Naruto: System Test

A/N: "The following is a fan-based work. Naruto is owned by Shueisha, Viz Media, and Masashi Kishimoto. Please support the official release."

WARNING! This chapter contains depictions of torture, and mentions of graphic torture. If this isn't your cup of tea...yeah I don't know what to tell you. Get a friend to read it and skip that part for you?

Chapter 16: Direction

Water Country

The words stared back at me, as I softly bobbed with the waves. The barely-there map simply floating in the area before me, my location marked as a glowing triangle. I was about 20 km off the coast of Water Country, a bit into the Kaizuko sea. With a wave of my hand, the map zoomed in, showing me the details of a mountain near the…

'Hidden Mist Village?...' I thought, my mind stalling. 'Wait a fucking minute.'

I zoomed out, and there it was. Takigakure was marked clear as day on this map, one of the few villages that's location wasn't common knowledge. I studied the map further, even going so far as to zoom in on a few different locations. I'll be the first to admit that this was by far the most interesting part of this ability, my mind having normalized gaining new abilities with the press of a button. While swiping through, I accidentally tapped on the small island of Wave.

Would you like to set your destination to "Wave country"?

I read the text, looking at the map again, before thinking 'Yes'. The map closed, and at the top of my vision was a slightly lighter area. Almost seeming to fade to white. As I turned, it shrunk, till it was only just barely visible on the left. I turned again, and it grew till it was again in the middle.

'I...I think it is pointing me towards Wave?' I thought, turning back and forth.

After a few more moments of consideration, I agree with my initial thought. Somehow, this ability was able to literally direct me to where I wanted to go.

'Do I though? I suppose I have nowhere better to go. It's also neutral, but close to Konoha.' I thought, nodding.

With a small shift in my Chakra, I was off, bounding across the waves so quickly the water seemed still, my steps so soft the water barely shifts before I'm already long gone. As I went, a little indicator popped up.

ETA: 2 Hours, 17 Minutes

Wave Country

I was anticipating the alert this time and swiped it away as soon as it appeared, barely flinching. A quick check of the map and I was about 3km out from land, and so I began to slow down. I knew from school that Wave had a very big fishing industry, along with shipping. There would absolutely be boats as I got closer in, so stealth would be required. As I slid to a stop, no sooner had I thought it, did a boat appear on the horizon.

'What would be the best option?' I thought, considering the play. 'I wonder…'

With a slight shift, my body began breaking down, the color fading away, my body slipping under the water as I mixed with it. It was a real struggle staying cognizant, staying aware, staying me, as my consciousness slipped through the water invisibly.

'Which part is actually me?' I wondered, as whatever I was moved swiftly through the waves, heading for land.

A few minutes passed like this, slipping between ships, nets, and schools of fish. I could 'see' all around me, and it took very little time to reach the shore. I concentrated, my body pulling together, taking water from the sea to make me anew. I could already tell it was significantly faster than the first time I did it, and in no time at all, I was slipping into the shadows of the trees that lined the beach. I studied the area, standing stock still, listening to see if anyone had noticed my passage.

After five minutes, seeing that no one had noticed, I began to head further inland. My map was showing a large settlement not that far away, and it would be nice to see people again. Not a moment after I took a step, did I pause, reaching up to my forehead protector.

'I'm no longer a Cloud Nin.' I thought, as I pulled it off.

I considered destroying it but thought better of it. Instead, I simply dropped it into my inventory, before moving along.

Kaidou Village

I had watched the village below from a treetop for about an hour, studying movements, reaching out with my senses, testing to see if there was anything here to be worried about. After determining that there wasn't much going on, I slipped down, between a row of houses, and on to the wide middle lane. Kaidou Village was a smaller settlement, with no more than 50-60 buildings. A few shops lined the main road, along with a Tavern, and some restaurants. My first stop was a small clothes shop, to buy a long jacket. My clothes, while not specifically made for Ninja, did still stick out. A long jacket would go far for covering that up. After a few strange looks and a small purchase, I was heading out the door, tossing the jacket over my shoulders.

Would you like to Add this clothing item to your Liquefaction?

