Disarm
Chapter Six

*

He had been walking home, gripping her hand and laughing, not afraid of the rocky pass. There weren’t really ghosts in the forest -- every big kid knew it was just a story to scare the younger children. He wasn’t a child, he wasn’t afraid! It wasn’t even dark yet. So he reassured her – you’ll be safe with a big boy like me! - and tugged on her hand; come on, come on, nothing’s going to happen, are you scared?

*

“Oomph!” Naruto grunted as he landed, letting gravity pull him forward, shifting his weight back and folding his knees. It had felt… right. The small smile on Iruka’s face felt even better.

“You’re getting it,” He said. The scar on his nose crinkled slightly. “Well, half of it.”

Standing straight, Naruto’s bright grin fell right off his face. “Half? Why?”

“Silence is golden.”

Naruto rolled his eyes to the heavens. “Oh for- …‘Ruka! Come on, that was beautiful.”

Iruka smacked him across the back of his shoulders. “What, you think your target is just going to politely ignore the sounds you make when you spy on them?”

Naruto pouted. “Okay, okay, I get it.” he said dully.

“Good.” Another smack. “Off to breakfast with you.”

“You’re not coming?” Naruto asked as he rubbed his sore back and wiped his brow.

“As much fun as it is watching you fall on your ass every morning, I am here to work,” the brown-haired man said dryly.

“Married to your job!” Naruto sniffed. “You never come home for supper anymore! ”

Iruka couldn’t help his loud bellow of laughter. “That’s what happens when you live at work. Now go on.”

Naruto grinned widely and padded towards his socks and shoes. He waved a goodbye at his mentor, who flapped a hand dismissively as he pored over some document.

Naruto walked efficiently back to his room, the layout of the base already well imprinted into his head, so he wasted no time in getting ready for a shower. He passed a few corridors and saw Lee, a friend of TenTen’s he met at lunch. The boy unnerved Naruto slightly with his exuberance and, admittedly, appearance, - he was starting to realize that abnormal was normal for this place – since Lee took Konoha’s penchant for green a little too seriously with his spandex uniform, and never failed to never shut the fuck up. Despite this, Lee proved himself superior in close unarmed combat, and had promised Naruto a match one day. Naruto couldn’t wait. However -- Lee brightened at seeing Naruto and made to speak with him, but the blond boy quickly dodged into a smaller corridor. What? Yeah, he liked the boy, but only from far away.

He padded quickly toward the living sector. Upon entering his room, he flicked the light on and had to maneuver around a pile of books – his homework, Shikamaru said offhandedly - to get to the dresser. He nearly slipped on a discarded pair of boxers as he did so. I wonder if they have a cleaning service here, he wondered. Storing the thought of French maids away for later inspection, he quickly grabbed some change of clothes – all standard black, but he’d managed to acquire a small orange wristband from Iruka somehow – and darted off to the showers.

When the beat of the water scorched him, he finally allowed his control to slip and let himself to think of the events of yesterday.

……

Jiraiya’s eyes followed Naruto’s, and settled on the camera. He sighed. “It was necessary, kid. Gotta see what you’re capable of, and all that.” His voice sounded a little sympathetic, but his face revealed impatience.

A camera watching him fight, observing him at all times - necessary.

“Yeah, I get it. Can’t believe I didn’t spot it right away,” Naruto muttered. And he really did understand. The testing and vigilance was getting on his nerves, however. “So what happened? What did I…?” he asked, observing the craters in the floor.

“That,” Jiraiya sighed, “is what you carry. Its name is Nine.”

“…Nine,” Naruto repeated, the word so heavy on his tongue and in his head, it held almost physical weight. “What exactly is Nine?”

Jiraiya’s face hinted nothing. “We’ll get to that.”

“Then Gaara…”

“I carry One.”

Naruto paused to think it over, then remembered. He introduced himself as ‘One’. “So One and… Nine are weird things we hold that give us magic powers?”

Gaara’s eyes narrowed. “Magic powers?” he growled, sounding most insulted.

Naruto waved a hand dismissively. “You know what I mean. What are they?”

Jiraiya’s eyes flickered towards the camera again, then back to him. “Naruto….”

