The Jashinist's Son (Naruto Fanfic)

Chapter 10: Underground

Not once in his life has Takeo felt comfortable beneath ground. Would he be caught caving recreationally? Not a chance. Did he love traversing secret tunnel systems beneath lands and villages he infiltrated? No. He loathed the dark and the members of the Akatsuki he met in them. And the Akatsuki base hidden beneath the earth, which he frequented with Kisame and Itachi? Hated it with a passion.

He preferred the open space, warmth and windows. He liked windows. A lot. Unfortunately, there were no windows below ground. Even still, Takeo squinted his eyes trying to picture where best one would fit, despite the lack of functionality it would provide.

He went to lift his hands to frame out where he imagined one would be, only for a loud clank to draw his attention. Chakra restricting cuffs remained, though now they were connected to the ground, only allowing him to sit upright or lay in the middle of the otherwise, empty cell. Takeo laughed, almost painfully when he realised his hands couldn't even make the distance to where his imaginary window would be.

"How pathetic." He muttered. Lips pursed as he stared in the direction of where he had entered the cell, not seeing anything in the darkness. If he concentrated, he could hear the shinobi stationed outside of his cell but otherwise he assumed there was no one else in the surrounding cells.

It was far too quiet compared to the normal cells he had briefly occupied over the years. Those he never stayed in for too long, often being cleared of accusations within hours and only once had he stayed over night because Kankuro stole the key and wouldn't let him out after Takeo misplaced all of his face paint. It wasn't until Gaara had come off a twelve hour shift of filling out paperwork and asked why Takeo hadn't shown up with the snacks, that Kankuro caved and rushed off to release his friend.

Takeo uncrossed his legs, rolling over to lay on his back just to stare at the ceiling. He thought about reaching out to see if he could touch the roof, having forgotten how tall the cell actually was after remaining seated in it for the last two days. Takashi had been kind enough to keep him updated on the council's decision, and kept an ear out for any news about Gaara's whereabouts.

So far, all Takeo knew was that Team Kakashi was joined by Team Gai and had been engaging with members of the Akatsuki. The Kazekage's condition wasn't mentioned at this time. Though he was relieved to hear Kankuro had been healed by Sakura, and Takeo asked Takashi to thank the girl at some point. The ANBU was rather quiet after revealing the good news, which made the prisoner nervous.

"Any news from the council?" He found the words spilling from his mouth, unable to hide the fear in his tone. Never before had Takeo really feared death. He had a warped opinion about death, never really seeing it as a big deal. Yes, he grieved Haku and Zabuza, but most people he knew found it incredibly difficult to die, which he was thankful for but it didn't give him a realistic look at the phenomenon. Very rarely did he find himself entertaining the concept of death but in this moment, he couldn't help but feel like it was inevitable.

"They have found you guilty for aiding and abetting the Akatsuki in infiltrating the village and abducting the Kazekage... Once they identify whether or not the Kazekage is alive in the next hour, then will they seek your execution." Takashi's voice wavered from the other side of the cell door. Takeo could picture the man clasping his hands together as he delivered the bad news, dark eyes trained on the ground unable to look him in the eye. Takeo pitied Takashi for delivering the verdict, the man simply didn't deserve it. He had only been kind to Takeo over the years.

"I see.." Takeo's dull voice echoed for a few moments before a chuckle escaped him. "Well, actually, I don't see much of anything right now. But thank you, Takashi. Please, take care of yourself and your family. Your boys deserve a happy father."