Categories > Anime/Manga > Naruto > Hidden Beneath
Has everyone guessed/figured out who found fox!Naruto? Did I confuse anyone? XD
Warnings: Sasuke (He gets one all to himself). Kakashi OOCness? (I think)
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Chapter 6 ( Death vs. Chance? )
The darked haired human slowly twisted on a single foot with his body perpendicular to the ground, carefully balancing his centre of gravity, then purposely guiding the airborne foot to the earth and shifting his weight onto it. For a respite from the strength building kata, he transitioned smoothly into several defensive positions, all the while maintaining the almost painful but steady pace. He was about to begin the fifth set of repetitions when something slammed into his lower back, effectively throwing out the calm atmosphere that had cocooned around the lithe shinobi during the dance.
The momentum would have felled any other human and him as well - had his skills deserted him - but as always he flawlessly converted the downward force to his advantage. He planted a firm palm into the grass and flipped around to instinctively face the enemy even though his person was devoid of weaponry. The dark shinobi whipped eyes around the glen from his fighting stance to find an injured kitsune failing miserably to stand and then giving up to groggily stare at him from the disturbed dirt.
He blinked. If it were any other creature he would have totally ignored it, but some thing about the fox made him give it more than a cursory glare. The pale boy crouched by the animal and eyed it carefully, assessing the danger to and from it. The creature gave a low whimper, as if wordlessly asking for this human to do some thing about his battered condition. Navy orbs reflected the bright moonlight dully, yet a hint of intelligence snuck through the haze of pain instead of the cunning people normally associated with foxes. That spark did not last long as a shiver shook the furred body and the sleek head fell to the ground in a faint.
He placed a firm hand against the fox's abdomen, careful not to touch the wound there, feeling the radiating heat and rapid pulse throbbing throughout its' form. The skin of the cut had curled back and crusted with blackened blood while the pelt around the opening was matted with the red substance sluggishly seeping from it. The ninja pulled chakra into his finger and pushed it towards the gash, changing its nature so it glowed with the typical green of healing. The small body refused to take the curative energy.
These facts instantly told him that the weapon which did this had been coated in poison. The kitsune was marked for death. "Gokan doku" he spat, eyes narrowing in disgust.
The brunette recognised the signs and symptoms of the toxin used, as it was common enough amongst the Sound-nin who employed such a cowardly method. Not only was gokan doku designed to mess with the senses to incapacitate shinobi, it stopped any healing - natural or otherwise - and caused the victim to fall into a semi-conscious state where they had to endure the pain of it slowly killing them.
The pale boy bit the inner rim of his lip as his mind split in two, each half arguing fiercely with the other. One part wondered whether he should finish off the creature and relieve it of future suffering and the other to cleanse the wound of poison. The cold avenger complained about showing any weaknesses and for him to just kill the fox already, but with no one there to fuel the point it quickly petered out. Sasu-kun mentally rolled his eyes as the decision was made and the young man gently picked up the flaccid mass of orange fur. He settled the animal securely against his chest within the circle of strong arms before jumping into the trees towards his isolated camp.
*
Hatake had followed the blonde relentlessly up until the point where he noticed the imperceptible presence of another's chakra and heard a muffled thump. There should have been no way for any body to get within such a close radius of the former ANBU without using a cloaking jutsu. Kakashi had crept into the foliage surrounding the glen and spied on events to suss out the situation.
The silver haired man observed his former student with a wary eye. The jounin was infinitely surprised with the nuke-nin's actions concerning the injured Naruto in disguise. There was nothing he could really do without revealing himself and Kakashi wasn't entirely sure that Sasuke was going to hurt the fox. Despite the empty expression the brunette wore, there had been no malice in his still graceful movements.
Silently and stealthily, Kakashi trailed the teenaged Uchiha so to keep a tab on the whereabouts of his young partner. It was not a long trek to Sasuke's hideout and the jounin was grateful because surely the boy would discover him soon despite the hitoku jutsu. As Sasuke disappeared into a cave entrance at the base of a cliff, the canine sat on his hunches within a nice dense set of foliage and contemplated his options.
