A Couple Steps Back

Chapter 43

Third person pov

It wasn't hard for the Third to catch the three kids. Shikamaru was drained enough that he couldn't walk on his own, slowing them down considerably. And Hiruzen had known going in that if he caught one of them, he caught all of them. They were just kids, but they already had a great sense of teamwork. There's no way in hell they'd leave a man behind.

"Take them to my office. We'll activate the barriers when we get there. They should be strong enough to hold them while we work this out." The Hokage said, sighing as he looked down at the three tied up kids. It felt wrong, binding them. Especially Naruto. He was dear Minato's son for god's sake! Yet here he was, deep in something he probably couldn't get out of. He knew he should have kept a closer eye on the boy. It had been a mistake to put him in that orphanage. It had been a mistake to leave him alone at all, really.

"Let go of me, you fucking dog!" Hidan tried to kick Kakashi in the leg. "Brats, are you guys okay?!"

"We're fine!" Sasuke called as they were marched along and towards the Hokage's office. He didn't dare turn around. He knew he'd only be barked at by one of the ANBU. Ibiki remained silent, glaring at his captors sourly. Once Hidan and the kids had been obtained, he knew he had no choice but to give himself up. He had no chance of fighting his way out without help. He was surrounded by ANBU. They were right in the middle of their fucking headquarters, so there really wasn't much he could do.

"How long are they going to hold us?" Sasuke asked in a hushed tone, earning a shrug from Shikamaru, who was practically being dragged by Naruto. The Uchiha winced. Itachi was still tied up with Shisui standing guard. Well, hopefully. If not they had yet another problem to add to their already full plate. Sasuke sighed.

"Itachi caught on and we had to... detain him." Sasuke muttered. "He's at the bar with Shisui standing guard."

"What?!" Naruto shrieked, but he quickly silenced himself at the look he got from the Third. Raised eyebrows and a questioning gaze. He quickly looked away and back to his two teammates. Shikamaru looked like he wanted to bash his head in, is legs dragging weakly, and his breathing labored. Naruto frowned.

"Hey, can someone carry him?" Naruto looked at the Hokage. "He isn't doing that great."

"We'll be there soon." The Hokage assured as they exited the building. The Hokage building wasn't far from here. They'd be there in no time flat, he was sure. He supposed he could teleport them, but it didn't seem like a good idea. If one of them managed to wiggle away from whoever was transporting them, they wouldn't appear in the Hokage's office. It was too much of a risk.

"I'll carry him." Hidan sped up slightly, and the whole little group stopped so he could bend down. Although his wrists were bound in front of him, he still crouched down and scooped him up. Shikamaru groaned as pain shot up his back, and he twisted slightly. Hidan stood back up. They kept going.

"Naruto-kun, why are you... doing all this?" The Hokage couldn't resist asking.

"Well, you're the one who tied me up and asked me to walk, so I'm not sure why you're asking." Naruto know he was being a sarcastic little shit but he didn't really care. He was reasonably pissed at the moment. This was all such a huge pain! They could be sneaking into Danzo's office and killing him right this very second! 

"Hanging out with an S-rank shinobi, I mean. A rogue." The Hokage corrected as they began up the staircase leading up to his office. It was dark out, probably past midnight or close to it. "He's not someone you want to tangle with... is he threatening you?" The Hokage checked.

"Hey, Hidan is our friend." Naruto hissed. The ex-Jashinist clicked his tongue as his heart warmed, and he looked away. These brats were so annoying. He honestly didn't know why he was still here. One of them had buried him alive. This was dumb. They were so dumb. 

"Yeah, and he isn't bad, either." Sasuke insisted, glaring at the Third slightly. The man sighed, shaking his head. There was something going on here. Maybe it was a deep rooted genjutsu or they'd simply been brainwashed. Either way, the Third didn't like it. Two heirs of two of Konoha's most powerful clans, their jinchuuriki and the lead of T&I. 

The Hokage building was reasonably empty, only a few people lingering about. They turned to watch as they walked by, their eyes going wide with surprise at the line of odd prisoners being escorted in. The ANBU waved them off, pointing them away and telling them to forget what they saw. The people did what they were told. Wordlessly, they'd turn and walk away. Naruto grimaced.

"It's all going to be okay. We'll call Inoichi in again and get to the bottom of this." The Hokage had sent the man out in a panic when Shikamaru began to fight. Kicking, screaming and shoving, the boy absolutely wasn't going to let anyone into his mind, no matter how weak it was. Inoichi didn't want to hurt the Nara, so he'd asked to leave and come back when he was calmer. He seemed calmer now, The Third supposed.

"Go in his head and see what shit happens." Hidan snorted slightly. He knew there was a fox in there, and he knew it probably wouldn't like people trespassing on his land. Like a grumpy old man, he'd chase them right off his lawn. Sasuke was so strong mentally that Hidan wasn't sure if they could get to him. Especially not with his freaky ass eyes. Shikamaru, himself and Ibiki on the other hand... Hidan had little faith.

They climbed a few more flights of stairs, and then they were there, just like that. Naruto's heart plummeted, and he heard Ibiki sigh heavily. They were in some deep ass shit, and they weren't getting out of it either. Naruto cursed. ROOT no doubt was watching right now, too. They couldn't find out about their plans to assassinate Danzo, or about their memories of the future.

"Everyone in?" The Hokage checked. Lynx nodded. "Lynx, you're free to go, then. Put up the barriers on your way out." 

~

The shit, as they say, will soon be getting real. I suggest you prepare your behinds.