Categories > Anime/Manga > Naruto > Deceit
Disclaimer: I don’t own Naruto.
[Edited 5.21.2009]
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Chapter 7.
Call 1
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‘We're going to take three of you as hostages.’
After that the room had gone deadly silent.
Even though the silence had lasted only for a few tense seconds, it had felt a lot longer.
A cough immediately followed by a groan of pain broke the silence.
Everyone’s attention shifted from the robber to the brunet lying on the floor with his head rested on Shino’s lap.
Naruto’s worry for his friend raised its head the instant he heard the pained sound. His eyes lingered on the grimacing Kiba only for a short moment, before he turned his frantic eyes to the man holding his friend. When he spoke, his voice came out sounding very anxious, “Is he okay?”
Shino took an assessing glance at Kiba. The boy was breathing heavily, most likely because of the pain, but other than that, he seemed to be doing fine – at least considering what had happened to him.
“He's right now, I believe, but he definitely still needs to get to a hospital.”
This answer calmed the blond down a bit, but it didn't make his worry go away. He felt horrible because there was nothing he could do to make his friend feel better.
‘Wait... or is there?’
He had nothing to lose and everything to gain, so he could always try.
Having made up his mind, Naruto turned pleading eyes to the male robber, who had been watching them silently from his place in the doorway.
“Please, let Kiba go.”
“That’s not going to happen.” Kimimaro wasn't going to take any unnecessary risks.
“But there’s no reason for him to be here! You have the rest of us, you don’t really need him!”
“I don’t like having to repeat myself, so I’m only going to say this once more; I’m not letting him go. Period.”
Naruto jumped to his feet again, anxiously gesturing with his hands, “But why? He’s suffering! It’s not like you’d get caught because you let him leave! Please!”
‘You can never be sure,’ Kimimaro thought, but before he could give Naruto his answer, another voice joined the conversation.
“I think Kiba-kun is perfectly capable of bearing the pain for a little while longer. It’s more important for this situation we are in to be over as fast and as smoothly as possible.”
Kabuto felt that he had to stop this before things could get out of hand. He could sense Tayuya, who was standing beside Kimimaro, become more and more annoyed by the blond sales clerk, and he didn't want her to do anything rash that would make their situation even worse. Something bad must have happened for Kimimaro, Tayuya, and Anko to have come back for hostages.
“What?” Naruto looked scandalized. “Are you serious, Kabuto-san? He’s in pain!”
Kabuto looked at Naruto with an apologizing expression, which, of course, was fake. “Naruto-kun, Kiba-kun will be alright. I know he’s in pain right now, but he can handle it, I’m sure of it.” Kabuto lowered his voice a bit, sounding pleading but firm. “You shouldn’t make things more difficult.”
Naruto just looked at Kabuto, feeling irrationally betrayed by the man.
After another tense moment of silence, Kimimaro stepped further into the room.
Naruto noticed this from the corner of his eye and turned to look at the man.
“See?” Kimimaro said, looking at the blond, while gesturing with his hand at Kabuto. “The doctor agrees with me.”
Naruto looked from the robber to the grey-haired man and back again. “No, don’t listen to him! I’m begging you, let Kiba go!”
Tayuya had had enough of the blond’s whining. “Shut it, brat. Now. I mean it.”
“But ---,” before Naruto could finish, someone elbowed his side lightly.
Sasuke couldn't just watch the blond put himself in danger anymore; he had to do something. “Stop it. There’s nothing you can say that’ll change their minds. You’re just making her angry,” he said, whispering.
Naruto turned to Sasuke – it showed clearly in the blond’s eyes that he wanted to fight, do at least something, anything, for his friend. He looked desperate.
“I understand, Naruto, but there’s nothing you can do for Kiba right now. He’ll be alright.” Softening his voice, Sasuke held Naruto’s gaze. “So calm down.”
Naruto stared at the raven-haired boy, not knowing what he should do, but then, after having made up his mind, he sat down next to the other boy silently, lowering his eyes to his lap.
Kimimaro coughed into his hand, succeeding in gaining everyone’s attention. “Okay, now that that has been sorted out,” he said, sarcasm dripping from his every word. “As I was trying to say earlier, we’ll take three of --”
But before Kimimaro could get any further, he was once again interrupted, this time by a voice coming from outside. The voice was muffled, but everyone could still make out what was being said.
“This is the police. You should surrender now, before anything more serious happens.” A small pause. “We are going to call the store’s phone line and you should answer, so that we could talk about what is going to happen next.”
