A/N: Alright, all. This is my first story. Took some time to finally start since the time I actually became a member, but all the same, I do hope you appreciate it. This is quite the twist. Let me give you the headlines: during the 'Sasuke Retrieval Arc' it is Sound vs. Leaf, but in midst struggle, the Akatsuki intervene. Think the story will end the same? Every criminal has a story to tell. And just what is the weakness of the Akatsuki? Is there only a single, primary threat to ninjas everywhere - or is there some other organization wandering the world? Rated T for profanity. Watch for pairings!
My goal is to set my fanfic to be the best SasorixTayuya, and since I surmise that mine is the only one currently existing, it should not be too hard.
Please R&R to tell me how everything goes, and above everything: enjoy the story. If you think that it starts off lousy, just trust in me when I say that it will get a whole lot better.
Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto
Prologue
A man sat alone at the edge of a cliff towering stories and stories high from any of the tall trees that stood below. He seemed to be up in the sky as a pose to everything beneath him. The sky was dark. Not as in nighttime dark, but dark dark. Almost an evil purple along with the black, starry sky that anyone was accustomed to seeing. There was no wind, even as high up as the rag-worn wanderer sat. It didn't even feel cold.
The whole world, the world that he now exists in, it was boring. Utterly. And it wasn't the world that you are thinking of.
The man's face was not clearly visible underneath the ceremonial, animal-like mask that he wore. Even without it, he wore a big, black, heavy hood over his head, just like some of the ANBU that he once knew would. He would wear it alot ever since his defeat over ten years back. Back then, right before his untimely demise, he wore such a heavy heart for what he would have to do.
And he did it.
Slowly, the figure reached up for that ceremonial mask that he wore to conceal his identity, and pulled it off. His now cold lips drew in and drew out what would be considered air where he was, now in this bleak, desolate wilderness. A cloud of his own breath left from where he exhaled, his upper face still hidden under his rags. It was nothing like home. Home was warm. Home was where he was surrounded by the proud people of his village, constantly getting smiles of respect or love wherever he went. Home was now dead.
Or maybe it just seems dead because he is now gone.
For anything that he knew, it could be doing alright without him, having been saved by the Demon, but that didn't stop him from missing it.
Not one little bit.
He missed home. And time goes by so much slower where he resides now, quite unwillingly, which made him miss it even more. He had also found a beautiful place afterward, and he did have a lover there. Alas, a cruel man had forced him from right out of her arms and practically dumped him here. In this wasteland, so devoid of life. Being here was worse than dying. Where were the people? The birds? The animals? The running water? The blue sky? The refreshing wind carrying that sweet spring fragrance as it brushed by? Gone. All gone. And it wasn't coming back.
Solitude this extreme would drive any normal person insane, and he thanked himself that he wasn't a normal person.
How long had it been? It felt like over a hundred years since he was happy. Since he had someone. And that was taken away...by a voice.
A voice. It was a treacherous one. The tone that it used sounded like more than enough to poison and kill someone, or perhaps stab them to death violently, but he was forced to follow it like a siren's call. And it led him here.
...And he didn't know why.
He had, however, gotten to know the person as he had gotten to know the voice, and even in that brief time that he heard it chanting for him and abandoned him out here, he had already learned its name.
The young man's teeth gritted in anger and grief at the remembrance of that voice, and that man. Slipping the decorative mask back across his face to look up to the starless void once more, he stood up tall, his tattered cape and remnants of his almost black scarf drifted behind him.
The voice he remembered belonged to a pale, evil man. The Snake Sannin.
...Orochimaru.
"Alright, is everybody ready?" Tsunade asked for finalization to the retrieval squad.
Everyone on the team stood in front of her: Shikamaru, Naruto, Neji, Kiba, and Chouji. Their expressions said everything, as this could be their very last mission for all that any of them knew. They were prepared indeed, and they would have to make it fast to catch up with the Sound that had infultrated their village like rats in a kitchen. By the time anyone had noticed, they had already taken Sasuke.
"We're all accounted for, Lady Hokage." Shikamaru answered her, his arms crossed, which he only did when he was very serious about something. "Please be sure and tell all of our sensei not to worry for us."
Tsunade closed her eyes in satisfaction. "Will do." She put her hand on her hip in her customary pose. "Odds are that they aren't worried anyways...seeing as how much all of you have grown up after leaving the academy."
Everyone cracked a small smile, gaining a slight boost of confidence from her words. Anyone would agree, since the academy, they had all been training like crazy. Some more than others, but everyone grew.
