Naruto, A Shattered Mind

Chapter 10: Bitter cold

After the man told him to follow, he turned around and walked away. The man seemingly didn't look back to see if he would obey. There had never been anyone to disobey him when he told them to follow, so he assumed a child would not be the first. The man wasn't wrong. It just took more time than it usually did. Naruto slowly rose from his seated position, taking his time to unwind his stiff muscles from the long sit in the cold room. He hadn't moved since he sat himself against the wall. His mind had been too busy to acknowledge the needs of his body, resulting in a stiff and sore body.

He walked out of the cell, not surprised to see a detachment of guards blocking the opposite way the man had walked. He stood there, staring at the two guards with his head cocked. They weren't ANBU. He almost felt disappointed that it wasn't deemed necessary for his guards to be ANBU. Again, he wondered why they underestimated him like this. Had they forgotten he harboured the power of the Kyuubi combined with the almost endless chakra supply of an Uzumaki? Did they not realise what that meant for his level of power?

The guards shifted underneath his gaze. It unsettled them, even though they were looking at a child. They hadn't seen the evil red glint of his eyes protruding through the darkness of the cell, but they felt it now. It was intense enough to make them want to back away. One of them swallowed and shifted his gaze down. That was enough for the boy, for lack of a better description, to crack his lips into a grin showing off his canine-like teeth.

He took a step towards the guards, watching the eyes of the one still watching him widen and take a step back. The step seemed to echo through the otherwise silent hallway and startled the second guard into looking at him again. Both raised a clutched kunai in defence, dropping into a fighting stance, but the boy didn't seem impressed at all.

"Uzumaki Naruto." A stern voice spoke from behind. He dropped his head back and turned it sideways, glaring at the man from the corner of his eyes. He grinned again as he finally got a good look at the man in the torchlight of the hallway. The man wore a black coat and had a bandana and Hitai-ate covering his head. Two diagonal scars ran across his face and he had cold black eyes.

"The man with too many i's to dot and no t's to cross, Morino Ibiki, let me answer that again. No." Morino looked up in surprise. He hadn't expected for his name to be known to the boy. He noticed a difference in the voice as the boy spoke. It had lost a lot of the demonic energy compared to when he had spoken that single word before, but the maliciousness hadn't lessened. There was more control it seemed, enough to make most people falter in their own resolve. Luckily, he prided himself in being trained in similar techniques and he was able to withstand it where the guards had failed. He also noticed the lack of ropes binding the boy. In the report they had told him he was tied, hands behind his back. Now he stood there free of restrains. He took a mental note of it, making sure that if retraining became necessary again, it would be done properly.

"Uzumaki Naruto or not, you need to follow me. Please do not disturb the guards in their duties. They are only doing their jobs." Ibiki watched the boy turn towards him, gaining all focus on him as the grin disappeared slowly. "Lead the way, torture expert-sama." The boy inclined his head, the perfect example of respect and compliance if it hadn't been for the sneering tone in his words. Morino straightened himself, towering over the boy in a proud stance before turning around and walking through the hallway.

It was the opposite way as he was brought inside, he noticed, meaning he would probably be taken to an interrogation cell to meet with the dear old Hokage. His soft-hearted part hoped his Jiji wouldn't be too overwhelmed with his changes, but there was little that could be done to change him back.

It took a while and the hallways were as cold as the cell had been. His bare feet hitting the floor caused an eerie echo that seemed to linger a little too long in the still air. The stone floor was uncomfortable for his feet and for the first time in years, he wished he had something on his feet. Awareness of his state settled into his mind. His dirty clothing and the dried blood on his face and in hair. It made him falter in his step, brow furrowed in worry. It wasn't fair to meet with the Hokage like this. He would have no chance on an honest conversation, there would only be judgement over his current appearance.