Chapter 15
Iruka ran as fast as he could. He didn't care that the figure - probably a shinobi, had a head start on him, that he could be facing a stronger opponent, or that it could be one against many; when a child's life was at stake, he would do anything he could to save them. He knew he was supposed to call for back up, and at least let someone know that something has happened; but when he saw the blood, he had been scared; afraid that if he didn't follow the shinobi right away, it would be too late.
Iruka's grip on Konohamaru's scarf tightened as he picked up the pace and pushed his limits - he was almost fast enough to even match Gai's speed with a Gate or two open; and his surroundings blurred past him. Finally, he heard a branch snap ahead, and relief flooded through him. He was catching up.
In the distance, he saw the shinobi bounding ahead with Konohamaru over their shoulder; and he locked onto them, somehow propelling himself forward even faster. His hand instinctively reached for his pouch as he got closer - he had to do something to stop them from getting away; but he only felt uniform material where his pocket should be, and his stomach dropped. He didn't have any equipment on him.
Iruka cursed himself, and Kakashi, and everything that had happened before he stormed out of the house. He should have known better, to at least have something on him in case of emergencies, like this one; but he hadn't been thinking when he left - all he'd wanted to do was run away from everything. He wasn't completely defenceless, though - he still had jutsu; but he felt very naked without his tools. He hoped he'd be able to handle whatever he was facing.
Suddenly the shinobi disappeared behind a thick tree and stopped running away; and Iruka came to a sudden stop on a branch nearby, studying his surroundings carefully. They were definitely here - he could sense their chakra signature; but in the depths of the forest, in this darkness, neither of them were anywhere to be seen.
Iruka heard a soft thud, like someone had dropped from the treetops; and he leapt cautiously to another branch, closer to the thick tree, searching for Konohamaru and the enemy. And traps. The only reason a fleeing shinobi would suddenly stop was if they had something planned and thought the outcome would be in their favour. This sudden disappearance only made Iruka more nervous - it was like they were playing a game of cat and mouse. And right then, he was the mouse.
A twig snapped behind Iruka, on the ground, and he whirled around quickly, his body tensing reflexively to engage in battle; but there was no one there. He studied the shadows carefully, searching for movement, unnatural shapes, a pair of eyes - anything, really, that would tell him where the enemy was; but still, nothing revealed itself. Iruka knew he was being watched, but he couldn't pinpoint where from; and his mind was racing as he thought about what he should do, where he should go from here. He had really messed up this time - no weapons, no back up, and he was completely isolated. Anything could happen and no one would know. But that didn't mean he was about to give up - he would fight to the very end.
Iruka stood his ground, waiting for the enemy to appear; but the longer he waited, the more anxious he was beginning to feel. He could still sense their chakra signature, but it was like no one was there. Was there a reason they hadn't tried to attack him yet? Unless… Iruka's stomach churned as a horrible thought occurred to him. What if he had stumbled into a genjutsu, and the enemy was already long gone, and he'd never be able to catch up and get Konohamaru back? Iruka mashed his hands together in a panic, and quickly disrupted his chakra flow.
"Kai!"
The first thing he noticed when he released himself from genjutsu was that the chakra signature he'd been sensing was gone; and he grit his teeth in frustration. How long had he been trapped, and how far away was the enemy now? Iruka leered at the trees and shadows around him as he figured out what to do next - should he try to track down the enemy, or return to the village and report what happened?; and he jumped down from the branch he was on, wanting to look around before he made his decision. And as soon as his feet touched the soil, he froze. He could have sworn he'd heard a child.
He listened intently to the silence, trying to detect their voice again; and heard quiet, muffled sobbing nearby. He followed the noise, which seemed to be coming from behind the base of a large tree; and when he reached the crying figure, Iruka raced towards him in a panic.
"Konohamaru!" he called out in alarm.
Iruka quickly assessed his state - tied and gagged, bruised and beaten; and although he hated seeing him like that, he couldn't help but feel relieved. Konohamaru wasn't in the best condition, but he was still alive, and his injuries weren't life-threatening; and that was the best he could hope for in the situation.
Iruka untied the gag - a messy job done with his protector; and Konohamaru leaned to the side, coughing and spluttering furiously as he cleared his mouth of blood, excess saliva, and other obstructions. As he gasped for fresh air and tried to clear away the taste of grime, Iruka worked at his hands, which had been tied tightly behind him in coarse fisherman's rope; and soon, Konohamaru was free. Then suddenly, before Iruka had a chance to do anything else, Konohamaru lunged at him and knocked him back, pinning him to the ground; and Iruka felt a kunai at his throat, digging into his skin.
"K-Konohamaru? It's me; Iruka-sensei." he said, his voice much calmer than he felt.
Konohamaru stared at him blankly, not saying a word; and Iruka became very unsettled - he couldn't read what he was thinking. It was almost like he'd been possessed by a jutsu of some kind, like he had no mind of his own. Had he been put under a genjutsu, too?
"Please put down the kunai. I'm not an enemy." he tried. "I don't want to hurt you."
"But I want to hurt you." he said, slowly dragging the blade across Iruka's neck.
Suddenly a wicked grin spread across his face - an expression more sinister than Iruka had ever seen in his life; and Iruka's blood became as cold as the metal cutting into him. Konohamaru had a look that said he would hurt and kill without hesitation, that he would enjoy every moment of it - an expression Iruka never would have expected to see on any of his students; and somehow that concerned him more than the blade at his throat. Where had he gone wrong for Konohamaru to end up like this? Why had he gone rogue?
And then it clicked - there was another possibility; one that made more sense to Iruka.
"Y-You're not Konohamaru, are you?"
The imposter confirmed his guess with laughter - a malevolent sound that sent shivers down his spine.
"T-Then who?"
Konohamaru pulled the kunai away, and smirked, revelling in the foreboding atmosphere he had created.
Poof!
Iruka suddenly felt a heavier weight on top of him, making it even harder to move - he didn't even think he could squirm now; and the face in front of him transformed into something more twisted and deranged, something that better suited the malevolence. And as Iruka locked eyes with this enemy and took in their features, he swallowed nervously, trying to fight back his fear.
"Remember me?"
How could he not?
It was the man from his dream.