Sorry this one took so long too. I went home for Spring break, and we don't have internet at my house. This was also a long chapter. Well, now you have it. Enjoy. Reviews are welcome.

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or Gundam Wing.

The Yuy Clan Arc

Episode 4: A Stunning Revelation

"Heero, run!" the silver haired boy yelled.

Six-year-old Heero bolted through the trees. He knew his enemy was close behind. He could feel the chakra presence closing the distance. Heero tripped and fell sprawling on the ground. Someone landed behind him. Heero staggered to his feet and turned to see the enemy ninja. The ninja performed a series of hand seals. Black chakra enveloped his body and black tentacles launched in Heero's direction. The black threads stiffened into spikes. Heero stood frozen. The spikes raced to impale him. Blood speckled Heero's chest and face causing him to blink. A look of horror spread across his face. The silver haired boy stood blocking the spikes' path. The black tentacles pierced all the way through at different points on his body.

"Noruka!" Heero screamed.

Heero bolted upright in the hospital bed with eyes wide. He gagged and coughed holding his aching sides. Naruto leapt out of his skin at the sudden outburst and fell out of his chair with a surprised yell. Heero looked at Naruto in confusion.

Looking up from his seat on the floor Naruto grinned at him. "Hey, you're awake!" He giggled. "Awesome! How ya feelin'?"

Heero silently glanced around the room. He was in the hospital still. He looked down to see that his shoulder wound was nothing more than a scar now. How long had he been asleep? He looked out the window and was surprised to see snow on the ground. He looked back at Naruto as the blonde boy righted his chair and sat back down.

"How long have I been unconscious?" he asked.

"About a month," Naruto answered. "You were in a coma. Grandma Tsunade said it was because you used too much chakra and lost a lot of blood. She doesn't know why but something weird happened to your chakra network, and your organs got really stressed out. That's why you were coughing up blood."

Heero sighed. So he had used his chakra to its max and paid the consequences. Oh well, he didn't have time sit around. Heero swung his legs over the side of the bed.

"I have to leave," he told Naruto.

"Say what?" Naruto squeaked.

Heero tried to get out of bed, but then all the strength left his body. He groaned, and his knees buckled. Naruto caught him. The younger boy sat Heero back on the bed.

"Yeah right. 'have to leave' my foot," the blonde remarked. Naruto straightened crossing his arms behind his head. "You may have to, but there's no way. Your insides are still out of whack."

"I have to. I didn't kill you, so he'll be after Tzara. I vowed to protect her," Heero insisted.

"Orochimaru hasn't moved at all. It's been quiet," Naruto assured him before adding under his breath, "Too quiet..." Heero sighed, but before he could say anything further, Naruto continued, "Anyway. Now that you're awake..." The blonde boy leaned forward, an intent look in his blue eyes, "We can go get some ramen!" Heero stared at the boy wondering if he was serious. Naruto just grinned and giggled.

Soon, Naruto and Heero were sitting in a place called Ichiraku's. It was nothing more than a food bar stationed on one of the streets. The owner was an older man, and he had a daughter possibly in her twenties working with him. They were nice people with bright smiles. Heero ate his plain ramen quietly. Ichiraku, the owner, handed Naruto a large bowl of ramen with pork and a bunch of other goodies.

"Here you are, Naruto, one large ramen with pork. Eat up!" he said cheerily. Naruto drooled at the sight of the food. He giggled before shoveling the ramen in his mouth with his chopsticks. Ichiraku glanced at Heero. "Who's your friend?" he asked Naruto as he wiped the counter. Naruto's mouth was still full of food when he tried to answer. The words came as mumbles and grunts.

"My name is Heero Yuy," Heero answered for the blonde boy. He fell quiet once again.

"Heero Yuy, huh? Hmm...It sounds familiar for some reason...." Heero stiffened slightly, unease flitting through his gut. But the older man shrugged and put his rag away adding, "Some ghost from the past I guess. Well, Heero, how do you like your ramen?"

