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If Aoba said he was surprised to run into Kakashi Hatake on his search for Imori, he'd be lying. While the jounin had his hands full training the Uchiha, Kakashi had blocked out time to help with whatever they needed. The lunch the team had shared only days prior, was a tense one.
Sakura was teary when she mentioned that someone she knew was in trouble and she yelled at the boys for opening their mouths to share the identity of the person, unaware that Kakashi was in the know about Imori's existence.
Naruto had simply asked their sensei that if something big goes down, would he be willing to help someone he didn't know. Kakashi had bowed his head and explained, yes, he would because he trusts the judgement of his genin to an extent.
Though it was Sasuke who tried to play devil's advocate, mentioning they have no reason to trust someone they don't really know and that they'd be stupid to blindly believe anything he said. The last comment was directed to his teammates, both of whom frowned. But Sakura was quick to point out that there may be something preventing the hypothetical person from disclosing information, and Kakashi revealed there were many ways to prevent information leaking to the wrong hands but cut the conversation short after that. He didn't need them looking into anything that would get them killed.
The group had parted ways after Kakashi told Sasuke to train on his own for the afternoon, sent Naruto off to his vague training with the Sannin, and reminded Sakura to have a break from her research in the library. Sakura thanked Kakashi sensei for his concern and instead headed off in the direction of training ground three. The Uchiha and Uzumaki watched her go, surprised at her destination but quickly pushed it aside as they went to train.
"So, you're looking for Imori?" Kakashi side eyed the man as they walked, it was the first time he looked up from his book on their joined walk. It was then Kakashi found himself asking a question he already knew the answer to. "And you're certain he's friends with my student?" Aoba nodded stiffly.
Kakashi sighed and put away his little orange book, knowing that he wouldn't have time to read when they were spying on his student and her friend. And after witnessing Danzo and Imori's interaction days prior, Kakashi could only hope his student wasn't too involved with the mysterious boy, who should, for all intensive purposes, never of come to the Village.
Kuma has been forthcoming with any private information he could share without being, 'frozen like a goddamn statue.' One look at his tongue confirmed the adult's shared concerns about what they were doing for Danzo without going into any specifics.
Kuma believed that he had grown up in the warmth of a Village, he was told the Leaf was his home. But being told where he was from instead of having his own reliable memories, left him doubtful. At the end of the day, Kuma's unreliable memories had convinced him to of lived in the Village longer than Imori had, leaving him content with believing he hailed from the Leaf.
His self proclaimed brother however, was a different story.
From what Imori could remember, he was born in another village. And while the name escaped him, he remembered the cool winds that bit into his pale skin and the never ending rain that soaked you to the bone in a matter of seconds. He remembered feeling like he was cared for until he was taken away, the matron being told those children would have a better life ahead of them. And she let them go willingly.
But even those memories Imori doubted. While they felt so real, he couldn't be sure they were actually his memories. Memories of the past often escaped them no matter how hard they tried to hold onto something, anything that made them... themselves. Individuals who deserved to have a past and future that wasn't dictated by anyone other than themselves.
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The two jounin concealed their chakra as they entered the grounds, keeping close to the shrubbery to stay out of sight. Though Aoba was warned it may not be enough to escape the attention of an ever paranoid Imori. But as they walked deeper into the forest, they were met with a surprising sight.
Imori was laying down with his head in Sakura's lap. The boy sniffled while Sakura ran a hand through his dark blue hair, humming a pleasant tune. His eyes were closed and lips parted, murmuring in quiet conversation with Sakura, who nodded every so often.
The jounin could barely keep the surprise off their faces as they assessed the scene. It didn't take long for them to opt to sit in the trees and just observe the children. They didn't seem to be going anywhere any time soon. The jounin strained their ears to hear their conversation and used a jutsu to enhance it.
"... I just freaked out and left Kuma." Imori's voice was hoarse and the jounin could feel the stress in his tone. "I left him with the Nara's and I don't trust them. It's like they said, I'm nothing more than a tool to be manipulated and I don't know who's got the upper hand. All I know is that it isn't me... Fuck. How stupid can I be?"
At first, Sakura visibly struggled to find the words to comfort Imori from his self deprecating thoughts. After being silent company for years, there were times both found it difficult to talk. Still, Sakura was relieved Imori trusted her enough to share his thoughts.
Her voice came out as a whisper, not meant for anyone but her friend. "You're not stupid. And I'm so sorry, Imori." Sakura closed her eyes to prevent any tears from falling. "I'm just glad you're alive. I- I was so worried when I saw you... like that again." Her hand continued to run through his hair in an attempt to comfort him.
