10Ino Yamanaka signing on
Per request of Lady Hokage, I have withdrawn myself emotionally from this situation. And to keep track of my mental state as I continue the interrogation of each the shinobi I will keep a written documentation of my search through their minds. And will allow the Five Kage to read every note and even allow a glance at the memory through a link established into Sakura, who will activate a low-level genjutsu to allow them to see the memories.
Those in attendance will pertain to those with connections to the children who are all orphans with one or two connections being.
Itachi Uchiha: relative Sasuke Uchiha
Obito Uchiha: relative Sasuke Uchiha
Nagato Uzumaki: relative Naruto Uzumaki
Konan and Yahiko: in attendance shall be Naruto U. and Minato Namikaze
Kisame Hoshigaki: in attendance shall be Lady Mizukage Mei Terumi
Deidara: in attendance shall be Lady Tsuchikage Kurotsuchi
Sasori: in attendance shall be Lord Kazekage Gaara
Hidan: no relative connection
Kakuzu: relative connection Jinchuuriki of the seven tails Fu.
*I am to only delve into the most recent memories in the child's mind.
*To avoid brain damage
*Report all findings to the Hokage
*Recommended therapy sessions?
Report Officially started
Log entry 1: Kisame Hoshigaki
I prepared myself for the onslaught of savage killings that were to be expected from an S-class missing-nin but they never came. When entering someone's mind, you are always hit with the most recent memory never the furthest in the past.
Often times you have to dig through these memories to find the truth hidden in the past. I delve in with a gasp my mind leaving my mindscape to enter another's. Every mind is different and some look like a maze and others like a library. Kisame's looked like an ocean of images and the brightest lured me in like a moth to light. I was underwater in his mind and when I touched the most recent memory I could finally breathe fresh air. But not for long.
Exeunt bellatores tenebris
My village didn't really accept those of my kind. We were for the lack of a better term savages. The killers they sent when ninjas were too 'good' for the job. We inherit these blades and told to leave bloodshed with them. That to deny the blade blood is to deny thyself freedom to use the blade.
I just want to protect my village. I don't want to be a monster. The training has shown that my chakra is unlike anyone else's unless you count jinchuuriki, we are tools of our village and nothing more. I don't want to kill them. They had finally accepted me in the end. I became what I was told I was a monster.
The carnage was immense, the bodies mounted on top of each other. Children fighting for survival like animals. It was every man for themselves, some held ties with others and tried to stick together. Some just stabbed them in the back. I tried to protect my only friend. I spun around only to see his eyes widen as a kunai was stuck into his back, he coughed up blood it spilled from his mouth down his chin where it splattered onto the ground.
He spoke his last words in a rushed tone, "Run Kisame". Why? Tell why! All he wanted to do was bring peace. In the end he made me what I am, a monster trying to find peace. I had blanked out when I finally could see, my hands and my face were covered in blood as I kneeled in front my dead friend once more.
I whispered to him, "I'll find a peaceful world for you".They call some of the other villages weak with their comradeship and lovey-dovey training together, three-man mist believes one thing, can you become a tool for your village? These are the lies fed to us every day in training as we share meals together, as we train together. Only to kill one another in the end.
I am a monster.
I pull back with a gasp as I finally finish Kisame Hoshigaki examination that reveals too much about the old ways of the villages. I can't help but feel sorry for this child whose ideas will later be warped into helping a madman start a war that will leave to much carnage. Will there ever be peace?
"Miss Yamanaka, are you ready to continue?" A nurse says as they start to taking Kisame to the medical bay. I stand up and look at the sleeping bodies. My eyes lingering on each of their faces.
"Yes I am ready," I say because someone's going to have to be here for them.
Log entry end.
I shunshin out the room when the meeting comes to a close and head to the underground Anbu base. My fox mask fully in place as, before the war, my temper would have exploded at the decision made by the Kage. I'm not sure what's going on right now. My mind continues to circle around in these thoughts as I dash as toward the familiar underground path of the Anbu base leaving me feeling helpless.
