Waiting is the worst
"Do not wish for health and wealth,
but wish for luck,
for on the Titanic everyone was rich and healthy,
but only a few were lucky!"
Winston Churchill
POV Ariza
I refused to think about the worst until the very end. Not to give up, as Naruto taught me. I believed my people would come. That they would help. Looking at the blue sky, I hoped I would survive, that I would fall asleep now, and wake up again tomorrow morning.
My soul told me this was not the end, and my dreams pulled me far away... into a happy future, and only my pathetic, un-deceived mind told me this dream would be my last.
I had almost closed my eyes, sinking forever into the realm of Morpheus, when suddenly a sharp slap brought me back to myself.
"There... now you can hear better," the girl smirked and turned my gaze to herself, taking my chin in her hand. Because I couldn't turn my head myself anymore. I tried, but nothing worked.
"What did she do?!" was the fully conscious thought that flashed through my mind. I couldn't move, breathe, or even blink. I didn't know what to do: my body simply wouldn't obey.
"What, can't move?" she sneered. "This technique freezes the body. The one on whom this technique is applied cannot move for several hours, or even days. All processes in the body, except for thought, stop. That's why you're not breathing or blinking right now, just staring motionlessly at one point like a corpse. Of course, there are advantages to the technique, like pain mitigation, but there are also disadvantages – like terrible fatigue for the one who used it," she said, and, breathing heavily, sat down next to me.
"So, does this mean... if she doesn't take me, I'll lie here for several hours, or even days?" the thought flashed through my mind, and I noticed that I practically didn't feel any pain. "No, definitely not days, maybe three hours, and then they'll find me... and... bury me alive?!" I swallowed mentally at the last word.
"You know, Orochimaru told me to bring you to him, even if it's piece by piece, but..." stretching her neck and cracking her limbs, she continued, "I won't do that. Because as soon as I do, they'll probably cut off your limbs for convenience, send you for torture for reliability, and after all the planned experiments, they'll dismember you and feed you to someone," she yawned, saying it casually, as if it were an everyday occurrence. "Hah... Don't be scared. That's how it is with everyone. Nobody messes around with you like I do. One, two, and the next. Well, I still want to fight you. And I'm too tired to carry you. I definitely won't get out of here quickly with your carcass."
"Cut off my limbs, send me for torture, dismember me?!" I mentally gasped at her words.
"I was actually coming here hoping to see some strong ninja. Orochimaru, when he sent me, said I needed to be careful and bring someone with me. He said this person is very strong and can defeat me. And I, anticipating a battle, brought a whole squad! True, they all died on the way here, but that's not the point. I didn't expect to see here..." she paused, took my chin again, looked into my eyes, and said, "this..."
I listened to her silently, more and more surprised. Orochimaru considers me strong? Does he really want to take me with him?
"And you know, I've been hiding and watching you this whole time. Orochimaru warned me that you're a sensor, that's why you didn't notice me. And yes, I saw how you foolishly and arrogantly, ignoring your commander's order, went to fight alone. I bet you do everything alone in life and think that only by yourself will it turn out best. Or you completely disregard the opinions of others, thinking they won't understand or help you. What stupidity... One person alone is not a warrior, Ariza Saito. Hah," she chuckled slightly, and I started to get angry.
"If you were in my place! It's not for you to judge me!" I mentally chattered and regretted that I couldn't punch her. I would gladly punch her! One person alone is a warrior because with faith, I will never be alone!
"Well, alright, I'm leaving. I liked you, so I'll tell Orochimaru that I didn't find you," she said, and, standing up, began to dust off her clothes. "Ah, yes, I forgot to apologize for this whole spectacle. You were going to use Shunshin to escape straight to another squad that would have definitely smeared your guts on the wall. That's why I had to stop you here. But I won't apologize, of course. It's your own fault. Don't get bored here, in general. See you later."
She walked a little forward and disappeared in an instant, leaving me in complete shock.
What the hell was that? She... she didn't wish me harm?
I was left alone in the square. Somewhere in the distance, explosions and screams could be heard. The battle was still going on, but due to my paralyzed body, I could do nothing. So all that was left for me was to look at the destroyed and burning Konoha.
All sorts of thoughts were swirling in my head. I started to fear that they would find me and really bury me alive. Or that the enemies would find me and finish me off. Or that they wouldn't be able to fully bring me out of the technique, and I would remain a cripple for life and end up in a wheelchair, or worse, become a "vegetable."