Pressure. Gaara watched him intensely as Naruto stood to attention. Finally, some answers --

There was an odd look on Jiraiya’s face. It was in the way that his faint wrinkles were more pronounced, the way his eyes were narrowed. He couldn’t name the expression. He said softly - “Do you believe in demons?”

Naruto swallowed.

They watched him carefully. The pressure in the room was back tenfold.

What --

Oh.

“You can’t mean…” Naruto whispered brokenly, but then laughed. It sounded a little hysterical, and Jiraiya looked somewhat startled. Gaara’s countenance never changed.

“You can’t be serious. Demons… really. Demon? I’m a demon? What kind of bullshit is that - ?!”

-- a rocky trail, the smile torn off his friend’s face and blood red stones -- it wasn’t true -- Fear rippled through him even though the memory was far away. Was that…?

Gaara’s frame screamed of anger, irritation. “You are not the demon. You carry it. And unless you become strong, it will soon overtake you and you will succumb to madness.” He hunched forward like he was upholding something heavier than the world on his shoulders.

It will soon overtake you. Naruto gazed ahead, unseeing. The questions he’d been afraid to ask, the scene behind his eyelids… it made a little more sense. But he was still…wary. Afraid, of course, always, but mostly wary of what exactly that statement entailed.

It took him a few more minutes to speak, and his voice was tremulous. “So it’s going to – what, possess me? How did it happen? I…” He couldn’t finish, thoughts flying from his grasp.

Jiraiya just shook his head. “Your training is not over yet.”

He didn’t understand what Jiraiya meant, but through the haze in his mind Naruto thought he must be imagining seeing Gaara’s eyes flash gold.

Something in the depths of his mind shifted.

……

The heat started to grow almost poisonous, and as he turned off the shower the memory died along with the water. Throughout his musings he had managed to wash himself and his hair, though he did not remember doing so.

He had never considered himself a host to some demonic evil before. He had thought – and it both pained and relieved him – that he was the evil. That he had been responsible for the red stones and that the pain in his belly was his own imagination. He looked down at the red scars on his stomach. Yet another mystery. One he was not eager to unearth.

Minutes later, hair still dripping, he bounded through the cafeteria doors and nearly jogged toward the carts stocked with steaming food. He piled as many pancakes on to his plate as he could without having the scrambled eggs slide off.

“That looks disgusting,” Sakura sniffed at his sea of maple syrup.

Naruto grinned as he settled beside her. “Well, the cooks always throw me out when I ask them to serve ramen for breakfast. Blame them.”

Sakura looked like he had been parading a dead cat under her nose. “Yes, because I cannot stand for a single day without my noodle facial.”

Naruto brightened at the idea. “Oh, Sakura – you really are a genius! Ramen face care products! Think! – miso moisturizer -”

“I’d rather hurl,” she said pleasantly.

Sasuke made a choked sound that sounded slightly like a bark of laughter, but cleared his throat quickly and looked the other way. Naruto scowled at him.

He’d never admit it, but he looked forward to breakfast for reasons other than the food.

They finished and were soon enough in T07, awaiting the arrival of their mentor. Sasuke accepted Naruto’s proposal to start off training early with a one-on-one by smoothly melting into a battle stance. Naruto grinned widely, not settling into any form at all, and lunged.

Sasuke blocked his punches with his forearms and jumped to avoid a sweeping kick, delivering one of his own. Naruto grabbed the ankle and twisted upward, but Sasuke flowed with it and landed a knee to the gut. They crashed backward, Naruto rolling off to the side and bringing an arm up to stop Sasuke’s fist.

Two minutes later and they had effectively trashed the medium-sized room. Sakura sighed when what was once a chair sailed past her. She cracked her neck, stomping over to the wrestling boys.

“That’s enough,” she ordered, grabbing Naruto by his shoulder and yanking him back. He went tumbling, his head striking against the cold floor unpleasantly.

He got his wind back quickly. “Jesus, Sakura,” Naruto wheezed, taking small pleasure in the fact that Sasuke had gotten the same – if slightly less rough – treatment. “You pack a punch for someone your size.”

“Hmph!” Sakura smiled despite herself, wiping her hands of imaginary dust. “I don’t put up with Sir Tsunade’s training for nothing.”

