“That can’t be… That can’t be all there is,” Ino exclaimed.

“Ino, what’s happened? I can’t see anything,” said Sakura, staring through her mind’s eye into a black void. Suddenly, her physical sight returned to her, and she took in the surroundings of the mental interrogation room and the large machine it housed.

“Hold on, Sakura,” said Ino frantically, her hand placed on Reito Tsu’s head, where it had been while the two women had transported into his mind, combing through his memories. “I don’t understand.”

“Understand what? What happened next? What did the Akatsuki do to him? Ino…are you crying?”

Ino took her hand off the boy’s head and wiped tears from her eyes. “It was them,” she said with a dry sob. “The ones who killed Asuma!”

Sakura raised her hand to her mouth. Of course. Hidan and Kakuzu… They were the two Akatsuki members that Ino had confronted with Shikamaru, Choji, and Kakashi Sensei in an attempt to avenge their own sensei. Based on what she knew about Asuma’s death, Ino had just witnessed a very similar rendition of it.

Dealing with this kind of work must be difficult enough as it is, but having to see something like that… “I’m sorry, Ino,” said Sakura gently. “Should we get someone to take over?”

“No, it’s fine. It just surprised me, seeing those two,” Ino assured her, taking a breath. “So now we know… Three years before we got rid of them, Team Four encountered the Akatsuki’s zombies. Oh, those poor boys. On their first away mission. They didn’t stand a chance.”

“Yes, but why would the Akatsuki target them?” Sakura questioned.

“Kakuzu…said they were on his list.”

“Like a bingo book? But why would they be? Their Jonin, I could understand, but they could have killed her and left the boys. So, where have they been all this time? And why hasn’t Reito aged? Ino, we need to go back in.”

Ino nodded, placing her hand back on Reito’s head. After a minute or so, she shook her head. “This doesn’t make sense. There’s nothing!”

“Nothing?” Sakura repeated. “The battle occurred five years ago. There has to be something!”

***

The following morning, Sakura and Ino entered the Hokage’s office to report on their findings. Or lack thereof.

“There’s almost five years’ worth of memory data after that,” Ino explained, “but it’s all blank.”

“Blank?” Tsunade growled.

“Completely! From the moment Reito was knocked out, there’s nothing but static. It seems he was alive during that time but has no sense memory to speak of.”

“What does this indicate?”

“Only two things I can think of. Either he was completely isolated and kept in some kind of altered state, or his mind was somehow wiped. I’m hesitant to say one way or the other.”

“Why’s that?” asked Kakashi.

Ino raised a hand thoughtfully to her chin, “Well, Jutsu capable of altering or erasing memories leave traces, but there are none in this case. They also typically target specific memories. For someone to completely wipe five years’ worth of sensory information… It’s beyond anything I’ve ever heard of. Even my dad wouldn’t have been capable of that.”

Tsunade turned in her chair and stared out of the office window, surveying the village as she contemplated her options. “If we wake him up, is there a chance the memories will come back to him?” she asked.

“No,” Ino answered definitively. “There are no memories for him to recall. As far as the last five years are concerned, he’s a blank slate. When he wakes up, the last thing he will be able to remember will be the confrontation with the Akatsuki.”

“So, we still won’t know how he came to be injured or how he ended up on our doorstep,” said Sakura.

“Thank you, Ino. For the record, I’d like you to go through the read-out data once more before writing up your report,” said Tsunade, dismissing the girl, who bowed before departing. She then leaned back in her chair and sighed. “Do you think he could pose a danger to the village?”

Kakashi looked pensive for a moment before replying thoughtfully, “There isn’t enough information available to us to say conclusively one way or the other, but we’ll never know unless we wake him up. However, that poses its own problems. Based on what Ino said, it’s going to be as though it happened yesterday for him, especially since he hasn’t aged. It will need to be handled delicately.”

“Sakura?”

Sakura gathered her thoughts. “I know the circumstances of his reappearance are strange, Master,” she started, “but I can’t help feeling uncomfortable about how we’re treating him solely a threat. His safe return is also something to celebrate, isn’t it?”

Tsunade smiled softly, clasping her hands together. “Normally, I might agree. But remember, the Akatsuki were somehow involved with his disappearance.”

“But they’re gone now.”

“Yes,” Kakashi interjected, “but they’re the same group who destroyed this village not long ago. Since then, we’ve been at war. We’ve lost a lot of good people in both incidents, including…”

The three of them lowered their heads mournfully.

“He’s going to have a rough time of it, and not just because of what he’s waking up to. The uncertainty surrounding him will make him unpopular with the villagers.”

