It was just after dawn when the Hokage became aware of the events of the night before. Baffled and angry, she began to set up a search and rescue team to find her missing chunins, Naruto and Sakura.
"We have to leave tonight Sakura. If we don't, who knows what will happen to Sasuke. It's been three years…"
"You think I don't know that?! I know we have to leave. it's just that…that something doesn't feel right. It's like…a trap. Information like this just doesn't come without a price…"
"I know. Believe me I do. Just trust me on this, and it will be fine."
"I know. I do."
The two missing chunins raced through the woods in the direction of the Hidden Sound Village, a place that neither ever wanted to see. The rain was beating on their faces that had become red and sore from the constant barrage from the elements. Sakura, despite her training and strength, had nearly collapsed a few times. Neither wanted to stop, they knew they couldn't. If the tip they got was right Sasuke could become Orochimaru's new body any day now, and that was something neither wanted to ever happen. After nearly ten hours of running, the two exhausted ninjas found their way to the hidden base of the vile Snake Sage, Orochimaru.
To Sakura, he was the vision of evil incarnate; a self-serving man who only wanted Sasuke for his Sharingan. She could not help but remember that night in the Forest of Death, when Sasuke nearly died to protect her and Naruto. But her heart pained at the sight of his new awakening. She hoped that together she and Naruto would be able to at least talk to him, and she prayed that Sasuke would not attack.
Naruto thought very little of the Sanin that lay before them, instead he only thought of Sasuke, a friend and a brother. It was Sasuke who had nearly killed Naruto by jabbing his own fist through Naruto's heart that night at the Waterfall. The only thing that saved him was the Nine-Tailed Fox, and they both knew it. But Naruto had some hope, in that as he lay unconscious on the ground Sasuke did not kill him. He knew there was some good in him, there had to be. The only thing he truly feared was that Sakura, who always worshiped and loved Sasuke, would not have to see his other form. The grotesque version of her beloved Sasuke would only break her heart, and without her the mission would truly be lost.
"Well, here we are. Should we rest or just charge right in?" Naruto jokingly asked.
"Of course we are going to get some rest, it would be foolish not to. But we still need to be on guard, I can tell we are not the only ones out in the woods tonight…" she trailed off, glancing around the forest before them.
"Get some sleep first. I can keep an eye out on things, and it's not like I tire easily Sakura. You can rest soundly knowing I'm here." Naruto said quietly, but the joy in his voice was evident.
"Yeah yeah. Just wake me up if there something wrong."
A small, squirrelly looking man sulked down the damp underground halls of Orochimaru's fortress. What he had seen could not go unreported but the fear of his master was ever present in the back of his mind.
"Orochimaru-sama? I believe that you should be informed that we have some visitors. Ninjas from the Village Hidden in the Leaves by the looks of it."
"So what of it? Unless they are of some importance to me, dispose of them immediately and do not waste my time again."
The timid man shifted his weight. Wasting his master's time was not only foolish, but possibly deadly.
"Uh…that is why I came to you Orochimaru-sama. It is a blond haired ninja and a pink haired ninja. I believe I vaguely remember them from the Chunin exams a few years back and…"
His attention perked.
"Enough. Go and retrieve our guests. Give them the proper treatment. Sasuke-kun is not to be alerted to their presence. Under no circumstance is he to know about those two, do you understand me?" He hissed, with his menacing yellow eyes flashing.
"Yes…yes my lord. Sasuke-sama will not be informed of this"
As the terrified servant quickly vacated the room, another one entered. But he would not be so easily intimidated by Orochimaru, and both were aware of this. Kabuto was not a man to be so easily manipulated.
"Care to explain what that was about? Or do I even have to ask? I take it our little tip worked, and the two of them are here. But why not alert Sasuke-san? Surely you want him to know about his beloved friends from home," Kabuto asked coolly.
"He will find out in due time, but for now he is not to know. I have worked to hard and if that brat slips away this time…"
Naruto could not believe that Sasuke left sunny Konoha for this place. His eyes dated back and forth around the forest, which seem to fester on death and thrive on blood. Everything around him seemed damp, and the fact that it had yet to stop raining was not helping his view of the place. The rain obscured everything. His sense of smell was thrown off by the smell of water and dirt. His hearing lacked its usual sharpness because of the patting of rain. And his eyes were deceived by the shadows from the trees and dim sunlight. Through all the problems, he knew something was not right.
Sakura stirred in her sleep. Looking at her, he knew she had felt it too. Darkness was creeping upon them, and it felt like something neither could successfully face.
