The Ninth Seal.
By: hachico
Disclaimer: "Naruto" and all characters derived from said series are the creation and thereby intellectual property of Masashi Kishimoto. No profits are being made from the creation of this work of fan-made fiction.
Prologue
Konoha Underground
During the partial reconstruction of Konoha that took place shortly after the Third World War, it was suggested that several underground supply lines be installed just beneath the vast city's sewage network. These lines would run from the center of the huge metropolis all the way to the port town Midabashi, which laid far on the outskirts of the city, providing a safe and quick means of transport for the vastly influential company.
Intrigued by the concept, the then Head of Urban Development at Leaf Inc. pushed the proposal through swiftly and work on this secret project began practically at the inception of Konoha's rebirth. Over the following decade or so, as the all-powerful medical company expanded its overall presence in the growing metropolis, so too did this trade route expand, such that today, nearly two decades after its completion, the Supply Line spans much of the city's underground in a huge, labyrinthine network of pathways and train routes, and has remained a valuable means of importing and exporting everything from produce to people in and out of Konoha, as well as to different points within the city itself, without being terribly obvious to the public.
However, it is impossible to keep something of that caliber a secret for long; Eventually "Konoha Underground", as it came to be called, also became one of Leaf Inc's many dual sided assets. On the one hand it has remained a valuable means of efficient transport, but on the other hand over the years the transport system has also become a route for the trafficking of illegal substances, stolen goods, humans, and other such black-market materials in and out of the city. Its multitude of disused tunnels and secret holding areas, as well as its convenient access to both the heart of the city and its closest port does little to discourage the conducting of such business. Still, Leaf chooses to turn a blind eye to a good deal of the illegal trade that goes on via its secret transport line. So long as the revenue of said operations continues to support the company in the long run, why waste valuable human resources on cleaning out a few gangs?
"Underneath the underneath," Sasuke reflected grimly, as he peered through a side window of the cramped supply train that he now rode. Judging from the ancient, corroded look of the sparsely lit tunnel wall that he glimpsed as the train hurtled through the darkness, they had already reached the lowest, least used portion of the Underground.
Disinterested in both the scenery and the history of the tunnels, the young man instead turned to going over the orders that had been issued him shortly before leaving for this mission.
"The five of you are to take back several disks worth of information stolen from the Science Department's First R&D Division, and if possible detain the perpetrator, Kurushida Yuuko for questioning. 10 to 20 hired guns should be escorting the target. Dispose of any 'obstacles' and leave no traces," the voice of Mitarashi, SEED's assistant director, rang clear in his memory. She had emphasized the importance of bringing the thief back alive, so it stood to reason that Kurushida was suspected of having other important information and would be interrogated thoroughly upon being turned in.
Sasuke snorted. This mission was mere child's play as far as he was concerned: Go into the Underground, intercept stolen information on one of Leaf's scientific research departments, and destroy the opposition. That didn't even cover half of his basic training.
Why then, did Leaf seem to be exerting so much force on this operation? He realized that stolen company secrets were pretty serious, but sending five of the company's most skilled operatives to take care of the matter was utterly redundant in his opinion. In addition to that, he'd read the file on Kurushida carefully, and by all accounts she seemed like a perfectly loyal and trustworthy employee. Her record was good. Not perfect, but definitely in keeping with what one would consider a dedicated worker. In the past eleven years she'd done her job, kept a fairly low profile, and even looked to be up for a promotion with big benefits in less than a year's time. It seemed she had no real incentive to up and turn on the company.
Which made Kurushida's betrayal a complete mystery. Despite himself the young man gave a barely audible sigh of irritation. All in all, something just seemed wrong about this mission. Was he not seeing something here? Agitated, Sasuke ran gloved fingers through the inky black spikes at the back of his head and turned his gaze out the window again.
"Hey, Uchiha. Something wrong?" a lackluster tone drifted across the small span of the narrow train car and caught the contemplative young man's attention.
