(Discontinued until further notice) Naruto: The Truth Beneath the Surface

Chapter 55: No Mercy

:D

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There was something off, Yuki could feel it. In the stadium full of hundreds of people, many from different villages, he could feel someone that didn't belong, someone whose intentions were too malicious, too conniving. It set off alarms in his head even as he kept up the façade as 'Naruto' but he couldn't tell anyone without proper evidence that something was wrong. It wouldn't do anyone any good to cause panic over something he couldn't prove was even happening. Kurama was oddly silent, the demon refusing to respond to any of 'Naruto's' questioning, but the Jounin in disguise figured he needed some time to mull something over. He couldn't stay quiet forever because, at the end of the day, it was just the two of them.

Though there was intense bloodlust coming from Gaara, Naruto knew it wasn't him that he was sensing. It annoyed him greatly, causing his lips to form into a scowl and his hands to clench into tight fists. He stood up, waving his hand at Kakashi to show he was alright, but before he could walk out to the halls, he was stopped by a ninja from Sound.

"Why so upset?" The ninja's face was set in a faux concerned look, his arms crossed like he didn't know what to do with them. "You won your match. Everything should be fine."

Naruto stared at the man for a long moment, his blue eyes studying him like he was an interesting specimen, and he felt a small burst of satisfaction as the kid shifted uneasily. "I can't imagine why it wouldn't be." He smiled sharply, feeling his fangs begin to grow behind his lips, before turning away, making his way to the side halls.

"Hey, Naruto!" Sakura jogged over to him, a bright grin on her face. "My match is about to start, you going to watch?"

"There's some things I need to check out." He appeared apologetic, his eyes looking out at the large audience. "Fight hard, okay?" He glanced back at the girl, "I need you to win."

Sakura blinked at him before her face set into something serious. "Hai, sensei."

Naruto nodded once before walking to the halls, slipping into one of the spare rooms. He shed his disguise as he went, sitting down heavily on the bed as his mind raced to figure out why his body was screaming to fight, to flee, to smash, to cry. Pulling his legs up so they were crossed in front of him, Yuki brought his hands together as his cerulean eyes slipped closed. His chakra pulsed with his heartbeat, strands shooting out unseen to everyone as they sought out what was plaguing him.

The bright blue chakra raced between the people in the audience, their bodies merely lines and swirls of energy in a pitch black space. They crooned softly to him when they found nothing even as they danced out of the one tail's path, the demon set on devouring them. Another set, more white than blue, traveled up to the stand where the Hokage, Kazekage, and other officials stood to observe the battles happening below them.

The leader of Konoha clearly felt the energy, a friendly feeling waving from him, and he brought his arm up as if he could touch one of the strands he could not see. Something caused one of his strongest Jounin to get defensive, to believe that the stadium was not safe for anyone. There was a danger around them and it caused the Hokage to tense in preparation for what he couldn't sense coming.

The white-blue chakra left the man, satisfied that the leader of the village was safe for now from harm. It curled around him for a brief moment before leaving, making its way to the Kazekage. The strands slowed its movement, the white-blue curdling and morphing into an angry red color and Yuki's eyes snapped open when they screamed.

"Death! Death! Deathdeathdeath- Snake."

Yuki's fangs were sharp and unyielding, his eyes bleeding into a sanguine shade as Kurama finally seemed to wake up. The demon stretched and growled, the sound echoing through the Jounin's vocal cords as Yuki stood. Once again Orochimaru crossed him, took what was not his and enraged one of the most powerful demons on the pitiful planet.

'I should kill him right now...' Kurama snarled, his tails snapping dangerously from what used to be his prison.

"You know we can't." Yuki breathed out softly, closing his eyes as he pushed the demon's chakra away from the surface of his mind. "Too many people are watching."

'He killed him! He took his life and he dares to wear his skin like it's his right. We will show no mercy. He will be ours!'

"No mercy," Yuki echoed, finally opening his eyes as he walked over to the door, opening it to the cheers of the crowd as the victor was announced. "No mercy."

--

Kakashi carefully looked around the stadium, searching for any activity that might prove harm to Konoha. He already knew about Gaara, Yuki had told him about Shukaku, so he could rule him out as the cause of his boyfriend's unease. The chakra he could feel was familiar and soothing, releasing the tension in his shoulders that he didn't know was there. Still, he didn't let that distract him as he took in the examinees around him. Yuki and Kakashi both agreed that the Kabuto boy that approached them when they first walked in raised flags. When Yuki had told how he seemed to have information on his Naruto persona and his regular self, it cemented in Kakashi's mind that the boy was dangerous.

His eyes snapped up towards the stand where the Hokage was located when he felt Yuki's chakra turn sour. Kakashi was the only one in the entire village who could recognize the other's energy so clearly to be able to pick up the emotions behind it. When he didn't find anything wrong with Konoha's leader, he knew it had something to do with the Kazekage, Yuki's long time friend. Judging by the bitter feeling in the air and the anguish curled around it, Kakashi could only assume that Rasa had passed away. That only begged the question as to how his body was walking about.

"What... What happened here?"

Kakashi looked over at his boyfriend in disguise, who was gazing in concern at the stadium floor where Ino's blonde hair was scattered around and there were slight craters in the ground. "You know, I was here the whole time and I still don't know."

Naruto snorted, flopping down on the bench next to the silver-haired man. "Figures. Draw?"

"Yeah." He glanced over at him, a frown forming behind his mask. "Who did it?"

"Snake." The blond sighed, leaning his head back so he could gaze up at the ceiling. "Konoha doesn't know, though I got gramps to be on guard."

Kakashi nodded, watching as the next contestants were listed. "We will make him pay, Yuki. I promise."

The Jounin in disguise clenched his fist tightly, his knuckles turning pale. "I know..."

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Words: 1,180

Song: Watch Me Burn - Michele Morrone