Chapter 34
That's why he didn't want to get involved in this shit. It would have been so much easier if he could have just scared Madam Shijimi a bit and be done with it. But no, he had to investigate this shit further, and now he was in a lot of deep shit.
There was no pretending anymore; Iruka was afraid. The moment he got the memories back from his shadow clone, he locked himself in his room. The events played out in his mind over and over again through the night.
Trying to figure out every single detail of what he had witnessed and understand how much danger he was in. He was completely covered up, so that bastard wouldn't know it was him. But he might have recognized the shadow clone jutsu. Only Konoha knew of it, so he might conclude who he was with just that.
But would he have pretended to be that way if he was going to kill Iruka to begin with? He had no idea what was going on in the mind of that madman. Maybe Iruka got lucky, and he hasn't recognized that he was a shadow clone.
And since Iruka didn't get that body, he won't be a danger to that madman's plans. As he wouldn't have any proof of it. But he had gotten the boy and discovered in part of the secrets it held, Iruka shuddered even to think what would have happened to him to keep it all a secret.
He wasn't that afraid in a long time. Not even when facing Danzo. This kind of madman was far more dangerous than even Orochimaru. And Iruka didn't know what to even expect. Well, there was nothing he could do about it, only to wait.
If he doesn't show up, then he will probably still watch over Iruka from the shadows, without Iruka being able to even confirm it. He did feel like something had an eye on him, but he didn't trust his instincts right now, as he was influenced by paranoia way too much.
He will have to make a secret report to the Hokage and make sure that the information doesn't leak to anyone else. If that masked bastard finds out about it, he will definitely know it was Iruka. And then there will be a giant target on Iruka's back.
He won't be able to even sleep normally anymore; just thinking of that masked pretender appearing before him in the middle of the night to finish him off made Iruka shudder. And it wasn't like he could prepare anything to defend himself.
There was nothing he could do. No skills nor traps would work on him, so Iruka could only accept it. Well, he just will have to not sleep for the rest of his life; it isn't that bad. He was sure he could get used to it.
"Master, some tea?"
Iruka ended his meditation, even though he only pretended, and looked at Shin. At least the kid finally learned not to smile in his creepy way. But his bad habits didn't seem to have changed. Even if it wasn't poisoned, Iruka didn't like tea to begin with.
"Survey the surroundings," Iruka instructed the boy. "I want you to memorize every single personnel of this hospital. Not only their faces and names, but also their habits. The sound of their walking, hand movements, breathing patterns, everything."
"Understood, master."
At least those kids didn't question him, and he was able to get rid of one of them. But what now? Even if he instructed him to memorize the personnel, the true danger didn't come from them.
For him to feel safe, he would need to get stronger. And if that was so easy, he would have done it years ago. But this damn pressure of fear he felt was very uncomfortable. Combined with his already weakened body, he couldn't calm down even a bit unless he did something about it.
"Damn it all."
Things just don't want to go the way Iruka wished they would. And there he thought that he could just take it easy and be a teacher. That just won't do anymore. That masked bastard will not forget someone who escaped him, and the next time they meet, it will be over for Iruka.
He really needed a drink, and a strong one at that. He already knew that he wouldn't be able to sleep without it anymore. His luck was just shit. He will never leave Konoha ever again. He was now afraid of whom else he might meet if he did.
"Sai, bring me liquor, rather than trying to sneak up on me."
"Understood, master." Dropping from the ceiling, he sheathed his sword before replying with a bow.
There was no way he could endure any longer without having anything in his system. Iruka just won't take any medication, so there won't be a problem if he gets drunk. So damn annoying. He will never forgive the Third Hokage for putting him in this situation.
…
"Urgh!"
A painful and not-so-silent scream escaped Iruka as he felt like his bones were being crushed and his muscles were being torn up. He made a massive mistake, and now he was paying the price for it as the masseur worked on his back.
The pretty girl was sure ruthless in doing her job, ignoring Iruka's protests and groans of pain. But damn, it felt good in between the moments of absolute pain. It was just unexpected that he could receive such a quality massage from this place. He severely underestimated this hospital.
If it could even be called a hospital after all he had seen. It was nothing less than a resort for the powerful and rich. And it showed by now that the money spent here was worth every damn penny. It was sure good, since he was way too tense and couldn't sleep well for a while now.
After an enlightening massage, which put Iruka's mind in the ninth heaven and his body through the seven hells, he was put into a mud bath. At that point, his soul had long since left his body, and he had no idea how much time had passed before he was done with it.