Relaxing slightly, Heero merely replied, "Fair enough."

Ichiraku smiled warmly. "I'm glad you like it."

Naruto grinned and wolfed down more of the savory food. Heero paused, staring intently into the bowl. Then he continued to eat. The hesitation wasn't lost to either of the others however. Naruto glanced over at his companion with a thoughtful frown. For once in his life, he remained silent and resumed slurping up his noodles. Ichiraku looked at the two boys and sighed as he went back to work. Heero silently finished his ramen. Naruto gulped the rest of the broth and sighed with satisfaction. A moment of silence passed.

"Hey, want to see something?" Naruto asked quietly.

Heero gave him a questioning look. "Hm? Sure."

"Come on," Naruto said. He got up and, after paying for their meal, stood outside waiting for Heero.

Heero slowly stood, grunting from the ache in his body. Naruto watched him with serious, sympathetic eyes. Heero followed the blonde boy down the street. Their shoes barely made a sound as they stepped on the powdery snow. Heero kept his hands in his jean jacket's pockets trying to keep them warm. They wondered through the village before reaching the gate and heading into the forest. Naruto led him up a hill to a clearing in the woods. A creek lay frozen nearby. Heero looked around. He didn't see anything extraordinary about this place. Granted it was peaceful but otherwise normal.

"What?" he asked.

"Come over here," Naruto directed sitting on top of a rock sticking out over the frozen water.

Heero slowly complied and sat down beside Naruto. He groaned slightly from the pain it caused his body. From the rock you could see a few houses on the outskirts of the village, on past to the distant forest, and the tail end of the mountain range. They stared in silence for a moment.

"I like coming here to think. It's quiet, and no one is ever around here," Naruto explained. "You can see for miles."

Heero merely replied, "Hmm…yeah." They fell quiet again. A few moments passed with the two of them just sitting in the comfort of each other's company.

Finally Naruto broke the silence as he commented, "This is where Iruka sensei first taught me how to do a jutsu." His eyes grew distant while he continued, "It was a transformation jutsu. It was awful. I tried to look like the Third Hokage, but it just wouldn't work." He fell silent, remembering his attempts at the jutsu.

Heero stared quietly out at the view. "Why are you telling me this?" he asked.

Naruto thought for a moment before he answered, "I don't know. I just am."

"Hm...Why do you bother with me?" Heero questioned. "Why won't you just let me leave?"

Naruto frowned in thought. "Because..." he began, "I still owe you. You saved my butt back there." Naruto also felt a strange connection with the older boy. He didn't know why, but he seemed to have formed some sort of bond with the brown haired sixteen-year-old.

"One for one. We're even," Heero told him flatly.

Naruto shook his head and then went on to list the times the older boy had saved him, "First, there was when a kunai came out of nowhere and got you in the shoulder. Remember? Then you saved me again during the fight with Orochimaru. We're not even yet."

"You got me to the hospital. It's the same thing," Heero told him.

Again Naruto shook his head insisting, "That was payback for the first time you saved me." Naruto watched Heero's expressionless face. "Why do you care anyway? If you're dead, you can't save Tzara, can you?"

"No," Heero answered quietly.

He slowly stood and walked towards the forest. Naruto watched him as Heero stopped at the edge of the trees. He stood there lost in his own thoughts. Naruto turned his gaze to the frozen creek beneath him. He watched fish swam in little circles under the ice. Suddenly his head jerked up. He barreled toward Heero, knocking him flat. A paper bomb attached to a kunai hit the ground where Heero had been seconds before. It exploded with a loud boom. Heero groaned in pain from being tackled. He looked in the direction where the kunai had traveled. He saw nothing. Naruto leapt back up, kunai held before his face defensively.

"Now we're even, right?" he asked with a smirk. Heero carefully stood. Naruto spoke aside to him in a very quiet voice, "Don't move...behind you, eight o'clock." Heero took a defensive stance. They had taken his weapons when he was in the hospital.