Abruptly, Sasuke turned his gaze to where one of his co-operatives for this mission and fellow Seed, Nara Shikamaru, lay sprawled on his side in the opposite corner of the small car. The man wore a sharp, black three piece suit much like the one that Sasuke himself wore, though Shikamaru's shirt was unbuttoned part way down in a more messy variation of the company uniform. His posture was also sorely lacking in comparison to Sasuke's. Shikamaru's tired, chestnut colored eyes regarded him critically from across the way, waiting patiently for a response.
Caught slightly off-guard by the sudden address, the young man adjusted his goose-grey, silk tie slightly before responding.
"Not really," Sasuke replied with a small, derisive snort for emphasis, "Just seems like they went overkill on this mission, sending five of us."
Despite Sasuke's carefully impassive tone, Shikamaru seemed to sense uneasiness somewhere in the false nonchalance of his statement. "Not paid to think about that," the man reminded him in an advisory manner, before another voice cut in sharply.
"Just do your job," came a slightly deeper, solemn voice. Hyuuga Neji met Sasuke's immediate glare from across the room through milky, superior eyes. His crisply pressed suit appeared flawless even under the dim lighting of the dingy little service lift that they now rode. The man was seated on a low crate located in the far right corner of the train car, close to the door leading to the next car.
"A Seed's job is not to question the mission directive, but rather to ensure that the mission is completed as smoothly, as efficiently as possible," Neji continued, as though imparting some important information of which they hadn't already been aware.
The young Uchiha bit back a snarl and bore his eyes into the man. It figured that the obnoxious young Hyuuga would be named team leader for Sasuke's first mission; He despised the man with all the malice in him. But despite his opinion of Neji, he had to admit that the somber young man had a point; thinking too hard about what he was asked to do for a mission only served to complicate matters and detract from the efficacy with which his work could be done.
And it was very well that he wasn't paid to think, because if Sasuke had been asked to pick someone out of the First Research and Development Division at Leaf's Scientific Development Department and accuse them of stealing company secrets, Kurushida Yuuko would probably be the last name on his list.
Usually something like this wouldn't have bothered him though. In general Sasuke tried to keep out of affairs that didn't concern him. As much as he disliked others getting involved in his life, he enjoyed even less being pulled into matters that weren't his to begin with. He supposed that he was only thinking so much about such things now because he was eager for this mission to get started. As a rookie Seed this was a very important job for him, and on a larger scale, he supposed it would count as another step on his path to finding that man .
At that thought something deep within him stirred and growled for appeasement. If this job would bring the young Uchiha in any way closer to him, then that was all the reason that Sasuke needed to shut up and do as he was told. When all was said and done, he still had great reason to ignore the constant questions that could plauge him about his work and instead merely focus on doing the job itself. Period.
Wiping all previous thoughts from his mind with that one sentiment, the young Seed went over his equipment once more. For this mission he had brought very little, carrying only a few scroll, plenty of shuriken and kunai, and his favorite blade. His side had the upper hand in many ways -- not the least of which being their advantage in skill - so he figured that he could afford to pack light. In fact, Sasuke hardly expected to make use of his sword for this job at all.
Quite suddenly the door to their car slid open and a short, hedgehog-like man ambled in from the engineer's car, a nearly empty bag of potato chips clutched in one hand.
"What's up, Chouji?" Shikamaru greeted the fourth member of their team amiably, though it did little to disperse the oppressive aura that had settled over the area in the past few moments.
"Ino says we'll be there in a couple minutes," the portly youth announced, in between munches, "She's slowing down the train."
And indeed at that very moment he could feel the vessel decelerating at a smooth rate. They would come to a stop soon.
"Akimichi, didn't I tell you to get rid of those chips and quit that abominable crunching?" Neji admonished sharply as he stood and straightened his suit. Though Sasuke silently agreed that Chouji's constant eating noises were fairly aggravating, he was more annoyed by Neji's enormous ego, and would have told him so if Shikamaru hadn't interjected just then.
"Don't get your panties in a twist, Neji," Shikamaru said, in a rather uncharacteristic show of interest. The lethargic man finally rose from his reclining position to regard his friend, "You were almost done, right Chouji?"