Sasuke and Naruto picked themselves up slowly. “Tsunade?” Naruto asked wonderingly. “What, she taught you to be a she-Hulk?”

“Watch yourself!” Sakura frowned. “And… well… yeah.”

“With those breasts, I’m surprised she can move. What a beast.” Naruto whistled.

Kakashi strolled in as Sakura was pulling a German Supplex on Naruto. “Children,” he said disapprovingly, “don’t kill each other before lunch.”

Sasuke snorted and waited impatiently as Naruto straightened – cursing all the while, something about monster girls and lateness – and Sakura blushed and mumbled apologies. Kakashi ignored her and flipped through his book. He cleared his throat to address them.

“Today marks the first day of full-cell training. Naruto’s exam is coming up soon, so let’s do our best!” Kakashi said happily, not even looking up from his literature.

Naruto’s eyes widened. Exam? …Ah. Right. He eyed the Konoha emblem proudly displayed on their uniforms and felt the lack of it on his own. It was time to prove himself and claim his place.

Whatever place that was.

Sakura smiled encouragingly at him, but Sasuke snorted again. “You better not slow us down, loser,” he said in a deep voice.

Naruto bristled. “Slow you down? You’ll be begging for me to go easy on you, prick.”

Sasuke smirked. “Whatever, imbecile.”

“Chiiiiiilldreeeeeen,” Kakashi sang in warning.

“I’m nineteen, you grey-haired geezer!” Naruto whined, turning to face the older man.

“What a big boy!” Kakashi’s eye curved. “Then I’m sure you won’t mind briefing us on the operational mountain terrain levels.”

Naruto’s shoulders fell. Sakura whispered to him, “I think you hit a sore spot.”

Kakashi clapped his suddenly-free hands. “Training! Onwards~!”

*

Two hours later Naruto sighed and picked himself off the floor from the prone unsupported firing position.

TenTen smirked encouragingly at him. “Good, you remembered to hold your breath when squeezing the trigger. Good position, minimal wobble.”

“Shoulder hurts though,” Naruto whined and began clearing the M16 rifle. He saw Sakura roll her eyes a little farther away.

“Endurance,” TenTen said in a voice that suggested she might hit him if he was not occupied with unloading a weapon. “Now it’s time to focus on the stuff you’re actually going to be using.”

Naruto looked up, his weapon clear and taken care of. “What, no rifles? I’ve been beating my own collarbone for nothing?”

This time TenTen did hit him. “Practice is never for nothing!” She glared at him as the rest of cell seven sauntered over. “But in actual combat during extreme weather, regular pistols won’t do squat. The four assault arms we’ve found to be effectual are TOWs, Javelins, rifles and shotguns. Due to their size and power, TOWs are actually equipped to the Humvees and operated inside them. Javelins and shotguns are your best bet against the Guards, but remember that the cold steadily decreases their effectiveness. You of all people should know we’re fighting in near impossible conditions.”

Naruto grumbled and stated his understanding as Kakashi leaned against the wall, book open. He took over. “However, the guns are simply for use against Guards that are a reasonable distance away. Grenades help too. Up close, a pistol might help, but we’ve found blades to be more effective.”

Naruto’s eyebrows met his hairline. “Blades? Like, swords and stuff?”

Kakashi nodded. “Guns help immobilize a limb, or even take out a Guard, but never with just one shot. Cutting off a whole part is quicker but more difficult.”

Naruto frowned as he imagined a scenario, and shivered. “So what about the Akatsuki then? They’re somewhere in the mountain, right? I don’t think we’ll be able to set off grenades in there.”

Sakura smiled her approval. “Right! Okay, so the Akatsuki have several hidden entrances leading to the centre of the mountain. That’s what most of the recon missions are – scoping out the perimeters and discovering these entrances. Most of them are located on terrain level one and three, which are relatively smooth in regards to accessibility, but crawling with Guards. Once we’ve discovered them all we’ll be ready to launch an assault.”

Naruto clasped his hands behind his head. “Yeah, I know that.”

Sakura continued. “However we’re always running the risk of avalanches or, once inside, cave-ins. Even the TOWs must be aimed away from the mountain. You see, due to Olympus’ strange origins, it’s hard to classify it. We don’t even know if it’s completely dormant. We must always assume the worst, and so once within Olympus we absolutely cannot set off grenades or high-powered weapons.”

