As the teams from Konoha headed out, Naruto lay on the ground. He felt dead, like someone had dropped a weight ball on his lungs that restricted his already stretched breathing. In fact, the blonds' chakra was so low, that as the dozens of feet ran by and over him, they noticed nothing out of the ordinary.
Nothing.
Groaning and too weak to call out for help, Naruto picked a leaf not five inches from his face and sipped the dew out of the small depression. The soothing liquid did nothing but worsen the burning in his throat.
After that, Naruto lay his head down on the still-wet grasses, instantly going blank. It was as though he had never even been there in the first place.
***
Sasuke, determined as well as furious, was at the head of the convoy, following no one but Akamaru who lead the way; sniffing out the toad's previous passage.
Travelling faster than hurricanes, they had covered approximately 100 miles within the hour that they had left the village; still, on they went, none willing to let on their weariness, though they knew that they would have to quit within a few hours otherwise they would risk passing out.
"Sasuke-kun!" Sakura gasped as they carried on out of their third forest that day. Her pace was slowing as Sasuke came close to surpassing the white hound that was also tiring quickly.
"We need to stop and rest! What if we run into enemies?" She proclaimed the obvious as she completely stopped, falling to the ground in a disheveled mess. "And besides…I can't go on anymore…" The rosette huffed as a cloud of dirt rose all around her, encasing her body in a chocolate, wispy, cloud.
The others automatically slowed, knowing that Sakura was right and unwilling to leave behind a teammate. Sasuke kept running. He had already vowed to himself that he would not, could not rest until they were at the borders of the Fire country!
"Another hour!" the raven called back, his voice unwavering. Ino helped Sakura off the ground as they resumed their trip across the country. Their so far very miserable trip.
***
"Itachi-san…" A familiar voice faltered out to the elder Uchiha. He stepped closer until you could see a slim outline of the robed figure.
"Deidara," Itachi rasped his breathing uneven. He had been chained up onto the stone wall for two days and counting. He was condemned a day after he sent his blond on the run to safety. All he had in mind was that his kitsune would find his way home—without coincidence. He was far too weak to handle anything.
Very weak.
"I need to talk to you—and fast," the blond stated, cutting to the chase once the Akatsuki prisoner had realized his identity. They were both quiet, not wanting to disturb the other members. The time was somewhere between three and four, though neither was entirely sure.
"Shoot," Itachi coughed, blood ejecting from his mouth. To the both of them, this symptom seemed as if it were human and normal. Though they both knew. Deidara hesitated, unsure of what to say exactly.
"I-I want to help," Deidara blubbered out, surprising the opposing person. The whites of Deidara's eyes flickered, conveying bursts of nervousness as he spoke. "Really…" He reassured, his eyes pleading with unusual softness in his crystal blue eye. "I want to help."
"What do you plan on doing?" Said raven murmured, his eyelids drooping with drowsiness. "What can you do to help me?"
"For one I can get you extra rations of food and perhaps even figure out how to get you out of here," The artist explained, seeming determined as he constructed his unfinished blueprint. His arms moved as he spoke, giving Itachi a better sense of what he was saying.
"How about you just…" Itachi shook his head, clearing it momentarily, "Why don't you just spy for me; relay me some information whenever you receive it. Especially on the nine tails and Konoha. Especially those."
"Four teams of four are currently heading this way. It also seems that the toad sannin is following behind them in secret. Pein and I are the only ones aware of this information as of late. But at the pace that Sasuke is leading them, they should be here within 48 hours," Deidara confirmed, nodding his head aggressively before adding, "I can release you then, I am on your side you know."
"Hn," the raven frowned, soaking in the information, thinking of a battle plan of some sort. "Not sure that I want to be freed just yet; the timing isn't right just yet."
Deidara left the cell quickly without saying his last goodbyes. Itachi understood.
In forty-eight hours he could be out of the hell hole if he so wished it.
***
Sighing, Naruto focused on moving his arms under his upper torso. Upon succeeding, he attempted to push himself into a sitting position, determined to cover some more ground.
'Come on! I only have a day's worth of travelling left…'
He never realized how close he had been until he looked up, the gates in his sight. The blonds' eyes widened subconsciously as he fell to the earth again, his muscles to sore and exhausted to support his little weight.
'Oh god, just…just a little bit farther! If only I had the voice to yell!'
Konoha's presence loomed over Naruto's stiff form, almost threatening to overcome his fragile body. He felt like a parasite. One where neither the host nor the bug was harmed.
Unable as a cripple, Naruto slumped into the ground, shutting his bloodshot eyes as he basked in the warm sun that shone through the leaves as it lowered slowly behind Konoha. Or so it seemed to him.
***
"We camp here for the night!" Sasuke sneered, disturbed at the inconvenience of rest and food. How he detested those two particular items at that certain moment. How he despised them!
"Thank the lord!"
"Is he serious?!"
"Ah…dirt, oh sweet dirt! Take me away!"
