we brought you here?” I shake my head insistently at Orochimaru’s comment, inviting him to give me some context. “I'm going to make you stronger, and then-then you can be my vessel. Isn't that exciting?” He coils, his eyes are wide, like the maniac he is. It takes me a moment to process what he has said.
“Vessel? I don't want to be your vessel, you crazy Snake!” I exclaim, maybe I have finally lost it; and this is all just an awful dream invoked by too much training.
Kabutos hands bridge from either temple- connecting on his forehead, “You stupid boy. Just listen to Lord Orochimaru, I think you will find that our ideas are more closely linked than the Leaf Village would have you believe.” He finished, looking at Orochimaru expectantly.
“Kabuto is right, boy. I know what you want, and I can give it to you.” Orochimaru slithers through a gruesome forked tongue. He glances at me, apparently its my turn.
“And what would you know about me? You're just some old dude with a fetish!” I finish, I turn up my nose to the makeup caked serpent-man. Kabuto is infuriated with my response, and begins hurling insults my way, or at least until Orochimaru finally told him to shut it.
“Hmm, Let's see. I know that you're lonely, and that you want people to see you the way you see yourself. You want to impress the Leaf Village; you want to prove to them that you are more than how you are labelled. You want to prove your superiority to Sasuke, and you want to be important. Do you need to hear more?” He snickered, his pale yellow eyes gleaming at his analysis.
I stifle a whimper. It felt as if my brain was laid onto a blank page, but what good could come from him.
“Don't think so hard, Naruto. You know that once all of this is over, the ends will justify the means; so long as you do it thoroughly.” Orochimaru speaks like a true Machiavellian, but I just cant help but be compelled by the future he describes.