A Whole New Twist

Three places, three mysteries 

[TW⚠️ detail discretions of death and violence! Enjoy!]

The fire crackled as Kitsune tossed another small twig into its coals. Feeling a firm gaze upon him he turned to look at Itachi.
"What?"
He asked, tilting his head. The Uchiha was staring at him with a small smile on his lips.
"Is there something on my face?!"
Kitsune reached up to touch his face, feeling around for something. Itachi chuckled.

"No, that is not why I stare."
Kitsune stopped and looked at him with an even more curious expression.
"It's just, well, your face, I've never seen it before."
He said, his gaze looking adoringly at the blond.
"Well, technically I have, but that was many years ago! You were just a child then."
He waved his hand.
"Your much more grown up now."

"Oh, Yeah?! How do I look than? All grown up!"
He grinned as he stood up and planted his hands on his hips. Itachi scoffed and shook his head at Kitsune.

"Very strong and handsome, now come here and get some sleep!"
The ravennet held open the side of his coat for the child to snuggle into, and he did, happily. Nuzzling in to the warm side of his friend, he smiled and soon drifted off to sleep.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sasuke shuffled closer to the fire as a cold breeze wafted by. The months were getting colder, winter would soon be here. Sasuke's mind endlessly wandered to the darkest corners of the world as he collected puzzle pieces that didn't fit. He went over what he knew a hundred times, and a hundred times again, but he always came up blank. It was truly infuriating and had put him in a bad mood. His attention was pulled away from the flickering flames of the fire as he heard Kakashi shuffling around on the other side. As Sasuke looked up at him, his eyes turned away. He had been doing this their whole trip. It was ticking Sasuke off! Really Kakashi sucked at keeping secrets.

"What?"
Sasuke snapped as his sensei continued this annoying action.

"W-what?"
Kakashi jumped as Sasuke addressed him.

"You've been acting weird this whole trip, what is it?"
Sasuke demanded.

"What~"
Kakashi faked ignorance.
"I don't know what your talking about! I'm ju- sim- Hm~"
He mumbled incoherent words as he nervously shrugged and looked away. After he was silent for a moment his eyes darted back to see if his student was still glaring at him, he was. Sighing, Kakashi dropped his shoulders in defeat.
"H-"
He stopped himself as if debating wether to continue.
"How did you- what made you think Naruto was still alive?"
He rephrased his question.

Sasuke's brow flew up.
"I... just- well-"
Sasuke stopped to think. He never thought Kakashi, the realist, would ask him something like this.
"Why do you ask?"
He leaned forward.

The elder man, prodded over his thoughts for a long moment. Not sure of his self or his student.
"Just a hunch"
He blurted out.
"You?"

Releasing a huff, Sasuke slouched back. Feeling salty about Kakshi's response.
"Just a hunch."
He shrugged, sass and distain practically ozzing off him.

Kakashi chewed his lip underneath his mask. Why was this child always so hard to deal with? Even as a genin Sasuke was alway a pain in the ass! He pinched the bridge of his nose, groaning.
"That Kitsune kid that travels with the Akasuki"

A sly smile formed on the Uchiha's face. He alway felt proud when he could crack information out of his sensei.
"What do you know about him?"

"Nothing."

"What? How can you know nothing about someone like that?"

Kakashi shrugged.
"That's just it. We know nothing about him, that's what bothers me!"

"Is there at least some where to start looking"

Kakashi shook his head.
"Like I said nothing, not even his village of origin."

"You think he had something to do with Naruto's disappearance?"

Kakashi glanced up from the fire to look firmly at his student.
"I'm think'n something a little more...well, crazy."
Sasuke's brow knit together.

~~~~~~~

Sasuke lay on his side, his sleeping mat seemed to be more uncomfortable then it did the night before. Groaning, he rolled to the other side, looking at Kakashi's back as the man seemed to sleep peacefully. Sasuke envied him! How is it that he can sleep so lightly after what they discussed! Not that he got much 'good' sleep anyway. Was Kakashi really speculating that Kitsune and Naruto were one and the same? It was impossible! Complete impossible! Sasuke was determined. There was just no way! They were completely different. They acted different. They talked differently. They looked different. Sure Sasuke didn't see his face but his build, they way his body was structured, it was completely different. Hell, his voice even sounded different! There was just no way! Kakashi only thought that since he didn't know Naruto the way Sasuke did! Yes, that was it! Kakashi just didn't know Naruto the way he did, so how could he make a fair comparison! Yes, that had to be it!

So why couldn't he sleep?

~~~~~~~~

The village hidden in the leaves was quiet this evening. Dark had set in, very few lights lit the streets. The Hokaga sat in his office still, pouring over the piles of documents he hand on his desk. It was just one of many nights he had to stay late to finish his work. Guards walked up and down the hallways performing their usual duties. As one young man reached the end of his hall, he started to turn before something in the shadows caught his attention.
He stared long and hard. Maybe it was just dark and he was simply tired. But then he saw it! Blood! His eyes followed the trail through the shadows to find his teammate. Who was supposed to be patrolling the section next to him. The body was nothing but ooze, every bone had been broken, her organs looked to have exploded out of her eyes and mouth. The man gasped to scream but before a sound left his mouth sand wrapped around him. Within seconds his entire body was trapped. The sand became hard as rock and slowly crushed him, until the almost inaudible sound of his bones cracking could be heard. Then the sand released him and he fell to the floor his body in a similar state as his teammate. As both corpses lay limp the sand passed over them, chasing after its commander who hovered over the ground.

Lord third scribbled on a scroll before he felt a strange chakra. He set down his quill and looked towards the door. Staring long and hard, as if trying to see right through it. Not a sound echoed through the room. Not one. Knitting his brow together he relaxed back in his seat. He had only felt it for a moment then it was gone. As he reached for his quill again he found his hand restrained. Sand wrapped around his arms and legs pinning him to the chair. They were completely incased, he couldn't even move his fingers to form a single hand sign. Sand seeped in through the windows and door, rising up from the cracks in the floor. It all drew together in front of his desk, forming a figure out of thin air. Now, before him, stood a boy. No older then fourteen or fifteen, his hair red as blood, and his eyes white and lifeless.

Perhaps I misspoke. He wasn't standing, no, he was floating, just inches above the floor. He wore nothing, the sand that clung to his body being his only coverage. He looked thin and malnourished, his hair long and untamed, it had been left to rat itself into a mess.

A long silence passed between them before the hokaga spoke.
"So you are the weapon that Rasa created. The jinshuriki of the one tailed beast."
The boy did not speak, his eyes did not lift, not a single reaction came from him. One might assume he was a ghost, just floating there lifelessly.
"Did the Kazakaga send you here to kill me?"
Again no response.
"I assume the only reason you show yourself to me is by his orders. Yes? He was always one to gloat-"
Sand poured into his mouth, suffocating him. He choked and his body convulsed in its restraints. It took but a few brief moments and the moment stop, all save for the twitching of his nervous system.

[A/N- see y'all next time!]