Of Monsters and Men
Kiba was a very nice, genuine, and typically laid back person.
Typically. Unfortunately, today was not a typical day; not in the slightest.
Waking up too Shikamaru’s pineapple shaped head was weird enough for a change, but waking up to screaming and yelling certainly was too much. The chaos erupted like a volcano, crashing through the calm of his dreams and dragging him unceremoniously into reality. Sasuke had been practically abusing Hinata in the form of words since Kiba had opened his eyes, and he figured it would continue even if he closed them. He had tried to come to Hinata’s defence, time and time again, but he was sick of it. The familiar rhythm of defending her felt tiresome, and he was sick of the endless cycle of conflict.
Ever since he had become assigned to team eight alongside her, her crush on Naruto had been ever present. Unfortunately, her crush on Kiba had not blossomed in the same way.
It was a bitter pill to swallow, and with each failed attempt at confessing his unsaid love to her, its weight pressed heavier on his chest. He didn’t know what to do, he really liked her, but she didn’t reciprocate anything. Not when he defended her against Sasuke the first time, and certainly not now.
“We have been sleeping in this goddamned hotel for almost two weeks. What the fuck do you mean you cant find any chakra trails?” The raven haired boy's words cut through the air like knives, the anger in his tone was palpable.
“I-I can't see any of Naruto-kun’s chakra, it's not here!” She cries, her knuckles are pulled together as if she were in prayer, which given the situation; might not be all that far off.
Neji looked to Kiba expectantly, waiting for him to deflect Sasuke's onslaught as he had done so many times before. There was a silent understanding between them, a shared expectation that Kiba would once again be the one to step in and alleviate the tension. But he was done. Or atleast, he tried to be.
“Sasuke, we really can't do anything else right now. We don't even have any leads..” Kiba attempts, his voice steady but strained, hoping to reach through Sasuke's anger with reason. The words fell flat, barely registering as Sasuke’s fury seemed to drown out everything else. The other ninja didn’t say anything, instead, he marched himself into their shared bathroom and slammed the door behind him. The remaining of the team sighed, whether in relief or distress was unclear.
Kiba glanced at Shikamaru, the only one who hadn’t participated in the bickering. “Hey, don’t worry about him too much. He’ll cool off,” Shikamaru offered, trying to reassure him, but inside, he felt a knot of frustration tighten.
Kiba nodded, though his gaze remained distant. It wasn’t just Sasuke’s harsh words that troubled him; it was the weight of the mission, the unspoken fear that lingered about Naruto’s disappearance.
“Maybe we should look for clues outside,” Shikamaru suggested, hoping to shift the focus. “Get some fresh air. A change of scenery might help.” The suggestion felt like a lifeline, and Kiba desperately hoped it would provide them all with the clarity they desperately needed.
Sasuke stood, panting over the sink as if he had just battled the toughest ninja in the Land of Fire. The cold porcelain felt grounding against his heated skin, but it did little to ease the turmoil inside him. He had washed his face a dozen times, attempting to wash off the uncertainty that he felt. Naruto was gone, and they had spent far too long doing nothing. For two long weeks, they had remained in the same place, and every time Sasuke had suggested changing their location to gather more information on Naruto's whereabouts, his ideas had been dismissed.
The team had reasoned that this village was the last known location where Naruto had been seen, chakra or not. It was the closest central village to the expansive forests surrounding them, making it a logical choice for their search. Of course, Sasuke understood the rationale; he truly did. But the mission was agonising, waking up searching the lonely dust coated buildings from dawn to dusk to find any sort of lead all the while Naruto was the only topic available for conversation.
It was as if the world had shrunk down to just one topic: Naruto. Each mention of his name felt like a knife twisting in Sasuke’s gut. The discussions were often punctuated by long silences, heavy with the weight of their shared anxiety, or relief. The ladder was much more infuriating, though he was sure he had seen the thought cross everybody's mind, that things might be better without Naruto. Sasuke had thought so too at one point, but it had long since been dispelled. The thought of Naruto outside of the village, beyond the place where his dreams could be achieved was simply unbearable. The longer they stayed, the more it seemed like they were waiting for bad news rather than actively searching for him. It was all so frustrating.