Sakura knew this to be true. She had seen first-hand how Naruto and Sasuke were treated as they grew up in the village under the shadows of their past. She had even contributed to it before she knew better, before she understood what it must have been like for them. With this in mind, she offered earnestly, “Master, please allow me to oversee his reintegration.”

If Sakura could help Reito get through this difficult time and help him handle what was to come, she would. Maybe Naruto would be able to help in some way when he was done recuperating. He would surely have some sage words of advice. Okay, that was pushing it, but he was bound to have something useful to say to their former classmate.

“Permission granted,” said Tsunade. “We’ll aim to wake him up by the end of the week. Write up a proposal for me to look over as soon as possible.”

“Yes, Master!”

“He’ll still need to be observed, though. Any suggestions, Kakashi?”

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

With a glean in his eye, Kakashi replied, “I think I know just the man for the job.”

***

The day after Tsunade approved her plan for Reito’s reawakening, Sakura made her way to the hospital, her leave all but forgotten. As per her suggestion, the boy had quietly been returned there to facilitate a smoother transition. It wouldn’t do to have him wake up in the windowless Intelligence Division cell.

Carrying a bowl of fresh fruit, Sakura made her way to the private room allocated for him on the top floor. The room, located at the end of the hall, had two guards stationed outside. After notifying the nurses of her arrival, she relieved the guards and entered Reito’s room. She briefly checked his chart, confirming that there had been no change in his condition, before looking over the boy.

Silently, she shook her head as she sat in the chair beside the bed, reflecting on the unfortunate situation. Breaking the news to Reito was not going to be easy. Still, Sakura was glad that she was the one tasked with doing so. She hoped that a familiar face would be of some comfort.

Two nurses entered the room as she placed her bowl of fruit on the nightstand. “Ready, Sakura Sensei?” asked one, who was holding a syringe. With a nod from Sakura, she proceeded to inject it into the boy’s IV line while her colleague monitored his vitals. They then stepped back to observe.

Within seconds, Reito began to stir, and his eyes slowly began to open, revealing a pair of deep blue irises that sparkled from the sunlight streaming in through the window. He blinked a few times, then lurched up off the pillow. “Yuji!” he called out suddenly, a look of sheer panic stretching across his young face. “What…? Where am I?”

“It’s okay, Reito, it’s okay,” Sakura assured the boy in a gentle voice, placing a firm hand on his shoulder. “You’re in the hospital, but you’re okay.”

Reito took in the room, his eyes darting all over, his breathing shallow. “What happened to Yuji? Is he okay? What about Kazuki? Are they alive?” he asked frantically. “Amaya Sensei… Is she really…? Oh God. We tried, but they were so strong. We couldn’t do anything. I couldn’t do anything!”

“Reito, I know this is difficult, but try to get a hold of yourself. The mission is over. You’re in Konoha hospital. You’re safe here. Focus on your breathing.”

Reito complied, taking several deep breaths with some difficulty. “Please,” he said. “I need to know what happened to my friends.”

“Reito, I have some difficult information to share with you. Before I do, I need to know that you’re prepared to take it in. Do you remember your mental resilience training from the academy?”

Reito nodded in understanding. He closed his eyes, and then, after a few moments, he gathered himself. “Please,” he said simply.

Sakura smiled sympathetically and proceeded to tell him, “I’m very sorry, but based on the amount of blood found at the scene, we believe Amaya succumbed to her wounds. Her body wasn’t recovered.”

Reito gripped the bed sheet tightly with both hands. “And my friends?” he asked.

“We’re not certain what happened to them,” Sakura explained, taking one of the boy’s hands in her own. “The three of you have been missing for some time. You were recently discovered, but I’m afraid Yuji Saito and Kazuki Torimoto are still missing and presumed dead.”

Reito’s eyes were screwed up tightly, but a couple of tears escaped from the corners. It was obvious from his pained expression that he was fighting the urge to break down, employing lessons learned at school on mastering one’s emotions and keeping one’s composure under difficult circumstances. “How long have I been unconscious?” he asked.

“First, I want to ask, do you remember me, Reito?”

The boy frowned in confusion at the question but searched her face, nonetheless. “I don’t think so. Unless… Are you related to Sakura Haruno?”

Sakura smiled weakly and replied, “Actually, Reito, I am Sakura Haruno. Like I said, you’ve been missing for some time. It’s been almost five years.”

The boy’s brow flickered with varying emotions, then his eyes slowly widened, and he mumbled, “Five years?”

“Teams were sent looking for you, but eventually, they were called off,” Sakura explained. “Since Amaya was presumed dead, there wasn’t much hope for you three Genin. A lot has happened since then, but if it’s of any consolation, we got the men who did this to you.”

“I see,” said Reito despondently, lowering his head.