Naruto curled his legs together. “Makes sense. So what do we fire?”

“So far we’re going to try smaller action guns, blades, and –“

“Wait,” Naruto cut in. “Try? You’re telling me you’ve never actually been in the mountain?”

“Oh, we have,” TenTen sighed, “but only briefly. When this operation first started we found an entrance at the base and investigated, but the inside is pretty…” she seemed at loss for words, and shrugged. “Well, impossible. …You see, it was an ice maze.”

Naruto leaned back in disbelief. “An ice maze? Inside a mountain.”

Sakura grinned. “Yeah.”

TenTen giggled. “Hey, it’s mountain of the Gods. They don’t need to stick to any rules.”

Naruto was starting to understand. “So you’re pretty much just winging it.”

“Yeah. We’re also thinking of chemical agents, you know, maybe toxic dust or other gases. We still need to work that out though, figure out the effects with the cold and all that.” Sakura seemed pretty animated at the thought, which Naruto distantly thought was pretty grisly.

He blinked. “Hey. Did I ever mention I was a chemistry major?”

Suddenly all eyes were on him with interest. Even Sasuke, quiet throughout the entire briefing, seemed more alert.

“Oh, that’s right!” Sakura exclaimed. “Yeah, maybe you could help us out. Shizune, Sir Tsunade’s first assistant, is in charge of that. I’ll bring it up next time I see her!”

Naruto grinned. He was slightly pleased to hear he could go back to what he had been studying. Perhaps he did have a special place here after all – one that had nothing to do with demons.

TenTen glanced at her analog watch. “Time’s up, everyone. Good work Naruto, tomorrow we’ll start on the Javelin.”

He smiled and waved goodbye enthusiastically, then walked out of the range with his cell. He rolled the kinks out of his neck. “Okay! What next?” he exclaimed.

Kakashi seemed as amused by his enthusiasm as Sasuke was put off by it. “Tomorrow we’ll go over the rest of mountain operations. For today I want to see your level in analysis. Sakura says you’re useless in healing-” He ignored Naruto sticking his tongue out at Sakura “-and Shikamaru gave up on you for strategy…. But maybe there’s still some hope for you yet in recon.”

Naruto brightened.

“But no orange suits are allowed.”

Naruto pouted. He avoided looking at Sasuke, just on principle.

They spent the rest of the session before lunch grilling Naruto on the mountain’s conditions, cell movement and positioning, advancement, and Guard statistics. Naruto felt like he had learned more in a small week than he had in his two years of college. He showed a knack for improvising theoretical tactics but finally admitted he might not be worth much for practical reconnaissance. He was just too loud, Sasuke never failed to remind him.

After lunch they separated and Naruto walked alone with a heavy heart toward S12. He’d managed to put it off his mind since morning, but honestly he did not look forward to exploring the malignant power inside him. What would happen? No one knew exactly where the special forces training would lead, Jiraiya had said. Naruto frowned when a thought came to him. But wasn’t Kakashi and Sasuke also trained in special forces? What ‘powers’ did they have? Why did they not accompany him?

Then he remembered the red surge and the destruction. …Never mind. Better leave them as far away as possible. Since he knew he and Gaara were the only Carriers in the whole base, he suspected their power would possibly be dangerous around anyone else.

Gaara was already present when he entered, but they did not speak or even look at each other. Naruto felt a few of the earlier sensations return, but much fainter. With dedication he managed to ignore the pressure. He spent the time counting the cracks in the ceiling and noting that they had not removed the camera. They had cleaned the floor, but the craters were still clearly visible.

Finally Jiraiya entered, but he was not alone. Sir Tsunade walked in directly behind him, her presence – and breasts, he mentally snickered - still as imposing. Then Naruto thought back to Sakura’s unnatural strength and winced.

Everyone nodded to each other in polite greeting. Naruto just eyed them all in suspicion. “What’s the old lady doing here?”

Jiraiya smiled as Tsunade’s eye twitched. “I’m here to help you, you brat.”

Naruto huffed and crossed his arms. “Don’t need it.”

“Really.” She made a point of eyeing the destroyed floor.

Roar of energy… pressure… needles inside his skin. Naruto sagged a bit. “Alright. How can you help me?”

