~~~
"Seriously, why the hell did the Hokage let you go out of the village?! That's once in a lifetime!" Exclaimed Kiba, imagining what would happen if he had permission to do that.
"Who knows," Naruto shrugged. "Maybe I'm just cool." Kiba scrunched up his face at those words. Naruto was some lying son of a bitch. Or was he?
But on a serious note, the answer to why he was given permission to leave the village even though hadn't told anyone the reason is due to a a simple reason that Naruto has talked about before.
"There's very little things that the people of this world respects. But they have no choice but to respect those who have power."
By this, it's safe to assume that Tsunade has already acknowledged Naruto and his capabilities and powers. It would've been much harder to convince her to do this if he wasn't this powerful to begin with.
But that only means that he can get authorization when he requests to leave the village for a day or two. It doesn't mean she doesn't have any intentions of extracting the information.
I hope she doesn't try to. Naruto thought as he walked with Konoha 11. Soon enough, they began splitting apart, soon only leaving a couple of people.
"See ya!" Kiba yelled, grinning as he run towards his humble abode. Everyone waved goodbye, with Naruto only doing it slightly.
It's a shame, Naruto thought. That things like this will soon just crumble down in an instant. Soon enough only two people were left alone to their own devices.
"It was fun for you to come along," Sakura told him. He gave her a nod, having enjoying it as well. The sky was in pitch-darkness, no light seeping out of it.
"Yeah, I guess." Sakura smiled warmly.
"I know I don't really say this, but I'm thankful Team 7 was a thing. Even though Satsuki is no longer with us, I'm really glad that we were put together as a team." Naruto stayed silent, staring at the sky as words poured out of Sakura's mouth.
"I'm glad to met you guys." Naruto sighed as Sakura waved goodbye, leaving Naruto as it was turning midnight in Konoha.
It may sound quite weird, but he felt bad for everyone that was going to be effect by his actions. They were perfectly fine with the lives that they have right now.
And he was going to rip that image in the following week. Naruto stood alone in the streets of Konoha as people began packing up to go home.
He must continue. He couldn't just stop now.
~~~
It was the next day and Shikaku and Ibiki were standing in front of Tsunade. The former lazily rubbing the back of his head, and the latter standing perfectly still.
"What do you need, Hokage-sama?" Asked Shikaku, yawning as Tsunade stared at him. Tsunade organized her papers in a delicate manner.
"Most people in the village don't know this, but Naruto had been out of the village due to me giving him my permission." The two raised an eyebrow.
"Why?" They asked her. Tsunade shrugged, giving them their answer.
"That's the thing - no one knows why he needed to be out of the village." She closed her eyes, rubbing her eyelids as he explained the situation.
"And what are you asking us to do?" Questioned Ibiki, expecting an answer that was relatively straightforward to them. But they had a slight idea on what she wanted them to do.
"I want to know why he had to take a leave. Believe me, I don't want to do this, but I just can't help but have a feeling that he is hiding something from the village." Shikaku sighed, finding this situation troubling.
"Do you want to do it ourselves? Or are you willing to try and communicate with him?" Asked Ibiki, wondering what type of approach that she wants to have.
"I'll try and have him tell me first. If he is unwilling to do so, then I want you two to do it yourselves. Do you understand?" Tsunade sighed afterwards.
Even though she didn't want to do this to such a exceptional shinobi, she just can't help but be worried that Naruto is plotting something that could be both good or bad.
In the end, she was hoping that the secret Naruto was holding was a good one instead of the latter.
~~~
Naruto snapped his eyes open, hearing a knock on the door. Naruto got up from his bed with his pajamas on. Still hazy from just waking up, Naruto made his way towards the door.
"Hello?" Naruto opened the door, revealing a member of the Anbu Black Ops. It was weird of them to come to his humble abode without the permission-
Oh, they were sent here by the Hokage.
"Hokage-sama has asked for your appearance at her office. She wants me to bring you there." Naruto raised an eyebrow before nodding his head.
