Whoa 98 hits! I'm not gonna lie didn't really want to upload right now. I was half sleep, it was 5 o' clock in the morning, and I didn't know what I was doing. But it's already up and people liked it so I'll leave it up I really wanted to wait til after i got my report card to make sure i passed first, lest my mom take away my laptop. Unfortunately, that's exactly what happened -_-
Turns out i failed Honors Pre-Cal (bane of my existence!) by THREE POINTS and moms flipped out on me. Now, im computer less for two weeks and won't be able to update til then _. I'm happy to know people took to my story well. Kinda disappointed that I got so many hits and only three reviews...
I really would appreciate more feedback though...encourages me to write more. Anyway here's chapter 2.
Quick A/N: Gonna try my best to upload every Saturday so look out for new chapters. Oh and if anyone's interested on seeing what Naruto looks like, there's a pic I drew (And no i didn't trace) on my profile. check it out and let me know what you think!
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto
Chapter 2: Trouble in the Sand
It was a calm day in Konoha. The sun was shining, the birds were chirping, and everyone happily moved about their business throughout the village. But all wasn't sunshine and smiles for one person in the Village. Tsunade was sitting at her desk up to her neck in paperwork. She couldn't understand how there could possibly this much stuff going on in the village that needed her attention. She growled in frustration and slung the pen she was holding across the room. 'Damn it why did I let that damn gaki talk me into this job'
Her train of thought slowly began to turn towards the missing blonde. It had been a full three years since Naruto had left the village. A lot has happened in his absence. Team 7 seven was officially disbanded and she took Sakura as her apprentice while Kakashi went back to doing solo missions. After the villagers found out about Naruto's missing-nin status, they held a week long festival in celebration. Tsunade attempted to shut it down but she was stopped by the council. She couldn't stop it because the council feared the village would erupt in anarchy.
So as a way of getting back at the villagers, last year after the festival she had everyone assemble in the village center. There she gave a speech in which she revealed the truth behind Naruto's heritage. It came as a shock to learn that the demon brat was the son of the legendary Fourth Hokage, especially to Naruto's friends. They found it hard to argue when they took in the fact that they indeed looked identical and there was no one else in the history of the village with such bright blonde hair.
Many wanted to deny that the demon was related to their village's greatest hero but Tsunade quickly shut them up. She claimed she had valid proof as well as testimonies from high ranking officials and ninjas to confirm her claim's validity. She explained how Minato sealed the Kyūbi into Naruto because there was no other way to defeat the beast and he couldn't ask a villager to give up their child for the good of the village if he wasn't willing to do it himself. Minato wanted his son to be seen as a hero for saving the village and Tsunade berated them on how they disobeyed their leader's dying wish.
After her rant, she simply left back to her office to work on more of that bastard paperwork. The council was in an uproar because of Tsunade's actions, claiming she no right to reveal classified information to the public. She in turn told them that it wasn't classified; the Third just didn't want it getting out until the right moment. Since Naruto was a missing-nin and no longer part of the village, she saw no problem with it. People were already out for his head as it is. The village was in a state of shock and people spent the next few days pondering over what had just been revealed to them. Needless to say, there were no more festivals.
Life just wasn't the same without the hyperactive blonde around. Everything just seemed dull now. Sakura had gone silent for a few months until she approached Tsunade asking her to take her as her student. Tsunade accepted, seeing the rosette's determination to bring back her teammates. Lee held true to his promise and for the last three years he ran 500 laps around the village every single day, which everyone, save Gai, believed to be unhealthy. Kakashi had grown distant toward everyone and if he wasn't on a mission, he was off somewhere reading that smut book of Jiraiya's. Tsunade probably missed him the most and she secretly missed when he called her 'Baa-chan', not that she would ever admit it to anyone. It was like a sign that Naruto considered her as family.
Jiraiya had also been absent for the last three years, off searching for Naruto. She had sent out occasional search parties every now and then when Jiraiya relayed some information to her but other than that, the hunt for the blonde was aborted. She put all her trust in Jiraiya to find the boy.
