The Cost of Vengeance
By Ami-Chan

Corruption comes in all forms, and can be costly if aimed at the right spot. Every shinobi village has a weak point, and if it’s hit, they can’t continue as they were. Some have even had to give up their names as countries and let themselves be conquered because of these heavy blows. Even though Uchiha Sasuke was able to crush Orochimaru, the Leaf is still in grave danger. As Kabuto inches closer to his destination, he has a surprise in store for a special person, who makes whiny brats into gennin with great potential.

“That Iruka is the backbone of Konoha. If his reputation is crushed, then the village will be crushed with it,” Kabuto thought sinisterly.

Naruto was still unconscious from the poison blow he had taken in Sasuke’s place. He was unaware of the chaos that was about to spring itself upon Konoha. He didn’t even know if he was alive. He was lost in a boundary between life and death, and he could see numerous images of his past. His first memory was six years ago.

“Playing ball is great isn’t it?” One of the little girls kicked it to another one.

“Yeah, it sure is!” Another exclaimed.

“Let me join in!” A little boy jumped a little away.

“Kick it!” They said.

“Hey…is there any room for me?” A younger Naruto asked frightened.

“There’s no room for you, Kyuubi!” The girls sneered.

“Get lost, beast, before my shinobi father kills you!” The boy insulted.

“What’s a…Kyuubi?” Naruto asked in tears as they ran away from him.

In his memory, Naruto took a long run and was barely tall enough to open a door to someone’s home. He plopped on the couch and buried his face into a pillow. His sobs were smothered in it, but they could still be heard faintly. He felt a hand go over his back. He looked up and blinked some tears away at Iruka’s kind face. Naruto looked down now. He didn’t want to trouble him, but he had to ask.

“Iruka-sensei, what’s a Kyuubi? Why does everyone call me that?” He muttered.

“Don’t worry about it! Even if they hate you, I don’t. Remember?” That was always his reply.

“You never answer me,” Naruto said dissatisfied.

“Try not to think about it. I can’t tell you. I’ve sworn not to, like everyone else,” Iruka shook his head.

“But I just want to know why,” Naruto’s voice faded to a light whisper.

In the present time, Naruto’s eyes began to shift. He was quite disturbed being haunted by his past constantly. Kabuto grew impatient. If he didn’t act soon, Naruto would awaken before he carried out his plans. He found him at last. Iruka was carelessly walking the streets without detecting either of them. Kabuto made sure he’d go unnoticed for quite some time. With ninjutsu, he was easily able to blend perfectly in his surroundings like a chameleon. The moment was right. He uncloaked Naruto with the counter to the invisibility jutsu and laid him down in front of Iruka. As expected, he ran to his side, but before he even touched him, Kabuto slipped the kunai stained with his blood into Iruka’s hand. With the excitement of his fulfilled plan leaving him, Kabuto made his departure, hearing the scream of Haruno Sakura.

“Sensei…how could you?” Sakura shook her head.

“Sakura, it’s not what it looks like! The kunai slipped in my hand…and Naruto-

“That’s enough! You’re psychotic enough to slash him, but then you say you’re so delusional you don’t realize you’ve done it? I don’t believe you, that’s the oldest trick in the book! I’m going to take care of Naruto…and you’re going to jail for this!” Sakura exploded forcefully taking Naruto away and stomping down the street. “The ANBU will breathe down your neck now.”

“This all must be some kind of bad day dream…not that I have day dreams. Maybe something bad did happen to Naruto, but everyone thinking me responsible is just ridiculous,” Iruka thought as he strolled down the path to his home.

          Iruka blinked for a few moments as he could see that there were two ANBU poking around his apartment complex. He wanted to know who they were looking for. Perhaps he could help, and just be a good citizen about it. Sakura’s words pierced into his mind. Were they looking for him, perhaps? Before Iruka had a chance to hide, the first ANBU he saw stopped him in his tracks. This wasn’t a dream. They were really after him for a crime he didn’t do. Yet, he froze. There was no use resisting them. That would make them more suspicious.

“You’re the Chunnin that stabbed Uzumaki, aren’t you?” the ANBU’s eyes were cold and empty. It was the first time ever that Iruka felt fear.

“I haven’t done anything…I speak the truth under every shinobi’s oath,” Iruka answered, inside praying he’d be believed.

“I know you’re trying to get by us with your history that you and Uzumaki have isn’t going to cut it, Iruka. You have to take responsibility for not only trying to kill him, but building all those years of trust so you could make him gullible enough to fall for it. You’re no different than Orochimaru,” the ANBU said harshly grabbing onto his wrist.