"All right. Just let me get my stuff," said Naruto, getting a bad feeling from all of this. But the Anbu stopped him right before he could do it.
"She said you don't need your things. You may come without needing to bring anything." Naruto narrowed his eyes slightly before nodding his head.
The feeling of impending doom was just radiating right behind Naruto. If he tried pressuring the Anbu to let him bring something, then it will arouse suspicion greatly.
Luckily, Naruto had one thing up his sleeve. Quite literally.
Looking at the underside of the his forearms were the seals that reside his blade and his dagger. If something bad happens, then there will at least be something to defend himself.
He didn't have the contacts on as well. Naruto was very handicapped with this type of situation that was presenting itself at him.
FInally arriving at the Hokage Tower, the Anbu was brought to the office. Entering the room, Naruto saw Shikaku, Ibiki, and Tsunade.
"She'll probably try and interrogate you. Have you thought of something?" Kurama communicated with Naruto through a link.
"No. I have nothing. I could try and lie, but both Shikak and Ibiki are two very intelligent individuals - lying is useless against people like them." It's true, one was the father of easily one of the smartest Konoha shinobi as of right now.
And the other was Ibiki, a master at interrogation in many shades than just one.
"Hokage-sama," greeted Naruto, bowing down. "Do you need something?" Naruto stayed silent soon after, letting the others take the stage.
The 3 nodded at each other before taking the stage.
"A few days ago, I gave you permission to leave the village for an unknown reason. Correct?" Naruto nodded, agreeing with those words. He felt himself being cornered.
"So, I was hoping for you to tell us what that reason as for. After all, I did you give permission." God, this was going to be a difficult situation to get out of.
Would calmly lying even help in this situation? The amount of ways to handle this was quickly dwindling down each second that passed.
"Do you have any reason to know?" Asked Naruto, trying to buy himself some time so he could think of ways to get out of this situation.
"Well, like I said, I am asking you for this information because I was the one that gave you access to leave the village without any further repercussions." Naruto nodded, now seeing how he barely managed to buy time.
"Hm, I guess, you can say it was just a personal issue that I needed to take care of." Shikaku gained a puzzled face. Looking at Tsunade, she gave him permission to talk.
"Naruto, if it was just some 'personal issue', then you shouldn't be so hesitant to just say it was. That's leading me to suspect that it's not so simple as it sound." Naruto internally grunted in displeasure.
Naruto saw the resemblance between Shikaku and Shikamaru. Not only were their looks relatively the same, but they were quite insightful.
With the former having more experience.
"I don't think I have to say that it's a personal issue if I don't have to. If I don't have to go into detail on to why then I just won't say it." Staying calm, Naruto continued ahead.
If they wanted to play this kind of game, then he'll play it. If he has something in his arsenal, then he'll play to win.
He won't back down on equally intelligent people.
"But if it's a personal issue, then you wouldn't have any issue telling us, no?" Stated Ibiki. Naruto raised an eyebrow, seeing flaws in that statement.
Or was that statement a bait? Did Ibiki say that as a way to lure him in to try and capitalize on the flaws? Whether it's a bait or something of sorts, all he can do is try.
"But that's why it's called a 'personal issue'. It's an issue involving myself. If I'm not comfortable to say to others, then it's no use further pushing for the answer." A quick amount of silence ensued.
"Fair point," said Ibiki.
"Although you are quick to say that it's just a 'personal issue', then you shouldn't be trying to heavily defend the fact that it's a 'personal issue'. Do you get what I mean." Naruto nodded, getting that point very well.
"Or maybe I'm just being this defensive on it being a 'personal issue' because you guys keep thinking it's more than that." Staying still, he didn't falter for even a second.
"Are we? Or are you the one thinking that we think it's more than just a 'personal issue'?" Question Ibiki. Oh, he was playing that card, huh?