So now she just spent her days waging an epic war against the demonic forces of paperwork. She still hadn't found a way to get past it and she could never get a moment to rest with Shizune bringing in reinforcements every ten minutes. Tsunade sighed as she fell back into her chair.
She opened one of the desk's side drawers that held her hidden stash of sake. There would be hell to pay if Shizune ever found it. She reached for a half-empty bottle, ready to drain it of the rest of its heavenly elixir until the office door crashed open and a panicked Shizune rushed in. Tsunade had already closed the drawer and put on her 'game face' as she held a new pen in her hands pretending like she was hard at work.
Shizune entered the Hokage's office to find her actually doing work. The whole scene looked a little too suspicious for her tastes, especially since it was Tsunade, who just sat there looking way too innocent. But she pushed that thought aside. She had urgent news for the Hokage.
"Tsunade-sama I have urgent news! We've received an SOS from Suna. The Kazekage has been kidnapped!" Shizune said trying to catch her breath. She had run nonstop all the way from the messenger station.
"Kidnapped? Who in the hell goes around kidnapping Kages?" Tsunade all but yelled.
"The assailants are rumored to wearing straw hats and black cloaks covered in red clouds," Shizune answered.
Tsunade's eyes widened as she recognized the culprits. "Akatsuki," She growled. Shizune nodded in affirmation.
"This is bad. They must be after Shukaku,"
"Indeed milady. Suna has request assistance in tracking them down and the safe retrieval of the Kazekage," Shizune said.
"Alright, get me Team 8 and Kakashi Hatake and I want them here yesterday! Time is of the essence here and we must act swiftly!" Tsunade commanded, receiving a nod from her charge. Shizune left the office to track down the designated shinobi while Tsunade sat back in her chair rubbing her temples. "I'm getting too old for this," she groaned.
"And that's the situation in Suna. You four are to track and located the two Akatsuki members and help in the retrieval of the Kazekage. Kakashi, you are the muscle of the group. This is an A-rank mission that it is to be completed with the upmost urgency. You are to leave immediately, dismissed!" the ninja present nodded and filed out of the room.
Deep within the Northern Hideout, one of the many hidden bases that make up Otogakure, two figures stood facing each other, preparing for battle. The first was a raven-haired teenage boy. He wore a white loose-fitting, long-sleeved shirt that was open at the front, leaving most of his chest exposed. The Uchiha clan symbol rested at the base of his collar on the backside of his shirt. He wore navy pants and an indigo coat around his waist which was held in place by a purple rope that also held his black chokutō. The black cloth of his hand guards extended to his elbows. His face was expressionless as he stared at his opponent across from him with cold onyx eyes.
The other figure was also a teenager. His style of dress was similar to the others. The difference was that his shirt was high-collared, short-sleeved and black. The Uzumaki clan's red swirl adorned the back of his shirt. His shirt was only zipped up to his mid-chest, revealing his red undershirt and the First Hokage's green crystalline necklace. His pants were black while his coat was blood red and was held in place by an orange rope belt that also held his red chokutō. His forearms were covered by black wrist warmers. Sun-bleached blonde locks hung loosely in front of his dull sapphire eyes which were focused on the boy across from him.
The raven-haired boy rolled down the sleeves of his hand guards revealing purple bracers with seals on them.
Sasuke dropped his stance slightly and held his hands to his sides. Naruto unsheathed his blade and held it at the ready. Sasuke took a deep breath and closed his eyes. He channeled chakra into his fingers tapped the seals on his bracers. Shuriken instantaneously appeared in his hands and he snapped his eye's opened revealing his fully-matured Sharingan. He flung them at the blonde across from him. He kept tapping the seals and each time he did a shuriken popped out which he immediately launched forward. His arms were moving so fast that they seemed to phase in and out of existence.
Naruto just looked impassively at the rain of steel coming towards him. His enhanced instincts kicked in and he began to block the incoming death stars. Sasuke was sending an insane amount of shuriken his way and he knocked away each expertly. Upon seeing his shuriken being batted away with ease, Sasuke began enhancing them with lightning chakra.