In response the chubby youth tossed his head back and downed the rest of the bag's contents in one gulp, crumpling the empty vessel and tossing it away into the corner nearest where Sasuke sat. The young man then nodded to Shikamaru and moved to stand with him. Taking his cue from the train's coming to a complete halt at that moment, Sasuke rose from his seat as well. Just then, the door to the engineer's car opened once again to admit the fifth and final member of their unit, Yamanaka Ino.
"You guys ready?" the attractive blonde questioned, sliding the portal closed behind her, "We should be almost right on top of them now. I stopped us as close as possible I think; wasn't too difficult to catch up to them because they're on foot."
"Good work," Neji acknowledged curtly. And it was true; Sasuke was aware that the woman had a license for everything from flying airplanes to driving busses. Her ability to man a train had been an asset on this mission, as the target had about a 2-hour advantage over them. Riding one of the Supply Line's many smaller, speedier railways was the best way to gain back the time they had lost.
"Let's not waste the advantage we've gained," the seemingly humorless young man continued. His long hair pooled in streams of liquid obsidian about his shoulders as he turned to regard each of them. "This is a simple mission, but don't lower your guards. Shikamaru and Chouji will accompany me and advance on their rear. We don't want an all-out melee so rely on stealth; Let's fool them into thinking that we've got superior numbers and we're catching up from behind.
"Shikamaru, with your Kagemane no Jutsu you should be very useful down here," Neji added, glancing at the tall lanky figure that was currently pulling his relatively long, umber mane into a small knot at the back of his head. Shikamaru returned the gaze with a purely bored one but nodded slightly to show his understanding.
"Ino," he went on, "You're with Sasuke and at the front. I need you to use your Shintenshin no Jutsu to control the target from afar while we take out her escort guard. See to it that she doesn't commit suicide or try to destroy the information."
"Got it," the woman said, and then, turning to Sasuke with a small grin, "Looks like we're together for this one, Sasuke-kun!"
"Don't get in my way," he warned her, less than enthusiastic about having to work with both Ino and Neji. In Sasuke's opinion, he could do better alone. " If we're going to ambush them we'd better check our gear and get into our positions now," the perturbed young man reminded them, eyeing Neji meaningfully.
All turned and regarded the quiet young leader silently as he frowned deeply at Sasuke, then closed his eyes and nodded. They took a moment to adjust their radio headsets, and from then on there was silence. Without a word the longhaired man forced open the slightly rusted door to the little supply train and one by one they slipped out into the profound darkness of the Underground.
Even now Sasuke had no idea how this job had gone so wrong so fast. One moment he had been poised in the shadows along with Ino, as she attempted to move the target into their range with her soul-switching Jutsu; the next thing he knew, his comrade was on the ground, unconscious. Neji had his hands full helping Shikamaru and Chouji take out some unexpectedly skilled mercenaries far to the back, which left Sasuke to attend to the target. Ino needed assistance as well, but as the target took priority, and the blonde did not seem to be in danger of losing her life, Sasuke ignored her for the moment.
He had expected no trouble in subduing Kurushida and her few guards. After all, her profile had stated specifically that she had no explicit combat training, and the guards probably hadn't even had their chakra limiters removed. But as Sasuke had moved finish off the last of Kurushida's escort he noticed a flash of silver and a very audible "thud" as something heavy hit the ground just ahead.
"Shit."
He had made quick work of the final guard with a well-aimed kunai. However, by the time Sasuke had reached Kurushida she was already slipping into death. She had unexpectedly impaled herself with a concealed blade at the last moment, presumably to prevent herself from spilling any information to interrogators.
And so there he sat, using a heavy bandage from the small emergency kit he'd been provided to try and staunch the well of blood that sprang from the dying target's abdomen. It was a long shot, but he was obliged to at least try.
"Shit," he cursed again, aloud this time. He was already imagining Hyuuga's smug face, mocking him, as the Director lectured him for allowing something so elementary, so stupid as a suicide escape to ruin his first mission. It had all seemed to be going to plan up until the very last moment.