"Sakura…Sakura get up. Now. Something doesn't feel right." Naruto spoke, but the fear seeped out of him. Sakura looked up sleepily but then it hit her. She had felt this way before, on that night…
"No…we should not have come here alone. We should have told Kakashi-sensei. Or Lee-kun. Someone else…" but her voice was abruptly cut off.
Two figures now stood before them. They could not be much older than Naruto and Sakura, maybe two or three years older. But their experience with death, and dealing it, was perfectly clear. Each was clad in purple ninja outfits, common among the ninjas of the village, and carried a bloodied sword.
"Well well…look what we have here Leiko. Looks like two little lost ninjas. Orochimaru-sama said to take care of visitors. What do you think," grinned evilly the larger of the two. While he wore a mask to cover most of his face, his eyes showed the bloodlust within his soul.
"I don't know Ronin. Maybe my sword will accidentally slip across their throats. But dealing with Orochimaru-sama's backlash is not worth these two worms." Her voice hissed out of her mouth, that shown with the same bloodlust as her male counterpart. Her odium was illuminate by a sickly pale scar across her face that reflected the dim moonlight. It was clear to Naruto and Sakura that these two were not going to let them be so easily.
Naruto being Naruto, did not hesitate. He transformed into several clones, two of which surrounded Sakura in order to help her escape if the need arose. But before he could charge his Rasengan completely, the Sound ninja Ronin charged. His blade slid across the air and hit a clone that disappeared in a puff. Catching on to the trick, he then turned his attention towards the real Naruto. Naruto, who had now fully charged Rasengan, sprinted forward in hopes of a direct hit but was blocked. Leiko grabbed onto Naruto's wrist and pulled it back, snapping it.
Screaming in pain, Naruto's eyes shifted into a deep shade of red orange but his transfer into a Fox powered ninja was cut short. Ronin punched Naruto in his face and everything suddenly went black.
The clones guarding Sakura disappeared and Sakura was left defenseless, or so the Sound ninjas believed. Sakura smirked as she released her inhuman strength into the charging Leiko, knocking her back and breaking several ribs.
"Enough! We've been told to take you alive and I've had enough of your games!" shouted a changing Ronin. His body was engulfed in a purple chakra and thin black lines in the shapes of circles moved around his exposed skin. Sakura had seen this before, but it did not change the fact it terrified her. Before she could react, she was rendered unconscious as well.
In the cramped office of the Hokage, several elite jonins and chunins sat in silence as the leader of their village paced back and forth behind her desk. Although it was still early in the morning, she appeared tired and stressed. Finally one ninja broke the stillness.
"You cannot be serious…Naruto missing I can understand but Sakura too? She is supposed to be the voice of reason in the group," the silver-haired jonin calmly stated to the flustered Hokage.
"Yeah, I know. I am very aware of my student's habits. Which is why I cannot fathom why she would run off with that idiot…and why would they leave now of all times. What could she be thinking, going off with him?!" By this point, Tsunade was at a loss for words. Naruto and Sakura often would go off, but it was just to train and came back in a few hours. This time was different.
"You know…I uh heard Naruto and Sakura talking about something that had to do with Sasuke…but I didn't really think anything about it…" stuttered Rock Lee. Although he had grown out of the obsessive love for Sakura, he still cared deeply for her.
"Lee, what else did you hear?" questioned Gai. It was completely apparent to him that his beloved student was intensely upset about the fact he missed an opportunity to stop them.
Lee was at the verge of tears, fearing for Sakura's life.
"I…well…I really didn't hear much. Just that they were uh planning to leave last night. Something about a tip they heard…about Sasuke and…him. They were not too clear on the details. And besides Hokage-sama, Gai-sensei always said that eavesdropping is a terrible thing to do! I care for her but enough to respect her privacy and…" Lee abruptly stopped because the Hokage had heard enough.
"Well, I can see what we need to do. It is to be assumed that Naruto and Sakura left to find Sasuke, and are heading to the Hidden Sound Village. Therefore I am declaring a secret S-ranked mission to return them. Our top priority is to retrieve Naruto and Sakura; Sasuke should be an afterthought and not approached, regardless of the situation…"
okay, whew…my first fanfiction ever! It comes from an idea my sister and I had a while back, but its just taken me a while to get it down. Please review and let me know what I can do to improve. Constructive advice only, no flamers please!!!
Oh, and the two sound ninjas are Ronin-samurai without a master- and Leiko-arrogant. At least that's why the website I got the names from said.
The next update should be soon, if enough people like it. Enjoy!!!