After a few minutes, I got tired of it and started to focus on all the positive things. After all, in the end, all our thoughts are material. What we think about, we receive. Everyone gets what they believe in.
When my mood was more or less elevated, I started to wonder: why did the enemies attack from the center of Konoha? Isn't that where the Root's underground passage runs? And Root and Danzo, as far as I know, were always for Konoha. Although... hmm... this is not canon. And what if... if Danzo is against Konoha here, for Orochimaru?
So... I need to find out more about this at all costs. A traitor in one's own village is needed by no one. But I can't talk about my abnormal hypotheses until they are proven. As soon as there are facts, I'll say it immediately. And until then, I'll have to act alone.
Playing with politics and Danzo is really dangerous. I didn't get involved in this all my childhood because I perfectly understood that I would lose. It was not within my power. But now... I'm moving to a new level. A level that will allow me to get involved if necessary.
Twenty minutes later, I heard some noise, and two shinobi landed in the square.
"Okay, you tie up and paralyze all the enemies so they can't move. Then another squad will come for them and take them all prisoner."
"Yes, sir!"
"And I'll examine all the wounded here and take someone to the hospital," said another shinobi in the standard uniform of a Konoha jounin and jumped onto a neighboring roof.
The one ordered to paralyze the opponents approached each one, formed a chain of hand seals, and touched them. I was so engrossed in watching him do it that I didn't even notice another shinobi approach me.
"What bastards..." he said, squatting in front of me and brushing the hair from my face.
"What are you cursing about?" the other asked, surprised, and sat down next to the first. Both of them were wounded in some places: it was immediately clear that they had been fighting.
"Look what they did," he said to his comrade.
"Listen, isn't that Kakashi's student?" he asked and felt my pulse on my carotid artery. Why he did that, if I had a sword in my chest, will probably remain a mystery to me.
"Exactly. She only recently graduated from the Academy. She's probably twelve years old... was."
"Such creatures should be killed," he growled, looked around, and then at the enemies. "What was she even doing here?" he asked, and his friend started looking at some papers.
"She's already a chunin, and she was sent on a mission to evacuate the villagers."
"Wow, I only became a chunin at seventeen. She must have been talented."
The fact that they were talking about me in the past tense was extremely irritating. But at the same time, I prayed to be sent to the hospital, so the next words shocked me.
"It seems some technique was used on her, which is why she was defeated. Well, I think an autopsy will show everything."
"What autopsy, for God's sake? Take me to the hospital, what are you doing!" I screamed mentally, wild fear spreading like a wave through my body, and my imagination was already tormenting me, showing how they were cutting me open alive and pulling out my organs.
"Yes, you're right. By the way, have you heard the rumors that unknown shinobi helped us during the attack?" he asked and stood up.
"Yes, I heard, if I'm not mistaken, that it was all the work of that secret organization," he said, writing something on his notepad.
"The Nameless One?" asked the guy and the one sitting opposite me.
"What organization is that?"
"Do you think so? They call themselves 'Keihatsu'."
"I'm sure!" his comrade replied, and after talking a little more, they left, leaving me alone to look at the sky.
I sat there for a very long time until some young Leaf shinobi found me. He mumbled something to himself and ran off somewhere. I had already despaired of sitting like this and wanted to try to penetrate my subconscious for the fifth time, but it wasn't to be.
Unexpectedly for me, my sensei appeared in the square and in a few seconds was next to me. If I could move now, I would have cried with joy. I had already imagined a hundred times how unknown shinobi would find me and send me for an autopsy. It seemed to me that I would never see my loved ones again.
"Damn it," he muttered, and, squatting down in front of me, began to wipe the dirt and blood from my face. Immediately after that, he tried to squeeze my eye, probably to check for signs of death. But he couldn't. Because otherwise my vision would have changed, but as it was, I saw everything the same as before. Then he pulled back my lip and touched the inside. Now I started to panic a little: did he think I was dead?
"Are you going to be long?" the sensei asked his partner.
"No, I'm almost done," the other replied.
"Can you call a medical ninja when you're finished?"
"I understand everything, Kakashi, but a medical ninja won't help here," his comrade said with a bitter smile.
"If I asked, it means he will help."
"Alright, fine, I'll call one, but know that you should have thought about it earlier. It's too late now," he replied, tying up the paralyzed shinobi, and stood up.
"You understand yourself that no one knew about the attack from this side. And how the enemies went unnoticed through the entire village is also unclear," the sensei said.