A knock on the door distracted him from his sulking. “Sasuke, we’re going on another reconnaissance mission. ‘Maru wants you to do the western side of the village” Kiba informed miserably from the opposing side of the door.
“Hn.” Sasuke huffed. The door outside the bathroom shut, emphasising the rest of the teams leave. Now it was just him.
“Lord Orochimaru?”
One of the female shinobi twiddled with her hands nervously, glancing up to the snake serpent as if he were a teacher; and she was a student who had just lost her homework. Her demeanor was tense, shoulders hunched, as if bracing for a reprimand. She glanced at me, a very unfortunate and solemn look present on her face. She cupped her hand to Orochimaru’s ear, whispering in a tone too quiet for me to hear.
His expression was unreadable, but there was an unmistakable edge of menace lurking behind his cold eyes, as if he might strike at any moment after hearing her words. Despite my interest in their gossip, I attempted to dismiss it from my mind, I had better things to do.
I had begun my training with the legendary Sannin, and I could barely believe the horrors I had already been put through. It had been a week, or maybe a little longer? Time had blurred into an indistinct haze, and I hadn’t had the luxury to count the days since I left the caverns behind. Instead I had been subjected to harsh training, much more so then what Kakashi had exposed me to previously. Each day blended into the next, day in and day out I had worked on a variety of different jutsu, most of which I had absolutely no chance of comprehending. Simple replacement jutsu seemed like child’s play now, a mere footnote in the chapters of this brutal education, it paled in comparison to Orochimaru’s expectations.
“Naruto, we have a situation. I would like youre help with handling it.” Orochimaru suddenly interrupted, his devious upturned slits-for-eyes were practically gleaming. His tone was smooth yet filled with an underlying thrill that sent alarm bells ringing in my mind, nothing he had come up with as of recently had been good new for me, this was certainly not going to be any different.
Whatever, I had expected; it hadn’t been this.
Sasuke was on his own, kicking rocks from place to place, he looked angry, irate even. Then again, I would probably be angry if my best friend was stalking me from a tree twenty five metres above my head, though I was sure he hadn’t discovered me yet.
Orochimaru had mentioned that someone was looking for me, but I hadn’t anticipated it would be Sasuke. I half-expected Granny Tsunade or another familiar face to track me down and drag me back to the village, not Sasuke. The thought struck me with an unexpected pang of guilt. Did he care enough to search for me?
I dropped from the trees, somehow maintaining enough balance as to not land on my face. Either way, the thump that resulted in my landing was enough to draw his attention.
“Naruto?” His voice cracked, and he said my name as if it were a taboo topic that wasn’t to be spoken of (though I suppose on most days it was).
“Hi,” I fear that maybe wasn’t my greatest introduction, but it certainly did its job. Until Sasuke threw a kunai at my face.
I dug into my pocket quickly, grabbing hold of one of my own kunai to deflect it. “Oi- what the hell Teme!?” I shout. Whatever shyness had manifested into my voice from before was long gone, “You could have killed me!”
“Just where the hell have you been Naruto, we’ve been looking everywhere for you!” He exclaimed, his voice was livid. I could see the flicker of relief in his eyes, but it was buried beneath layers of frustration.
I paused, shifting my gaze from the other ninja. What was I supposed to say to him? Oh, sorry pal. I decided to start training with a criminal who bit your neck and gave you that really ugly tattoo. Hope you don't mind, cheers! That certainly wouldn’t work.
“ I'm training.” I state simply, I had no faith that he would accept my answer, but I blurted it out anyway, desperate to deflect his anger.
“Thats right,” Orochimaru slithers (When did he get here?), his bony hands caressed my shoulders in an unsettling fashion. “Im training him, that way he can become the Hokage of the Village Hidden in the Leaves.”
