HAHAHAHAHA… my finals are OVER!!!!! Yay!!!

I fluked a lot of subjects, though… ah… sad…

I finally managed to update! This chapter totally rocks… and thanks for the sixty-seven reviews I have so far!!!! Hopefully, I'll have a hundred by the next chapter…. I'm waiting….

Okay, let's get this story going before everyone else kills me.

Enjoy!

N

Chapter 6- Desert Oasis

六- 沙漠中的绿色天堂

"Akatsuki. So…" Sakura breathed, exchanging a sideways glance with Tenten, her heart throbbing as she said those words- the words that she knew was an absolute lie.

"They're after Naruto, obviously,"

She felt the pressure of the lie. Trying to deceive herself wasn't going to work for long.

"We think they want something else as well," Shikamaru uncrossed his arms and stepped forward. Sakura could've sworn that her heart stopped for a few moments. Was this it? Did they know the truth already?

"The scrolls," Tenten said promptly, seeing Sakura's face.

"Exactly," Neji deadpanned. "We've got to beat them to it,"

"Easy for you to say…" Shikamaru said lazily, sighing. "Man, this is-"

"Troublesome," three Konoha shinobis cut in dryly.

"We know, Shikamaru, so stop complaining already," Tenten quipped. "Doesn't make any difference. It's still a mission that we've got to complete,"

"Does anyone else know?" Sakura queried, looking at the Hyuuga prodigy.

"Only the five of us. And I prefer we keep it that way," Neji replied coolly. "We don't want the rest worrying, they're far too vulnerable. We need Naruto fired up to keep the others going, or we'll be fighting a losing battle for sure,"

The four shinobis nodded, understanding.

"I'm positive that all of us can be trusted and not give way to emotion," Neji continued, his tone firm.

"But Temari will have to know, right? If Gaara-sama's coming, she'll be taking charge," Shikamaru started, looking at the Kazekage. "Right?"

"With Baki as her advisor, yes. Sometimes Temari can make the most ridiculous decisions," Gaara said dryly.

"Only Temari, then. No one else," Neji finished.

"If we're done, let's get going. The others might get suspicious, even though I doubt it," Tenten said, motioning to the audible food riot outside. "Judging by all that noise,"

They could hear Naruto and Kiba bickering all the way from the dining hall, with some colourful language not really fit to be on a printed page.

"HEY! That was my piece of chicken, you bastard!"

"Shut up, you moron! I got it first!"

"No you didn't! I got it first!"

"Even Akamaru says I got it first! Geroff !"

"Gimme back my piece of chicken!"

"Stop yelling in my ear!"

"Not until I get my chicken back!"

"MORON!!"

"BASTARD!!"

The sounds of a scuffle ensued.

The Konoha shinobis sweatdropped. Gaara let out a sigh.

"Well, I better go make sure those two don't dismantle my house completely,"

Neji nodded. Gaara and Shikamaru headed out, Sakura and Tenten were about to follow when a certain Hyuuga prodigy's voice rang out behind them.

"Wait,"

Sakura could've sworn her heart stopped beating for a few moments. She could sense it. Neji knew what she had been hiding. Slowly, the kunoichi turned around, awaiting the death sentence pending.

"Yeah?"

"The scrolls belong to your clan, don't they?" Neji spoke, straight to the point. "And Akatsuki is after you this time,"

The pink-haired girl was silent for a long while.

"Why did you keep it from us?" Neji's voice was quiet, undemanding.

Silence.

"I didn't want anyone to worry… I thought it was my own problem, something I had to deal with myself," Sakura replied, looking at her feet. Part of that was true. She also knew that by not telling at least her team leaders, she had put everyone into unpredictable danger. But she preferred not to think about that now.

To her surprise, Hyuuga Neji was smiling. Slightly, but a smile was a smile.

"You're becoming like the Uchiha, you know that?"

Sakura looked up sharply. He- he- was comparing her to- to- Sasuke?

"You're inheriting that 'this is my problem and I'll deal with it alone' attitude of his," Neji said before Sakura could even get started. "I had that problem. But you have to consider that everything you do, everything concerning you, will affect the team. Did you ever think about that?"