Naruto was busy swatting away the harmless metallic stars when he noticed something different about them. They were covered in a static blue aura and sparked wildly when they made contact with his sword. He quickly deduced that Sasuke was using Lightning chakra and charged his own sword with wind chakra. Wind's natural affinity over lightning showed as Naruto's wind-powered blade made quick work of the lightning shuriken as he cut them in half.
Sasuke saw that he wasn't making any ground so he quickly flipped through some hand signs. "Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!" he called as he shot a burst of flame from his mouth.
Naruto had just blocked the last of the shuriken when he saw the huge ball of fire hurtling towards him. He pumped even more wind chakra into his sword and delivered a vertical slice straight down the middle, easily splitting it in half. He gritted his teeth as he barely blocked the incoming strike aimed at his stomach.
Sasuke smirked at having caught the blonde off-guard but it quickly disappeared when he realized he had been blocked. Sasuke quickly swung his free hand toward Naruto's face only for it to be grabbed by the blonde's open palm. The two stood there pressing against one another, blade against blade, fist against hand, trying to overpower each other. Sasuke's expressionless face met with Naruto's disinterested look. Sasuke felt Naruto gaining the upper hand so cutting his losses, he pushed off and back flipped away. Naruto had always been the stronger of the two while Sasuke was the fastest. Naruto took this time to twirl his sword in his hand into his familiar unorthodox reverse-grip and entered his battle stance. Sasuke noticed the change in stance and readjusted himself into his usual kenjutsu stance. After a silent moment, the two rushed at each other, meeting head-to-head in a fierce sword battle.
Orochimaru sat on his throne as he watched his students engage in a deadly dance. He smirked as he thought about their progress over the last three years. Sasuke surely did live up to his potential. He was the fastest in all of Otogakure, his strength was incredible, he was a master of the sword, and his ninjutsu was incredible. That Chidori of his proved to be rather troublesome, especially after he had trained the boy in lightning manipulation. Sasuke had also mastered his fully evolved Sharingan and even the Curse Mark. He was indeed a worthy vessel.
But it was Naruto who had surprised him the most. After he began to train him, much to Sasuke's surprise, the boy began grow exponentially. His speed wasn't on par with Sasuke's but it was still a force to be reckoned with. Where Naruto truly prevailed was his strength. Orochimaru never could figure out exactly where it came from but the boy was a natural powerhouse. Sasuke had to enter the first stage of the Curse Mark just to get close to the boy's natural power. Tsunade herself would be proud. Naruto's kenjutsu was on the same level as Sasuke's and their ninjutsu was about the same except Sasuke had a more vast library. He was interrupted from his thoughts by two distinctive jutsu and a loud explosion in front of him.
Naruto and Sasuke clashed as they met in the middle. Naruto swung low at Sasuke's ankles only for the Uchiha to leap up and send a downward slash his way. Naruto sidestepped the strike and swung his sword arm around in an attempt to decapitate his friend. Sasuke ducked at the last second and tried to split his rival in half with a sideswipe to the stomach. Naruto parried his strike and in the split second that the Uchiha was off-guard, he delivered a roundhouse kick to Sasuke's chest that sent him flying.
Sasuke recovered in midair and grimaced as he skidded to a stop. He always hated being hit by Naruto. The blonde's strength was ridiculous. He didn't have much time to rest as Naruto was immediately in his face again trying to knock his head of his shoulders with a spinning axe kick. Sasuke avoided the kicked but barely had time to register the silver blade flying at his neck right afterwards. With the help of his Sharingan, Sasuke parried the blade mere inches before it struck his jugular. He pushed off Naruto's sword and began his counterattack.
They swiped at each other repeatedly but were at a stalemate. Every swing was either blocked, parried, or dodge completely. The rhythmic sound of clanging metal echoed throughout the room. With their swordsmanship being on the same level, they were going nowhere fast. Sasuke parried another of Naruto's strikes but instead of retaliating with his own, he sent chakra into his left hand and a Chidori sparked to life.
Naruto immediately kicked away from the Uchiha when the ever so familiar sound of birds chirping hit his ears, narrowly dodging the jab aimed at his heart. He skidded to a stop and looked up to see Sasuke charging at him, sword poised to strike and Chidori still encased over his hand. Naruto quickly formed a Rasengan in in his left hand and dash forward to meet his rival head on.