"Hmph. Stupid leaf ninja. I can hear you quite easily," the enemy scoffed.

A kunai shot out from the forest. Heero skipped to the side, and the projectile hit the ground between the boys. The ninja appeared above them.

"Fools," he jeered. His gray and purple attire was unmistakable.

"Sound ninja!" Naruto exclaimed seeing the ninja above them.

Heero made a hand seal. "Shield jutsu!" Blue chakra twisted into a transparent dome around the two boys. The sound ninja pushed off against the dome. He landed a few feet away. Naruto's eyes widened. If a sound ninja is here then...he thought to himself.

"Hey! Can you make this thing into like a ball or something?" Naruto asked aloud.

"Yeah," Heero answered. The shield shifted into a big ball around them.

"Great! Shadow clone jutsu!" Naruto cried making the designated hand signs. Three Naruto clones appeared and started running. The chakra ball spun like a hamster wheel. It quickly moved away from the ninja and headed in a direction opposite the village. The sound ninja stared for a moment before chasing after them. Naruto turned to Heero. "Ok. Do you have any ideas?"

"Don't die," Heero remarked dryly.

"Great idea," Naruto replied with hooded eyes. He sighed in exasperation. "I wish Shikamaru was here. He's good at this."

"Follow my lead," Heero told him.

Naruto raised his eyebrow at him. "Huh?"

Heero formed a series of hand seals. "Sonic twister!" he said.

A blue twister appeared and exploded in all directions outside the chakra ball. The blast knocked the ninja off his feet. The man rolled a ways, but then somersaulted back onto his feet.

"Hm...Impressive. No wonder Lord Orochimaru is so interested in you," the sound ninja commented. Heero remained silent as the ninja continued to pursue them. He leapt in front of them and blasted them with a sound wave, knocking them back. The two boys and three clones regained their footing inside the ball. Heero gritted his teeth against the pain wracking his body.

The real Naruto pulled out several shuriken and threw them at the man. At the same time Heero performed a fire jutsu. The ninja dodged the ninja stars, but ran right into the oncoming flame. The inferno threw him backwards. He landed on his back smoking and lifeless. Naruto blinked, amazed by the powerful attack.

"We'd better get out of here," Heero told him.

"You got it!" Naruto agreed. He and the clones started running back to the village. The chakra ball ran over the now dead sound ninja.

"Ew!" the three clones exclaimed in unison.

"Suck it up guys; we have a job to do!" Naruto ordered.

"Right!" the clones replied at the same time. Just then Heero released the jutsu and staggered. The clones cried out as they flew forward. They collapsed in puffs of smoke.

Naruto leapt up. "Hey, a little warning next time!"

"I'm running low on chakra," Heero told him, panting heavily.

"Well, yeah, but you should still warn a guy..." Naruto insisted in annoyance. Heero swayed slightly from exhaustion. "Come on. Don't pass out on me again...," Naruto remarked approaching the older boy. He pulled Heero onto his back with a tired sigh and gripped his friend's legs. "Let's get going!" Naruto exclaimed, sprinting through the trees.

"Careful, there may be more," Heero warned.

Naruto panted as he ran with the older boy on his back. "Don't need to remind me of that! I know a short cut!" He ran back into the clearing they had just left and toward the rock by the creek. Careful not to slip on the ice, Naruto ran beneath it into a tunnel. "This leads to the academy...Iruka sensei will be there," he explained. Heero's body ached all over. The jostling movements didn't help. He gagged and coughed up a little bit of blood. Naruto groaned pathetically. "If Grandma Tsunade finds out I got one of her patients wounded, I'm dead! Aw man...." he whimpered.

"I was already wounded. You had nothing to do with it," Heero assured him.

"I wish you'd explain that to her," Naruto remarked dryly.

The tunnel ended with a set of steps leading up. Heero could see a trapdoor set into the ceiling. Naruto burst through the door, coming up out of the floor beside Iruka, the young academy teacher.