I study the pop up as I walk down the lane, considering what it means. It seems that any item I wear can be added to my ability so that it reforms when I break down or come back together. I consider it but eventually hold off on deciding. I don't know enough about this ability yet to know if something like that would help, or hinder me.

'But wait...if my clothes are a part of me, how does that work with my forehead protector?' I think as I pull it out of my inventory.

I concentrate on it, and it liquefies, absorbing into my hand. Another bit of concentration, and it forms in my hand again, whole. I shake my head as I reabsorb it, before slipping through the door to the Tavern, Foggy Inn. It's relatively later in the day, so the Tavern is filled with plenty of people. More than enough that my entrance is ignored. I make it to the bar, and order a bit of food, turning down the offered drink for a pitcher of water instead. I was thankful that the Elemental Nations all used the same money, otherwise, I'd be completely broke.

I sit down, and dig in, watching the comings and goings of the people in the Tavern. It's a weird feeling, after nearly a decade of being a Ninja, to not be on a mission right now. I was thankful, however, that both of my parents had died a few years back. I could only imagine what Kumo would be doing to them right now, thinking I betrayed them. A slight shudder passes through me at the thought. I sip my water, enjoying the cool liquid as it instantly spreads through me. It would seem that as I was now entirely liquid, drinking water hydrated me instantly. I could also see a small counter out of the corner of my eye that listed my water content.

Content:

99% Salt Water

1% Fresh Water

118/100

I wondered at the 118/100 section. The other part was simple to understand. I had reformed out of seawater, so it was mostly saltwater. I was adding fresh water now, drinking slowly, so my content was changing. As I continued to drink, I noticed that it was increasing once more, and now had made it to 122/100.

'Perhaps how much water I am? I have 18 extra water? Whatever that means?' I wonder, considering the implications.

I shake my head again, going back to the food I had ordered. It was some sort of stew, with little chunks of Rabbit in it. We didn't get Rabbit all that often in Lightning country. Mostly goat, and the occasional deer. A little gamey, but tasty. As I finished, placing the small bowl in one of the collection bins, I sensed something outside that drew my attention immediately.

Chakra Detected

I slipped into one of the darker corners, watching the door as it opened. Two people enter, glancing around the room as they make their way to the counter.

Gurando Lvl. 8 - Undetected

220XP

Shōgon Lvl. 9 - Undetected

280XP

'Ninja…' I thought, watching them carefully.

I couldn't see their faces, nor headbands, so I wasn't sure where they were from.

'Has Kumo found me again?..' I wonder. 'I don't recognize the names…'

I watched them for a short time longer, finally getting a look at their forehead protectors. The dark lined leaf stares back at me, from where I silently watch them. It would appear that I have run into two Konoha Ninja at this small little Wave Village. As I watched them joke around, enjoying their drinks, I could not help but smile.

'It would seem good fortune has come at last.' I thought as I slipped out the door. 'For me at least.'

It took them two hours to finish their drinks, and finally leave. I watched them from the rooftops, moving silently between buildings, as they made their way down the center lane. The display above their heads told me that they had no idea that I was there, even as I tracked their every move. A kilometer down the path they entered one of the taller buildings, a little over five floors tall. I couldn't see them, but the building was nowhere near wide enough for me to be unable to see their glowing names and information, as they made their way up the stairs. On the 4th floor they split, one going down a hallway, the other continuing up till he eventually made it to the roof.

I immediately recognized that he was the lookout, the first watch, while the other took the time to rest. Night had long since fallen, and at this distance, the eaves of the building I stood on were little more than a black smudge in the distance to him. He, however, was easy to spot against the backdrop of the sky, moving darkness that broke up the stars in the sky. I considered my best course of action. Would it be better to take the one on the roof first? Or easier to take the one in the hotel? I consider multiple plans, before discarding all but one.

I drop to the ground, moving Swiftly to the building's entrance, slipping through the doors before they close behind the person entering ahead of me. One aspect of using Swift Release that was a nuisance was how much wind would move when I went too fast. It's hard to be invisible when you're created breezes. Yet, my mind knew the answer already, created a wedge of negative pressure in front of me, pushing the air around me ever so softly, to expand behind me. Maybe a feather would sense the air movement, but little else would. With the world so slow around me, it was a simple matter to make it to the fourth floor, where I finally paused to inspect the hallway. I studied the floor, walls, and ceilings, looking for tripwires, or perhaps seals, but found nothing.