"Just you wait!" Naruto shouted from where he was at, throwing his fist forward in his nindo pose in show to hers. "We'll get Sasuke back! I have no doubt about it."
Any other time, the others would have found this obnoxious and frankly corny stunt to be irritating, but today was a whole new day, and if anything, it brightened their spirits even more.
"I won't swear for the others' lives...but I swear on behalf of my whole life, I'll do whatever it takes!" He finished zealously.
"Hm." She mumbled quietly out of a small grin as she stood with her eyes closed in pride.
'That kid is dumb enough to try anything... Kinda reminds me of Jiraiya, really...'
But she quickly pushed that thought to the back of her mind and cleared her throat, preparing to speak again.
"Alright then! Give it everything you got! All of that training has added up to this moment! Use everything that you learned..." She threw her fist into her other hand for emphasis, making a loud clap noise. "...and be sure and give the Sound a good thrashing!"
"Right!" Everyone shouted in response, turning their heels as they made a large sprint out the gate. She didn't even have enough time to finish before they dashed forward into the face of the forest, and disappeared to the dark interior, out of sight. The watchtower shinobi gawked at their speed. Guess they didn't mess around when it came to their missions.
But one particular genin slowed behind. Little by little, he came to a complete stop, the sound of his shinobi sandals trekking the pavement could lightly be heard as the beats steadily diminished farther and farther apart, until they came to a complete halt. He looked back to see a familiar pink-haired girl, standing aways, sadness and worry filled her light green eyes as she faced him.
"Naruto..." She called to him in a quiet, timid voice.
"Hm?" He reacted as he walked forward towards the melancholy girl. As he stepped forward more and evermore, her emotions became evermore realistic to both of them. To Naruto, it seemed like less of a dream, and to Sakura, every step he made in advancement toward her added to her guilt.
Very soon, tears began rolling down her cheeks, her eyes now shut tight in a futile effort to stop them from escaping.
"Please...Naruto..." She quivered under her grief. "This is just...a once in a life time request..."
Naruto gave her a very serious look. She had never once asked him for a favor. What could be so important that she would actually want his help?
"...Please...just please bring Sasuke back!" Her voice was on the verge of completely falling apart from her misery. "I..." She took half a step back in timidity. "...I tried, Naruto...I tried everything that crossed my mind...but..." She tried her absolute best to fight the urge to turn her head away in self-shame from her teammate. She hated this limit that she had - unable to do something herself. She hated it so much. "...but I wasn't strong enough! Please...stop him!"
If she was going to continue, then she broke off. She lowered her head down, letting silverish tears fall to the ground from her cheeks. A few spots formed on the ground in front of her feet where each drop was destined to land.
Naruto was silent for a moment; he stood there, staring her down with a look of sympathy for her. The mood that he was watching her in...it was terrible. Someone wanted Sasuke back every ounce as much as he did. And he knew exactly how that feeling felt. The feeling of losing one of the most important people of your life.
"Sakura." Naruto finally spoke to the pink-haired kunoichi.
"Huh…?" She raised her head to meet up with him, her eyes drenched with tears.
What greeted her vision was a thumbs-up that Naruto held out to her as he grinned with widely with a confident smile.
"You don't have to worry! ...I'll definitely bring Sasuke back!" He said to her without a hint of doubt. "It's the promise of a lifetime!"
For a while, Sakura's expression remained emotionless, trying her best to take in what was now happening around her depression. She took a few seconds to stare at him, amazed to find that despite everything, everything that has happened, he was just as determined as ever to bring back their teammate. He considered Sasuke a friend every bit as much as she did.
Through her tears, she finally cracked a small smile to him in response. She was satisfied.
"C'mon, Naruto, let's go! They aren't waiting for anyone to come looking for him, ya know!" They both heard Kiba's impatient voice echo out of the background of the forest entrance.
Naruto turned away again, running to catch up to the others, but he turned his head and smiled as he ran, raising his arm up to wave her a good-bye as he shank into the distance. Then, he too disappeared in the darkness of the forest.
"...Good luck to all of you." Tsunade crossed her arms, her grin now gone.
Something was amiss.
Suddenly, Shizune poofed in from a cloud of smoke right next to her, but she didn't even flinch away from her concentrated pose.
"Lady Tsunade!" She addressed frantically, as she often did in her many rushes. "I heard that they were heading out! Is it too late to wish them good luck?" She asked her superior.
Tsunade was silent for a moment, deep in thought. Was sending them really a good idea? She sensed trouble stirring in the air. Without breaking from her crossed arms, she turned her head to her assistant, giving her a serious look.
"Lady Tsunade, wh-what's wrong?" Shizune asked, not really sure if she really wanted to know the answer.