"Aaaaaaaggggh!" Iruka cried in alarm. He jumped back, tripping over his chair and falling on his rear. A moment of silence passed throughout the room. Then all the kids laughed uproariously. Iruka shot the class a withering glare, and the room fell silent once more.

Just then Konohamaru, the late Third Hokage's grandson, spotted Naruto as the blonde boy exited the tunnel. "Naruto! What are you doing?!"

"No time, Konohamaru! Iruka sensei, we got trouble!" Naruto managed to say before he resumed panting. Heero was also breathing heavily. Naruto felt the brown haired boy's grip loosen on his shoulders.

"But boss, I wanna help!" Konohamaru protested.

Naruto ignored the kid and set Heero on floor, propping him against the wall. He plopped down beside the older boy blowing out air as he did. They both felt exhausted from the run, and the fight with the sound ninja had taken a heavy toll on Heero.

"What kind of trouble?" Iruka questioned, suddenly concerned.

"Sou- uh, a game, that's all!" Naruto said thinking quickly. "I want to talk to you about Heero here cheating at a game we played...." he lied.

"What?!" Iruka exclaimed incredulous.

"Come on, we'll talk about it over here so we don't bother the students," Naruto urged flashing the kids a big grin.

Realization dawned on Iruka, and he gave an understanding, "Oh." Naruto draped on of Heero's arms around his shoulders and helped him walk out of the room. Iruka followed the two boys. He shot the students a warning glance before leaving the classroom. Once in the hall, Naruto lowered Heero to the floor beside the wall. Iruka gave the brunette a worried glance as he asked, "What's the problem, Naruto?"

"There's a strong possibility that Orochimaru is here," Heero answered wearily.

"What happened?" Iruka asked his face very serious. Naruto explained about what happened with the sound ninja. Iruka listened intently. When he finished, the academy teacher looked grave.

Heero tried to stand. "I have to get..." he began but then groaned and slumped against the wall, the effort exhausting him.

"Well, if they're going after you, then you know he doesn't have Tzara," Naruto pointed out.

"Why would he come after me?" Heero wondered aloud.

"I dunno, but you heard the sound ninja say 'No wonder he's so interested in you' after you did your sonic twister," Naruto reminded him. "And if he had Tzara, he'd use her as bait, wouldn't he?"

"Naruto, you figured that out?" Iruka teased lightly. Naruto grinned and winked at his former teacher.

"He must want my power," Heero concluded after some thought. It made sense; after all, he was a member of one of the most powerful clans. He groaned again as pain jolted through his body.

"And you're in the perfect condition for kidnapping," Iruka added gravely.

"I'm a threat to this village then."

"Not really."

"He doesn't strike me as the type of guy to quit."

Naruto commented quietly, "We've had trouble with Orochimaru before. It was only a matter of time anyway."

Iruka nodded. "We need to report this to the Hokage. Let's go."

Heero nodded and slowly stood up. Naruto caught him when he staggered. The blonde supported Heero as they made their way out of the academy. The cold air hit them hard after being in the warm building. They started to head to the Hokage tower when Rock Lee ran up to them.

"Naruto!" he called.

"Huh?" Naruto looked up at Lee with a questioning gaze.

"The hokage has summoned you!" the bushy browed ninja informed him.

Naruto grinned. "Well, what a coincidence. We're just going to see her."

"Oh, Heero! I heard you were recovering! Congratulations!" Lee said ecstatically as he turned to Heero.

"Thanks," Heero commented dryly.

Iruka thought for a moment, the scar across his nose accenting a bit as he furrowed his brow. He looked at Lee. "Lee, give this message to the hokage!" Iruka went on to tell him what had happened.

"This is indeed serious! I'm off!" Lee gave a determined nod before taking off in the direction of the tower.

"Now what?" Heero asked.

"Now we....that's a good question. What now, Iruka sensei?" Naruto turned to his former teacher.