At that moment, I could see the fire in Sasuke’s eyes shift to something deeper—betrayal, perhaps, or fear. His body tensed as he processed the implications of Orochimaru’s words. The weight of the situation hung heavily between us, and I felt the flicker of anger in him turn into something more complex.
“Training with him? You can’t be serious, Naruto!” Sasuke’s voice was strained, and for the first time, I could see the vulnerability behind his anger. “Do you even realise what you’re getting into?”
His tone angered me; there Sasuke was again, treating me like I was stupid. Treating me as if I hadn’t meticulously looked over all my options. “I do Sasuke- I know what I’m doing. He’s going to make me stronger, that way I can protect the people I care about, like you and Sakura, and Kakashi-Sensei and Iruka! You don’t have to protect me anymore- I can pull my own weight, and be someone that the village will respect!” I cry, I reiterate the speech that I have said and cried so many times. Somehow I feel like it has more weight when I talk to Sasuke, like by him being there my words are worth more.
“You can’t be this stupid, Naruto!” Sasuke yelled, he approached me quickly with his hands balled into fists. He snatched the navy collar of my jacket, bringing us close, “He doesn’t want to help you, he's trying to use you- I would know!” He shouted into my face, his words lingering in the air. “He picked me first; so I would know.” He said more confidently.
“I know that- and i’m not stupid!” I exclaimed, pushing him off of me, regaining my breath from the light choking I had sustained. In a fit of anger, I threw a punch towards his face, hitting him square over the nose.
The impact sent a shockwave through my arm, and for a moment, time seemed to freeze. Sasuke stumbled back, surprise flashing across his features before quickly morphing into indignation. He attempted to wipe the now fountain of flowing blood from his nose, but it was to no avail. I must have broken it. I could see the storm brewing in his eyes, a mixture of anger and something deeper—worry. Despite whatever he was apparently feeling, he wasted no time in returning the favour. A quick punch to the face and a followup kick to the ribs were the products of Sasuke's retaliation.
I cried out loud before sending another barrage of punches his way, most of which were deflected with the hilt of one of Sasuke’s kunai knives.
“Is this what you want? Really Naruto!?” The raven haired shinobi was irate, and took his frustration out via force. “You really think they would accept you because you got a bit stronger? They already think you’re a monster- if you do this, you're only going to prove that to them!” He shouted, his hilt of his kunai connecting with Naruto’s upper eyelid.
Naruto jumped back, freezing at the mention of the name he had been called time and time again. “Do you think so- Do you think i’m a monster too, Sasuke?” He asked the question earnestly, tears threatening to blossom at the expense of his dignity.
“Yes.”
He didn’t know what possessed him to say that, really, he didn’t. He knew the value of the word to Naruto, and he knew just how hurtful it was as soon as he had blurted it.
Sasuke recalled one time when they had come back from training and a group of older women were gossiping in the park. He distinctly remembered them calling Naruto a monster out loud; in public. He remembered how Naruto reacted, how his eyes shot to the floor and his ears burned red with shame. He hadn’t said anything at the time, and he certainly hadn’t thought that much of it, but now the situation seemed more solemn than he was willing to admit. He knew all of that, and yet still he had said it.
“Naruto-” Sasuke called, he attempted to mimic the sympathetic tone Sakura always used when Naruto was upset.
“But you’re not a monster in the way they think,” he added quickly, the urgency in his voice rising. He was quick to take back what he had said earlier.
“Really, then what kind of monster am I Sasuke!” It was asked less like a question and more like a rallying battle cry. Despite the tears evident on Naruto’s face, the blonde managed to pull his remaining ninja weapons to arms and aimed a few kunai in Sasuke’s general direction. Though, the kunai were the least of his concerns, he watched the boy form the necessary hand signs for shadow clone jutsu, and among them he watched the familiar blue flutter of the rasengan come to life.
He followed suit, bringing his hands to recreate the familiar signs to conjure chidori.
The two ran at one another, breathing heavily like dogs on a summer day. Their chakra filled fists met, a horrifying screech resulting in their connection, followed by a deafening silence.