‘So this is the reason they came back,’ Shino noted in his mind. He had been sure that something had happened for the robbers to have to resort to taking hostages, but there had been no way of knowing exactly what it was.
Kimimaro was feeling surprisingly calm after having been addressed like they just were. One would think that one would be feeling a bit more anxious in this kind of a situation, but he was not even a little worried. He only shared a look with Anko and Tayuya, confident that they would get through this ordeal and maintain their freedom.
Approximately thirty seconds after the “announcement”, a phone started ringing in both the staff room, on the table at which Kabuto was sitting, and the store, on the check-out counter.
Kimimaro decided that he shouldn't speak with the police in front of the people who were now officially their hostages, so he pointed a finger at Anko, “You stay here and keep an eye on them,” and then turned to Tayuya, “You come with me.”
The two robbers walked out of the staff room, Tayuya closing the door behind her.
Kimimaro walked straight to the phone, picking it up and answering with a simple ‘Yes?’.
There was a second of silence on the other end of the phone, then a voice drifted into his ear, “Hello, this is Umino Iruka from the police department of Konoha. We want to solve this situation as smoothly as possible. We know you have hostages inside, so could you, please, tell us if anyone has been hurt?”
Kimimaro answered in a level voice, “Everyone’s all right.”
It was a lie, of course, but he wasn't going tell the cop about the shooting incident and possibly end up making things more difficult for himself, Tayuya, and Anko.
There was a moment of silence, which he interpreted as hesitation; it was as if the cop didn't believe him.
“Good. Could you tell me how many hostages you have there with you?”
“No,” Kimimaro said, voice still level. “They're fine, that's all you need to know right now.”
“Alright, I understand.” There was silence again on the other end, and then the voice continued, sounding firmer, surer. “You should let the hostages go now and surrender yourselves. If you were to do this, it would be a lot better for you all.”
Kimimaro smirked inwardly, wanting to laugh. “We have to think about this, so call us again in ten minutes. If we don’t answer, wait for another ten minutes and then call again.”
After having said this, he hung up the phone.
There was no way they were going to surrender, but this would give them at least a little more time to think about what they should demand from the cops in exchange for the hostages – time to think about how they could save their own asses.
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End of chapter seven.
[Edited 5.21.2009]
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Chapter 7.
Call 1
-----
‘We're going to take three of you as hostages.’
After that the room had gone deadly silent.
Even though the silence had lasted only for a few tense seconds, it had felt a lot longer.
A cough immediately followed by a groan of pain broke the silence.
Everyone’s attention shifted from the robber to the brunet lying on the floor with his head rested on Shino’s lap.
Naruto’s worry for his friend raised its head the instant he heard the pained sound. His eyes lingered on the grimacing Kiba only for a short moment, before he turned his frantic eyes to the man holding his friend. When he spoke, his voice came out sounding very anxious, “Is he okay?”
Shino took an assessing glance at Kiba. The boy was breathing heavily, most likely because of the pain, but other than that, he seemed to be doing fine – at least considering what had happened to him.
“He's right now, I believe, but he definitely still needs to get to a hospital.”
This answer calmed the blond down a bit, but it didn't make his worry go away. He felt horrible because there was nothing he could do to make his friend feel better.
‘Wait... or is there?’
He had nothing to lose and everything to gain, so he could always try.
Having made up his mind, Naruto turned pleading eyes to the male robber, who had been watching them silently from his place in the doorway.
“Please, let Kiba go.”
“That’s not going to happen.” Kimimaro wasn't going to take any unnecessary risks.
“But there’s no reason for him to be here! You have the rest of us, you don’t really need him!”
“I don’t like having to repeat myself, so I’m only going to say this once more; I’m not letting him go. Period.”
Naruto jumped to his feet again, anxiously gesturing with his hands, “But why? He’s suffering! It’s not like you’d get caught because you let him leave! Please!”
‘You can never be sure,’ Kimimaro thought, but before he could give Naruto his answer, another voice joined the conversation.
“I think Kiba-kun is perfectly capable of bearing the pain for a little while longer. It’s more important for this situation we are in to be over as fast and as smoothly as possible.”
Kabuto felt that he had to stop this before things could get out of hand. He could sense Tayuya, who was standing beside Kimimaro, become more and more annoyed by the blond sales clerk, and he didn't want her to do anything rash that would make their situation even worse. Something bad must have happened for Kimimaro, Tayuya, and Anko to have come back for hostages.