"So what the hell just happened?"
Suddenly, Kurushida's hand covered his own over her stomach wound as Sasuke continued to apply pressure to it, completely at a loss as to what to do now. Her grip was fierce, demanding his attention.
"The seal," she croaked at him, her fever-bright eyes piercing through the darkness, "Don't let them... lift The Ninth Seal."
"Who?" he asked stupidly. Sasuke had no idea what the woman was babbling about or why she would choose to talk to him, the enemy , but somehow he couldn't just ignore her. It seemed an incredible effort on her part to breathe, let alone speak; He might as well witness her last words.
"Uchiha," she hissed, a little louder this time. Suddenly Sasuke was all ears.
"How do you know who I am?" he demanded, pinning the dying woman with a vehement glare. How could she know his name? They had definitely never met before, despite working at the same company. Unless...
"Tell me what you know of my brother!" he urged, remembering to apply pressure to her wound. Not only was bringing Kurushida back alive an order issued by his direct superior, it had now become a personal matter.
"Uchiha...searching," she spoke more vaguely now, light rapidly fading from her coal dark eyes. The lines in her face seemed to deepen as her mouth slackened a bit, "Still searching...searching for it...they're all searching...don't let..."
But she was gone. Feeling the weight of life leave her body, Sasuke let the woman's form slide limply from his grasp. No sooner had he let her go than an unexpected wave of chakra washed over him, much like the feeling of a powerful Jutsu being released. Kurushida's form seemed to melt away before his very eyes then, and in another moment the woman at whom he was looking did not resemble Kurushida Yuuko at all. Perplexed, Sasuke could only stare.
"Uchiha!" Neji's urgent tone rang through him and stirred Sasuke from his dumbfounded state, "What's going on? What happened to Ino?"
The young Uchiha sat back on his heels and stared up at his leader rather blankly as the slightly taller man approached him at a run.
"What are you doing just sitting here? And more importantly, what happened to Kurushida?" Neji's glare spoke of extreme displeasure and slight uneasiness, both originating chiefly from the man who sat before him. He slowed to a stop at Sasuke's side and stood staring in disbelief at the corpse.
"That's her," Sasuke said lamely. Without another word of explanation, he stood and moved away, leaving Neji to make what he would of the strange situation. Heading over to where Shikamaru and Chouji were currently tending to their fallen comrade, the young Uchiha's mind was awash with sudden, dark excitement and a twinge of fear, his heart racing at the prospect of following this new, unexpected lead as to his brother's current whereabouts.
"The Ninth Seal," he repeated silently, "Itachi is searching for it, whatever it is. Will this bring me closer to finding him?"
Author talk
Phew! That was a rather long and taxing prologue if you ask me. I always have problems with starting off a story to be honest. Luckily, this one came to me rather well formed. I haven't actually posted much of my work online in the past, but this story really wants to be written! Influences are drawn from many places, but I'd say the chief one this time is a certain video game that I really enjoyed playing some years ago. (It's probably quite obvious to which game I'm referring if you've played it yourself!) I try to toss in little references to my references when it's appropriate, so it would be really cool if you could spot them while reading.
Anyway, I'm attempting to convey my own little interpretation of the "Naruto" series' plot through this work of fiction, which as you can tell takes place in a so called "Alternate Universe". Certain events will mimic the original plot to an extent, but there are a lot of diversions due to the fact that it's a rather abstract interpretation of the true Naruto storyline. So if you're not sure what to expect from this fic, please do stay tuned. I've thrown in some twists and turns, so it might turn out to be fun! There will also be some BL (ie: slash, or yaoi as many like to call it) themes later on with similar undercurrents littered throughout the entire plot. There shouldn't be anything super graphic, but please watch out if you're not into that kind of thing, and enjoy if you are!
Lastly I'm on the lookout for a good beta, so if you're interested or know anybody who is, drop me a line, would you?
--hachico , September 2006
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