As they drew closer, Sasuke swung his sword in an overheard diagonal slash, hoping to split the blonde in half. Naruto saw this coming and countered with his own upward diagonal strike in the opposite direction of Sasuke's. Their blades met in a mighty clang and they were at another stalemate but they were finished yet. They both thrust their chakra powered hands at the other and met in their greatest stalemate of them all.
''Chidori!"
"Rasengan!"
Their techniques clashed between them as they battled for dominance. No matter how hard they tried, they couldn't overwhelm the other's attack. Sasuke saw this and opened up his Curse Mark slightly. As the black flame marks spread across his body, the Chidori in his hand took on a purplish hue and he began to push back the blonde. Naruto, upon feeling the Uchiha's sudden increase in strength, tapped into some of the Kyūbi's chakra. His eyes flashed red and his pupils grew slitted. The Rasengan in his hand glowed red as it matched the power of Sasuke's violet Chidori.
The two were once again on even grounds. But being the competitive types they were, they wouldn't just settle for even. The two teens began pumping more and more chakra into their hands, causing the jutsu they held to grow unstable from lack of control. Both ignored the shaking ground and the debris that kicked up around them and focused only on defeating the other. Suddenly, their hands grew bright, catching both boys attention as their jutsu pulsed uncontrollably. Something unexpected happened next. The Chidori and the Rasengan fused as Sasuke's hand met Naruto's and the whole room was blanketed in a flash of light.
A loud explosion ensued and dust scattered everywhere. Orochimaru raised his arm to his face to shield his eyes from the incoming debris. He looked up as the dust settled to find Naruto and Sasuke a few feet apart from one another, both panting heavily. 'Well that was unexpected. Kakashi of the Sharingan's Chidori and the Fourth Hokage's Rasengan…truly destructive jutsu. Those two really out did themselves.' Orochimaru thought to himself. He decided to end their 'friendly' spar before they killed one another or caved in his precious hideout.
"Alright boys excellent work but that's enough for today. I don't need you splattering each other all over the walls. Blood is rather troublesome to clean up." He chuckled.
Just then Kabuto land in front of him in a kneeling position. "Orochimaru-sama I have urgent news." He spoke. The snake man raised his arm beckoning him to continue.
"It seems as though the Akatsuki are on the move again. We've just received word from our scouts in Suna that they have just captured the One-tail."
Naruto picked up the last part of this sentence and made his way over to Orochimaru's throne.
"What's happened to Gaara?" he asked as he approached the older men.
"He's been abducted by the Akatsuki Naruto-kun," Kabuto answered. Naruto didn't immediately respond. He stood there for a few seconds leaving the two men I front of him confused. After a moment of silence, Naruto spoke again.
"Orochimaru-sama, I'm going to Suna," he said as he took his leave.
"Naruto-kun, I must advise against that. The Akatsuki are still after the tailed beasts5 and if you leave they might get you too," Kabuto warned him.
Naruto snorted at his remark. "I'm going," he said with finality and left the room.
Kabuto turned to his master for help but was left puzzled by the snake-nin's smile. "Kabuto I see you doubt Naruto-kun's skills. Let him go. If we're lucky, he'll take out an Akatsuki member or two. That'll be less work for us in the future,"
"But Orochimaru-sama, is he really that strong?" Kabuto queried. Orochimaru's grin said it all.
"Well we should at least send Sasuke-kun with him. That way-,"
"Not gonna happen. It's going to rain soon and I'm going to practice that jutsu," Sasuke interrupted Kabuto as he left the room.
"Well, there you have it Kabuto. You needn't worry so much. I will now take my leave," Orochimaru yawned as he exited to his private quarters, leaving Kabuto all by his lonesome.
Naruto stared out over the mountains from the roof of the hideout. He now donned a black cloak. "A thunderstorm is rolling in," he said to himself as he observed the dark cloud inching closer by the minute. He had to leave now to make it to Suna in time. He had to save Gaara. He was one of the only few people who Naruto didn't forsake. They were both jinchūriki and understood each other's pain. Both knew what it was like to grow up being treated like demons. He couldn't sit by idly and let the Akatsuki kill his friend, especially if he could do something about it.