"What difference does it make, Kakashi... We had enough jounin and chunin in our village not to send a girl who was a genin just yesterday to certain death," he said with a hint of contempt for Kakashi. "Why did you let her go?"
"It's war," was all Hatake replied.
"But children aren't sent to war! And this death could have been avoided..." he began in a raised tone, fading at the last word.
"You're right."
"Now live with that truth," he threw back as a parting shot and jumped onto the roof. "And I'm going for a medical ninja."
"Sensei is not to blame," was the first thought that came to my mind. "It was I who agreed to the mission, and it was I who disobeyed the order. My life is only in my hands, and why I ended up here is also my fault," I said in my thoughts to the shinobi who had already run off.
"I'm sorry, Ariza-chan, I wanted what was best for you," he said to me with a heavy sigh. I wanted to somehow signal that he wasn't to blame, to blink at least, but I couldn't.
"You are not to blame..."
"It's going to hurt a little now," he said and began to pull the weapon out of my body. I didn't understand why he said that. Essentially, I looked like a corpse right now. But it was very pleasant. I never thought a sensei could show such care. When I survive, I will definitely thank him.
In my thoughts, I didn't notice him pick me up and carry me somewhere. But before I could even guess where, I heard a terribly familiar voice.
"N-Naruto?" I thought fearfully. The last thing I wanted was for my friends to think I was dead.
"Sensei! What happened to her?!" Naruto said, and a moment later, when I was placed on something hard, I saw him.
Frightened eyes, a pale face, and a bruised forehead, without his forehead protector. It was clear he had been fighting. I was very glad that he was alive. And if he was alive, then I assume Sasuke was too. This calmed me down. It was like a weight was lifted from my soul. I stopped worrying about my friends.
Only it was the opposite for him. He started shaking me by the shoulders, shouting. I didn't understand why he was shouting, I could hear him perfectly well. Only the sensei convinced him otherwise:
"Naruto, that won't help. She can't hear you," he told him, and I saw Naruto lower his head and shrink.
"Naruto, don't worry, everything is fine! Everything will be alright!" I tried to support him mentally.
Naruto started arguing with the sensei about something, but I no longer heard him. I started to be pulled somewhere inside. Into the inner world?..
***
Finding myself in my inner room, I immediately heard an unpleasant sound. It was a repeating signal, like an alarm clock. Not noticing any changes in the room, except for the door wide open to the corridor, I immediately went to the source of the sound – the laptop. On the red screen, there were flashing red numbers, letters, and a health indicator. Everything showed zero. There was also an inscription: "Entrance to the outside world is open," which, of course, I didn't understand.
"M-hmm..." I said, "Voice, are you here?"
"Yes," I was answered.
"From now on, I'll call you 'Yuko', okay?"
"Yes," was the same answer.
"Okay, Yuko, tell me what you can do," I decided not to leave the subconscious, but to gather all the information first.
"Currently, the latest update allows: collecting and analyzing health status, managing the inner world," she said monotonously again.
"Manage... Hmm... Not bad. Turn off this stupid sound, please," I asked and quickly calculated the possible use of this function in my head. "And can you analyze my health status and write down possible outcomes based on the injuries sustained? And, preferably, the probability of these outcomes, and print it all out on paper?"
"Take a sheet from the table and put it in the third drawer on the right," Yuko said, and I just leaned back in my chair and, in confusion, started looking at the computer and the sheets of paper that were always lying on the edge of the table, but which I had never touched, as I saw no point. They were completely empty – I had checked this, of course.
I looked at these sheets and thought: "Well, I'll put them in the drawer, and what will happen? There's no printer there or what used to print in the past life?"
But then I realized that I had nothing to lose, so I quickly shoved the sheet into the drawer and closed it. I thought I would have to wait a few seconds, but as soon as I closed it, the voice immediately said that I could open it.
"No way, are you serious?" I asked, holding a sheet in my hands, where my health status was written in capital letters.
I started reading and wasn't very happy, as the probability of me either dying or remaining a cripple for the rest of my life outweighed the probability of a favorable outcome.
"Mmm... how 'nice'," I said and heard some distant noise from behind the door. Either footsteps or breathing. I raised my eyes, peering into the open door, but saw nothing.
I started reading further, and only after a moment did the full realization of the situation hit me...
I am alone here.
I tensed, already preparing to stand up.
But before doing so, I looked at the monitor and reread the inscription:
"Entrance to the outside world is open."
Now this phrase caught my attention. It made me think. I swallowed the lump in my throat.