"I...said that the odds were that nobody would be worried; that they would pull through fine..."
"What do you mean? What are you talking about?"
"Shizune..." Tsunade gave her a stern look. "...you know how bad I am with odds..."
The two of them turned their heads to look back into the deep mouth of the forest.
"...I think...for some reason...we should all worry...for some reason..." Tsunade was clearly lost deep in her thoughts. Her normally stern eyes seemed lack of reflection, glazed as she stared into the forest. The trees rustled softly; a couple of leaves would break off at separate times and swirl around in meager whirlwinds, dancing in a wood's grace, scattering one by one as a mysterious force shattered them apart from each other.
Tsunade turned her face to the graying clouds in the sky and muttered one last thing with shivering eyes, and eyebrows furrowed into a worried state. "...What have I done...?"
This, of course, in turn scared Shizune to an extent. Her normally hard-headed, top-of-the-world boss was now tripping over her words, and it was the first time that she had ever seen her do so. At least since...Orochimaru came to her doorstep.
Shizune's head flashed back to how terrifying that confrontation was. Even Orochimaru's second hand, Kabuto Yakushi had to be in the Rank-A league, and he didn't look much older than any of the genin. But compared to that, he was just one of Orochimaru's little errand boys. The pale shinobi himself handled both of his opposing Sannin at the same time, in the same instant, and that was with his arms both sealed!
And to top it off, Shizune was sure that that horrible reptile that he summoned was not the greatest of his jutsu. She could tell, because that gigantic serpent, which by itself could devour the entire town that they were in, only managed to exhaust his underling's chakra, since he was the one conjured it for his master. But Orochimaru's chakra was well above his, which meant that he was easily capable for a technique much more powerful, and much more terrible. Easily.
What could his other agents be capable of if one of them was able to summon a monster that would usually take their own jounin years time to learn?
Shizune felt and heard herself hyperventilating with stress as she spoke in a feeble attempt to calm her superior. "W-well you can't think like that." Shizune replied unsteadily, holding her hand nervously to the back of her head, eyes closed. "I'm sure that all will go over well!"
Miles and miles away-
A great cavern situated in the middle of the Land of Rivers, dark and quiet as a tomb.
Outside of the cave was no different, save for the seams of sunlight that seep through small gaps and openings in surrounding trees. The really eerie thing about the area around the cavern was that it was completely devoid of life. No birds were chirping – only the sound of blowing wind was present.
Inside of the cavern, no spider seemed courageous enough to spin their homes on the cold, damp, unforgiving walls. A lot bigger on the inside than on the outside, the ceiling reached stories high.
Suddenly, the floor began to shake. Soon after cracks formed on the ground, and from those cracks came great chasms. Slowly, a colossal statue emerged, consisting of a monstrous head with multiple eyes, and two hands, equally as big, bound in chains. A few minutes after it was completely formed, the fingertips began to glow; first faint, and then gradually got as bright as suns.
From faded space came figures, holographic looking entities soon lit up, as detail filled their uniforms, red clouds giving the look of a sickly green color, due to the translucency of the figures. One by one, the figures appeared, eventually coming to the number of nine. They stood on the fingertips of the statue, waiting. Suddenly, one of them spoke up.
"How long has it been since we all came together like this?"
"Seven years."
"Not since Orochimaru left our esteemed family…"
One of the figures stood upside down, unlike the others, seemingly standing on nothing. He had one eye visible, the other behind his lock of hair. He turned to the plump figure right next to his position.
" Family, hmm? Did you hear that, Master Sasori? I suppose that makes us brothers."
The other figure turned his head slightly and gave him a half-glare.
"How wonderful for me… Actually I see you more as…a little sister."
"What's that supposed to mean?" The figure retaliated, crossing his arms.
"How could I possibly make it any clearer?"
"Shut up, the both of you." Another figure, obviously the leader, had twisted eyes, almost hypnotizing to anyone who looked directly at them. "This always happens: have a nice little reunion planned, and you two are always the first ones to jump at the chance to ruin it! I especially expect better from you, Sasori…"
The two figures lowered their heads.
"Yes, mumzy." They said simultaneously.
"…What did you call me?"
Before either one could respond, another figure cut in, dropping the whole thing altogether.
"I know you brought us here for a reason, and it was for no 'family reunion.'" The new figure said. On his back, he carried a scythe that had three sickles. "I hope you have a good reason for bringing us all together – I was in the middle of a sacrifice to Jashin-sama."
