Tuesday, February 3, 2009

Toxic Angel/A Reader-Insert Naruto Fanfic/Chapter 2

" Neji, " Naruto exclaimed as Neji and TenTen came into view, " where's (name)? "

" We didn't find her. "

" What? "

TenTen shook her head, " We went about a half mile or so in the direction you sent us, but the only thing we found was the bodies of three Sound ninja. I don't think they were dead for very long before we came across them, but (name) wasn't anywhere nearby. "

Naruto jumped up from the spot where he'd been sitting, " You should have kept looking! "

An agitated frown crossed Neji's lips as he glared at the blonde ninja, " Naruto, I used my byakugan. She wasn't anywhere within range, and I find it very difficult to believe that she could have travelled any further than that in such a short time period. "

" Then where'd she go? Damnit! I knew I should have went with you guys! "

" Geez, we're going to go back and look around. " TenTen rolled her eyes, " We just thought we'd come back and get you first. Do you really think we'd just abandon (name)? She's our friend, too, you know! "

Naruto gave a sheepish grin and scratched the back of his head, " I didn't say you were gunna abandon her. I just...um...let's go! "

Neji glanced to Lee, who was sitting at Sakura's side, " She should be okay to travel now. Take her back to the village and let the Hokage know that we're going to continue looking for (name). If there is anyone available, it might be advisable to send another team out. I'm not sure what's going on here, but we're not in the best spot to be taking chances. "

Lee nodded as he stood and helped Sakura to her feet, " Be careful out there. "

~*~

You felt strange when you started to wake. Your thoughts were hazy and your entire body felt too weak to move. The first sight that met your gaze as you opened your eyes immediately reminded you of just how dire the situation was.

" I wouldn't try moving too quickly, (name)-chan. You won't fully recover for some time yet, and I don't see any need for you to uselessly harm yourself. It won't do either of us any good. "

Kabuto was sitting at a desk on the far side of the small room. Noting that his back was to you, you felt the overwhelming desire to try attacking him. Instinctively your hand moved towards the ever-ready pack at your hip, but it didn't come as much of a surprise when you found that it was gone.

Determined to do something, you forced your body into a sitting position and shifted your legs towards the edge of the cot. Every movement seemed to drain you further, and you caught your lower lip between your teeth as a sharp pain shot along your spine. " Wh-what did you... "

Kabuto glanced over his shoulder, " I should have known you wouldn't listen. " He stood and crossed the room to where you sat, " Don't worry. I haven't done anything that will cause any permanant damage. I just had to make sure that you wouldn't be attempting any quick get-aways. "

His hand lifted, fingertips grazed your cheek as he continued to stare at you, not a single decipherable emotion in those deep onyx eyes. " It's very important for you to acknowledge the possibilities before you. Orochimaru-sama can open pathways in your life that you've never even dreamed. Surely you can grasp the potentials of immense power, (name)-chan. "

" You're crazy if you think I'm going to betray Konohagakure for power! " you snapped, trying to ignore the lingering pain moving had caused. " Orochimaru is nothing more than a tyrrant who uses everyone around him for his own gain! Who'd be foolish enough to do something so stupid?"

Irritation flickered across Kabuto's face for the briefest of moments before he smirked, " Surely you're aware that Sasuke Uchiha is now among the shinobi of Otogakure. He had the vision to see that Orochimaru-sama alone could give him the power he needed to achieve his goals. "

You frowned and cast your gaze away to study the wall. Sasuke Uchiha. You knew the name quite well. He'd been a year ahead of you at the academy, and like most of the other girls in Konohagakure, you'd had a terrible crush on him. There was just something about the dark, brooding boy that made him irresistable.

It had been devastating when you heard that Sasuke had abandoned the village to join Orochimaru. Even though you'd only spoken to him a few times, it made you sad to think that he'd do something so awful. Though he was moody, Sasuke seemed like a loyal friend, and you couldn't imagine what Orochimaru had offered to make the last remaining member of the Uchiha clan leave Konohagakure.

It was about that time when you first really became friends with Naruto. You'd been headed to Ichiraku for lunch and run into him along the way. Naruto had seemed unusually quiet, so you'd offered to treat him to a bowl of ramen in hopes of cheering him up. It had done the trick, and soon the two of you were talking and laughing like you'd known each other forever.

The night before Naruto left the village to train with Juraiya, he'd confided in you about why he was leaving. You'd stared in utter amazement as he revealed the intentions of the group know as the Akatsuki and, eventually, his personal mission to bring Sasuke back. You would never understand just why he'd chosen to share it all with you, but you were glad that he did. So many things made sense after Naruto took you into his confidence, including Sasuke's reasons for leaving.

It'd been a tearful parting when Naruto left the following morning, but he'd hugged you tightly with that trademark grin and made you promise to do your best while he was gone. Never one to disappoint, you'd passed the Chuunin exams your first time out and became a well respected and sought after shinobi, notorious for your skills and precision instinct.

'Alot of good it does me now,' you thought numbly as your reverie broke and the reality of the situation drifted back into the forefront of your consciousness. 'But maybe...'

Your (color) gaze met once more with Kabuto's expectant stare, " Fine, " you hissed, " I'll hear you out. Maybe, just maybe there's something I want to accomplish afterall. "