"I was only following the pattern of your speech. And by inspection, I've noticed that you two keep pushing, hoping for something more than just the things that I've said." This was a battle between exceptional minds, all three refusing to back down.
"And why are you trying to follow our pattern of speech? Or you perhaps trying to find ways out of this situation?" Attempting to put more pressure on Naruto, Ibiki tried using this as a way to attack his psyche.
"I wouldn't be having to do this if the fact you two want to delve deeper than you can handle. We wouldn't be in this situation if you thought this was anything more." This seemed like an endless challenge thrusted upon him.
Tsunade soon sighed, seeing as nothing was being developed through this interrogation. And she also didn't want to do a type of interrogation that forced Naruto to be broken down both physically and mentally.
That's why she was opting to do something as simple as this, trying to talk to Naruto in her office, with two others helping him.
"Naruto," said Tsunade, making him look at her. "I'm sorry for doing this, but I believe you're hiding something from the rest of us." They were once again back at square one.
"I'm not hiding anything. Why is it so hard to understand?" He was starting to get agitated from the same questions, the same answers, the same bullshit.
Sure, he was hiding some facts. But there was no way he willing to expose himself so willingly. Only a fool would do that.
"It's because you just won't tell us. And it's raising our suspicions." Naruto tightened his jaw. This was way too troubling for him.
"I can't help but notice that you're clenching your jaw. Any reason?" Asked Ibiki, observing everything that was happening.
"Yes, actually. I'm tired of this useless investigation on me, because all the evidence you all have is that I didn't tell the reason why I needed to be out of the village." Naruto turned around.
"I'm out of here," stated Naruto, walking away from the three shinobi that were investigating him. But Tsunade was not having it.
"Sorry, Naruto." That was all Naruto could hear before Tsunade appeared behind Naruto. Pouring in just a slight amount of chakra, Naruto took that unexpected blow from behind.
Knocking him out.
"You've got to be kidding me," Kurama said, surprised that Naruto didn't dodge just a simple blow. The only possible clear explanation is that he was so caught up in his mind.
~~~
Where am I? Naruto thought to himself, slowly waking up from being knocked out from Tsunade. Looking around, he saw he was in a dark room, the only light being the window that people could look through. He was in some deep shit.
Now looking at himself, his arms were locked in a block of metal.
"That was pathetic. Being knocked out by Tsunade, barely even using her power." Naruto groaned at that. He had been taken off guard, and was not expecting them to use force.
Although he should've at least expect that.
"You've woken up." He heard a voice not too far away. Snapping his head towards the voice, he saw Ibiki standing there, a serious look displayed on his face.
"And I'm locked up here because. . .?" Naruto questioned, trying to break out of the block of metal. But he found no avail to break out of it.
"You won't be able to break out of it. Just give up and tell us what you're hiding." Naruto narrowed his eyes at Ibiki, matching his gaze. So this was what he was reduced to so quickly.
"Mind helping me? I'm in quite the pickle here. I need your ideas." Naruto then snapped out of his thoughts, once again looking at Ibiki.
"Some may say that we have no true evidence, that this is too far. But we have enough evidence and reasoning to where we are able to do this to you." Ibiki placed his hand on the table right next to the block of metal holding his hands together.
Ibiki didn't care how strong Naruto was, he was going to break to the point where he was going to confess what he was hiding.
They were willing to go so far as to do this to him just so he would reveal what he was hiding. Just through his responses and questions, they surely knew that him saying it was a 'personal issue' was just a simple lie that they quickly saw through.
"Is that so? But do you think you can do it? To conquer an unbreakable and a unshakeable force?" Backing down was not Naruto's forte. If one backs down, they are only revealing weakness.
"I'm willing to try anything in my arsenal to conquer the said force." Ibiki soon smirked after, readying himself for the very long session of extracting information.
"Do you think it disables your chakra usage?" Asked Kurama, inspecting the block of metal that was constraining Naruto a whole lot.
Naruto analyzed the constraints as Ibiki sat down with him, only starting the first stages of the mental torture that he was going to do.