"Usually when somebody interrupts Hidan's ritual, they don't function too well afterwards…"
"Say what you need to say. Go on, just say it. Spit it out. Get it out of your system. You'll feel so much better." The Leader dared with a deathly look in his eye. Of course anyone would obviously find that he meant the dead opposite of 'better', and 'dead' is not an exaggeration.
There was silence in the room for fifteen seconds.
"Sooooo…what's up?" A figure with a swirled mask asked.
"Huh? Oh, right… Zetsu came to me with some very interesting information that I think you all should hear. Zetsu…" The Leader motioned towards the figure behind him.
This figure had what appeared to be the jaws of a giant plant sticking up from his shoulders. His eyes glowed with a bright golden color. Half of his face was ghostly white, while the other was drenched in a pitch black. He straightened himself up and cleared his throat.
"We have news considering Konohagakure, the Hidden Leaf Village. We overheard this… Apparently, a genin named Sasuke Uchiha decided to leave the village behind, going to the traitor, Orochimaru, allegedly in an attempt to gain greater power."
"Eh? Another Uchiha? That must be your brother, Itachi."
A figure with crimson eyes kept quietly to himself from the others. "..."
"So I was right."
"..."
"Ahem," the figures turned back to Zetsu. "May we continue?"
The figures nodded in response.
"So as we were saying," Zetsu's dark part took over, and the violent change in his voice caused all the others to jump, and Tobi to let out a small "yip!"
"We must find that boy, and kill him very painfully! MAKE HIM SUFFER! MAKE HIM BLEED! CUT HIM, FOR HIM!"
"Zet, shut up and let me talk." Zetsu's light part tried to reason with him.
"Fine, Su, be your senile, over-caring self."
"Thank you… As I was saying," he had his calm tone back, and the other members were relieved that his more temperamental side was gone. "We were informed that a group of highly trained sound nin are on their way to make sure that he arrives to the Sound Village safely, but there's no doubt in my-…our mind," Zetsu addresses his darker self, formally. "…that Orochimaru desires him as his new 'dream' vessel."
He looked around and saw that everyone was acknowledging what he was saying.
"But that's not the climax of my report…" He went on. "…Uzumaki Naruto, more commonly known here as the Nine-Tailed Fox, will be among the group of leaf genin assigned to bring him back, before he gets through the border, and out of their reach."
"So what are we waiting for? Let's have at it!" Another figure shouted.
"No, Hidan. It's more complicated than that…" Zetsu advised.
"What's the complication? We send a few members to intercept the small genin, kick his ass, and drag it back here – easy!"
"I have to agree with him," Another figure spoke out, who had a giant sword covered in gauze strapped to his back. "Nothing could be easier. Itachi-san and I have seen it before...the Fox is just a little runt. Right, Itachi-san?"
He turned to face the silent figure standing aways. Itachi closed his red eyes shut.
"That means yes!" Kisame concluded with amusement.
Zetsu ignored them, and continued.
"…If we were to go out there, into the forest, right smack between the two villages, and attack the two groups of shinobi, the villages would puzzle together that 'Akatsuki' was behind the attack. It doesn't matter if the squads assigned are little genin, or elite jounin; based on the description of your association's uniforms, if they get it through to the heads of the villages, then we would be on full alert. We would be fighting a full-scale war on both ends. And let's consider this simple fact…" He looked around to see if everyone was catching on.
"…We simply don't have enough members to fight two wars at the same time. Doesn't matter if they are as strong as Itachi, or as persistent as Hidan. Not to mention the other villages getting involved." The Leader finished for him.
"…Maybe it's time we began recruiting?" The swordsman suggested, grinning and showing a few rows of unnaturally sharp teeth.
"You're not seriously suggesting those annoying fangirls…" Deidara said, scowling.
"Oh, being one to talk, are we...?" Sasori mumbled from a position away.
"No, not them." Kisame answered Deidara. "I mean that we are not the only S – Ranks out there. Maybe we should consider adding names on the list…?"
"That Momochi Zabuza would have been a decent pick..."
Kisame grudged at the mention of one of his former colleagues' names.
"Subordinates, yes, but let's not forget the real purpose of this meeting…" The Leader reminded them. "…The Nine-Tailed Fox. We need groups into that forest, and remain undetected by the two villages, until at least we capture the Bijuu."
"Hey, no problem. Just let me rob a few banks here and there to avert their attention. You don't mind me keeping the money though, right?"
"You know that's out of the question."
"Oh, but come on! What's the point in being an S – Rank criminal if you never get to do anything fun?"
"Kakuzu, you're not normally this fritty." Hidan cracked with obvious amusement. "Don't tell me all that fuckin' money has gone to your head!"
