Chiaki heard the booms and splashes, explosions and clashes of jutsu on jutsu down below. She knew, somewhere in her heart, that they wouldn’t be able to take her, wouldn’t be able to capture her. Look at what she had been able to do. Nothing. She knew that she ranked, in terms of strength, among the captains, perhaps, but she didn’t let them know that, she couldn’t. Her head span from all of the torture, not the physical one, but the mental, the nerve torture that she endured. No, it was not something that even crossed her mind, to tell them that she was harder to kill than anyone, but they should know that right?
She watched as the woman came up and turned to face her, the coldness of the mask was enough to set her mind to panic. In her mind’s eye she saw the mask that Orochi Risu had been wearing, and she couldn’t take it, couldn’t stand the anonymity. She kicked back into the tree, it groaned under her strength, and her eyes were panicked. The woman moved forwards slowly, trying to tell her that it was alright, but she didn’t feel it. It wasn’t until another member of the ANBU came up that she relaxed a little bit. At least Orochi Risu, if she was there, wouldn’t be able to do something to her if someone else was there, right? That was what that was for right? That failsafe?
She sighed and relaxed, the tree behind her groaned once more as she wasn’t pressing herself against it, and it seemed to settle behind her. When had she gotten so strong? When had she surpassed her parents? She didn’t know. She didn’t know what was going on, or who she could trust anymore. She allowed her head to be touched gently, but watched as the woman inspected her, hatred, disgust in her eyes. A burning distaste in her mouth and her gaze. She wondered who this woman was, who she had killed in the name of Konohagakure.
“What happened to her?” She asked, “I want to know.”
The ANBU Looked to her captain, who nodded to her, “She was destroyed, with the corpse destruction technique.” She said, simply. The next thing that came was her wrists. As she moved slowly to grab them Chiaki was lost in the sensations of the cave and panicked again. She gripped the other Kunoichi’s arm as she grabbed hold of her wrists, her hatred burned bright for a second before dying out. It would be a while before she would be able to see an ANBU mask again. “It’s fine, Lady Guanyin.”
She relaxed and closed her eyes, setting her head against the tree and relaxing as the ANBU used her clumsy medical techniques to heal her from the minor wounds that she had sustained. They were minor, and at the very least self-inflicted.
She opened her eyes and found that there was an unconscious operative next to her, she wanted to help the other operative, but after what she had been through, she doubted that she would be able to mold chakra into the right sequence to actually help. Emotions played a huge part of her healing, and if she let out her chakra now intending to heal, she might end up killing the poor unconscious woman. No, better to let the ANBU take care of their own. She nodded to the suggestion to go and see the hospital. It was a good idea, to say the least, but she didn’t verbally answer.
The ANBU captain came to her, saying that she needed to be taken to the superiors and that she would need to give a report. Of course, more paperwork for the Hokage. Yeah, that made sense. Made total sense. She nodded and looked between the two of the operatives on either side of her.
The captain then said something that made her feel even worse. It was something that haunted her, almost as much as the encounter for the coming months. That she had been very lucky. She hadn’t been strong, matter of fact, she hadn’t even killed the woman’s snake. She shook with rage, and fear, and hatred. She had cracked under the torture, and she knew it. She had given the woman enough information to be useful and as if there was an echo in the room, she looked up to see the golden eyes of Orochi Risu and hear her words. Just fortunate enough to be useful.
As soon as they took off Chiaki yelled out, “Orochi Risu!” To which the operatives actually laughed, looking at each other with that mask on their face, that anonymous mask that let them kill without remorse, kill with impunity. Kill and leave the bodies to their families to sort out. Chiaki’s madness set itself, hooking itself deep within her. The ANBU were working with Orochi Risu to help her into the village. She was going to start her plans with Konoha and the ANBU were helping her to get in.
How else had they known to find her there? Even she didn’t know of this place. They had helped with the torture, that was the only thing she could think of. The only possible Explanation.
With no warning, she wove hand seals with one hand for a plasma barrier, and with the other hand for her Guanyin Otter Tackle. She would leave them here and run back to tell the Hokage, To tell anyone who would listen. Yes. That would be her plan. As soon as the barrier was up she felt it get pulled back down by a jutsu and she rushed to punch the nearest ANBU in the chest. They went flying and crumpled into a heap, completely paralyzed. The next ANBU operative was weaving hand seals already, as was Chiaki with her free hand.
“You betrayed the hidden leaf! How dare you!” Chiaki roared as another plasma barrier leapt into being and she aimed what looked like a water prison, but looked like an otter turning in on itself at the ninja. Their killing technique bounced harmlessly off of her neck and destroyed her plasma barrier, which solidified what Chiaki had thought. She shot off the otter water hell jutsu and it consumed the ANBU operative, holding them, limbs splayed, in is depths. She maintained eye contact with the jutsu and asked the operative that was paralyzed, “What is your plan for Konoha.”
“We want to protect the village hidden in the leaves, what are you doing Guanyin-sama?” The ANBU next to her asked, “Why are you attacking us?”
“Liar! Orochi Risu was with you, she was with you the entire time, that’s how you knew where I was.” Chiaki grit her teeth. “Don’t follow me, or I will kill you next time. Don’t follow me, I am going to report this to the Hokage and let him sort this out.” She burned with rage, with hatred, with confusion. She didn’t know what to think anymore, who was on whos side?
Was this all a farce? It had to be. She trusted Takao, but… but he burned innocents, killed people in Kumogakure that weren’t even part of the war. Could she truly trust him? Could he have sent the ANBU there to… no he wouldn’t would he?
In her madness, she sped off, leaving the operative that had been caught in the otter water hell coughing up water and the other operative paralyzed for at least another good half hour as she tore through the forest.
Tore through the forest going to the only place that she truly felt safe. Home. To hell with the hospital, she knew what she saw. She would tell the Hokage tomorrow. She would tell him what she had seen, and of the ANBU operatives. Or should she do it today?
Chiaki was caught in turmoil for a while, but ended up leaving a note for the Hokage on his desk, in a letter that was sealed with a simple seal. It would show whether it had been tampered with, and she left the office, going home, disobeying the ANBU orders of the captain and shut herself in her room for a good two to three days, it was hard to tell, as they passed by in a matter of moments to Chiaki. She barely slept, didn’t eat, and only drank when her mouth was completely dry. The rest of the time she spent sitting in front of her front door, going over what had been said, every minute detail of her encounter, trying to make sense of it all.
It was a bit… too perfect that she had been saved. And how had Orochi Risu known the ANBU were there to capture her. How had she known the exact time? Damnit, it was all a setup.
It was all a set up. And Chiaki didn’t know who to trust anymore. Perhaps Orochi Risu was right, she needed to purge this world of all the people that she found to be wanting.
She wept.
WC: 8320
WC to Ryo Conversion: 2496 ryo