Naruto: The Seraph Project

Chapter 5: The Unexpected Return (Updated)

TW: Depression, Blood

Konohagakure had allocated countless resources to find any clues that might lead somewhere. Many search teams were deployed across the country. Although unlikely, the possibility of Naruto being held prisoner in the borders could not be ruled out. The Land of Fire was vast, and its forests as far as the eye could see immense. The places to hide there were considerable. Rogue groups hid in hideouts out of sight. Despite the peace that reigned on the land, criminal activities abounded here and there.

The village remained in close communication with their sand ally, mutually awaiting new data to move things forward. Like Sunagakure, only Konohagakure had been the victim of these attempts of kidnapping. The other towns and villages of the country were unscathed. Rumours did not convey either; no signs of recent suspicious activity, no relevant word of mouth.

Their time was running out to save the two victims before they were thrown into a pit, their hearts ripped out and their bodies only good to feed the worms.

Of course, Kakashi's team was one of them. Under his command, there was obviously Sai and Sakura, but also Hyūga Hinata. The Copy Ninja had carefully chosen her for her Byakugan. Not only her pupils could detect chakra with ease, they could also see for miles around, and their formidable vision could penetrate matter. With these, she could find hideouts hidden underground, behind waterfalls or even in mountains. An asset and a valuable addition to his team.

A nameless rage and determination boiled in Kakashi's veins, ready to do anything to find and rescue Naruto. He slept little, if at all. He clung to this sad hope of pulling Naruto out of the clutches of this ill-famed group... Alas, his hopes were gradually corrupted by darkness, blackening his heart which was weakening forever.

The first week...

Nothing; penumbra.

The second week...

Nothing; dimness.

The third week...

Nothing; darkness.

In all, a month had passed since the incident.

Nothing; despair.

Faced with the impossible, Tsunade had greatly reduced the number of teams. Travelling the lands so blindly was futile, the efforts were vain; it was like looking for a needle in a haystack and she understood that. Reluctantly, she had to come to terms with the obvious that there was no point in continuing so hard, wasting so many resources for no result. It only brought disappointment after disappointment. Declining morale was felt, the exhilarating fire in hearts was extinguished and the troops lacked rigour. Like many others, they had concluded that it was already too late, that the search would only lead to a gruesome discovery. Lugubrious murmurs spread; a hope that the bodies would be found before they return to the earth and therefore, offer them a burial worthy of a life sadly torn away too soon.

Nevertheless, communications with Sunagakure continued and two teams were still in charge of this unachievable mission. In these teams, that of Hatake Kakashi was not one of them. She had ordered him to stay in the village after hearing Sakura's concerns about his physical and mental health. Kakashi was not a pretty sight; he was frightening enough to give nightmares. Excruciatingly dark circles marred his face, he was losing weight at an alarming rate, and his exhausted eyes betrayed the evil that plagued his tormented mind. The Copy Ninja sank day after day into darkness and he—cursing his pathetic weakness—withdrew into himself and solitude.