Naruto closed his eye and took a deep breath. His eyes shot open as he dashed forward and leapt off the cliff before him. Naruto went into a free fall as he barreled down the side of the mountain that the Northern Hideout was built in. The wind whipped through his hair, which had grown out a little over the years, and his cloak flapped wildly as he reached terminal velocity. He loved the feeling of the wind against his skin and this was one of the only times that he was at peace. When he saw himself nearing the bottom, he let out a low-pitch whistle. Seconds before he was splattered all over the ground, he was caught by a blue and white blur.
Naruto remained impassive as his companion caught him in the nick of time. The bird-like dragon beneath him mimicked his master's expression as it race through the mountains at near supersonic speeds. The lower half of its body was blue with streamline jet-plane wings. It had a red triangle-shaped ring on its chest. It's grey and blue arms were tucked into its body in order to reduce air-resistance. The upper-half of it body was grey, it had triangle-shaped ears and a blue face with a grey tear drop shape in the middle.
This dragon was Naruto's personal companion. It wasn't a summon per say but it always answered his call. His name was Latios.
Naruto had met Latios under mysterious circumstances just over two years ago. While on his was on his way back from retrieving a scroll for Orochimaru, he encountered a strange blue and black foxlike creature. The fox gave him a gem called a Soul Dew and told him it would be necessary to fulfill a prophecy. Naruto didn't know what he meant by that and before he could question the fox's motives it was gone.
Naruto held on to the Soul Dew and kept it in his waist pouch. Three weeks later during a spar with Sasuke, the gem began to resonate. Naruto took it out of his pouch when it began to glow brightly. It suddenly gave off a bright flash and bathed the surrounding area in light. When the light cleared, they were face to face with a young Latios. Naruto and Sasuke were shocked to say the least. Orochimaru was just as surprised but grinned in interest.
Latios was an impeccable companion. He was incredibly fast and had a host of attacks, most of which unknown in nature. Orochimaru wanted to run tests on him but Naruto wouldn't allow it. The fact that he was leaking Kyūbi's chakra and his voice was oozing with malice helped to get the point across. Orochimaru never brought the subject up again.
Since there wasn't exactly a place to keep a growing dragon within the confines of the secret hideouts, Naruto just allowed Latios to roam free. Whenever he needed him he would just whistle and Latios would appear almost immediately by his side. Naruto had no fear of Latios being caught since his speed was unmatched anywhere else and he was strong enough to defend himself. That and he has the ability to turn invisible.
Latios had grown into a formidable beast over the last two years. He was just under seven feet in length, just bigger than any human but still small enough to retain his swift agility. It was only last year that Naruto had experimented with riding him. Their first few attempts were sketchy and nearly cost them their lives at one point, but as time progressed, they began to get the hang of it. Now they were totally in sync when they flew and became masters of the aerial art. It showed in the way that they shot through the mountain pass at an incredible velocity.
Naruto and Latios quickly made it out of the mountains and were now zooming over a forest. Naruto tapped Latios on the side of his long neck. Latios felt his master's silent command and began to ease up. The duo were now leisurely gliding through the air. Naruto felt that this was a reasonable speed for such a long travel. It wouldn't do well if Latios tired himself out. If they kept their current pace, they would reach Suna in two days.
Naruto was eager to reach the sand country though. He had to save Gaara. He was sick of his kind being used and abused. 'Gaara I'll be there soon. Wait for me' he thought as they continued the long journey to the Land of Wind.
Team 8, with the addition of Kakashi, were currently en route to the Hidden Sand Village. Once there, they were to receive a briefing on the current situation and more details of the assailants. They were hoping to get some kind of lead as to the general direction or location they were last seen.
The leaf-nin quietly made their way through the forest as they approached the Land of Wind border. Kiba was on point with Akamaru, Kurenai and Shino followed right behind him in the middle while Kakashi and Hinata were in the back. Kiba was responsible for sniffing out any possible traps or enemies that may lurk ahead of them while Hinata used her Byakugan to detect any enemies that tried to sneak up behind them.