“How can you prove it was me?” Iruka asked before the handcuffs were clamped on his wrists.

“How can you prove it wasn’t? You were the only one there when he received that wound. It’s been twelve years since Kyuubi took us on…and you still haven’t gotten over it-

“Tell me why I’d do such a thing! I’d never lay a hand on Naruto like that!” Iruka now was furious pulling his arms out of the ANBU’s grip.

“You were the only one there, Iruka. You had the bloody knife in your hand, and it even had your DNA on it. You’re guilty,” the other ANBU said as he came behind him and cuffed his wrists.

“You can’t do this! I’m innocent!” Iruka tried to shake himself free. He wasn’t going to let himself be accused for a crime he never committed.

“There’s no one else who could have done this,” the ANBU said slipping a syringe into Iruka’s shoulder. His eyes closed into a deep sleep.

-Later-

“Kakashi, did you hear what happened?” Kurenai stopped him as he was walking down the streets.

“I heard. I don’t believe Iruka could be responsible,” Kakashi replied.

“There was no one else. The ANBU said so themselves. I think you’re the only one suspicious of another person, Kakashi,” Asuma shrugged.

“Asuma, think of the way Naruto and Iruka were. There’s no reason for this to happen when Iruka could have killed him twelve years ago when he was a helpless infant. I think someone else framed him,” Kakashi said as his one eye blinked. “I’m going to Naruto, and I’m going to find out.

“Let us know if you get more information, Kakashi. We might be able to prove him innocent,” Kurenai gave him a serious look. She never believed it was Iruka either.

“I’ll fill you in on everything,” Kakashi nodded, and then he jumped buildings.

“That chakra is Naruto’s…it seems stronger now. Stronger than the last time I sensed him. I’m sure he can speak,” Kakashi thought as he jumped onto the hospital roof.

Naruto’s vision was hazy as he came to his senses at last. He fluttered his eyes until he could focus. The walls were white; there was a sink in the left hand corner of the room, along with a machine beeping to the rhythm of his pulse. At first, Naruto couldn’t remember what happened. Then it all flashed to him, and the last thing he recalled was falling near Sasuke’s feet. It made no sense how he got here. Where was Sasuke? Was finding him with Orochimaru and Kabuto just another dream? Naruto was just stunned. So much had happened so fast, that he hardly had time to catch his breath. He noticed the door was wide open. Just as he was about to jerk the I.V. out of his arm and rush outside, a man dressed in a white coat walked right in. He presumed he was one of the doctors, until he went up in smoke. Naruto blocked his eyes for a moment, and then he opened them to see no one other than Hatake Kakashi.

“Kakashi-sensei, what am I doing here? What happened to me, and why did you have to sneak in?” Naruto shot all the questions at once.

“You were brought in here by Sakura after Iruka supposedly gave you that wound…and I had to sneak in to make sure you were all right. The nurse said that you were slipping into a coma,” Kakashi explained. “I didn’t believe any of it, I never believed Iruka did this, and I couldn’t believe that you would almost be dead, so I had to see you for myself.”

“You’re right…Kakashi-sensei. Someone else did this,” Naruto muttered. “It happened when I tried to take Sasuke back…”

“Who was it? You must tell me now, or Iruka’s life could be in danger. He was arrested by the ANBU, and if you attack your allies, it’s considered treason-

“No way, the penalty for treason is death! Iruka-sensei’s going to be executed,” Naruto tried to rise up and he gripped the I.V. with his left hand. “I’ll save him.”

“You need to rest, Naruto. I’ll handle this,” Kakashi assured him.

“Are you sure?” the sight of Naruto’s face was unbelievable. He was sad.

“Everything will be all right, Naruto. I can get him out of this,” Kakashi repeated his words from before.

Naruto gave in and sank back into a laying position as he watched Kakashi open and close the window. Would he actually save Iruka even though he heard of them fighting not too long ago? He didn’t want to think of it. Naruto couldn’t bear the thought of losing someone close to him again. Sasuke’s disappearance was enough for him to grieve and wonder about. It was twice now that Naruto lost Sasuke. How much more sorrow did he have to bear? What had he done to deserve this punishment by the Gods above? Only his eyes looked upward at the ceiling. In his mind, he spoke to the Gods, asking them to spare everyone else that he cared for. Meanwhile, Kakashi hopped buildings until he landed on one near the police station. He jumped down in front of it and quietly walked in pushing the door open.

