Manicherryblossom33
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Due to a death in the family I am currently planning a funeral. I don't know when I'll be able to post chapter thirteen but I will try to get it to you next week. Please enjoy chapter twelve. Sorry to those who read the original, its somewhat similar to chapter two of that version.
Chapter twelve: return, part 2: stolen
"It's not amnesia."
Tsunade managed to confuse everyone gathered in her office with a single sentence. Even the gears in Sasuke's head were starting to blow smoke.
"What do you mean?" Shino asked.
"Maybe he's lying?" Tenten suggested.
Sasuke shook his head. "He's not that good at lying. You all saw the look on his face. He doesn't know who we are."
Everyone shifted uncomfortably.
"Lady Tsunade, please explain." Hinata requested, silencing everyone.
Tsunade nodded and leaned against her desk.
"Amnesia is typically caused by disease, brain damage, or psychological trauma." She began. "So I did a brain scan and x-ray. There's nothing to suggest any head injury or repressed memories."
"You sure about that?" Kiba joked, earning cross looks from the others.
"I also checked his inner body for signs of abuse of hypnotic drugs and/or sedatives." She continued, ignoring him. "But he's just as healthy as he always was. I questioned Naruto, and he claims that he has no problems creating and storing new memories, however he can't remember anything prior to six-seven months ago."
"What?" Sakura's eyes widened. "But he's been missing for over two years!"
"I know." Tsunade nodded. "I was just as confused. I asked him what he was doing before that period of time, and apparently a man called Uri said he'd been asleep. The first two months after his awakening, he was close to mindless, unable to properly speak or move. He barely ate anything, and slept too often. His head and body were heavy and in a lot of pain. Eventually, he snapped out of it.
"I think he was comatose, since there's no sign that someone drugged him. I double checked. His medial temporal lobe, hippocampus, and diencephalon are unharmed. Inoichi tried to search his mind but Naruto wouldn't allow it. We could monitor his behaviour, but I really don't think we'll find anything to suggest amnesia. But..."
"But?" Kakashi prompted.
"During his physical, I noticed a multitude of various scars and fresh wounds." She said, making some of the others grimace. "The Kyuubi's still sealed within Naruto, meaning wounds shouldn't have enough time to fester and leave scars before they're healed. This and the lack of evidence to support the idea of him having amnesia lead me to a single conclusion."
"Which is?" Sasuke asked.
Tsunade locked eyes with them. "He's lying. What he told Ibiki is false. He HAS been travelling with the Uzumaki clan, and they hurt him."
"You mean they have something to do with his memory and wounds?" Neji asked, hitting the nail on the head.
Tsunade nodded, summoning a large book to her desk, an ancient tome. She flipped it open to a single page.
"This is the memory seal." She tapped the illustration. "It was a favorite of the Uzumaki. A fuinjutsu that allows one to enter the mind of an enemy. Once placed, the castor can send memories to the victim, temporarily sealing them there so they will view them like a genjutsu, then retrieve them. This requires no hand signs or other movements, just a working memory seal that was placed prior to the attack. Another use of the jutsu is for the castor to view the victims memories by placing a matching seal of equal power on themselves. And the third and final use is for the castor to seal a victims memories away, either within or outside that persons body."
"So Naruto didn't forget us!" Lee concluded happily. "They used this memory seal on him!"
"I'm positive that's the case." Tsunade flipped pages. "Only there's more. Naruto's new Tetragram seal, which he created himself after releasing the fourth's, has been tightened and strengthened beyond belief. It means his powers as a jinchuuriki are nearly limitless, but it also means the seal placed on him is as equally strong."
"You've lost us again, milady." Shizune frowned.
"This is my theory," Tsunade was deathly serious, "Some time before he disappeared, Naruto was approached by a surviving Uzumaki who placed the memory seal on him for whatever reason. Then, over two years ago, after he fell off that cliff, he was kidnapped by the space."
Shikamaru knit his brow. "What's that?"