The jounin shared a look. Again? It as then that Aoba found himself weaving hand signs and using his psycho mind transmission to enter Imori's subconscious to extract information, even able to access memories and information forgotten. He found many barriers that would take ample time to crack, and any digging would alert Imori to someone in his head. But given the erratic state of the boy, his jumbled thoughts and heavy seals on his mind, Aoba could only hear bits and pieces of his immediate thoughts.
"Everything is progressing faster than Kuma and I anticipated. I'm afraid that-" Imori's voice cracked as he spoke but he didn't dare shed a tear. His hand came up to rub his aching head, assuming he just had a headache coming on from all the recent stress, so he began to practice breathing techniques Aoba knew Yamato had been teaching the boy over the last few days.
Aoba was mouthing Imori's thoughts to Kakashi who was reading his lips. Aoba expressed how Imori cursed himself for being so damn emotional - after all the work they had gone through to destroy his emotions, it was clear he needs more training. If he had more training, maybe he wouldn't of lashed out at Danzo-sama and tried so hard to protect Kuma - they have to kill each other in the end anyway, so what's the point?
All caring had done was make things worse. Heck, he shouldn't even be close to Sakura, he'd only drag her down or personally suffer because of their friendship. At what point was he going to be selfish and protect himself? Imori couldn't answer that question.
But still, Imori found himself making eye contact with Sakura, a girl who felt so freely and made him believe that if he could survive all the pain, maybe it'd be worth it.
That there was a possibility he and Kuma would live a normal life, with normal friends and jobs. Free to express themselves without fear of repercussions for natural feelings and emotions. But for now, it was just wishful thinking. He couldn't let himself believe that there was hope for someone like him, a nobody. A disposable tool.
Kakashi frowned at Aoba's relaying of information before he broke the jutsu. He understood Imori's inner turmoil and train of thought. The boy struggled to believe anything was ever going to go right for him and if he never got his hopes up, then he'd never be disappointed. The jounin could relate to that thought process.
'Try her,' Kakashi mouthed to Aoba who nodded and used the same jutsu on Sakura. The girl flinched and was silent for a few seconds, before having to explain to Imori she was fine, that it must of been a chill running down her spine or something. He appeared too exhausted to argue.
"What are you afraid of?" Sakura asked in a quiet tone. Aoba mouthed that truthfully, Sakura was terrified of what he may come out with. She recognised that his fears weren't like hers, assuming it involved his brother being tortured, killed or taken advantage of. And while Sakura had made the executive decision to potentially involve her sensei and the Hokage, it was Imori's response that left her violently backpedaling.
"The Hokage."
Sakura's eyes widened significantly as did the jounin's. Her hand stopped running through his hair as she thought about what he said. 'The Hokage?' She knew they people of Konoha loved their Hokage and it wasn't often anyone had a bad word to say about the old man. But to fear him above all else? It was unheard of.
"Oh." Was all Sakura managed to say before she continued running a hand through his hair. Imori once again relaxed at her touch, putting all the trust he had in her trembling hands. "Can you talk about it?"
And Kakashi had to commend his student's inner strength he was unaware of and Aoba broke the jutsu, as the two jounin felt like there was someone nearby. They silently agreed to see how this was going to play out, but knew that they may have to interfere.
Imori seemed to ponder the question for a second, choosing his words carefully. "To the majority of those in Konoha, I'm sure he's great. It's just that... he's prone to looking the other way when it involves... a certain friend of his - the head of the hive." Imori quietly clarified, shooting up from where he was laying as he felt a presence nearby now that his headache mysteriously cleared.
Sakura flinched at his sudden movement, voicing her concern as he rose to his feet. He put a finger to his lips and drew a small blade from his long sleeve, urging her to be silent as she too grabbed a kunai. The children scanned the tree line across the other side of the river with a startling intensity, despite one not knowing what or who they were expecting to find.
Kakashi and Aoba didn't move as they felt the presence once again flare their chakra. The two unnamed shinobi jumped down before Sakura and Imori, the latter recognising the boys immediately- they were the gatekeepers of the apartments. Aoba had a run in with them earlier and knew from Asuma's initial report, they held a grudge against Imori and his brother.
"So it seems that you're not just Taegu's bitch but a rat, huh, Imori? Can't say I'm disappointed." The dark haired teenager stood tall, drawing a tantō from its sheath. "Just means I get to kill you and your little girlfriend sooner than expected. Though, I had been hoping to watch Kuma slaughter you, I guess I'll have to substitute for him."