“I’d like to talk to the head of the ANBU about something,” Kakashi said to the receptionist.

“What’s that?” She asked.

“I’ll only tell the one I need to speak to. This is a personal matter,” Kakashi replied.

“The head of the ANBU’s office is on the left hand side of this room. Access there is restricted. Do you have a pass?” She questioned him yet again.

Kakashi pulled a red card from his vest and the receptionist nodded letting him pass. He swiped the card through a slot in the head ANBU’s door and the doorknob twisted and opened. It automatically closed behind him, and he stared in the face of a man with long black hair and a scar on his left eye. This was Reikuro, the head of the ANBU force. He was known for the many A-rank missions he completed flawlessly and for one of his famous fighting styles. His clan took over after the Uchiha clan fell, and they were formidable opponents. Even as a Jounin, Kakashi was lucky to even see his face.

“Reikuro…this is the first time we’ve actually met in person. I am Hatake Kakashi,” he introduced himself formally.

“Hatake Kakashi…”Sharingan Kakashi”…what business do you have with me?” Reikuro wanted to get right to the point. He was busy, and he didn’t have time to listen to a Jounin rant.

“It’s regarding one of your prisoners. Umoino Iruka…” Kakashi paused as he could feel a shiver down his spine cast from Reikuro. “I believe him to be wrongfully accused.”

Immediately, Reikuro began to flip through his profiles on the prisoners. His finger stopped at the Umoino last name and he pulled out the folder. He easily forgot crimes with faces, but he had this one etched in his mind. He opened it up almost forcefully. Kakashi could sense his tension building up. It all suddenly snapped.

“Why would you want to spare the life of this murderer? He stabbed Uzumaki Naruto with poison! If it weren’t for the healers, he’d be dead!” Reikuro exploded at last.

“I know Iruka! He wouldn’t do this! He’d give his own life before even considering harming Naruto!” Kakashi argued. “He’s innocent!”

“Get out, Kakashi. You’re wasting my time,” Reikuro turned his chair so his back was facing him.

“Reikuro, listen-“

“I won’t listen to a criminal’s sympathizer. I have better things to do,” Reikuro didn’t turn around. His decision was final, and he didn’t even want to speak to Kakashi.

For the first time ever, Kakashi let out a burst of anger after he exited the office. He slammed his fist hard on one of the metal walls and dented it. He almost threw the door open, he was so enraged. He walked onto the streets for a while, and then found a nice dark alley. He hid himself there.

“I’m sorry, Naruto…I couldn’t save him,” Kakashi muttered.

Loneliness and regret seem to come at the same time for anyone who felt like they have wrongfully betrayed someone they care about. It seems like one can’t exist without the other, and these two feelings dancing in a person’s head can drive them almost over the edge. Uchiha Sasuke was no exception to these feelings that combined to make anguish, even though he was cool and collected. Even though he was feet from the Sand Country, he was considering on turning back to Konoha. He could feel something terrible there. He felt that if he didn’t return to at least investigate, the situation would get worse. His senses darted in all directions. Three unexpected guests appeared from the shadows: Gaara, Temari, and Kankuro.

“Aren’t you Sasuke Uchiha?” Gaara asked him.

“What are you doing way out here with that wound? You’re going to die if you go on like that,” Temari didn’t really seem concerned, but it’s not like she’d stand by and watch.

“We can give you a place to stay…maybe some food and treatment for that wound,” Kankuro offered. “You don’t look too good.”

“I don’t have time to stay with you.” Sasuke rejected. “I have to get back to Konoha.”

“We’re going there on a mission. We could take you either there or to our village.” Temari explained. “If you can hold on until you make it to Konoha, we’d gladly take you along.”

“I can manage,” That’s all Sasuke could say at the moment.

“So, you’re coming then?” Gaara asked.

“Yes,” Sasuke nodded.

“I’ll do the honors.” Kankuro knelt down in front of Sasuke. “Climb on my back. You’re not going to make it walking.”

Although unwilling to, Sasuke complied and put his arms on Kankuro’s shoulders. He instantly fell asleep, without a moment’s hesitation. Kankuro and Temari felt sorry for him. Whatever mission was on must have been nearly impossible for one of his caliber to be injured like that. Gaara was too far ahead to notice. He was always scouting, looking out for any possible ambushes. He was the one who would be able to deflect the attacks that were to come in order to interfere with the Sand’s mission. That mission was to go to the Leaf and make a formal apology, along with a treaty’s renewal. Gaara jumped from tree to tree and then he stopped. This was it, the border between the Desert and Leaf. Sasuke’s eyes opened slowly. He let himself slide off Kankuro’s back onto his own feet, and he walked in front of them.