Thoughts such as these chorused throughout the small camp as none bothered to set up their tents or make-shift beds; content to just lie on the grass as well as the finely ground dirt.
The team's legs hurt and they all had stitches in their sides that most were currently complaining about. Though some of the males such as Sasuke, Neji, and a few others snapped at them for being so negative about their well-being when Naruto's was the one most at risk.
Apologies were said but not fully accepted.
Six hours of sleep hardly seemed like enough to the teens and their old senseis, but the younger Uchiha refused to let the Akatsuki swallow up his reason for returning. He had been mourning ever since the blond had run away from the place and people that he had sworn to protect. Those people had also grieved his absence, always keeping a lookout for the blond when they went on missions and such.
Oh how he had been missed!
And now they knew why—or thought they did. Akatsuki. The evil bastards had taken away their ball of sunshine that shone even on the rainiest day. But perhaps if they—his closest and most beloved friends—had realized his oncoming depression, maybe they could have stopped him. But they had no idea anything was happening.
"Ten minutes before we head out!" The voice of the Uchiha rang out like a bell on a cold winter's day as he called for everyone to wake. "Nine 59, nine 58, nine 57!" Sasuke yelled throughout the camp, keeping time with his rough voice.
His throat, as well as everyone else's, had swollen so badly from the lack of dehydration as they carried on their race with time that he couldn't speak only like a bison would. Many of the Nin shoved a protein bar of some sort, ignoring their smelly clothes as they obeyed Sasuke's commands.
They soon set out for their destination. Degarashi Port. It would take them approximately four hours to reach the docks. There they would spend the next 12 hours resting before setting out to wherever they felt to be the correct path.
That was the plan thus far, though it could easily change on them at any given moment…
***
"Leader-sama?" Sasori, a red headed and very handsome wooden puppeteer, called out. He had been running about the base looking for his currently missing teammate. His sloppy red hair swung in rhythm with his pace as he jogged over to meet Pein.
"Have you seen Deidara?" The both questioned the other at the exact same time. Both shook their heads no before subconsciously teaming up to look for the blond.
***
Naruto's body hadn't grown any better; in fact, its condition had declined drastically since he originally fell to the earth. The boy had been reduced to nothing, his body simply feeding off of the very little body fat he had before turning to his buff body.
Long abandoning his hopes of rising from the dusty, shaded ground, Naruto lie in unreliable hope.
He returned to sleep after grabbing a handful of leaves before shoving the low nutrient plant in his mouth and chewing hungrily. The plant tasted horrid to Naruto, but he cared not as he was practically starved.
***
Those hours passing far too slowly, the teams came rushing upon Degarashi Port within the expected time, allowing the Nin to rest.
The moods of all the ninja seemed to have worsened. Sasuke, acting more of a control freak than ever, was shouting out orders. The senseis didn't bother to listen to the guy and neither did the teens that were centered around him preparing to head into the city.
Within the hour they rented hotel rooms, each team receiving two. Soon enough, they were all sleeping to catch up on their sleep and to avoid the overcoming dread of the battle that was sure to come.
***
Pein and Sasori found the radical blond wondering around the Akatsuki base aimlessly. To their surprise, Deidara made none of his useless jabs at the red head nor did he go on about his 'art.' The day was truly an unusual one.
"Leader-sama! Any news about the ongoing situation that I should know about?" Deidara questioned seriously, looking the leader straight into the eyes as he spoke.
"They'll be here in 18 hours."
"And the nine-tails?"
"Missing."
Both Sasori and his partner looked at the rinnegan master; their expressions were of utter disbelief. The leader not knowing where the jinjurichi was-- That was impossible! Regaining his composure, Deidara began again.
"The game plan?"
"We fight. Plain and simple."
Snickering, Sasori drug his partner along with him as he travelled away from Pein.
'The Leader sure knows how to handle Deidara's mind alright…'
***
Itachi coughed loudly, blood covering up an old layer of the irony substance. Deidara was due soon and he was trying his very best to stay awake. For it was crucial.
When the door opened silently, Itachi peered at the intruder with hostile eyes before realizing that it was the blond.
"Any news?" The raven choked, coughing on his blood once again. Deidara nodded his head eagerly, his eyes somber.
"They'll be here in 18 hours; but there is no sign of the Jinjurichi anywhere. Leader-sama confirmed it."
He nodded his head in understanding, though he was thoroughly disappointed with the turn of events. With his luck, his foolish little brother had a chance of either being killed or controlled! The fool the Uchiha had turned out to be.
-=-TiMe-=-SkIp-=-
Konoha was now facing their most dangerous enemy—the Akatsuki. Things were tense as the opposing forces stood their ground, neither willing to make the first move.
"Where is he?!" Sasuke screamed as he lunged at the robed members.
The battle had begun.
Okay guys, so I find that this chapter may be a little awkward or....well....you know! But this is the transition for the sequel an stuff....(yea, I thought about leaving you guys with jsut the cliff! But I'm enjoying this story way too much!)
So...enjoy nad review please~!