"You get Heero back to the hospital. His bandages need to be changed, and you can get orders from the hokage. Go!" the brown ponytailed man answered. He went back inside the academy to evacuate the children.

"Got it!" Naruto affirmed. He made a hand sign saying, "Shadow clone jutsu!" Two clones of Naruto appeared. "Okay, take him back to the hospital!" Naruto ordered them, indicating Heero.

"Right!" The clones hefted Heero up between them.

"What about you?" Heero asked.

"I'm going to the hokage to get orders!" Naruto answered. He started to run off, but then stopped. He looked back at Heero. "Hey, don't run off or anything, all right?"

Heero paused for a moment before nodding. "Okay." Naruto gazed at him critically. Then he nodded and ran off. Heero watched him go. If it weren't for the hair and eyes it'd be like seeing Noruka again, he observed. His thoughts came back to the present when the clones shifted him so they could grip his legs better.

"Off we go!" they said in unison.

The clones carried Heero towards the hospital. The village seemed at peace, oblivious to the threat hovering over it. Snow covered the street and buildings like white blankets. People milled around shopping and going about their work. As the trio ran down a street, they passed Sakura. The pink haired kunoichi turned in surprise and called after them. The clones halted.

"Heero! Naruto! What happened?" Sakura asked when she caught up to them.

"Orochimaru is in the village. Naruto went to the hokage," Heero answered in his low monotone.

"What?! He's...I'd better prepare for wounded!" she exclaimed in slight panic.

One of the clones remarked unwisely, "You're not a real doctor yet- augh!" He disappeared in a cloud of smoke when Sakura irritably hit him. With the sudden extra weight, the other clone barely managed to keep from dropping Heero.

Sakura stared in surprise. "Wait. That was a clone?"

"Yeah," Heero remarked dryly.

"Yeah, genius. Don't hit me or Heero'll never get to the hospital!" the remaining clone commented. Sakura apologized before running off to find other ninja to alert. Naruto's clone shifted Heero to his back and dashed for the hospital again. "Boy, you sure are heavy!" Heero glared at him. The clone shrugged as if just stating a fact. Heero sighed looking back toward the direction the real Naruto had taken. Seeing his glance the clone declared, "Ah, he'll be fine. Believe it!"

"Yeah," Heero replied quietly.

An explosion rang through the air and rocked the village. People looked around in alarm. Another explosion caused everyone to start running for shelter. Heero and the Naruto clone saw ninja sprinting toward the gate.

"He's here," Heero stated quietly.

"Darn it!" the clone cursed. He did a U-turn almost wiping out and continued on toward the center of the village. "Argh, when will he show up?! I could blow up at any time!" the clone wondered aloud meaning Naruto.

"Put me down. I'll head out on my own from here," Heero told him.

"No way! Are you kidding me?!" the clone looked at him as if he were crazy.

"You can't keep carrying me," Heero insisted.

"You might be a powerhouse, but you're not invincible!" the clone retorted.

"Like you said you might blow up at anytime."

"Just quit arguing and come up with a plan already!"

Heero fell silent for a moment. He should have expected the clone would be as stubborn as the original. "We need somewhere to hide," he said. "What about the tunnel?"

"Hey! That's a great idea!" exclaimed the clone.

Snow flew into the air as they skidded around a corner heading for the academy. The village past in a blur as the clone ninja-sprinted through it. They arrived at the academy shortly. Heero's breath caught. He gagged and coughed making sure to turn his head away from the clone.

"Are you okay?" the blonde replica asked with concern.

"Humph. What do you think?" Heero retorted quietly.

"Exactly my point! Whu-oh...."

"What?"

Heero redirected his gaze to see what the clone was looking at. He frowned. A sound ninja stood guarding the door to the academy. Orochimaru must know about the tunnel, Heero realized. He must have suspected we'd try to go that way. It looks like the guard hasn't seen us.

"Is there another way?" Heero asked the clone.