“First things first.” Tsunade gripped her necklace and lifted it off around her head. She presented it to him almost tenderly. “This pendant has strong divine origins. Gaara has tested it and claimed that it helps subdue One – it should work for you as well.”

Naruto looked at it carefully. It was simple, one long jewel shard flanked by two smaller orbs on either side, all sky blue in colour, connected by a mere black string. Still, what he thought strangest about it was the affection Tsunade seemed to hold for it. Why would she favor an artifact to resist demons? How did she come across it in the first place? He pushed the questions out of his mind as he accepted it graciously. A small smile flirted on Tsunade’s lips as she dropped the necklace over his hair.

“It was a family heirloom,” she explained softly, without prompting. “I’ve always sensed a powerful energy from it. I know you’ve suffered –“ her eyes flashed as they met Naruto’s solidly –“and I, as well as all of Konoha, will do our best to help you. We only ask that you try to help us in return.”

Naruto observed the necklace, rolling between his thumb and index finger. Yes, he did feel a strange tingling sensation from it, but it was nothing compared to the warmth in his heart. He was ashamed to have thought wrong of her. He looked up to Tsunade and bestowed her with a large smile. “Of course,” Naruto said.

She smiled back, and Naruto could see the truth in it. Yes, they would help him. He had made the right choice after all - the choice to trust.

A chuckle brought him to attention. “Aaaand, cut,” Jiraiya said, slapping his palms together. “I’m loving the love here.”

Tsunade scowled and elbowed him in the chest. Jiraiya buckled and clutched at it, heaving. “Sorry,” he croaked.

“If we could proceed,” Gaara’s dry voice made his impatience for the silliness clear.

The soft look was gone from Tsunade’s face, and she seemed impenetrable again. She addressed Naruto firmly. “Right, let’s begin. The purpose of this training is to attempt to control Nine, and-or at least harness some of its power for yourself. To do that you must first know it. With the aid of the necklace you should be able to speak to it.”

Apprehension washed through him as he digested her words. “….Speak?” Naruto said slowly. A thought flickered through his head - This is wrong, this is wrong.

Gaara looked at him darkly, no love wasted on his tone. “You are connected mentally as well as physically, though a barrier exists to keep the Carrier and the demon separate. My own barrier is weak, but I have established control. You, on the other hand, seem to have the strongest shield.”

Naruto’s voice fought past the lump in his throat, and he swallowed. “Not true. Nine went crazy when I first met you.”

Gaara didn’t seem impressed. “That’s to be expected, the shock of feeling another energy similar to it’s own would have startled you and the demon. The leak in energy was merely because both yours and its reactions were so strong. Since you claim to have experienced that reaction but once before, it means the barrier is very effective.”

Naruto shook his head, but more with refusal than with denial of Gaara’s words. “It might break if I try to speak to it then.”

A snort. Naruto was surprised by Gaara’s short temper. “It won’t. Just fucking do it.”

Naruto looked at Jiraiya and Tsunade. He whispered please no in his head.

Tsunade offered no pity. “Gotta do it, kid,” Jiraiya said. “Need to get the basics down, see what you can learn from it and if you can cooperate.”

The idea calmed him down some, not because it was likely but because Naruto realized he was being childish, Gaara’s face told him as much. Above all, he did not want to seem weak. It was time to face his fears - Better the devil you know than the devil you don’t. He almost laughed. Naruto finally sighed with resolve.

“What do I have to do?” He asked after taking a deep thoughtful breath.

“Close your eyes and concentrate,” Jiraiya said with a smirk. “We’ll do the rest.”

Naruto frowned at that but followed the orders. He closed his eyes and turned his senses inward. He had managed to find something yesterday, when he had been desperate to stop the tide of power sweeping towards Gaara. But where –

Five fingers jabbed into his stomach and Naruto’s eyes flew open, but already they were misting over with red. He felt himself fall into someone’s waiting arms, then the pressure turned him inside out and he was no longer in S12.

He was in a sewer.

When the red haze cleared he was standing in the middle of a long corridor, pipes and filth adorning the walls as far as he could see. Visibility was low but he had the sense that the corridor stretched forever in both directions, no doors on the walls. Dark water that was a little too thick for his liking reached to his ankles, and he couldn’t find the source of the smell of decay.