They had been traveling at a steady pace for about a day and a half now and exhaustion was beginning to overtake them.
"Oi Kurenai-sensei, when can when take a break?" Kiba whined as he gazed back at the crimson-eyed woman. Kurenai looked back and met Kakashi's gaze. Kakashi saw he implied question and nodded his head in affirmation.
"Alright everyone let's set up camp for the night," Kurenai said.
"Finally! We've been running for-"
"Kurenai-sensei, there's an unidentified object rapidly approaching from the rear!" Hinata yelled, interrupting Kiba.
"Hinata, can you get a fix on it?" Kurenai asked calmly.
"No, it's moving too fast. It'll be upon us any second now!" the Hyūga heiress replied.
Just then, something flew past them at an incredible speed, kicking up a lot of dust and shaking leaves off the trees in its wake. The Konoha-nin braced themselves against the violent whirlwind that overcame them. Moments later, the wind ceased and the surrounding area was calm again.
"What the hell was that?" Kiba exclaimed snorting out dirt that flew up it's nose.
"I don't know but did anyone get a good look at it?" Kurenai asked. Everyone shook their heads negative.
"Well whatever the hell it was it sure was fast- Ow!"
"Kiba, What did I say about that kind of language?" Kurenai berated the brunette teenager who was profusely rubbing the knot on his head.
"Damn it Kurenai-sensei that-" he was interrupted by another smack to the head. His previous bump now had a twin.
"OW! Ok! Ok! I get it jeez!" Kiba yelled and started to mumble something incoherent about freedom of speech and crazy older women. Hinata giggled at her teammate's antics.
Kakashi stared in the direction that the unknown object took off in. he was just barely able to make out some details with the help of his Sharingan. Whatever it was, it was white, blue and had small hints of red and black. It also had wings. He thought he saw what looked like Sunny blonde hair but he wasn't completely sure. Lastly, the object gave off a faint familiar presence. He wasn't sure what it was exactly but he was certain he had felt it before.
"Kakashi-sensei I know you're getting old but at least try to keep up!" Kiba yelled from ahead. Kakashi snapped back to reality to see his team a good twenty meters down the road. He quickly took off and caught up with the rest of the group.
"Jeez Kakashi-sensei what's with the spacing out?" Kiba queried.
"Oh Heh Heh sorry about that. I saw a squirrel wrestling with a raccoon over an acorn and I wanted to see who would win," The silver-haired Jōnin replied.
"Ok…weird…" Kiba said as he mumbled on about crazy jōnins and bad liars.
Naruto stared into a small fire he had set up as he reclined against a sleeping Latios. He his sword in his left hand and a whetstone in his right as he careful sharpened the blade. Night had taken over and he set up camp a few meters from where the edge of the forest met the desert. They had been traveling for a while now and he figured they should get a good rest before they arrived in Suna tomorrow. While flying earlier, Naruto thought he felt some familiar presences on the ground below but he brushed it aside. The only thought on his mind was saving Gaara.
He let out a soft yawn as fatigue crept up own him. He sheathed his blade and set it beside him with the rest of his stuff. His coat, shirt, and cloak sat next to him neatly folded while his wrist warmers and waist pouch rested neatly on top. The thick orange rope belt was rolled up and sat at the base of the pile. This left him in only his undershirt, pants, and calve-length sandals.
A cool, gentle breeze from the desert swept through the small clearing. The fire danced slightly with the wind before returning to its subtle flickering. Naruto shot to his feet when he gazed through the fire and thought he saw what looked liked a small fox-like figure standing across from him. But there was nothing there. 'Must be more tired than I thought i was,' he thought to himself before sitting back down. Naruto settled even more into the sleeping beast behind him as he tried to come up with a plan for tomorrow. But before he could come up with anything, fatigue finally claimed him and with the combined efforts of the soft crackling of the fire and Liatos's rhythmic breathing, he was slowly lulled to sleep.