1) He could sneak in and steal Naruto back, but that was foolhardy. He wasn't a medical-nin and the blonde's injuries needed to be taken care of. The Sasuke he had known wasn't a medic either but the jounin had seen the pulsing green chakra and it gave him some hope.
2) He could wait around until Naruto healed and escaped himself. That option failed the cut as well. He didn't know how long it was going to take, for Kyuubi's chakra had some how been suppressed even when Naruto let his barriers disappear. Also the reason why they had been retreating popped to the forefront of his musings.
Or 3) He could leave Naruto in the Uchiha's care and report back to the jounin team patrolling the Rice Field/Fire County border. He'd return as soon as the intelligence they had gathered was sent as fast as possible to the Godaime. The mission didn't always come first in his books anymore but it did come a close second. The blonde should be smart enough to stay put if Kakashi left him some orders.
The wolf-dog panted lightly as he lifted a foot to scratch a tatty, grey-furred ear. He hoped Naruto would be okay, the fox hadn't been looking so good under the pale wash of moonlight if anyone could tell such a thing at a long distance from the subject. Kakashi had been expecting surprises or at least the unusual on their covert mission, but this one took the cake for unexpected events.
Yes the last option made the most sense, disregarding Naruto's wayward tendencies of course. May be they would settle down once he realises it's the Uchiha looking after him. Kakashi rolled his black orbs before scooting off until the cave and its occupants were well outside the boundary of his active senses. It was better to be safe than sorry.
The jounin popped back into the form with opposable thumbs and grabbed out a writing utensil and a small, blank scroll from the multiple pockets of his vest. He then proceeded to leave explicit instructions that a drugged up blonde boy should understand. Kakashi slipped one of the spiralled chakra charms from the chain of them hanging around his slender neck and attached it to the scroll.
There was no nagging thought whatsoever in the back of his mind that Sasuke would probably kill the blonde if he found out the fox in his care was Uzumaki Naruto. Everything would be just fine.
*
Sasuke glanced around the dry cave that he called shelter during his solo training away from Orochimaru's main hideout. The Uchiha still refused to call it a Hidden Village for all its purpose of housing Sound shinobi. He navigated around his possessions neatly arranged by the sleeping roll he had prepared before leaving earlier.
The brunette laid the fox next to the extinct fire with care not to jostle the weeping wound. First and foremost the poison infecting the creature's bodily processes needed to be counteracted before it had a passable chance to get better. Sasuke grabbed a couple of the thinner logs from the stockpile he kept by the circle of stones and proceeded to stoke the blazing flames thanks to his signature fire jutsu. A small pot of water was then hung over the flickering fire and left to heat.
The Uchiha glanced at the limp kitsune to make sure he really was doing this. Its' mottled flank heaved in attempts to drag in air - only succeeding in shallow breaths - and muscles sporadically convulsed underneath the orange pelt from the cramps caused by the toxin. An inaudible sigh escaped Sasuke's pale lips as he dragged his pack closer to the prone animal so he could work in comfort.
He knelt on pale legs as hands absently unpacked the things he would need. Bandages, pieces of ripped cloth, a small metal bowl and the medical pouch Kabuto forced on him every time the boy trained on his own. Sasuke placed the items in the order he would need them on his right, except for the basin which was settled between his knees and the fox's side.
The nuke-nin unzipped the med-kit and pulled a tiny vial from a pouch in the padded linings. The opaque lime liquid was luminescent in the semi-darkness of the cave and made a soft slishing sound when tipped inside the glass. The aesthetics of the thing gave off an ominous aura. It would make everyone who didn't know assume it was a poison instead of an antidote. A Sound trait, deceive at all costs.
