Blood of the Broken, Scars of the Spiral (there are whirlpools in our veins)

Chapter Twenty Eight

{Warning for the upcoming chapter: extreme violence against young children under the guise of 'disciplinary action']

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For all Naruto enjoyed very little about Root, there was just something so steady and comforting about the predictability of it all; the exchanges were so heavily scripted and dictated, the changes in roles and lines existing only in minutia. That was probably why, despite his hatred of the man, the part of Root he most enjoyed was his weekly meetings with Shimura– not that there was enough in Root to enjoy that there was actually any true competition.

Once a week, they would have tea in his office. One of his blank-masked shinobi, which Naruto now knew was somewhat akin to a status symbol representing the most elite of Root's forces, would serve them and they would make simple conversation for around a half hour before slipping into a more pointed dialogue. It was the most intellectual stimulation he had that wasn't related to Buta and Washi's lessons on tactics and strategy, aside from the precious time he spent with Mito, though necessity dictated that the vast majority of that was focused on sealing.

Shimura– or Danzo-sama, as he had been invited to address him, no matter how slimy his name felt on his tongue– was an interesting conversationalist. He was a warmonger, of that there was no doubt, but he was also a very intelligent man and smooth conversationalist with a keen political acumen, a wealth of knowledge of history and a skill for teaching. If Naruto wasn't informed by the Fox and his ancestress in his gut, he didn't think he'd realise how skilfully he 'guided' their conversations, raising past scenarios of politics and warfare both and setting him loose on them.

He did wonder what his end goal was. It was clear that this attention he was giving him wasn't standard for a member of Root. It encouraged far too much individual thought, for one, something which was viciously beaten out of the other 'recruits'. And he didn't think Usagi, Koi and Kuma had even met Danzo before, let alone sat down for tea with him and discussed the creation of the treaty to settle the border dispute between Fire Country and the Land of Hot Water. Even though it was quite a really fucking stupid dispute in his opinion, he was impressed with the greater concessions the Fire Daimyo had managed to wrangle from the Hot Water Daimyo. The benefits of having a more established, threatening military power– and yes, he did see the message that Danzo was trying to get across to him there.

Kurama mentioned they were mildly concerned that Danzo's efforts to converse with him was his attempt to forge a bond between them, a loyalty. Captive bonding, Mito called it. An emotional attachment formed by a prisoner to their captor as a result of persistent stress, dependence and the necessity to cooperate in order to survive. Naruto wondered if Danzo's efforts might have worked, if he did not have Mito and Kurama in her mindscape, and memories of the Yūkaku and Chikasa's clever lessons. And Sasuke who he was sure was waiting for him. He missed Chikasa and the pretty neesans at the pleasure courters. He missed all of them. A lot.

And it reminded Naruto of what Danzo had ripped away from him, that despite the conversations they shared, despite the mask of congeniality he wore, he was no friend to him; he was the insidious, creeping frostbite, turning her fingers and toes numb so he wouldn't realise the damage until it was too late and they were black and dead.

To fight Danzo being his only point of contact in Root, he made an effort to reach out to his bunkmates, but that was... difficult. Conversation between them after they were bound to the bed and the lights went out wasn't forbidden, per say, but by unspoken rule it certainly wasn't encouraged. And despite the fact they were prodigies, they were also just kids. And they didn't have a Mito or Kuruma to guide them. Usagi and Koi especially.

Kuma was easier for him to talk to in a way, but he was also harder because Kuma had the unfortunate habit of questioning things around them, and that worried Naruto because Kuma didn't know how to hide his sharpness behind blank stares and pretty smiles. Root wasn't an environment that encouraged any sort of freedom of thought. And Kuma was bad at hiding.