'So sloppy…' I thought as I moved softly to the wall.

Using Chakra, it was a simple enough task to move along the wall, and ceiling, till I was right outside the door. I studied the lock but immediately dismissed it. Picking it would be loud enough to be heard by any Genin, let alone whatever these two were. Instead, I glanced at the floor, specifically where it met the bottom of the door. I pulled my coat off, dropping it into my inventory, and with what amounted to a sigh of relief, I broke apart. My body slowly dissolved into water, that slipped under the door to the room with ease. Both floors were soft padding over wood, so sliding across it was as simple as willing it. As soon as I was fully on the other side, a little concentration, and once more I stood whole.

The room was quite nice, if not marginally more expensive than I myself was used to staying at while on missions. It even had a fireplace, which was a nice touch. An odd room for Ninja, but I'm sure they weren't complaining. The Konoha Nin was asleep on the bed already, a Kunai clutched in his hand. Looking up, I counted the seconds as the other Ninja moved across the room, watching in all directions. As soon as he was on the other side, facing away from this side of the building, I acted. I flooded my body with Swift Chakra, moving to his side before his heart had taken another beat. Something within him had sensed the danger, but at this range, it was already too late. My fist slamming into the side of his head, the first knocking him senseless, the second knocking him out.

I knew I only had about 30 seconds at best before he would begin to wake up, so I grabbed his tunic, lifting him onto my shoulder as I moved to the window, throwing it open at unnatural speed. I jumped out, my free hand grabbing the building above the window, the force of the jump flipping my body upwards, instead of out. My feet slapped against the side as I poured more Swift Release into my body, shooting up the side of the building, dragging the unconscious Ninja behind me. As I reached the top, the momentum of my movement carried me up, and over, and I was on the roof. I dropped the Ninja, and before his body had even hit, I was at the back of the lookout.

The first hit was to his left kidney, which would send a jolt of agony throughout his entire body, locking it up, bending him sideways at the point of impact. The second, my leg sweeping his feet out from beneath him, even as I was raising up, catching him, stopping him from slamming into the rooftop. My arms tightened around his neck, his body too shocked by the sudden assault to even fight back, as I compressed the large arteries in his neck. Five seconds and he was out, joining his friend in a pile. I pulled a rope from my inventory, quickly tying them to the many smokestacks that dotted the roof. To me, 30 seconds could be minutes, and I only needed half of that to complete my actions.

It took slightly longer than I expected, for the two of them to wake up. The first immediately attempted to yell but was gagged in such a way that I had no worries that anyone would ever hear us. Three meters around us was a wall of Vacuum, no sounds escaping or coming in. The air would last a few hours in here, which was more than enough to get what I wanted. The second seemed to realize the situation was dire much faster than the other, watching me closely.

"Good evening, gentlemen," I said, watching their reactions.

The first was definitely panicking a bit, and he would be a good place to start.

"I'm sure you're both curious as to why you're here, so please, let's get introduced, shall we?" I ask, as I approach, yanking the gags down their chins, before hopping up to sit on the smokestack in front of them.

"Say nothing, Gurando," Shōgon said immediately, keeping his eyes on me.

Gurando wasn't quite shaking, but it was a close thing, in my opinion. "Now now, Shōgon. We're all friends here."

His eyes widened just barely, clearly alarmed that I knew his name. I said nothing further, simply watching them. A minute passed in silence before Shōgon spoke again.

"He'll kill us, either way, Gurando, don't tell him a fucking word!" He said quickly, clearly making sure to get it all out lest I try to stop him.

I shake my head, before hopping down from my smokestack. "Shōgon, that wasn't nice. I haven't even asked for anything yet, but you're already telling Gurando that I'll kill him? That isn't what friends do."

"Fuck you! Just get it over with, scum." Shōgon yelled back, spitting.