"I'd like to see you try." Sakura snarled, and to her credit she didn't stutter. One look at Imori and she knew that they couldn't be reckless and being caught off guard wasn't an option. And yes, Sakura Haruno was scared but her mind raced, reminding herself that she had to be strong for Imori. False confidence was all she could have at this stage.
Imori's eyes flickered to Sakura and back to the boys with a slight smirk. "Like Sakura said, Kono, I'd like to see you try." He gripped the blade in his palm, letting blood drip down to his finger tips. "And by all means, after we kill you say hello to Inoshishi and Kaeru for me, yeah?"
A scowl was sent Imori's way as he intercepted Kono's tantō with his knife. "Sakura, go! I've got them." Imori had summoned water that slipped through his hand, creating a water clone in defence, which attacked the brunet boy while he dealt with Kono.
Sakura appeared conflicted, but stood her ground. She couldn't just leave him, she was a shinobi and she would do everything in her power to protect her friend. So Sakura held her kunai tight and joined the clone in attacking the other boy.
Imori seemed to be holding his own as he summoned water from the grass and shrubbery around him, throwing it at the face and feet of Kono. There was now a ring of dead grass and shrubbery where they fought.
The said boy spluttered but was interrupted by his feet being frozen to the ground. But Kono was quick to blast away at the ice with a fire jutsu and swung his tantō wildly, forcing Imori backwards, deflecting the blade as much as possible.
Sakura was also on the defensive as she worked with Imori's clone, that somehow continued to reform when hit. When slashed, the clone spilt droplets of blood before pulling itself back together, but Sakura didn't have time to question how he was doing it as she remembered Imori's advice.
She imagined chakra pooling in her fist, as she reeled back and then when she saw an opening, swung her fist and released the built up chakra. The result was immediate and a series of sickening cracks were heard as the boy flew back. Blood spewed from his mouth and despite her horror, Sakura's attention remained on the threat.
She heard the other boy -Kono- that Imori was dealing with, gasping. Out the corner of her eyes she saw Kono's hands clawing at Imori's hands wrapped firmly around his neck, but she didn't depart look away from the boy she had fought. She didn't lift a finger to help him no matter how much he begged for it, remembering Imori's words clearly.
'Never be fooled by those of the Hive. They'd do anything to draw you close before slitting your throat, even if that meant sealing their own fate. Even if you were the last person in the world who could save their lives, they'd accept death as long as they could complete their task.'
Despite what she had been told, strangulation wasn't a quick death. She could hear Imori counting the seconds like clockwork, letting her know how much time had passed. Kono had lost consciousness but Imori only muttered that it could take between five to ten minutes for the brain to die.
Aoba and Kakashi had learned a lot about both his student and Imori as the seconds ticked by. Their friendship had clearly made Sakura mentally stronger than before and Kakashi didn't know how he didn't see it sooner. However, Aoba was more concerned with Imori's visibly apathy when strangling Kono. He didn't flinch as nails scratched at his face and neck, drawing blood. And his legs worked to restrict Kono's ability to fight back.
At the ten minute mark Imori released his hold on Kono's lifeless body, stretching out his hands and wrists as he approached Sakura, who continued to watch the gargling body of the other boy.
"I'm sorry for this mess," Imori whispered, placing a hand on Sakura's shoulder. "Please block your ears, I'll deal with him." Sakura could only nod as she turned away from Imori, placing her hands over her ears but even that didn't fully block out the sound of the injured boy struggling helplessly as she guessed Imori dealt with him, as he had done with Kono.
Even with her ears blocked, Sakura could hear the struggle. The desperate gasps and groans as his airway was crushed. Limbs whacked and banged at the ground and Imori as they flailed, in a last ditch effort to break free. The sound of movement behind her slowly died down.
After a few minutes, she looked up to see Imori standing in front of her with a guilty expression on his face. Wordlessly, he wrapped his arms around her, letting her sob into his chest. There was nothing he could say or do to properly apologise for putting her life in danger.
As she cried, Imori looked up into the trees where Kakashi Hatake and another man he didn't know, sat. He nodded to his clone who moved to the treetops, in front of the shinobi and relayed a message. "You might want to intercept these bodies quickly. The cleanup crew are on their way." The clone then disappeared, leaving behind blood and water which surprised the jounin.
The men shared a look as they saw Imori leading Sakura away from the scene, at a pace not enough to worry her but quick enough to escape the training grounds before they could run into anyone else. Kakashi and Aoba were quick to seal the bodies into scrolls and disappear just as they felt the presence of approaching shinobi. The two disappeared in a puff of smoke as if they were never there in the first place.
A/N: Not edited.
Thoughts?