He got back to his senses after a cold shower. Feeling his whole body completely relaxed, all the knots and tension he didn't even know he had had now completely disappeared. If not for what had happened yesterday, Iruka would have kissed the Third Hokage for sending him to this place.
And with that thought, he was back to reality. Though the fear of a masked man appearing out of nowhere at any time didn't disappear, it didn't plague him that much anymore. As he sat in his room, drinking the hard liquor and going through the information about the palace's goings-on, the boys had prepared.
By now, the information Iruka managed to extract should have reached the Third Hokage. Part of Iruka's mind just kept telling him that he was going to die before he returned to Konoha, nothing surprising, as it wasn't the first time, so he sent the information ahead.
Too bad his luck still wasn't getting better, and the gathering would happen as intended, even with one of their high officials going missing. At the very least, it was pushed forward, and so was Iruka's invitation to join them.
He didn't know if it was a good thing to get this thing over with faster or not, but he had no choice. Even if he was still imagining someone watching him, he didn't want to act suspiciously. All he had to do was act like nothing had happened at all and that he wasn't involved in anything.
"Master, a package has arrived," Sai reported as Iruka finished his drink.
Setting down his glass, Iruka took the box. Somehow, he wasn't concerned about the probability of there being a bomb, since he knew that if that person wanted to kill him, he would just do it himself.
Still, he made sure Sai or Shin hadn't done anything to it before he opened it. Inside was his formal dress for the gathering. Asuma sent it. It was a kimono similar to what the samurai wear. Iruka never liked them. He would rather wear his combat gear.
And he would have worn it, at least a somewhat light version of it, since he didn't have all his gear, but Asuma, that little brat, knew Iruka well. He will wear this kimono, but only because Iruka didn't want Asuma to catch any slack because of Iruka's actions.
…
The stifling atmosphere made Iruka sick as he tried his best to blend in. What was supposed to be a party turned out to be nothing but a business gathering. Well, he should have guessed that this was what a social gathering was.
Either way, after exchanging a few words with unfamiliar people, Iruka made sure that nobody would be interested in him. And he was left mostly alone to drink and eat everything that was offered to him.
He could tell that the Daimyo and some of the nobles wanted Iruka to parade like he was some dog on a leash. Luckily for them, before they could do any of that, Asuma interfered. Iruka had already done everything that was needed of him by joining this party.
"Are you ready?" Asuma interrupted Iruka's drinking.
"Yes."
With a nod, Asuma went to the Daimyo and whispered something to him. Whatever it was, it got the attention of everyone nearby and then from everyone in the venue, making it very easy for Iruka to slip away.
Though there was never any reason to do so anymore. But if that one-eyed bastard was watching Iruka, it was better to pretend to do something like this than not. Being watched or not, Iruka would rather be safe by acting up a bit.
Going through the motions of stumbling through the hallways, pretending to be too drunk to find his way, Iruka visited a few offices. He went through a few documents and copied some that would implicate corruption.
None of it was worth anything, though. Yet there he was, still going through the motions because he was simply terrified. Death always hung around his neck, but this time he could feel it breathing, and he knew there was nothing he could do.
And that was what he was most afraid of in this world: being powerless. And if he were to be faced against that masked murderer, he would be powerless. But as long as he didn't, he still believed there was a chance for him to change things.
That's why he wanted to finish this job as fast as possible and return to his original plan. It became quite annoying how much distraction Iruka had been through. He even started to miss his students.
He still had many things to teach them, and only he knew the future they needed to be prepared for. With their potential and Iruka's knowledge, he believed that he would finally be able to change things in this world.
With those happy thoughts, he continued his work into the late hours of the night, even ignoring an encounter with a couple of very important people having an affair. Feeling sorry for their stressful work, he decided not to report it to anyone.
And he sure did ignore the one time when he saw the reflection in the window showing him one deep red eye watching him, even if it took him biting the inside of his cheek to keep his composure.
Iruka had no idea how he kept his palms and knees from shaking. But he believed that in the end, he managed to throw any suspicion off him. That alone was worth a lot. After tonight, the heavy pressure on his back finally started to disappear.
From today onward, Iruka promised himself to never get into any trouble again. He will stay under the radar so deep that no eyes will ever be set on him. Iruka knew very well how pathetically weak he was to even think of challenging any of the real dangers to his world.
A.N. As always, thanks for reading and supporting me, so I can continue writing without any concerns, and if you want more, up to seven more chapters, you can support me on pa treon. com \ ironwolf852.