The five man cell of Leaf-nin arrived in Suna the next day. The city was relatively calm for just having their leader kidnapped. The people just went about their lives like any other day. After a short walk through town they arrived at the Kazekage's office. They entered to see a highly distressed Temari sitting at the desk. She looked up when heard them walk in.
"Finally, you're here!" she exclaimed, barely keeping her composure.
Kakashi stepped forward to speak "We are the tracking team sent from Konoha. What's the current status on the situation?"
"Three nights ago, the city was attacked by the Akatsuki. He was alone and he flew around the city dropping bombs everywhere. That's when Gaara stepped out to face him. They squared off in the skies above Suna and just when Gaara seemed to gain the upper hand, He exploded."
Kurenai raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean exploded?"
"We don't know exactly. Gaara had the Akatsuki member pinned and next thing you know his gourd just exploded and he was knocked unconscious. The Akatsuki guy created some weird clay-like bird that scooped up Gaara and they flew away," Temari explained.
"I see. Do you have any clarifications as to their last whereabouts?" Kakashi asked.
"No not exactly, but people have reported seeing a giant white bird flying across the desert toward River Country. My best guess is to start there," the younger jōnin responded.
"Understood, we shall leave now," Kurenai said as they're team headed for the door.
"One more thing," Temari began, effectively halting them in their tracks. They all turned around to meet her gaze.
"Yes, what is it?" Kakashi spoke.
"I want you guys to take Lady Chiyo with you. She's the one who seal Shukaku into Gaara and she should be able to fix any damage his seal might have sustained. Don't let the old bag of bones fool you, she's still a strong fighter,"
"Understood," Kakashi said as his team exited.
"She'll be waiting by the western gate!" Temari called after them fight before the door closed.
Naruto and Latios were gliding above the desert on a course for Suna. He had arranged to meet up with one of the Sound spies that had been placed within the village. With any luck, he would obtain some information on Gaara's location.
The Hidden Sand Village came into view shortly and Naruto began his plan to infiltrate. Latios shot right over the city and dropped his master off. Naruto suppressed his chakra as he skydived into Suna. He tucked his arm in to increase his velocity. The faster he reached the ground, the lesser the chance of him being detected.
Upon seeing the ground grow closer, Naruto spread his arms out with his cloak and using his wind manipulation, he halted his fall five feet from the ground. He landed in an alleyway off the main road. He pulled on his hood and stepped out of the alley, blending in with the crowd. He henged his cloak to appear a sandy brown. I wouldn't do good to go around in a black one right after the Akatsuki struck.
He quietly sifted through the crowd making his way down the street. Not one person paid him any mind. After walking for about ten minutes he came arrived at his destination. It was a dango shop on a corner off the village's main square. He stepped inside and was shown to a table by a bubbly brunette around his age.
"Here's your table sir. What can I get you today?" she asked.
"Just a stick of dango and a glass of water please," Naruto answered as he sat down.
"Coming right up!" she smiled at him before walking off.
Naruto sat there patiently for about five minutes to his food arrived. He took notice of the hooded man who sat at the table behind him, their backs to each other. The waitress returned shortly with Naruto's order and he ate silently. After he finished his snack, he picked up a subtle tapping noise behind him.
He recognized it as the Morse code system that Orochimaru set up. It only seemed befitting for sound shinobi. It was light and unless you trained your ears accordingly, you wouldn't be able to pick it up.
"Greetings Naruto-san. Orochimaru-sama informed me of your arrival two day ago."
Naruto took his empty dango stick and began tapping lightly on the table.
"What's the situation?" he asked.
"It would seem as though the Akatsuki infiltrated the village three nights ago and challenged the Kazekage. The Kazekage fought in the skies above the village a blonde Akatsuki member. He was reported to be using clay bombs," the spy responded.
"So they sent Deidara huh? That means Sasori's probably accompanying them. Any updates as to their last known whereabouts?"
"Reports have come in about sightings of a large clay-like bird flying over the desert headed towards River Country."
"Akatsuki has a base there that's about a day's travel from here. They're probably extracting the Ichibi as we speak…I'll take my leave now. thanks for the information." With that, Naruto stood up to leave but a last minute tapping caught his ear.