If Kakuzu was able to inflict any damage to the reaper through the use of holographic projection jutsu, he would have found it. But since this wasn't the case, a glare that said 'I'll send you to Hell for that later' would suffice.
The Leader ignored him, and went on. "We originally planned to capture the most powerful demon last, but we could never turn down an opportunity like this, especially since Orochimaru is involved. The traitor...he still has the ring, doesn't he?"
The others nodded slightly.
"It's not only the fact that his so-called 'Village of the Sound' could spontaneously kill the most powerful and most efficient tailed beast, but we need that ring to better perform extraction rituals. If we capture the Nine-Tailed Fox now, then we need that ring to make the most of that beast's power. Everyone clear? If at all possible, find Orochimaru and seize the ring - and kill him if you will, we can't have Akatsuki secrets running loose in the hands of a traitor!"
"None of you know that snake half as well as I." Sasori intruded, speaking to everyone, leader included. "Don't think for one minute that I haven't been studying him, his techniques, his moral beliefs, his abnormal behavior. If there's any person who gets to decapitate the serpent, I will be that person. No. Complaints."
"Complaining." Deidara broke in, still hanging upside down.
"You mistake what I've been saying." The Leader broke in again. "I did not specify that a certain person should kill him - I just want him to die."
"Don't worry about that." Sasori's eyes gleamed from out of his dark, protruding figure. "As of now, it's game, set, and match for that one."
The Leader cracked a half-grin. Although he never really smiled, he allowed one to slip about...every hundred years. But he knew that there was nothing to worry about in regards to dealing with unniccesities. Everyone in Akatsuki was as carefully chosen as the Disciples of Christ, and that included the puppet master.
The Leader turned to certain members. "Itachi, Kisame, Sasori, Deidara, Zetsu, err…Tobi…" The figures lifted their heads. "You will organize into teams to intercept the Leaf and the Bijuu, and to make sure nobody else interferes. Kill all shinobi that travel with the vessel, and kill the ones who don't. Kill everyone else affiliated with the mission, but don't kill the Jinchuuriki. Nothing must go wrong."
The members nodded, understanding.
"Hidan, Kakuzu...I mean, Kakuzu, Hidan..." He corrected his speech, turned towards two more figures.
"NaaaaaaAAAAHHH? Did you just change it to announce my name arbitrarily?" Hidan blurted pointing at him with an accusing finger.
"...Seniors before juniors, Hidan." Kakuzu replied, glancing at him from the side.
"What? That's bull! I never once saw myself as the weaker of the two of us!"
"...And you were decapitated how many times...?"
"Hey, fuck you!"
Their leader cut in. "…You two are to go to the Hidden Leaf Village in disguise, make sure the Leaf doesn't send reinforcements to help their tailed beast."
The two looked at him as if he had lost his mind. Out of all of their years in Akatsuki, they never once encountered a village that would willingly help their Bijuu. Hell, they were glad that Akatsuki took them off their hands!
"Regardless of what you two may think, we can't afford any surprises when it comes to the capture of the most powerful tailed beast. Remember that."
Hidan and Kakuzu turned their heads away slightly. Best to just go with what the leader says and argue later.
The darkened Leader looked around one last time. "You all know what to do, so DO IT! Do what you were all born to do! Let loose, and do let the good times roll!"
The others stood silently to this slightly random outburst and would continue to stand for a few ten seconds.
"But then, what if…"
"DISMISSED!"
He swept his arm for emphasis, and a second later, the figures were gone, and the cavern was as quiet as it had been before they arrived…as if nothing had ever happened.
"Once in a while, just once in a while, I would like them to take their assignments seriously." The Leader mumbled irritably. "Now..." he pondered quietly to himself, holding his finger to his chin. "...where's a good place to start recruiting...?"
Look out, Konoha.
A/N: 8/23/08, 10:00 pm: Right, so I went back and threw a few more parts in (apparently the first attempt at my first chapter ever was not at all good enough) to show that the Akatsuki are not the only characters in the story - and we have more characters coming. I strained not to get rejected by all of you just for the prologue. If you do not read on, I fear that you will never know what happens next.
I know what all of you are thinking. "That guy's just making the main characters do and say the same thing they did in the show and the manga! Hahaha...!" Well, yes. Twas my intention. This is what happens in the show before Akatsuki comes after Naruto. Storyline is completely the same beforehand.
Oh, and if you were all hoping for romance on the first chapter of the story, sorry, but people do not necessarily grow a 'serious' relationship the first few minutes when they meet (if they did, then life would be more convenient). But do not fret - in time, you will all see…or rather…read. Good day.