"It doesn't, I think. But it weighs a lot and the amount of chakra I'm trying to pour seems very little." The purpose of these constraints was that even though they were able to do simple things like use chakra, they wanted the victim to feel. . . cornered.
"Do you think your chakra is being halved due to the constraints?" Naruto was quite puzzled by these constraints.
"How do you feel? Being cornered, interrogated, with nothing in your arsenal? Do you feel like you've been swallowed by an abyss - a void?" Naruto did not stumble back.
"I have no idea what you're talking about." Naruto tried pouring in a tremendous amounts of chakra into the constraints. It then clicked his mind why it felt like the amount of chakra he was pouring in was very little.
"I think the constraints are able to absorb a lot more chakra than I can pour in. No matter how much I try and pour in, it seems to be able to match it and take in that amount of chakra in a matter of seconds." Kurama hummed in response, seeing Naruto's current predicament.
"You're struggling, aren't you? You are trying to find a way to get out but to no avail, no?" At first, one might think that these were just simple questions. But that's wrong.
These words are carefully picked due to the room that they were in. Anyone, once hearing words, like these will soon think about these words when they're in this type of situation.
And even though they don't feel it, they will constantly think about it to the point where they will start to fear them - break them.
"I'll break out of here, and show you all that what you did was a mistake that I will make you all regret." Ibiki's smirk stayed, now getting what he wanted from Naruto.
"Maybe we can use my chakra to pour in enough chakra to overload the constraints?" Naruto liked that type of idea. After all, it was the only way they could potentially get out of here.
"Why do you try so hard to defend yourself? Just to fail? Or is your secret such a big deal? Something beyond us? The village?" Numerous questions were given at a constant rate, not letting the victim have a moments of mental rest.
"I don't think you understand," Said Naruto, soon getting the help of Kurama to pour in a mass of chakra that the constraints couldn't absorb quick enough.
They may be designed to absorb a normal person's chakra or even someone like Naruto. But they couldn't even come close to absorbing the chakra of a Bijuu.
"Oh? What do I not understand?" Asked Ibiki, leaning close to Naruto.
"That my secrets and goals are beyond this village - BEYOND THIS WORLD!" Naruto yelled out, his body being strengthened by Kurama. Swinging the block of metal up, it hit the chin of the leaning Ibiki, making hims stumble just a bit back.
The constraints now open, Naruto quickly unsealing his dagger. Ibiki got up, surprised that Naruto broke out of the constraint, now unprepared with this development.
"What the hell?!" Ibiki saw Naruto jumped, throwing the chair that he was sitting on towards Ibiki. Dodging the chair, it got destroyed by the impact of the wall.
"You can't contain me," said Naruto, appearing in front of Ibiki. All Ibiki saw was a ghostly face that stared into his soul.
With blood staining his clothes, Naruto henged into Ibiki, now having a way to get out from here without getting caught. Walking out of the sound-proof room, Naruto made his way out to the lobby where Shikaku was standing at.
"How's Naruto? Did he wake up yet?" He asked, not knowing that the person he was talking to was indeed the real Naruto in the flesh.
"Yes, it's your turn now," said Naruto, trying his best to copy Ibiki's tone of voice and demeanor. Shikaku nodded, seemingly believing him and walked passed him. As Naruto walked away, he unhenged himself, now in the clear.
A dark shadowed over him as a piercing scream of terror could be heard as he disappeared in the vibrant skies.
~~~
Yo. This chapter is now done. I have accumulated over 3300+ words this chapter alone. This was quite unexpected due to this not being part of the original idea, but I thought this was best.
Went over with the fact that Naruto did not say the reasoning of his leave. And I decided to build more on that with an interrogation.
Naruto is now forced to make his move much quicker than he first imagined. Anyway, I even though I am posting this a few days from now, I just want to say that I made this chapter the day after posting chapter 62.
Thanks for reading Grace.
But until next time.
CYA!