"A mere legend." Tsunade sighed. "But it's the only explanation I can come up with. According to Eddy folklore, the space is a living, moving room that captures members of the Uzumaki clan and holds them indefinitely. It appears and dissappears with a whirlpool as the signal for both. It strengthens all fuinjutsu inside it. The memory seal placed on Naruto would have been for a specific memory, not his life's worth. But the space could have tightened it to the point that everything prior would be sealed tightly. It would explain what Naruto told me and Ibiki about having horrible headaches. It must mean the seal is somewhere on his head."
"Can't you just release the seal?" Ino asked.
"No. It's too powerful, too tight. Doing that could kill him." Tsunade answered. "But there is one possible solution. For that we need Uri."
"He said he was going to hunt Mami." Kakashi repeated for the fifteenth time.
"Then find Mami." Tsunade ordered. "Team Kakashi, this will be your mission. Team Shikamaru will stand by as back up."
"What about Naruto-kun?" Hinata asked.
"Team Kurenai and Team Guy, you will monitor Naruto."
"But where is he?" Hinata was anxious.
"We've moved him to a secure, secret location within Konoha." Tsunade claimed. "For security purposes, I'll only tell one of you exactly how to enter. The others will stand guard outside, and watch for enemies."
They were dismissed.
As everyone filed out, Sasuke noticed the Hyuga girls face light up for the first time in years. She ran off with a spring in her step.
"What's with her?" He muttered.
Sakura laughed. "She's just excited about maybe getting some alone time with Naruto, I guess."
Sasuke raised both eyebrows at her. "Huh?"
Sakura was surprised. "You mean you don't know?"
"Know what?"
"Well, come ON Sasuke!" Sakura shoved him playfully. "She was the only girl in our class who WASNT gushing over you 24/7. Didn't you ever wonder why?"
"NO." Sasuke answered, bored already.
"Hinata loves Naruto." Sakura explained, catching Sasuke off guard. "That's why she hasn't been too cheerful since he disappeared."
"Did she tell you this?" Sasuke asked.
"Of course not!" Sakura exclaimed, scandalized. "I sort of... Figured it out. It's not hard. She idolizes him."
Sasuke watched Hinata dash away, feeling uneasy as he recalled the incident that occurred over two years ago, which led Naruto back to the final valley.
"I'm not so sure about that."
Chapter twelve: return, part 2: stolen
"It's not amnesia."
Tsunade managed to confuse everyone gathered in her office with a single sentence. Even the gears in Sasuke's head were starting to blow smoke.
"What do you mean?" Shino asked.
"Maybe he's lying?" Tenten suggested.
Sasuke shook his head. "He's not that good at lying. You all saw the look on his face. He doesn't know who we are."
Everyone shifted uncomfortably.
"Lady Tsunade, please explain." Hinata requested, silencing everyone.
Tsunade nodded and leaned against her desk.
"Amnesia is typically caused by disease, brain damage, or psychological trauma." She began. "So I did a brain scan and x-ray. There's nothing to suggest any head injury or repressed memories."
"You sure about that?" Kiba joked, earning cross looks from the others.
"I also checked his inner body for signs of abuse of hypnotic drugs and/or sedatives." She continued, ignoring him. "But he's just as healthy as he always was. I questioned Naruto, and he claims that he has no problems creating and storing new memories, however he can't remember anything prior to six-seven months ago."
"What?" Sakura's eyes widened. "But he's been missing for over two years!"
"I know." Tsunade nodded. "I was just as confused. I asked him what he was doing before that period of time, and apparently a man called Uri said he'd been asleep. The first two months after his awakening, he was close to mindless, unable to properly speak or move. He barely ate anything, and slept too often. His head and body were heavy and in a lot of pain. Eventually, he snapped out of it.
"I think he was comatose, since there's no sign that someone drugged him. I double checked. His medial temporal lobe, hippocampus, and diencephalon are unharmed. Inoichi tried to search his mind but Naruto wouldn't allow it. We could monitor his behaviour, but I really don't think we'll find anything to suggest amnesia. But..."
"But?" Kakashi prompted.