Pale fingers unstopped the cork and let two fat droplets splash into the bottom of the bowl before resealing the vial. Sasuke retrieved the pot from the tripod and poured about half a cup of heated water. He picked up the small whisk from the med-kit, proceeding to whip the solution into a frothy state. As soon as the bubbles settled he lightly soaked a wadded cloth strip with the warm, honeydew liquid and gently smeared it against the crusty, blackened wound. The kitsune jerked violently at the contact as Sasuke covered the entire area and pressed firmly, some of the wetness sliding through the fur to pool on the stones, then wiped away the now moistened dried blood.
Uchiha-sama itched to stay those healing hands and let the stupid animal fall to the inevitable fate of death at life's end. Sasuke sighed and blocked out all thoughts other than those needed to help the orange fox, he really needed to quell those urges until he was back in company where he would need them (namely the snake pit of deception).
He wrung out several solution-soaked rags and overlapped them along the gash, leaving none of it open to the air. Picking a fairly large roll of beige bandage Sasuke untied the loose end and shifted his sitting position so he could manoeuvre the creature more easily. The young nuke-nin firmly wrapped the injury - as well as five centimetres above and below it - with precision, ensuring the wetted pieces of cloth were covered entirely and the bandage wouldn't slip should the fox move.
It took a few minutes for Sasuke to finish and be satisfied with his handiwork then clear the scattered materials back into his pack. Lastly he poured the rest of the antidote into an empty jar and tightly closed the lid.
Sasuke settled on top of the sleeping roll, forgoing the need to wash and change out of his dirty gear since he would just wake up and start another training session. He ran fingers through loose blue-black strands a couple of times as he again stared at his voluntary charge. The orange kitsune had to be the strangest thing that he had encountered since defecting to Orochimaru. He was still wondering why he had decided to care for it instead of letting it die.
Sasu-kun scoffed at his callousness. He had not always been without mercy, after all the Uchiha was a master at disguising his feelings and thus shreds of those 'good' feelings still existed somewhere inside him. The gaze of Sasu-kun swept up and down the small form of the injured beast, whose muscles had quietened down to the occasional twitch.
He remembered the flash of intelligence in the animal's eyes before it succumbed to unconsciousness. Uchiha Mikoto used to tell her youngest son stories of the fox spirits that once freely roamed the Fire Country. It was not entirely implausible - he had learned a great deal about the tailed demons from the snake Sannin - but the fatalistic wound by a shinobi weapon suggested something else. His analytical mind sorted through the short list of possibilities.
The fox wasn't a summoning; they can't be injured and stay in this reality. There was a huge chance it was wild and had just been caught in crossfire, as Sound poison renders flesh inedible. If not hunting for food, some malevolent ninja was entertaining them selves by killing the forest creatures. The teenaged nuke-nin never failed to sneer at the men who lowered to killing mindlessly. It was simply pathetic pitting one's self against beings that do not challenge any skills whatsoever.
This reminded Sasuke that there was a camp nearby of young Sound-nin, not age wise but fresh to the ranks of Orochimaru's motley band of rogue killers. They were oblivious to being within a kilometre of the feared Uchiha's secret spot, as he had blatantly observed their coming and they didn't notice a thing. Unfortunately for the fox they weren't so blind to its' passing.
Contrary to popular belief Sasuke did not like to dwell. More importantly Sasuke did not like to dwell on things which the teenager shinobi deemed unnecessary to concern his self. Finally forcing his overzealous genius brain to wind down, the brunette felt his eyelids fluttering closed.
Now without the distractions of helping a creature other than himself, the full body exhaustion of the day's training caught up with him. His chakra was still exceedingly low from the afternoon session and sleep was the fastest way to restore acceptable levels. Sasuke eventually slumbered slightly curled on his blankets and facing the kitsune, entering a blissfully nightmare free rest.
. . . T B C . . .
Gokan - the five senses.
Doku - poison / toxicant.
Yay The official arrival of Sasuke! I'm surprised at how many chapters it took for him to get here XD Naruto is unconscious unfortunately.
Um, how'd I do with this chapter? Reviews are my brain food. It jumped around at the end I know, but what can you do with Sasuke sitting around thinking. Reviews and comments are the best motivation and inspirational sources that I thrive on to get these chapters done.