He took a bold step forward. The sloshing of the water accompanied the multiple steady drips resonating eerily throughout the corridor.

I’ve moved up in life, he thought sarcastically. His feet squelched with water in his shoes. Oh yes. Go talk to it, Naruto! Go face your fears, Naruto! Go see the big back wolf who lives in a sewer. Suddenly Naruto chuckled. I guess my mind really is in the gutter now.

Something growled.

Naruto stilled, arms previously flailing now frozen in the rancid air.

It had come from the darkness ahead.

He realized with surprise that he was not the least bit afraid. He was merely… curious. Naruto took a step, and another, until he was plowing down the corridor with confidence. He knew without a doubt what awaited him further on. He’d thought he’d feel trepidation, at least, but instead Naruto felt the most peculiar feeling eating away at him. The growling was becoming louder, more frequent, more eerie in pitch. Eternities later he approached the end, and slowed to a stop.

Before him was a massive gate, stretching what seemed like miles above his head, and disappearing underneath the water. A piece of paper stuck to the tiny gap where the two doors met. What caught his attention, however, was the bubbling water, spilling between the bars and almost touching him. Behind the bars the bubbles grew and darkened, rising, forming a shape -- a snout -- eyes --

The fox grinned at him, teeth easily the size of Naruto’s entire body. It’s rancid breath almost made Naruto back away, but he held firm, something bubbling inside of him as well.

“Not a wolf, then,” he grinned.

One large eye, all that he could see now, stared at him. It was pressed against the bars and it was so close Naruto could see the layers of it. The rest of the fox was lost in the liquid, bubbling darkness.

A WOLF? A voice echoed in his head. YOU THOUGHT ME ONE OF THOSE IDIOTIC CREATURES?

He should have been surprised, Naruto thought distantly. “I never thought of you at all,” he said aloud. “You’re not worth it.”

It’s laugh sounded like the grating of steel, hurting his ears even though he had not really heard it.

DO NOT LIE TO ME.

“I’ll do what I want,” Naruto hissed. He realized the feeling threatening to overwhelm him – anger. It was such a surprise he almost failed to recognize it. Now he cultivated the emotion, biting off his words with venom. “How dare you.”

HOW DARE I… The fox’s mind-voice whispered, amused, waiting for more. HOW DARE I SAVE YOUR LIFE?

“How dare you kill him!” Naruto yelled, fists clenched, sweating. “And how dare you fuck with my life!”

I DID NOT KILL HIM. The fox said, almost laughing. THAT WAS YOU.

“No. At the end of all things it was you. And – save my life? You’re done nothing but ruin it!” Naruto said with a voice of ice. The massive eye blinked, the action causing it to temporarily vanish from sight.

HMMM. YOU ARE SHORT ON BRAINS, BRAT, TO PROVOKE ME. HAD IT NOT BEEN FOR MY GIFTS YOU WOULD BE A CORPSE IN A CASKET, A CARCASS IN THE SNOW. I HAVE SAVED YOU MORE TIMES THAN YOU ARE WORTH.

“Ha,” Naruto relaxed. Anger was melting into courage. “Let me guess. If I die, you go with me, right?”

The darkness bubbled and the form of a fox’s head was visible again. It’s mouth opened wide, but behind the gleaming stinking fangs he saw only the same darkness. This time both eyes were visible. Their stare seemed to pierce through him.

DON’T TELL ME YOU WOULD SACRIFICE YOUR LIFE TO GET RID OF ME, INFANT.

“Nothing of the sort,” Naruto grinned, anger now completely vanished. Mischievous glee rose in its stead. “You’ve caused me a lot of pain, see? And I’m doing you a favour, letting you live in my body undisturbed for so long. So I want some retribution, understand?”

Silence – then barking, grating laughter against his mind. GYAHAHA! NOT LACKING IN GUTS, OR STUPIDITY? It asked itself. VERY WELL. I’LL LEND YOU SOME CONTROL. BUT NEVER FORGET – YOU ARE AT THE MERCY OF KYUUBI.

Then the bubbles surged at him, a powerful roar clashing through the bars, and Naruto felt the impact a second before his eyes opened with shock, staring at the bright lights of the ceiling.

*

To Be Continued