"During his physical, I noticed a multitude of various scars and fresh wounds." She said, making some of the others grimace. "The Kyuubi's still sealed within Naruto, meaning wounds shouldn't have enough time to fester and leave scars before they're healed. This and the lack of evidence to support the idea of him having amnesia lead me to a single conclusion."
"Which is?" Sasuke asked.
Tsunade locked eyes with them. "He's lying. What he told Ibiki is false. He HAS been travelling with the Uzumaki clan, and they hurt him."
"You mean they have something to do with his memory and wounds?" Neji asked, hitting the nail on the head.
Tsunade nodded, summoning a large book to her desk, an ancient tome. She flipped it open to a single page.
"This is the memory seal." She tapped the illustration. "It was a favorite of the Uzumaki. A fuinjutsu that allows one to enter the mind of an enemy. Once placed, the castor can send memories to the victim, temporarily sealing them there so they will view them like a genjutsu, then retrieve them. This requires no hand signs or other movements, just a working memory seal that was placed prior to the attack. Another use of the jutsu is for the castor to view the victims memories by placing a matching seal of equal power on themselves. And the third and final use is for the castor to seal a victims memories away, either within or outside that persons body."
"So Naruto didn't forget us!" Lee concluded happily. "They used this memory seal on him!"
"I'm positive that's the case." Tsunade flipped pages. "Only there's more. Naruto's new Tetragram seal, which he created himself after releasing the fourth's, has been tightened and strengthened beyond belief. It means his powers as a jinchuuriki are nearly limitless, but it also means the seal placed on him is as equally strong."
"You've lost us again, milady." Shizune frowned.
"This is my theory," Tsunade was deathly serious, "Some time before he disappeared, Naruto was approached by a surviving Uzumaki who placed the memory seal on him for whatever reason. Then, over two years ago, after he fell off that cliff, he was kidnapped by the space."
Shikamaru knit his brow. "What's that?"
"A mere legend." Tsunade sighed. "But it's the only explanation I can come up with. According to Eddy folklore, the space is a living, moving room that captures members of the Uzumaki clan and holds them indefinitely. It appears and dissappears with a whirlpool as the signal for both. It strengthens all fuinjutsu inside it. The memory seal placed on Naruto would have been for a specific memory, not his life's worth. But the space could have tightened it to the point that everything prior would be sealed tightly. It would explain what Naruto told me and Ibiki about having horrible headaches. It must mean the seal is somewhere on his head."
"Can't you just release the seal?" Ino asked.
"No. It's too powerful, too tight. Doing that could kill him." Tsunade answered. "But there is one possible solution. For that we need Uri."
"He said he was going to hunt Mami." Kakashi repeated for the fifteenth time.
"Then find Mami." Tsunade ordered. "Team Kakashi, this will be your mission. Team Shikamaru will stand by as back up."
"What about Naruto-kun?" Hinata asked.
"Team Kurenai and Team Guy, you will monitor Naruto."
"But where is he?" Hinata was anxious.
"We've moved him to a secure, secret location within Konoha." Tsunade claimed. "For security purposes, I'll only tell one of you exactly how to enter. The others will stand guard outside, and watch for enemies."
They were dismissed.
As everyone filed out, Sasuke noticed the Hyuga girls face light up for the first time in years. She ran off with a spring in her step.
"What's with her?" He muttered.
Sakura laughed. "She's just excited about maybe getting some alone time with Naruto, I guess."
Sasuke raised both eyebrows at her. "Huh?"
Sakura was surprised. "You mean you don't know?"
"Know what?"
"Well, come ON Sasuke!" Sakura shoved him playfully. "She was the only girl in our class who WASNT gushing over you 24/7. Didn't you ever wonder why?"
"NO." Sasuke answered, bored already.
"Hinata loves Naruto." Sakura explained, catching Sasuke off guard. "That's why she hasn't been too cheerful since he disappeared."
"Did she tell you this?" Sasuke asked.
"Of course not!" Sakura exclaimed, scandalized. "I sort of... Figured it out. It's not hard. She idolizes him."
Sasuke watched Hinata dash away, feeling uneasy as he recalled the incident that occurred over two years ago, which led Naruto back to the final valley.
"I'm not so sure about that."