“You didn’t have to bring me here.” Sasuke said. “But…I appreciate you three took me here.”

“It wasn’t a problem, Uchiha.” Gaara blinked. “It wasn’t a problem at all.”

Sasuke kept his back turned was he waved goodbye to the three Sands. The wind blew his hair to the side as he walked the streets of Konoha. It seemed like forever since he had been here. It seemed like it had been centuries. Kakashi meanwhile was sulking. He made a promise he couldn’t keep, and he walked the streets in deep thought. He could go to the ends of the earth and not even notice.

“What are you doing out on the streets?” Sasuke’s voice stopped Kakashi. They were right next to each other, just about to pass by.

“Naruto would be angry...I can’t see him,” Kakashi replied unclearly. “I failed him.”

“Naruto is going to die then? That wasn’t a real cure?” Sasuke misunderstood.

“No, but Iruka is. He was accused for attempting to murder him. I know he’s not responsible, but no one believes me.” Kakashi clarified. “If he finds out he’s going to be executed though, you might as well consider Naruto dead. He can't live a moment without knowing that he’s breathing too. That’s the way he feels about you too, Sasuke.”

“You can’t prove anything, Kakashi. You weren’t there. I witnessed Naruto’s injury...I can be the one to get him out.” Sasuke stated calmly.

“You’d do that?” Kakashi shook his head. He thought his ears were playing tricks on him.

“I’m not doing it for myself...” Sasuke paused. “I’m doing it to repay the debt I owe the one who saved my life...while it almost cost his.”

“How can you make Reikuro listen to you? There’s no way he’d believe you. He didn’t believe a Jounin or Chunnin’s word…so why would he listen to a Gennin?” Kakashi asked him. “Try to be reasonable, Sasuke.”

“Do you want me to save him or not?” Sasuke stared him down. Their Sharingan eyes met and Sasuke’s far overpowered Kakashi’s now that Kakashi was dispirited.

“Do what you can,” Kakashi replied. “I’ll leave this to you, Sasuke.”

Sasuke nodded to his sensei and departed without another word. Kakashi watched the leaves blow by him and thought for a moment. Has Sasuke had a complete change of heart? This wasn’t like him at all to do things for other people. Then again, he’s never owed anyone a debt. Kakashi never knew his true nature until he saw him from a different perspective. Sasuke was, deep down inside, a caring person who would protect his comrades and live up to the name of a true Leaf shinobi. On the other side of town, Shikamaru was in Naruto’s hospital room. The nurse had said earlier that his friends would be able to see him now, so everyone was dropping by. As expected, even though he was the laziest shinobi of all Konoha, Shikamaru was the first one there. He had changed just a little since the last time Naruto saw him. He wore a green vest and a uniform similar to Iruka’s. Shikamaru was the only Chunnin out of the entire exams.

“Hey. I heard you got injured pretty bad…are you ok, man?” Shikamaru asked him as he sat in a chair next to him.

“I’m fine, Shikamaru,” Naruto replied weakly. “You honestly think I’d go down…that easy?”

“You don’t look so good,” Shikamaru’s indifferent expression fell into worry. “You’re kind of pale.”

“You’ve got that fancy vest, eh?” Naruto changed the subject. “If you’re the only Chunnin material, that must mean we’re running out of options.”

“You’re just jealous,” Shikamaru said as he crossed his arms.

“Yeah right,” Naruto narrowed his eyes. “I’m not jealous of a bum like you.”

“Well, I have to go now. My father and I are going on a mission. I’ll be back though. See ya,” Shikamaru waved from behind as he rose from his chair.

“See ya, Shikamaru,” Naruto muttered.

Later that night, Naruto couldn’t sleep. The only thing that kept him content was a known fact of nature: Kakashi was always late. As long as Iruka was with Kakashi, they’d both be late. That’s how he always thought of it. Naruto didn’t want to think of the other possibility. Instead he waited, not daring to move even his eyes as they were frozen at one point in the sky. His window slid open and he gasped, backing against the headboard of his bed. A figure climbed through, at first appearing as a mere shadow. Naruto’s eyes darted around for a weapon. There was none. He held his fists in front of him defensively as he had his feet against the wall he was backed into. Naruto was ready to spring forward and attack with all he had.

-To Be Continued-