I reach out, my hand snapping across his mouth, which then turns into water, spreading to cover his mouth and nose. As it breaks off of my wrist, I can feel it still connected to me. I can feel the pressure of his own Chakra as he tries to use a variant of Water Walking to push it off, but my Chakra is simply too strong. He's shaking his head at Gurando who is watching what is happening in terror.

"Gurando, what our friend here didn't tell you is that there are many things significantly worse than death in this world," I said, as we both watched Shōgon begin to struggle. "Are you going to watch your friend die?"

Silence. Blissful silence. I could almost hear his resolve begin to crumble, even as Shōgon began to shake, thrashing, as he ran out of oxygen, bubbles popping as his air escapes, none coming back in.

"Stop, please!" He yelled, eyes wide in terror. "Just tell me what you want!"

"Are you sure? He could probably last another fifteen seconds?" I ask as Shōgon starts to slip into a seizure from lack of oxygen.

Gurando gapes, gibbering, as I watch him closely. The water covering Shōgon's face explodes off of him, his loud gasps of air gurgling from the leftover water. I quickly tie the original gag back into place, before turning back to my new friend.

"You're a good friend, Gurando. I respect that." I tell him, even as he begins to shake as I approach.

"Tell me...What plans does Konoha have for the war against Kumo?"

Three Hours Later

Productive, just barely. While my original sets of questions didn't lead to where I wanted, Gurando did turn out to have plenty of knowledge on other matters. Which is what lead me to where I was now. Three kilometers ahead of me was a small outpost, generally only manned by a single Jounin, and a few Chunin. It was the resting point between the Southern Land Of Fire, and Wave country. With how much Wave used Konoha for missions, such an outpost was needed. I hadn't been aware of it, but as soon as Gurando had told me of it, I knew exactly where I needed to be next.

'Let's hope these have more information to give.' I thought as I began to head in. 'Either way, I'm sure Konoha will get the message.'

Konoha - Three Days Later

"Hokage," Commander Ocho says, as he knocks on the Chambers door.

An affirmation follows, and he enters, bowing as he does. "Hokage, I'm bringing you a follow-up report on the recent attacks."

Masayoshi-Kan looks up from one of the many documents on her desk, nodding for him to continue.

"Ma'am, as you know, someone has been attacking our Ninja while they are out on missions. First, the team in Wave, followed by the Southern Outpost. In the two days since, four teams have all gone MIA, or have been...found in various locations." Ocho explains.

"Are we sure it's the same person, or perhaps group?" Masayoshi-Kan asks.

"Yes, Ma'am. Same MO across the board." Ocho says, reading from the report. "Signs of significant torture, missing digits. electrical burns, wounds cauterized so they wouldn't bleed out, water in their lungs. All bodies recovered so far were decapitated." Ocho replies. "The only difference was the Wave team, which were found at their hotel. The rest were all kilometers from their last known location."

"Enkyori has not yet managed to track them?" She asks, frowning. "What about the Inuzuka?

"No Hokage. We think that whoever it is that is responsible is aware they may be spotted in such a manner. They are long gone from the locations we've found bodies." He explains, shuffling the papers in his hands. "The three sites we've had the Inuzuka examine have reported no scents beyond that of our own Ninja."

'Aware perhaps, of more than you know.' She thought, considering this new information. 'Without their heads, I am unable to resurrect them, to gain the information of their last moments. Either our attacker is aware, which means Kabuto...or they simply collect the heads as a souvenir.'

"I see...Keep on it, Commander. If you need to, pull back most of our forces, and send out only a few teams at a time, so that Enkyori is able to watch them all. I want to know who is attacking us, and I want to know soon.' She says, before looking back down at her report. "You're dismissed, Commander."

"Yes, Hokage!" Ocho says, bowing, before leaving.

A/N: Friendly reminder that Enemy Ninja are not people to Unmei. This isn't one of those "Wow everyone is friends" stories like Naruto tried to have. There will likely be more moments in this story where things are described that will make some people unhappy. Be sure to look for warnings at the tops of those chapters.

Unmei's on the hunt, and it seems he is finding his prey easy to track down. What is he looking for, and will he find it? Find out next time...on Naruto: System Test.

This Chapter was posted to P*****N quite a few days ago. You're missing out! discord DOT gg/UZWUKsh