Red Chakra

Prologue

Summary: There have been strange bursts of chakra around Konoha the last few nights. The Hokage has issued a mission to find out where it's coming from and she is sending ANBU to look into it. At the same time people are getting worried about Naruto. He hasn't been all that well lately and they don't know what's wrong. How is all this connected?

Edit: 20.06.10

The guards had been standing there in the rain for a few hours already. Their clothes were dripping of water and occasionally a sneeze could be heard coming from their direction.

This was one of the dreaded nights for the ninjas patrolling or standing on guard in Konohagakure. It was almost impossible not to catch a cold. It was during these nights that they dreamt of their own bed and a warm cup of tea. Or a cosy bar and some sake.

But all they got was wet clothes, wet hair and a terrible cold. Things they dreaded, even if they were used to it. Even as much as the necessity of duty was ingrained in them from the moment they entered the ninja program, none of them could say the liked this duty. Especially during the night. Keeping themselves awake in such boring moments was usually a hard battle that was often lost among the younger guards.

However, at the moment they were alert. They were searching for unusual chakra bursts, as ordered by the Hokage, and they were ready to leave their posts in favour of finding the source. It could be everything from an enemy ninja or to an unknowing young ninja, but they all knew it didn't mean anything good. The bursts that had come in the span of a few nights had been unstable and the large amount of chakra made it dangerous beyond belief. Depending on the source it could really mean trouble. Big trouble. And that would lead to something troublesome, as a certain lazy ninja would call it.

Suddenly all the guards straightened up as if they had been given a silent and secret signal.

They glanced at each other, giving almost invisible nods, before they leapt up on the roof, all going in the same direction. But long before they had reached their goal the burst was gone and they were left standing in bewilderment while they tried to figure out where they were supposed to go. But the area they had come to was large and hard to search. All they could do was to return to their posts and wait for new orders.

The source of the chakra bursts wouldn't be found this night.

"Hokage-sama!" The ANBU team leapt into the room through the window.

As unusual as it was, the Hokage was wide awake and alert. She glanced up from her desk and turned to look at the ANBU team for a moment before signalling for them to report.

"A chakra burst came again ten minutes ago. Seeing as it lasted only for a few seconds we were not able to track it. However, judging by the spots the guards stopped at we should be able to limit the search parties to a smaller part of the village."

She closed her eyes for a moment, pondering the situation, before she spoke.

"I want you to gather all the information you can. Limit the area as much as you can. When you have done so send me a copy Also, send a total of four ANBU teams on patrol in the limited area. The chakra bursts are getting larger and they have a large chance of being harmful to our village. I want the source located as quickly as possible. Then secure the perimeter and report to me. Understood?"

She glanced at the ninjas in front of her.

"Hai, Hokage-sama!"

A second later they were gone, leaving a tired and irritated Hokage alone. She searched her desk for a few minutes before taking out a sake bottle and taking a large gulp of it, then she slumped down in her seat and sighed tiredly.

"Why did I ever become Hokage...?"

She thought about it for a moment while she remembered for what reason she accepted, even though she hadn't planned on doing it.

"Yes, that was why..."

She gave a faint smile before falling asleep in her chair, not caring that she would be stiff and sore the next morning.

She knew she would have other things to worry about.

In an apartment, in some part of Konoha, a boy groaned in his sleep. His body was surrounded by an unnatural red colour and the room was slowly warming up, as evidenced by the sweat on the boy's skin. The boy continued to make sounds almost as if he were caught in the middle of a nightmare. He was muttering some strange words that sounded mostly like gibberish. His face was set into a grimace while he tossed around in his bed, trying to find a comfortable position. After a few minutes a peaceful smile grazed his lips and he went back to more pleasant dreams.

All was quiet. For now.