Secrets in Shadows

"Please, please stop! I'm sorry about what I did to you, but please don't hurt my family," A man said. He sat tied to a chair. His right eye swollen, and his lips busted. His wife and son whimpered while Izumi kept them pinned in a corner. Meanwhile, Naruto sat on the man's family bed. He stared at the man with cold eyes.

"What I do to your family depends on your actions. Thank you for the apology, meaningless as it is. Now then, you might be wondering why this is happening to you. I'm here because you have information that I need regarding Project...Hunter," Naruto said. He immediately received his desired result. The man's heart was surprisingly very calm for being in this situation. However, Naruto was pretty adept at examining lies and truth.

"W-What is that? I don't know what you're talking abou...ARGH!" The man screamed as his fingers lifted up and bent back until they snapped. Through his tears, the man had seen Naruto controlling the action.

"That was for the lie, but on the chance that you're telling the truth, then let me see if I can't jog your memory of...the one that made it. Hana-chan, if you please!" Naruto called. The blonde didn't have to look to see the man's heart suddenly burst to life like it was trying to escape his ribcage. He heard Hana come in through the hallway.

The former daughter of the Inuzuka head came into the room. She surveyed the situation. "Hana-chan, meet Oshiro Kenchi. You might not remember it, but...he was your caretaker for three years before handing you to Inuzuka Tsume," Naruto introduced. He allowed Hana to work further into the room. She had surveyed his work, yet it did not affect her. She had grown used to it.

Hana stood before him a deep growl releasing from her throat. Oh, his heart was really racing now. Finally they were getting somewhere. "I-Inuzuka Hana?! What are you doing here?! Why are you a part of this?!" he asked.

...or maybe not.

Naruto released a sigh. "Izumi, three fingers please," Naruto ordered. Kenchi gasped as he heard his wife let out a garbled scream that had been covered by Izumi's hand. No doubt an attempt to keep her from shouting out. He saw the twisted turns of his wife's right hand fingers. Three to be except. In her other arm was their son. The Uchiha took out a kunai and placed it near the woman's throat.

"Shall we go for six dattebyo?" Naruto asked. Oshiro lowered his head. Seeing this, the blonde patted his former Inuzuka soldier on the shoulder. No doubt he was offering her free reign to do as she pleased. He would merely survey the situation. Meanwhile, Hana grabbed a folder and threw it on the man's lap.

"What am I?!" Hana asked. He stared at her. She seemed close to tearing his face apart. The utter rage in her eyes and the feral look beneath them was quickly threatening to consume her. It was just like the reports had said. He tried to find the words, but they would not come out. This only made Hana angrier. She turned to Naruto. The blonde grinned.

"...The boy's ear, Izumi-chan," Naruto claimed. The wife widened her eyes and frantically tried to move her body to cover her son, but it was obvious that the night's activities had left her exhausted. She was much too slow. Yet, that wouldn't have mattered anyway. Izumi kicked the woman over ushering a loud cough. She then reached for the boy.

"NO! No please! I don't know! I swear! I don't know what you are," He said. That...was not an answer Hana liked. She grabbed him by his pajama shirt and pulled him up, chair and all. He stared into her eyes.

"How could you, my supposed caretaker, not know?! Why was I created?!" She asked. He only shook his head. He didn't know. He truly didn't know. He didn't know what answer she wanted, but he couldn't give it to her.

"By Kami above, I don't know. I'm telling the truth! Yes, I was your caretaker, but I was only told the bare minimum. I was told to monitor your progress, stimulate your brain and senses with rigorous, yet fun activities. I was told to feed you a prescribed diet. I never got to ask questions! I was only told that Hokage-sama had authorized the project. I was told what I needed to know! I promise! Please don't hurt my son!" He exclaimed.

Hana dropped him with a heavy thud to the floor. A groan escaped her lips. "Then what do you know? Tell me! Tell me right now!" She demanded. When he looked at her, he froze. Her teeth sharpened, her nails lengthened, and her hair was slowly beginning to form over the rest of her body.

"I...I only know that it wasn't just Konoha that was regulated to the project. The facility that you were kept in wasn't in the village. Those who were non-essentials to the project were blindfolded and rode by cart for about 2-3 weeks. Cleaning staff, kitchen staff, caretakers, and...other people were what made up that section. I remember the comings and goings for the three years that I was with you. It was amazing. No matter what I gave you, you figured it out faster than even a Nara could. You had greater latent strength that Tsunade-sama of the Sannin. You had almost amazing chakra control that almost no jonin could hope to match. A-All I know is...they are still continuing the project. I...haven't been called as a caretaker so...it must not be going well," he said, the pain still surging through his body. He fought through it with gritted teeth.

....

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