Sakura was worried the news might be too much for the boy, but there was more to come, and he needed to hear about it from her, not somebody else. Their training suggested that it was better to receive painful news quickly, after all, like pulling off a band-aid. “There’s more, Reito, if you’re up to it?” she said.

“Please go on,” Reito responded, sounding a little detached, his head still lowered in apparent contemplation.

“It’s about your family, Reito. I’m… I’m afraid they’re no longer with us.”

“They’re dead?” the boy asked coolly, his head still cast downward.

“Err, yes, I’m afraid so,” Sakura confirmed solemnly. “But I want to assure you, Reito, the village is here to support you through this difficult time. I’m here for you, and so are the staff at the orphanage, who I’ve ensured have access to all the training and information needed to support young people like y—”

“How did it happen?” Reito asked robotically.

“Well… Around this time last year, Konoha was attacked by a group known as Aka-aaargh!”

In a flash, Reito had snapped out of his seemingly depressed state, reached for the fruit bowl Sakura had brought for him, tossed its contents at her, and hurled it at the window like a discus. As the pane shattered and the nurses screamed, he leaped out of bed in his hospital pajamas and out into the open air.

“Reito, wait!” Sakura cried, moving to the window as the two guards from the corridor burst into the room. “No, I’ll handle this! Follow, but keep your distance.”

***

With a surge of adrenaline spurring him on, Reito leaped from the top floor window of the hospital onto its roof, moving faster than he ever had, his senses on high alert. He didn’t understand why the fake Sakura told him what she had, but it was clearly some kind of deception.

Hidan and Kakuzu had kidnapped him. Now, he was being held somewhere, probably by a rival ninja village, and they were trying to trick him into sharing information about Konoha. As if he would fall for that! He just hoped that Kazuki and Yuji would realize the truth as well.

Using the ridiculous idea of a five-year time gap to explain the Sakura impersonator’s bad transformation was one thing, especially when he could tell from his voice and body that no time had passed, but suggesting that his friends and family were dead had been a step too far. It was beyond transparent, classic divide and conquer. Playing on his emotions to convince him of their story was an obvious ploy, and he wasn’t falling for it.

Looking around as he leaped from building to building in search of somewhere to hide and plan his next steps, Reito couldn’t help but be mildly impressed by the effort that had gone into his kidnappers’ plan. They had created a whole replica of Konoha, though much of it was still under construction, but on closer inspection, nothing about his surroundings looked right.

The fake Konoha was too different. The buildings were familiar, but even the ones that were a good likeness for the real thing were too new, too clean, too modern. The hospital, for instance, was in the same location but shaped slightly differently from before. It was bigger, too. The same was true of the Fire Estate in the distance.

That was when Reito spotted it. He stopped in his tracks, his blood running cold and his breath catching in his throat as he took in the sight before him. His brain was telling him something wasn’t right. None of this made sense.

Why would a rival village have taken him and his friends? If information was what they were after, why wouldn’t they have taken the Jonin-level Amaya Sensei instead? Why would they have a fake Sakura greet him, why would they recreate the entire village, and if they had gone to so much trouble, why would they have made such a huge mistake?

Staring back at him from the cliffside behind the Fire Estate were the familiar stone faces of Hokage Rock. But the famous monument had an extra face, a fifth face. A woman’s face. Moreover, there were workmen suspended from ropes in the process of carving a sixth. Why? Why would they make such a mistake? Even an enemy of Konoha would know that the village had only had four Hokages in its time, and they had all been men.

The answer came to Reito in a flash. Of course. The mistakes with Hokage Rock and Sakura weren’t mistakes at all. They were illusions. There was no fake Konoha. Everything he had seen and heard since waking up had been part of an enemy Genjutsu! Now that he knew it, he could break out of it.

Reito concentrated, trying to recall Iruka Sensei’s teachings. To release oneself from a Genjutsu without external intervention, you must disrupt the flow of the caster's Chakra. You could achieve this by temporarily halting the flow of your own Chakra to the brain, then turning it back on forcefully. It was tricky, but he had accomplished it a bunch of times in class.

Bringing his hands together, Reito made the tiger Hand Seal and focused on his Chakra circulation. With some effort, he ceased the flow, then resumed it with a burst while uttering, “Kai!” Upon opening his eyes, however, he was met with the same view of Hokage Rock. He felt like he had performed the technique correctly, but he tried again regardless and continued trying to no avail. “Kai! Kai! Kai!”

After several more unsuccessful attempts, Reito dropped to his knees, faced with the ugly truth. His logical mind could only draw one conclusion now, however improbable it might seem. As his strength left him, he heard the footsteps to his rear.

“Reito…” a gentle voice called.

“It’s not a Genjutsu, is it?” he asked.

“No,” Sakura replied sympathetically, “I’m afraid it isn’t.”