The clone nodded. "Yeah, back in the woods where he showed you the first time. But they'll expect that…"

Naruto's clone threw a kunai at the enemy ninja. The Sound ninja blocked the projectile, but the clone disappeared while the guard was distracted. He ran lightly on the snow in a big circle around the academy. Coming upon a back window the clone opened it and jumped through. The classroom lay deserted with papers still on the desks and an equation drawn on the chalkboard. Silence reigned throughout the building.

"Is there anywhere else secure?" Heero asked quietly.

The clone chuckled. "Heeheeheehee....we'll be fine. Whoop-" he slipped behind a desk when he caught sight of another Sound ninja guarding the classroom door.

They silently watched the guard to see if he had heard them. The man didn't turn. Heero felt something catch in his throat again. He grunted trying to stifle a cough. Naruto's clone clamped a hand over Heero's mouth. The clone grimaced. The guard turned his head and scanned the room. Seeing nothing, he grunted and turned back to the door. The Naruto clone seized the chance. He dove into the hole in the floor they had come through earlier. The clone ran down the steps and arrived inside the tunnel. He sprinted a little further so they would be out of earshot.

The clone looked back down the passage way. He breathed a sigh. "Whew, good. You made it."

Just then a low chuckle floated through the air. It echoed down the tunnel. The clone gasped in shock, and Heero's neck hairs bristled. They both knew that laugh.

"No," Heero growled quietly.

"Hmmmm....what do we have here? Hiding in a hole in the ground, are we? I must say I am surprised you got past my guard...a nice bit of foot work for a genin carrying a boy twice his size...." an oily voice commented slyly.

Heero looked behind them to see Orochimaru standing only a few feet away. Long black hair framed the snake ninja's pale face. He wore an amused smirk as his eyes bore into Heero. The brown haired boy had to suppress a shiver, knowing exactly what the man wanted: power. He knew he was in no condition to fight the sennin, but there was no way they could out run him either. Heero's face set in a determined scowl, and he managed to jump off the clone's back. He stepped in front of the clone.

"Go," He ordered calmly.

"No way!" the clone declared. He grabbed Heero's arm and yanked the older boy behind him. The clone lifted a handful of shuriken. "I told you, quit arguing with me! I'll get us out of this somehow....Believe it!"

"Get out of here, now," Heero repeated in his deep monotone. He tried to pull out of the clone's grip, but the blonde tightened his hold.

The clone glared at him. "Are you deaf?!"

Orochimaru emitted another low chuckle. "Mmm...Such warmth and loyalty in the young people these days...it really warms your heart, doesn't it?" The snake ninja shot toward them. He closed the distance before either boy had a chance to react. The ground suddenly exploded in front of him.

"Yeeeaaarrrhhh! Rasengan!" A blue sphere of swirling chakra smashed into Orochimaru as Naruto burst out of the earth. The dark haired ninja flew back, shock all over his face.

"Naruto," Heero said in mild surprise.

Naruto glanced back at him. "Told you I'd get us out of this!" he cried triumphantly. Turning back to Orochimaru he added, "Now get going! I'll hold him as long as I can."

"Naruto...." Heero started to protest but stopped. He sighed in annoyance.

Orochimaru staggered upright, glaring darkly at the blonde boy in front of him. He wiped blood from his mouth with the back of his hand.

"You'll pay for that, you brat," he promised. Naruto merely gave him a determined smirk.

"You heard 'im, we gotta book!" the clone cried. He ran down the tunnel dragging Heero by his arm as they went. Heero grunted from the pain the movement caused him, but he followed.

Orochimaru stood. He somehow managed to simultaneously glare and grin at Naruto. The snake ninja licked his face, and then slipped his tongue back into his mouth. "You'll hold me? How zealous of you," he mocked coolly.

"Shut up!" Naruto yelled.

"Harsh last words, don't you think?" Orochimaru rushed towards Naruto. Naruto gasped and leapt out of the way. Heero stopped, causing the clone to stumble backwards. Memories flooded the older boy's mind as he stared at the real Naruto.