"Yuko... what does 'entrance to the outside world is open' mean?" I asked quietly, trying not to make noise and listening to every rustle.
"It means that..."
"Wait!" I stopped her, hearing the noise outside again. It was footsteps, which were getting closer with each second. They were getting louder and louder. But they were strange. Definitely not human. And there was also some strange smell of rot.
"Yuko, lock the door!" I commanded loudly and clearly. And the door instantly slammed shut, a keyhole and a lock appeared in it.
I didn't wait and quickly ran to the wardrobe, almost falling it over with a running start so that it would block the door. A second later, I realized I had rushed, but it was too late.
They started banging on the door so furiously, as if they wanted to break it down!
"Who's there?" I asked. "I repeat, who is behind the door?!" No answer again. "Yuko, lock all the subconscious doors! Don't let anyone into the pool room!" I shouted, placing a bookshelf so that it completely covered the door. They kept banging on the door, and my heart was about to jump out of fear. I was even afraid to guess who was there...
"Done."
"Yuko! Can you somehow close the door to the outside world?!" I strained my vocal cords, trying to shout over the din from outside. The door was being kicked, scratched, and sometimes it sounded like they were ramming it with their whole bodies. I felt every blow with my back. They were so strong that I was surprised the door hadn't broken yet.
"Yes, it will take one minute," she replied just as monotonously and slowly, as if it were an ordinary day and no creature was banging on our door.
"Act as quickly as possible!" I replied just as loudly and decided to move the table closer to the door. I created two clones. They, immediately clearing everything off the table, started moving it towards me.
But suddenly the sound stopped and...
"You-u-u a-a-a-re he-e-e-re..." someone drawled in hoarse male voices from behind the door, and we all froze quietly. "You... a-a-a-re he-e-e-re," they drawled in female voices, and I, grimacing, covered my nose from the smell of rotten flesh. "We feel you!" the female and male voices merged, forming some kind of choir, and I, along with the clones, froze in fear.
I understood one thing – there was someone behind the door. This is my inner world, and I feel someone there. So who the hell is it?!
"Move faster!" I said, coming out of my fear, and the clones moved faster. I created ten more to hold this structure just in case, and I myself ran to the laptop, which they had placed on the floor.
The monitor showed that all doors were closed and that the door to the outside world was also closed.
"Yuko! The probability of it getting through the door?"
"The probability is twenty percent," she said, and I pursed my lips.
"Damn it. How much time do I have left here?"
"Three minutes," she answered boredly.
"Damn it! Can you send this bitch back?"
"The probability of successfully completing this task is 50%."
"Still! Do it. Ca..." I started, but my own clone interrupted me.
"We have problems!" he shouted and dissipated with a pop, and only after that did I see that thick bluish smoke was stealthily creeping from under the shelving unit onto the floor. And as soon as it touched the clones' legs, they immediately dissipated.
"What the hell?"
"What kind of crap is this?" the clones started shouting.
"Fuck!" the smoke spread so quickly that in a second it was at my feet. I had no choice but to instantly grab the laptop and jump onto the table.
"What is this, Yuko?!"
"Information is classified."
"Damn, what happens if it breaks in?"
"Anyone who can gain control of the adapter can control the inner world," the female voice said calmly, and I started searching my memory for the word "adapter." What is it anyway?
"You-u-u-u a-a-a-re he-e-e-re..." I suddenly heard in my thoughts and felt someone touch my back.
"A-a-a-ah!" I almost fell off the table from fear. Goosebumps ran down my spine. I started looking around, but saw no one. And only after a second did I notice dark shadows crawling along the walls. These shadows resembled hands trying to break into the room and capture it. "What is this?! What's happening?!" I started to feel someone touching my legs, back, neck, but I saw no one. This fact began to drive me crazy. I was already so scared that I wanted to jump off the table, but I discovered that the entire floor was covered in this smoke.
I'm trapped!
"How can I protect this adapter and everything in this room?!" I asked, stepping back a bit from all this.
"Activate the protection mode, which will return everything to its previous state," Yuko said. "There are fifteen seconds left until the end of your stay here."
"Yuko, activate protection mode!" I commanded, mentally freaking out why I only found out about this now.
"Mode activated."
"Yuko, where should I hide the computer?"
"Information is classified."
"How can I appear on the table again next time, and not in black goo?"
"Information is classified."
"Damn it..."
"Time's up."
***
Read the story months ahead of the public release — early chapters are available on my Patreon: Granulan