Warnings: Sasuke (He gets one all to himself). Kakashi OOCness? (I think)
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Chapter 6 ( Death vs. Chance? )
The darked haired human slowly twisted on a single foot with his body perpendicular to the ground, carefully balancing his centre of gravity, then purposely guiding the airborne foot to the earth and shifting his weight onto it. For a respite from the strength building kata, he transitioned smoothly into several defensive positions, all the while maintaining the almost painful but steady pace. He was about to begin the fifth set of repetitions when something slammed into his lower back, effectively throwing out the calm atmosphere that had cocooned around the lithe shinobi during the dance.
The momentum would have felled any other human and him as well - had his skills deserted him - but as always he flawlessly converted the downward force to his advantage. He planted a firm palm into the grass and flipped around to instinctively face the enemy even though his person was devoid of weaponry. The dark shinobi whipped eyes around the glen from his fighting stance to find an injured kitsune failing miserably to stand and then giving up to groggily stare at him from the disturbed dirt.
He blinked. If it were any other creature he would have totally ignored it, but some thing about the fox made him give it more than a cursory glare. The pale boy crouched by the animal and eyed it carefully, assessing the danger to and from it. The creature gave a low whimper, as if wordlessly asking for this human to do some thing about his battered condition. Navy orbs reflected the bright moonlight dully, yet a hint of intelligence snuck through the haze of pain instead of the cunning people normally associated with foxes. That spark did not last long as a shiver shook the furred body and the sleek head fell to the ground in a faint.
He placed a firm hand against the fox's abdomen, careful not to touch the wound there, feeling the radiating heat and rapid pulse throbbing throughout its' form. The skin of the cut had curled back and crusted with blackened blood while the pelt around the opening was matted with the red substance sluggishly seeping from it. The ninja pulled chakra into his finger and pushed it towards the gash, changing its nature so it glowed with the typical green of healing. The small body refused to take the curative energy.
These facts instantly told him that the weapon which did this had been coated in poison. The kitsune was marked for death. "Gokan doku" he spat, eyes narrowing in disgust.
The brunette recognised the signs and symptoms of the toxin used, as it was common enough amongst the Sound-nin who employed such a cowardly method. Not only was gokan doku designed to mess with the senses to incapacitate shinobi, it stopped any healing - natural or otherwise - and caused the victim to fall into a semi-conscious state where they had to endure the pain of it slowly killing them.
The pale boy bit the inner rim of his lip as his mind split in two, each half arguing fiercely with the other. One part wondered whether he should finish off the creature and relieve it of future suffering and the other to cleanse the wound of poison. The cold avenger complained about showing any weaknesses and for him to just kill the fox already, but with no one there to fuel the point it quickly petered out. Sasu-kun mentally rolled his eyes as the decision was made and the young man gently picked up the flaccid mass of orange fur. He settled the animal securely against his chest within the circle of strong arms before jumping into the trees towards his isolated camp.
*
Hatake had followed the blonde relentlessly up until the point where he noticed the imperceptible presence of another's chakra and heard a muffled thump. There should have been no way for any body to get within such a close radius of the former ANBU without using a cloaking jutsu. Kakashi had crept into the foliage surrounding the glen and spied on events to suss out the situation.
The silver haired man observed his former student with a wary eye. The jounin was infinitely surprised with the nuke-nin's actions concerning the injured Naruto in disguise. There was nothing he could really do without revealing himself and Kakashi wasn't entirely sure that Sasuke was going to hurt the fox. Despite the empty expression the brunette wore, there had been no malice in his still graceful movements.
Silently and stealthily, Kakashi trailed the teenaged Uchiha so to keep a tab on the whereabouts of his young partner. It was not a long trek to Sasuke's hideout and the jounin was grateful because surely the boy would discover him soon despite the hitoku jutsu. As Sasuke disappeared into a cave entrance at the base of a cliff, the canine sat on his hunches within a nice dense set of foliage and contemplated his options.