"Heero!" the clone urged. Heero ignored him as he watched the fight.

Naruto flipped over Orochimaru yelling, "What are you waiting for?! Get out of here!"

Orochimaru whacked Naruto out of the air slamming him into the ground. Air gushed out of the blonde's lungs. He lay there stunned for a moment. Orochimaru stood over him and chuckled.

"So brave..." he sneered.

Naruto kicked out. He jumped up and back as Orochimaru dodged the blow.

"You'll never win!" the boy declared.

Heero gathered his chakra and ran at Orochimaru. Naruto's clone tried to hold him back, but Heero twisted out of his grip. Thoughts kept flashing through his mind. He saw images of the silver haired boy. While the snake ninja was distracted by Naruto, Heero ran at him. He threw a chakra concentrated fist at Orochimaru. Before his punch could connect a shield of snakes shot up. Heero's fist smashed through the serpents. He jumped back when the snakes disappeared. The movement wracked his body with pain. Heero winced. Orochimaru took advantage of the pause, and threw his tongue towards Heero's neck. Naruto quickly kicked the older boy in the stomach, throwing him back some distance down the tunnel. Heero landed on his backside with an agonized grunt. He held an arm against his abdomen as he staggered upright. Before Heero could move Kakashi appeared beside him. The silver haired Jounin assessed the situation grimly. He seemed to sense Heero's thoughts as they watched Naruto fend off Orochimaru.

"He won't quit," Kakashi told him. "Want him to die for no reason?" Heero only stared at Kakashi. The man glanced past Heero saying, "Sasuke, come on."

It was then that Heero noticed the dark haired boy. Sasuke had appeared on the other side of Heero. He nodded silently. Naruto's clone reached Heero just as Kakashi and Sasuke vanished.

"I won't leave him to die," Heero stated quietly.

"Don't worry," Naruto's clone told him in a serious voice. "He won't. He made friends, you know. They'll back him up."

Heero narrowed his eyebrows. Just then his knees buckled. He knelt on the ground. He tried to stand back up, grunting from the effort, but collapsed to his knees again. Sakura appeared next to him.

"Great! You're here!" Naruto's clone exclaimed overjoyed.

The pink haired kunoichi wrapped Heero's arm around her shoulders as he staggered to his feet. "Come on, I'll help," she told him.

"Whew, boy, am I glad!" the clone remarked taking his other arm. Heero ignored his comment and leaned on them. His eyes were hooded.

"Let's get going! Uh....where to, exactly?" the clone asked.

"We have to...uh...well....That's actually a very good question," Sakura remarked. Before either of them had time to decide, several shuriken shot by the clone's head.

"Wha! Wherever, away from here!" he exclaimed.

They started running, but they ran straight into a wall of snakes. Sakura and the clone managed to skid to a stop in time. Several of the snakes launched at them. The clone leapt in front of Sakura and Heero shielding them from the onslaught. The snakes latched onto him. He disappeared in a cloud of smoke. The snakes started to attack again.

"Twister jutsu," Heero said managing to form the hand seals fast enough. A twister whipped around them and scattered the snakes. The serpents disappeared.

"Cut it out!" Sakura yelled. She grabbed Heero's jacket and slammed him against the wall. She fixed him with a fiery glare. "Naruto has apparently decided that he's your friend! You saved his life, and he thinks he owes you!" Heero stared back at her with a stone face. Sakura continued, "Naruto will never give up, do you hear me?! And if you mess things up, and he dies, or is mutilated because you wouldn't let him do what's right, I'll wring your neck!" Heero remained silent.

Meanwhile, the real Naruto flew into a wall. He remained crammed upside down in the earth as he taunted, "Ha ha! Didn't even feel it! That all ya got?!" Just then Kakashi appeared beside him. "Kakashi sensei! What are you doing here?! Where's Heero?"

"I have no idea. But you're about to get creamed," the Jounin sensei replied coolly.

Naruto grinned. "Yeah, I kinda noticed."

