Faery Tale - Chapter Twenty Eight

Chapter 28:  Someone from the inside



"Observe and report," the king had ordered. Well, it was never going to happen in this kind of situation, Naruto reasoned. If King Sarutobi wanted a stealthy spy, he could have sent Shino or any of those by-the-book ANBUs.


No, Naruto was assigned this mission because he was the best man for this mission. He took "creative liberties" where others waited for instructions. At the end of the day, the ANBU would get their information, regardless of the means. Though, one thing still bothered him; did the mission count as a success if he, Naruto, pushed the bloodthirsty family to start the rebellion?


If he were lucky enough, things would not go that far. And if Sakura did her role well, that stupid Sasuke would be safe before any drastic action was required. Though Itachi was a different case, it was clear from the amount of escorts and the general security that the Uchiha heir was a top priority prisoner, and it would take at least ten high level platoons to get him out alive.



Damn it, Naruto cursed, wishing that the brothers' locations were reversed. Itachi was ANBU and was more important, whereas Sasuke was a jerk who deserved a lesson in humility, though not to the limit of breaking his ribs, Naruto admitted. No one deserved that, no matter how annoying they were.



Flakes of snow distracted Naruto from his calculating thoughts, so much for Sakura's predictions. As long as snow did not fall thickly and create a trail of their footsteps, it should not cause a problem. Naruto surveyed the courtyard from his hiding location, very few guards patrolled the area, and a rough estimate placed ten for the whole exterior. Their presence earlier was to ensure that the Uchiha Brothers were delivered safely inside the house; there was no more need for a full battalion now that the prisoners were secured.



Mission save bastard: commence, Naruto groaned inwardly.


He moved in swift measured steps from one dark alcove to another, his focus aimed at Sakura's general location. The next part in the plan fell upon her, even if she didn't know it yet. Naruto started systematically taking out patrolling soldiers; he waited long enough for them to come closer and then he snatched them, one by one, from the darkness.


Just before the last target was out of commission, snowfall intensified, and wind picked up speed, most surfaces in the garden and courtyard were slowly being covered by a thick powdery layer.


why now?, He shivered under his heavy clothes.


By the time he got to Sakura's garden niche, she was not there. Naruto looked around the courtyard; again, there was no trace of her. Worry started to gnaw at him, maybe he was gone too long and she was caught. So far, there had only been one major event tonight, and that was the brothers' shameful procession. No other sound had invaded the night's silence; if she was taken then she did not put up a fight.  


There has to be another explanation,


He did another sweep of the courtyard, and almost gave up after not finding any clues. The only visible things were his footprints on the fresh snow, and leaving those was dangerous enough. After a quick cleanup, he found himself staring at one shed, and more specifically at the body of a guard. This one was in his undergarments and suspiciously placed in plain view, a trap?


Close inspection revealed that the guard was not breathing, and there was a trace of dark orange powder near his face.


Oops, Naruto kicked himself inwardly for not explaining to Sakura how this thing worked. The powder could distract opponents in small doses, but if used in large quantities it would definitely knock out the affected person. And once the chemical was mixed with water, or melting snow in this case, it would trigger a chain reaction and transform into a deadly poison.


He dragged the body into the shed, and dumped it in the utilities closet, which was wide enough to accommodate the fallen guard. In the same closet, Naruto found a black skirt, shirt and white apron. She stole your clothes and snuck in, you poor bastard, He saluted the guard one last time.


Time to find Sakura,

---

One girl could not disappear into thin air: that was simple logic. She must have used a door, it could have been public or a secret door for all he knew. A careful trip back to the garden established that there were no hidden passages there. The Uchiha clan could have used a different escape convention, but there was no time to find out.


The outhouses, external structures and storages revealed no entrances. Naruto even broke into one sinister looking cellar, and was greeted by humidity, muff and a strong unpleasant odor emanating from ancient barrels. Heavy chains tied the barrels to the walls, and many scratches could be seen along the wooden surfaces. The room itself filled him with macabre premonition; the dark smears on the walls alone were signs of unfortunate events.

Naruto was faced with a choice of three doors, but after trying all three, he found that none of them were available. They were heavy, locked and impossible to force open.


No need to panic, Sakura is probably still alive, she can take care of herself,


He paced the cellar for a long time trying to find nooks and holes, but it would not yield it secrets.


"You're looking at it the wrong way," said a neutral voice behind him.

The same voice had to move swiftly, since two knives raced in its direction. Naruto instantly moved closer to the person after throwing the knives, and pinned him to the ground as he tried to avoid the sharp projectiles.


It was an Uchiha alright; dark hair, dark eyes.


"Wait!! Wait!! I'm on your side," The man pleaded, he looked around thirty.


"Why should I let you live?" Naruto spat, this lying bastard was getting on his nerves.


"Because you're here to save my cousins," he regained composure and slowly pushed Naruto away, "Itachi saved my life long ago and I owe him everything," the man stood to his full height and continued, "I'm not part of this insane family anymore, I'll even help you bring them down if it saves my cousins."


Now that Naruto could see clearly, his new companion was wearing the dark uniform of the Royal Guards, albeit with the low-level yellow insignia.


"Why should I trust you?"


"You can choose not to trust me, but I know where the hidden passage you're looking for, Itachi used it to smuggle me out when—Never mind," He casually dismissed the rest of the sentence with a wave of his hand, "Are you in or not, Uzumaki Naruto?"


"How the hell do you know my name?"


At that, the not-quite-Uchiha just chuckled, "What can I say? You're very famous, what you did to Kakashi was legendary,"


Naruto took a step back, anyone familiar enough with his master to be on first name basis was dangerous. He took a deep breath then followed his guide through the room to a nondescript wall.  


"My name is Obito by the way, nice to meet you,"