“What?” Naruto looked scandalized. “Are you serious, Kabuto-san? He’s in pain!”
Kabuto looked at Naruto with an apologizing expression, which, of course, was fake. “Naruto-kun, Kiba-kun will be alright. I know he’s in pain right now, but he can handle it, I’m sure of it.” Kabuto lowered his voice a bit, sounding pleading but firm. “You shouldn’t make things more difficult.”
Naruto just looked at Kabuto, feeling irrationally betrayed by the man.
After another tense moment of silence, Kimimaro stepped further into the room.
Naruto noticed this from the corner of his eye and turned to look at the man.
“See?” Kimimaro said, looking at the blond, while gesturing with his hand at Kabuto. “The doctor agrees with me.”
Naruto looked from the robber to the grey-haired man and back again. “No, don’t listen to him! I’m begging you, let Kiba go!”
Tayuya had had enough of the blond’s whining. “Shut it, brat. Now. I mean it.”
“But ---,” before Naruto could finish, someone elbowed his side lightly.
Sasuke couldn't just watch the blond put himself in danger anymore; he had to do something. “Stop it. There’s nothing you can say that’ll change their minds. You’re just making her angry,” he said, whispering.
Naruto turned to Sasuke – it showed clearly in the blond’s eyes that he wanted to fight, do at least something, anything, for his friend. He looked desperate.
“I understand, Naruto, but there’s nothing you can do for Kiba right now. He’ll be alright.” Softening his voice, Sasuke held Naruto’s gaze. “So calm down.”
Naruto stared at the raven-haired boy, not knowing what he should do, but then, after having made up his mind, he sat down next to the other boy silently, lowering his eyes to his lap.
Kimimaro coughed into his hand, succeeding in gaining everyone’s attention. “Okay, now that that has been sorted out,” he said, sarcasm dripping from his every word. “As I was trying to say earlier, we’ll take three of --”
But before Kimimaro could get any further, he was once again interrupted, this time by a voice coming from outside. The voice was muffled, but everyone could still make out what was being said.
“This is the police. You should surrender now, before anything more serious happens.” A small pause. “We are going to call the store’s phone line and you should answer, so that we could talk about what is going to happen next.”
‘So this is the reason they came back,’ Shino noted in his mind. He had been sure that something had happened for the robbers to have to resort to taking hostages, but there had been no way of knowing exactly what it was.
Kimimaro was feeling surprisingly calm after having been addressed like they just were. One would think that one would be feeling a bit more anxious in this kind of a situation, but he was not even a little worried. He only shared a look with Anko and Tayuya, confident that they would get through this ordeal and maintain their freedom.
Approximately thirty seconds after the “announcement”, a phone started ringing in both the staff room, on the table at which Kabuto was sitting, and the store, on the check-out counter.
Kimimaro decided that he shouldn't speak with the police in front of the people who were now officially their hostages, so he pointed a finger at Anko, “You stay here and keep an eye on them,” and then turned to Tayuya, “You come with me.”
The two robbers walked out of the staff room, Tayuya closing the door behind her.
Kimimaro walked straight to the phone, picking it up and answering with a simple ‘Yes?’.
There was a second of silence on the other end of the phone, then a voice drifted into his ear, “Hello, this is Umino Iruka from the police department of Konoha. We want to solve this situation as smoothly as possible. We know you have hostages inside, so could you, please, tell us if anyone has been hurt?”
Kimimaro answered in a level voice, “Everyone’s all right.”
It was a lie, of course, but he wasn't going tell the cop about the shooting incident and possibly end up making things more difficult for himself, Tayuya, and Anko.
There was a moment of silence, which he interpreted as hesitation; it was as if the cop didn't believe him.
“Good. Could you tell me how many hostages you have there with you?”
“No,” Kimimaro said, voice still level. “They're fine, that's all you need to know right now.”
“Alright, I understand.” There was silence again on the other end, and then the voice continued, sounding firmer, surer. “You should let the hostages go now and surrender yourselves. If you were to do this, it would be a lot better for you all.”
Kimimaro smirked inwardly, wanting to laugh. “We have to think about this, so call us again in ten minutes. If we don’t answer, wait for another ten minutes and then call again.”
After having said this, he hung up the phone.
There was no way they were going to surrender, but this would give them at least a little more time to think about what they should demand from the cops in exchange for the hostages – time to think about how they could save their own asses.
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End of chapter seven.
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