1) He could sneak in and steal Naruto back, but that was foolhardy. He wasn't a medical-nin and the blonde's injuries needed to be taken care of. The Sasuke he had known wasn't a medic either but the jounin had seen the pulsing green chakra and it gave him some hope.
2) He could wait around until Naruto healed and escaped himself. That option failed the cut as well. He didn't know how long it was going to take, for Kyuubi's chakra had some how been suppressed even when Naruto let his barriers disappear. Also the reason why they had been retreating popped to the forefront of his musings.
Or 3) He could leave Naruto in the Uchiha's care and report back to the jounin team patrolling the Rice Field/Fire County border. He'd return as soon as the intelligence they had gathered was sent as fast as possible to the Godaime. The mission didn't always come first in his books anymore but it did come a close second. The blonde should be smart enough to stay put if Kakashi left him some orders.
The wolf-dog panted lightly as he lifted a foot to scratch a tatty, grey-furred ear. He hoped Naruto would be okay, the fox hadn't been looking so good under the pale wash of moonlight if anyone could tell such a thing at a long distance from the subject. Kakashi had been expecting surprises or at least the unusual on their covert mission, but this one took the cake for unexpected events.
Yes the last option made the most sense, disregarding Naruto's wayward tendencies of course. May be they would settle down once he realises it's the Uchiha looking after him. Kakashi rolled his black orbs before scooting off until the cave and its occupants were well outside the boundary of his active senses. It was better to be safe than sorry.
The jounin popped back into the form with opposable thumbs and grabbed out a writing utensil and a small, blank scroll from the multiple pockets of his vest. He then proceeded to leave explicit instructions that a drugged up blonde boy should understand. Kakashi slipped one of the spiralled chakra charms from the chain of them hanging around his slender neck and attached it to the scroll.
There was no nagging thought whatsoever in the back of his mind that Sasuke would probably kill the blonde if he found out the fox in his care was Uzumaki Naruto. Everything would be just fine.
*
Sasuke glanced around the dry cave that he called shelter during his solo training away from Orochimaru's main hideout. The Uchiha still refused to call it a Hidden Village for all its purpose of housing Sound shinobi. He navigated around his possessions neatly arranged by the sleeping roll he had prepared before leaving earlier.
The brunette laid the fox next to the extinct fire with care not to jostle the weeping wound. First and foremost the poison infecting the creature's bodily processes needed to be counteracted before it had a passable chance to get better. Sasuke grabbed a couple of the thinner logs from the stockpile he kept by the circle of stones and proceeded to stoke the blazing flames thanks to his signature fire jutsu. A small pot of water was then hung over the flickering fire and left to heat.
The Uchiha glanced at the limp kitsune to make sure he really was doing this. Its' mottled flank heaved in attempts to drag in air - only succeeding in shallow breaths - and muscles sporadically convulsed underneath the orange pelt from the cramps caused by the toxin. An inaudible sigh escaped Sasuke's pale lips as he dragged his pack closer to the prone animal so he could work in comfort.
He knelt on pale legs as hands absently unpacked the things he would need. Bandages, pieces of ripped cloth, a small metal bowl and the medical pouch Kabuto forced on him every time the boy trained on his own. Sasuke placed the items in the order he would need them on his right, except for the basin which was settled between his knees and the fox's side.
The nuke-nin unzipped the med-kit and pulled a tiny vial from a pouch in the padded linings. The opaque lime liquid was luminescent in the semi-darkness of the cave and made a soft slishing sound when tipped inside the glass. The aesthetics of the thing gave off an ominous aura. It would make everyone who didn't know assume it was a poison instead of an antidote. A Sound trait, deceive at all costs.