I come to a halt in front of the Guard. His body leaning against the door, his body looking relaxed while his fingers twitch with nerves. He pushes himself up and says, " State your business Fox", he says the hawk mask he wears gleams in the light.
"You know why I'm here, Hawk," I say
"Dobe…."He huffs as he turns around and gives the all clear. With that out of the way, he leads me down the labs. I always hate coming down here, the constant sounds of sobbing and screaming drags out my past demons, memories of cold damp nights. Of angry villagers and empty eyes.
My hand goes up to touch my mask, its smooth surface a comfort reminding me what I have accomplished. I can't let any other kid go unheard as people let their hatred rule them. When we finally reach the door, we see Sai blocking our path. His rugged appearance betrays his emotionless look. Ino lies limp next to a small body of a blue haired boy.
"Sasuke I told you I could handle protection detail," Sai says as he moves Ino into a more comfortable position.
"What's the point of the mask if you reveal the identities of the people wearing them?"Sasuke huffs as he removes his Hawk mask.
"I don't know about that, what I do know is that you and Naruto are off the clock."Sai as he rolls his eyes. I remove my mask when his eyes land on me.
"I'm not letting you past this point." He says, then he suddenly whips around when Ino groans and slowly wakes up.
He goes to her side helping her, she leans heavily on his side. Her eyes hollowed with the lack of sleep, her body frail and malnourished. Has she been eating?
"Sai…. cough… what are they doing here" Ino whispers her hands reaching for the glass of water on the table.
"There just leaving. Ino sits down and eat something." Sai tells her as he finally gets her to sit down.
"I ate earlier," Ino tells him. No way she has eaten.
"When exactly was earlier?" I ask, Sasuke shoots me a look and I glare right back.
"That's not important. What I want to know is why you are here?" Ino dismisses my inquiry.
"I'm not leaving these kids here. It's not right, they have done nothing wrong to deserve this treatment." I say
"What prove do you have? I'm following orders, these 'kids' are Akatsuki the ones who destroyed this village and started a war. Or am I the only one that remembers that."Ino yells.
"Sasuke say something your brother is in here too," I yell.
"We have to follow orders Naruto." He says. Not you too.
"Come on someone. This isn't right you are torturing them." I say. Didn't they hear their screams? There cries of indignation. Don't they remember, can't they hear them? 'Naruto calm down!'
"Don't you think I know that. I'm the one in here, every day. I don't leave this place I comb their minds. I feel and see their pain." Ino screams back. 'See Naruto they're in good hands.'
"It's time for you to leave, you are upsetting her," Sai says calmly but his eyes and chakra betray his rage.
"Let's go Sasuke." I say as we move to the door, " For your information, I sensed no ulterior motivates. I sensed no hatred only pure hearts filled with pain. I fought in the war too and I don't hate them." I say quietly from the doorway as I slide it shut.
Log entry begin: Immortal duo
I can't avoid them any longer, my indecision could be the end of Konoha. Might as well get this over with, both of the boys hold hands unconsciously though they bicker in their sleep as if they were awake. They killed Asuma-sensei and here they are defenseless, unharmed and sleeping peacefully. I shake my head, stop thinking about it. I can't let my hate cloud my judgment though I only see the adults but like Kisame; they are children. I push away my emotions until I finish my evaluation. I'm not like Naruto, I don't know how to forgive without reason. Sai stands at my shoulder and shows only an emotionless face in the direction of the unconscious prisoners.
"Sai can you grab me patient three?" I say quietly. He removes the small gray-haired child from his partner and places him on the table, the seals start to glow. I sit near his head and push back his hair. I go through the hand seals, my body slumps into the chair.
I am in a chamber with many wide varying tunnels, a small child walks up to me.
"You can't be here. This the dark place." He says in a quiet voice. I realize who he is when his red eyes meet mine.
"I have no choice. I have to protect my village from any threat. Even if it comes from a small child."I say quietly, my eyes never leaving his.
"Very well. You are just going to hate us just like everyone else."Mini-Hidan says seldom, as he grabs my hand and leads me to a heavily locked door. The Jashinist symbol painted on the door in blood red, it looks freshly painted.