Kakashi turned to face Orochimaru. The snake ninja gazed back at him with an amused smirk. Kakashi narrowed his eyes, and the dark haired man chuckled.

"Hmm...Kakashi Hatake....you again, eh?" Orochimaru eyed him. Kakashi silently blinked in response.

Back down the tunnel Sakura frowned at Heero. "Now, aside from killing yourself, what can we do here anyway?"

She grabbed Heero's arm and ran. The brown haired boy allowed her to lead him. His mind flashed back to the nightmare he had had earlier that day.

Heero heard the venom in his friend's voice when Noruka quietly warned, "Stay away from him, dirt bag."

The enemy ninja smirked at Noruka's bold threat. The black tentacles became flexible again, but remained stuck in Noruka's body. They lashed out whipping him through the air. They slammed him against a tree and then the ground. They held him aloft and pushed further into his flesh. Noruka let out an agonized yell. The black threads tilted their tips so they pointed at his backside. They started to slowly push through him from the other side. Noruka bit back his cries of pain.

"Stop it!" Heero yelled.

The enemy ninja glanced at him and smiled evilly. The tentacles' tips retracted from Noruka's body and pointed straight again. The black threads snapped like a whip, yanking out of Noruka's body and throwing him into a tree. Noruka crumpled to the ground in a bloody heap. He remained still.

"No!" Heero's voice echoed through the trees.

Heero stopped, wincing with pain from the effort. He turned around.

"What are you doing?!" Sakura screamed at him angrily.

"I won't let him die," Heero told her absently.

"Neither will Kakashi sensei!" Sakura insisted hotly. Heero ignored her and ran towards Orochimaru. "Argh!" she cried in exasperation.

Just then Orochimaru moved to attack Kakashi. Kakashi flipped to the side, dragging Naruto with him. The wall exploded where Naruto had been.

"Watch it! You'll bring the whole thing down on us!" Naruto exclaimed. Heero ran past them, and the blonde boy stared after him in shock. "What?!"

Kakashi gasped in surprise as Heero charged Orochimaru. He recovered quickly and motioned to Sasuke. The dark haired boy made a series of hand signs at the same time as Heero.

"Twister jutsu!" Heero cried, and a whirlwind spun toward Orochimaru.

"Fire ball jutsu!" Sasuke yelled. His fire ball collided with the whirlwind turning it into a swirling inferno. The fire twister smashed into Orochimaru's shield of snakes that shot up to protect him.

"Darn it!" Naruto cursed.

Heero hunched over breathing heavily. He was pushing himself too far, but he couldn't get the image of Noruka out of his mind. His legs shook. Pain shot through him like lightning, but Heero tried to ignore it.

"Dragon flame jutsu!" Sasuke attacked the enemy ninja. Fire erupted from his mouth and spewed forth in the form of a dragon. The fire bashed into Orochimaru's wall of reptiles, but the shield held.

"Hmmm...This is all so interesting," Orochimaru mused as the snakes disappeared. "Don't either of you recognize it?" Sasuke's eyes narrowed. He clearly didn't understand what the ninja was getting at. Orochimaru grinned maliciously. "Well, I don't really know if I should tell you." Heero glared at him as the man added, "I mean really, your charming little life doesn't need that much confusion, does it?" Sasuke remained silent. Orochimaru sighed, but his smirk remained. "Ah, well. I suppose....really, though. Didn't you're father ever tell you, Sasuke?"

Sasuke inhaled sharply. "What are you talking about?" he demanded quietly. He glanced at Heero, but the older boy kept his eyes trained on Orochimaru.

"Come now....Heero, surely you knew," Orochimaru pressed. He sighed again when Heero didn't respond, but the amusement was evident on his face. "Well, I suppose it can't be helped." Heero's glare darkened. Sasuke's eyes showed confusion as he scowled at Orochimaru. The man met the younger boy's gaze coolly. He taunted, "Are you really that dense? You're brothers."