"Naruto-san I feel it important to warn you that Konoha-nin were spotted in the village earlier. They are most likely here as reinforcements. You should be careful out there." Naruto remained silent and just nodded.
He turned to leave but he bumped into someone. The brunette waitress from earlier was carrying a tray of food to a group of people in the back. She tried to slip through some tables but lost her balance when she bumped into the stranger she seated earlier. She felt herself falling to the ground before she was caught in the embrace of a pair of strong arms.
Reacting on instinct, Naruto swiftly caught her in his left arm and the falling tray of food in his right. The way he caught her left them staring face to face. She immediately noticed the blonde locks underneath his hood and became lost in his oceanic sapphire eyes. He slowly helped her to feet and handed her back the tray.
"Careful there, wouldn't want you to get hurt," he said with a small smile. She felt her cheeks heat up as she watched him leave. All throughout this small altercation, a man clad in a black cat-like suit sat in the back of the shop and analyzed what just happened.
'Those reflexes just now…who was that guy?' Kankurō thought to himself.
Naruto quickly made his way to the village's outer walls after leaving the shop. But as he was making his way down the main road, something glimmered in his peripheral vision, catching his attention. He turned to his right to face the window of a jewelry shop and saw the offending object resting on a podium behind the glass. He approached the window to get a better look. What he saw when he approached the glass was a pair of necklaces siting side by side shimmering in the sunlight.
One was golden and shaped like the sun with a shiny ruby resting in the center. Its twin resting beside it, was a silver moon that held an aquamarine jewel in its crescent. 'Perfect,' Naruto thought as he stepped into the store.
He left the store five minutes later and conspicuously climbed the wall and leapt out into the desert where Latios, who was waiting nearby, swiftly caught him. With his newly acquired Intel, Naruto set out for River Country, intent on stopping whatever plans the Akatsuki had in store.
Meanwhile, in a cave deep within River Country, two men wearing black cloaks cover in red clouds stood atop the fingers of a statue. Astral projections of took up the other fingers. The right thumb was occupied by a man with spiked hair and purple, ringed eyes. The right index was taken up by a man with long blonde hair that was put up into a ponytail. Atop the right middle stood a woman with a flower in her hair and a scarlet-eyed man stood next to her on the ring finger. A plant-like man stood on the pinky finger.
On the left hand, a shark faced man stood on the ring finger, a green eyed man occupied the middle, a man carrying a large three-bladed scythe stood atop the index, and lastly, the thumb was taken up by a short, robust man who was hunched over. Each wore a ring on the same appendage on which they stood. Floating between the hands of the statue was the unconscious form of the Kazekage surrounded by a pool of blue chakra as red chakra flowed out of his eyes and mouth and into the mouth of the statue.
Moments later, the flow of red chakra ceased and the chakra pool dissipated, dropping Gaara's lifeless body to the ground. The statue's mouth closed and one of its nine eyes opened.
"The sealing of the Ichibi is complete," the ringed-eyed man spoke.
"It's about damn time too! I was starting to get this mean crook in my neck!" the scythe wielding man whined.
"Hidan, shut up…before I kill you," The green-eye man threatened.
"Kiss my ass Kakazu! You've been saying that for the last year yet here I am alive in well," Hidan snorted back.
"Enough you two!" the ring-eyed man interrupted. "Sasori, Deidara, our scouts have picked up ten individuals headed your way. They are mostly likely from Suna and are coming to reclaim their leader. Dispose of them," he commanded.
"Yes Leader-sama," their voices echoed throughout the cave.
Well that's it for now, tell me what you think. And before anyone says anything, I love Latios and he has a greater purpose later on in the story. If you don't like, oh well I'm not changing it. But i would like to know if this would classify my story as a crossover now 'cause I'm not entirely 100% sure. Anyway, please leave a review and let me know what you think. Wait patiently for me to return also. What's happened, happened and i can't do much to change it. But if I can, i'll steal my laptop back and upload chapter 3, no promises though. (Moms is crafty at hiding things grr!). Guess that's it, till next time. Peace! ^_^
