Naruto: The Seraph Project

Chapter 53: The Predator and the Prey

TW: For a warned audience

In order not to lose my cool, I lock away all my anxieties into the back of my mind to focus on my goal. Fatigue is constant, my lungs are starting to burn and my already meagre chakra is shrinking. I'm grateful to have come across Shikamaru and Chōji to help me; without them, catching Naruto alone is impossible. Shikamaru hides it, but I know his injury is hurting him. The bleeding has decreased, yet it still persists a little; the cuts are deep and require care.

That I can't connect with Naruto worries me, like this sordid possibility that this group is calling him like a siren song that is futile to fight against; this haunting song is a clever trick to gain the trust of its victim, who doesn't realize that they will be swallowed into the abyss. In all this, I know that other shinobis will soon interfere. The whole thing drags on and many have witnessed this feral Naruto who sows panic by his mere presence.

I have to limit the damage and prevent more people from knowing about his condition as a chakra devourer. I can't let him wander around the village indefinitely, nor do I have the luxury of following him to the place he's trying so hard to reach, to the point of running away from me. The guy who kidnapped Naruto disappeared in a snap of the fingers, after all.

I have to put an end to it, and I have no right to fail a third time.

The sapphire-eyed boy has left us far behind while we were recovering from his last attack... However, if I trust my nose, he stopped somewhere. Either he has reached his destination or something or someone stands in his way. I sincerely hope that this is the first hypothesis ... especially since Naruto doesn't move from where he is. Immediately, I make a sign to the kids to express my observation to them in silence.

Nearby, we stop on one of the high roofs to scan the surroundings, listening attentively to the slightest noise. I notice that we're about a hundred metres in front of the building, in which Naruto resided before he moved to my home.

When I see the blond on all fours on the roof of the building in question searching the place, while sniffing and wagging his tail curiously, I sigh with relief. Shikamaru and Chōji are quick to see him too. It must be said that his golden mane, his luminous eyes and his slightly exposed back contrast with the darkness. All in all, that he's alone and not faced with a threat reassures me, although I don't know the reason why he stopped his race here.

We carefully observe each of Naruto's gestures. On all fours like an animal, he ventures onto the balcony of his apartment to open the door... However, the latter is locked. He examines it with touch, as if he were looking for a lock. Then, he steps over the guard to continue his inspection of the building. He clings to the wall using his nails to keep his balance on the slightly sloping roof.

When he reaches his bedroom window, he peeks inside—something that accentuates the swings of his black tail that betrays his growing excitement. The said window not locked, Naruto opens it to sneak in and therefore disappear from our field of vision.

What does that mean? Is this the place in which this group would have set a trap for him? Naruto no longer has the slightest interest in going to his house. Otherwise, he would have escaped long before, and this isn't the first time he has set foot there since his return to Konohagakure. I exchange a look with Shikamaru who wears a confused pout while frowning. Needless to say, he finds it weird too.

Without further ado, the three of us jump to reach the window through which the blond entered. Since I hear a relatively silent mayhem, I hold my breath and cautiously approach to look inside.

My student is rummaging through his room, which he's turning upside down; quickly, it's a mess. He opens the doors of the cupboards which he empties of their contents. He rummages under his bed, pulling out the stored objects which he shamelessly throws behind him, as if they were unimportant old trinkets. Naruto is fiercely searching for something, that's understood.