Pale fingers unstopped the cork and let two fat droplets splash into the bottom of the bowl before resealing the vial. Sasuke retrieved the pot from the tripod and poured about half a cup of heated water. He picked up the small whisk from the med-kit, proceeding to whip the solution into a frothy state. As soon as the bubbles settled he lightly soaked a wadded cloth strip with the warm, honeydew liquid and gently smeared it against the crusty, blackened wound. The kitsune jerked violently at the contact as Sasuke covered the entire area and pressed firmly, some of the wetness sliding through the fur to pool on the stones, then wiped away the now moistened dried blood.
Uchiha-sama itched to stay those healing hands and let the stupid animal fall to the inevitable fate of death at life's end. Sasuke sighed and blocked out all thoughts other than those needed to help the orange fox, he really needed to quell those urges until he was back in company where he would need them (namely the snake pit of deception).
He wrung out several solution-soaked rags and overlapped them along the gash, leaving none of it open to the air. Picking a fairly large roll of beige bandage Sasuke untied the loose end and shifted his sitting position so he could manoeuvre the creature more easily. The young nuke-nin firmly wrapped the injury - as well as five centimetres above and below it - with precision, ensuring the wetted pieces of cloth were covered entirely and the bandage wouldn't slip should the fox move.
It took a few minutes for Sasuke to finish and be satisfied with his handiwork then clear the scattered materials back into his pack. Lastly he poured the rest of the antidote into an empty jar and tightly closed the lid.
Sasuke settled on top of the sleeping roll, forgoing the need to wash and change out of his dirty gear since he would just wake up and start another training session. He ran fingers through loose blue-black strands a couple of times as he again stared at his voluntary charge. The orange kitsune had to be the strangest thing that he had encountered since defecting to Orochimaru. He was still wondering why he had decided to care for it instead of letting it die.
Sasu-kun scoffed at his callousness. He had not always been without mercy, after all the Uchiha was a master at disguising his feelings and thus shreds of those 'good' feelings still existed somewhere inside him. The gaze of Sasu-kun swept up and down the small form of the injured beast, whose muscles had quietened down to the occasional twitch.
He remembered the flash of intelligence in the animal's eyes before it succumbed to unconsciousness. Uchiha Mikoto used to tell her youngest son stories of the fox spirits that once freely roamed the Fire Country. It was not entirely implausible - he had learned a great deal about the tailed demons from the snake Sannin - but the fatalistic wound by a shinobi weapon suggested something else. His analytical mind sorted through the short list of possibilities.
The fox wasn't a summoning; they can't be injured and stay in this reality. There was a huge chance it was wild and had just been caught in crossfire, as Sound poison renders flesh inedible. If not hunting for food, some malevolent ninja was entertaining them selves by killing the forest creatures. The teenaged nuke-nin never failed to sneer at the men who lowered to killing mindlessly. It was simply pathetic pitting one's self against beings that do not challenge any skills whatsoever.
This reminded Sasuke that there was a camp nearby of young Sound-nin, not age wise but fresh to the ranks of Orochimaru's motley band of rogue killers. They were oblivious to being within a kilometre of the feared Uchiha's secret spot, as he had blatantly observed their coming and they didn't notice a thing. Unfortunately for the fox they weren't so blind to its' passing.
Contrary to popular belief Sasuke did not like to dwell. More importantly Sasuke did not like to dwell on things which the teenager shinobi deemed unnecessary to concern his self. Finally forcing his overzealous genius brain to wind down, the brunette felt his eyelids fluttering closed.
Now without the distractions of helping a creature other than himself, the full body exhaustion of the day's training caught up with him. His chakra was still exceedingly low from the afternoon session and sleep was the fastest way to restore acceptable levels. Sasuke eventually slumbered slightly curled on his blankets and facing the kitsune, entering a blissfully nightmare free rest.
. . . T B C . . .
Gokan - the five senses.
Doku - poison / toxicant.
Yay The official arrival of Sasuke! I'm surprised at how many chapters it took for him to get here XD Naruto is unconscious unfortunately.
Um, how'd I do with this chapter? Reviews are my brain food. It jumped around at the end I know, but what can you do with Sasuke sitting around thinking. Reviews and comments are the best motivation and inspirational sources that I thrive on to get these chapters done.
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