"Touch the door, and you'll know everything," Mini-Hidan says, I place my hand on the door and grip him tighter.
Darkness is all around me as I sit and wait in my cramped cell. The sounds of many breaths and clinking chains echo in the cramped space, as small bodies scuttle around looking for warmth in this damp space. Fuck I'm freezing, it's better than being dead at least. A creaking noise is heard as the old rusted doors are moved, a strip of light hits me in the face. I try to get away and hide in a corner away from them.
I knew better than to move towards the light. Three men grab the chains connecting us and we are led towards the temple. They walk in quick long strides that makes the younger kids trip and fall but they quickly pick themselves up. They know better than to dawdle. I pass the time by counting the cracks in the walls, the breaths the others take. The seconds in a minute in an hour. Just to pass the time to avoid thinking back to another time.
It's only been three months I think. I don't know what they want from me. Now the solstice has come and the time for the ritual has come. The whispers that have filled the halls is no more as they drag us toward the temple. I hope I don't become like these soulless bastards.
I was eight when they finally came. They come at one point for us, young children ripe for sacrifice, the village couldn't delay lest we anger the gods. We all had different beliefs it didn't matter. The radicals, the Jashinist came for everyone and no one. We all lost something. I hid in my house, that rests on the edge of my town. My momma tried to save all the children, she tried protecting me when all my relatives died. The world is a cruel and cowardly place and all they do is run. I had become a genin to change the way we lived.
Flashback
"Hide Hidan, please go hide," Momma said as she came into the house in the middle of the night and hid me in the closet.
"Momma I don't want to. I can fight, I'm a ninja now." I don't have anyone else but you. Everyone else is gone.
"Go come on. I'm not losing you to them." She says as she pushes me into the closet as the front door is kicked open with a bang.
"Now where did the bitch hide the brat." A yell is heard throughout the small house. She slowly slides the closet door closed and grabs a kunai. The stairs creak as their heavy footsteps, finally reach the incline and stand in front of my mother. Her whimpers are nearly silent but loud to me. I watch through the wooden shutters of the closet door as they grab my sweet mother's face after wrenching the kunai from her weak hold. Her silky shiny blue hair is clenched onto and her mouth gagged by the second set of hands, lecherous grins on their faces. They knew she wouldn't give me away my location.
So I bite my lips to keep myself hidden as well, no matter how much I want to protect her. Weak. I close my eyes and set myself deep into the corner of the small closet. I started to hear the noises get louder and I placed my hands flat against my ears, squeezing my head between my knees, my hair curtains around me and helps hide my face. Silent tears streak down my face, and the noises get louder.
Weak! It feels like hours before everything is finished and I feel the thumping of the steps from where I sit getting further away. A trickle of blood had reached the closet, touching the wall and panning out.
I slowly stand up and slide the closet door open, my eyes to the ground trailing the blood until I see a pale hand. I fall onto my knees before her, slam my hand in front of my mouth to keep the scream in. Momma, momma! Why her? Why? Please noo. She can't be dead. "Momma you should tie your hair up, you know how much you hate it when it gets in your way," I whisper while pushing her hair away from her face.
"Momma please wake up." I cry, the sounds crashing glass reach my ears, as first tinges of smoke reached me.
"Momma come on. We gotta go, the smoke."I try shaking her,"Momma please!" I plead, I finally do what I have dreaded doing and feel for her pulse. There's no beating of a heart or twitching fingers tapping out beats of songs. Or her giving me new books.
The coppery scent covers her usual fragrance of jasmine and ink. I reach into the pouch that rests on her right hip and pulls out the new book she was going to give me tonight. I thumb the pages and feel the edges of little papers tucked in as notes to me. I give her a kiss, and smooth the creases in her dress. I open the window down the hall and slip out.
I had a good run for a few days it was almost a full week before they caught me. Now here I am marching with a dozen other kids to my death. What happened was much worse.
"Two roads diverged in a wood, and I-
I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference."
- Robert Frost
An: exeunt bellatores tenebris-dark warriors come forth
And I also want to thank my beta Sergeant Sarcasm who without this chapter would not have been posted. Sorry for the wait. R&R