Chapter 16
Iruka remembered him, the man pinning him down. He wasn't any ordinary shinobi; and in fact, Iruka was very lucky to be alive - this man was a top priority S rank missing nin in Konoha's bingo book. Iruka didn't have a copy of the book - it was only distributed to jounin and ANBU; but there was one in the staff room at the academy for the chuunin teachers, in case a target ever crossed the grounds or were in the area; and he had memorised the details of everyone in it so he could protect his students. There was no mistaking it - this was Gou; wanted as one of Orochimaru's followers, and responsible for a stream of Leaf kidnappings, tortures, and deaths.
"Your face tells me you know exactly who I am, sensei." Gou taunted. "Are you scared?"
Gou spun the kunai in his hand then dragged it down Iruka's chest, pressing hard enough for him to feel the sting of a cut, but not enough to really damage his uniform. It was a movement meant for intimidation; and Iruka gritted his teeth and looked away. He was afraid, but he would never admit that - he wasn't going to give the enemy the satisfaction of knowing.
"What are you doing at Konoha?" he asked steadily. "Why did you transform into Konohamaru? What did you do with him?"
"What do you think I did with the kid? You saw the blood, didn't you?" he smirked.
Suddenly, Iruka wasn't scared anymore - he was angry; and all he wanted to do was kill Gou. No one gets to hurt his students. Iruka punched him in the jaw with his left hand, which had been left free when he'd been knocked back; and tried to push him away, kicking and squirming about to escape from beneath him. He wasn't going to allow himself to be trapped and helpless any longer, and he wasn't going to be killed. He was going to escape, find and help Konohamaru, and call someone on patrol to pursue Gou or get help.
Iruka fought with all his might, concentrating his chakra to his limbs to make his movements more powerful; but Gou blocked all of his attacks and easily held his ground, simply throwing his kunai aside to restrain both of Iruka's arms with his own and stop him from moving about. When Iruka realised he couldn't get away and hadn't even come close to breaking free, he stopped struggling, and decided to try and come up with a different plan. But taking in Gou's much more muscular and bigger body, and how it was riddled with all sorts of scars and marks that gave Iruka the impression he had a high pain tolerance, he didn't think it would be easy to get away from him. He was exactly what Iruka expected for an S ranked target.
"Where are you trying to go? We have unfinished business." Gou said calmly with a threatening undertone. "Or did you forget?"
"Forget?" Did this have something to do with his amnesia?
Iruka frowned as he studied the deeply scarred face looming over his. He definitely recognised him - no one could forget the X slashed into his face, just missing his blood red eyes, or his sinister, crooked grin, or the spiked brown hair that looked like it could prick you if you touched the tip, or the dark aura that sent chills down his spine; but he still didn't quite remember their encounter.
"You're going to tell me where the scroll is. I know you left it around here."
"The scroll… Here?"
Iruka turned his head to the side, taking a better look at his surroundings, studying the trees and shrubs in detail; and he was overwhelmed with the familiar sense of déjà vu. This part of the Eastern forest… Iruka's eyes widened in shock as realisation hit him, and he subconsciously tried to sit up to take a better look. There was no mistaking it; this was the exact place he'd been in his dream, right after the cabin disappeared. And if that was the case… Being here wasn't an accident. Iruka swallowed nervously and looked back at Gou.
"I can't help you. I've lost my memories and don't know where it is." Not that he would have told him if he knew - he would never betray the Hokage or village.
"Liar!" Gou growled menacingly, slamming a fist into his jaw. It throbbed and ached, but Iruka gritted his teeth and tried not to react - he was sure things would only get worse if he did. A few seconds later, Gou began to chuckle manically.
"I know everything. I followed you back after I poisoned you. I wanted to watch you die in the forest; but you actually made it back to the village. I've been watching you since, waiting for the other poison to destroy you." Gou revealed, flashing a psychotic look. "But that's not going to happen, is it? Because you're not poisoned anymore, and your memories have returned."
"H-How did you get into the village?" Iruka asked as goosebumps prickled along his skin. He felt unsettled, knowing he had been stalked for so long without anyone being aware.
"Orochimaru-sama showed me how. And no one even noticed me." he declared in amusement. "Konoha is a joke!"
Gou picked up the kunai he had thrown aside, and started fiddling with it in his hand, twirling it around as he continued more seriously.
"Once I heard the Hokage talking about how important that scroll was, I knew I had to get it for Orochimaru-sama; but when I went back to where I found you, I couldn't see it anywhere. You hid it so well, so I decided that you were going to get it for me..." A dark expression suddenly flashed across his eyes. "But that damn Copy Ninja was always in the way!"
Gou clenched the kunai angrily and stabbed it aggressively into the ground, right next to Iruka's head, making him flinch. A couple of seconds later, the side of his face began to sting and burn; and he knew he'd been cut. Gou's eyes seemed to light up when he studied Iruka's face; and he ran a finger along the side of his head, right where cut was, where blood had begun to trickle. Gou wiped it up, and studied the red on his light skin, then stuck the tip of his finger in his mouth, sucking the blood away.
"I could tell you were a queer one," he said in an eerily soft voice, smiling strangely as he ran his fingers along Iruka's cheek tenderly, "but I wasn't expecting the Copy Ninja to be. It was very… inconvenient. I just couldn't get you alone."
Iruka was freaking out. The atmosphere had completely changed, like Gou had forgotten all about the scroll; and the way he was touching and looking at him predatorily made Iruka's blood run cold. His heart seemed to pound even faster as adrenaline flooded his system; and he felt his body begin to shake. Iruka knew what was coming - he could sense the danger, and every part of him was urging him to flee; but he was like a bug trapped in a spider's web. There was absolutely no escape.
"But now that he's gone and we're all alone," A hungry expression flashed across Gou's face as he leant in to whisper in Iruka's ear.
"No one is going to hear you scream."