"Yes," Sakura said softly. "I did,"

"You were afraid that we would reject you, right?"

She nodded.

"You should've known that none of us would be that lowly,"

"It was my fault," Sakura said quietly. "I was selfish. But you have to understand that even I didn't know how to handle this in the beginning. And it isn't easy to tell people that I'm a danger magnet,"

"That's why I'm not telling this to the entire team," Neji folded his arms, his face stern. "You're let off for this once. But no more secrets, Haruno,"

The cherry blossom's face broke into a smile. "Sure thing,"

Tenten, who had been silent all the while, grinned. "Case solved, let's get going," she motioned to the door.

Sakura strode towards her best friend, before halting suddenly and turning back to face the Hyuuga prodigy.

"One more question, Neji,"

"Hn,"

"How did you know?"

Neji motioned to his opaque eyes, a slight smile plastered on his face.

"I can see everything, after all,"

N

Even the opaque-eyed prodigy had to admit, they had chosen a bad time to travel. The scorching sun bore down on their hunched figures, dragging their feet through the soft sand.

Lee was supporting a groaning and complaining jinchuuriki, Shikamaru gave Ino a piggyback after her relentless pleading. Neji sighed inwardly.

He was proud of the other kunoichis in his team. Tenten and Sakura showed no sign of giving up even though they were drenched in sweat, and Hinata did not complain despite looking utterly exhausted.

He knew Lee well enough to know that the thick brows never gave up. Sai was emotionless, as always, Kiba was muttering to Akamaru. Shikamaru, for once, did not utter a word about the mission being 'troublesome', while Gaara, probably used to the scorching desert weather, walked calm and upright before him.

Wanting to maintain his image as a Hyuuga, Neji kept his composure. But after another two hours in the sweltering heat, slipping and sinking into sand, even he silently admitted defeat.

"N-Neji nii-san… gomen… but I really can't…" Hinata staggered, and Sakura caught her, on the verge of collapsing herself.

"Okay- Neji- I… really can't- go any- farther…" Tenten sank to the ground on her knees, her lips parched. Neji looked reluctant.

"Let the rest, Hyuuga," Gaara looked back, his expression unreadable. Without waiting for an answer or any sign of consent, the young Kazekage waved a hand, creating a sandy dome around them, shielding them from the sun.

Immediately everyone collapsed on the soft sand.

"Some wind, anyone…" Naruto groaned.

"I'll handle that," Sai said emotionlessly, releasing four phoenixes out of two scrolls, allowing them to soar inside the 'tent', creating a light breeze around the thankful shinobis.

"This is the life…" Ino drawled, spread-eagled on the soft sand. Lee and Kiba fingered the solid sand walls curiously. Sakura went around tirelessly, healing blisters and sores while Hinata and Tenten divided the food and water.

N

Healing was no easy job, and by the time she was finished, Sakura was exhausted. She plopped down beside a calm, quiet Sai, who was busy inking and sealing an assortment of animals into empty scrolls.

"How do you stay so calm, Sai-kun?" Sakura sighed, massaging her sore legs while accepting Hinata's offer of water, gulping down the entire bottle in one go.

"Shouldn't that question be directed at Gaara-sama or Neji-san?" Sai continued drawing, not looking up.

"Well, you're the nearest one to me right now," Sakura retorted with less vigour than usual, she was too tired to argue with an emotionless boy.

"To answer your question, I simply don't bother about others like you always do, ugly old hag," Sai spared her a quick glance.

Too tired to answer, Sakura simply closed her eyes and let sleep overcome her.

N

Kakashi leapt agilely from bough to bough, careful not to rustle any leaves. His senses were sharp and alert for any suspicious signs or movements, as a Jounin's should be.

He had chosen the path up North of the Fire Country before turning west, towards the Wind country. He didn't need to go through Sunagakure, anyway, and he'd rather avoid miles of hot, open desert.

His single eye roamed the green land for hidden traps and enemies. He'd met some robbers and all, trying to sneak up on him (idiots)… but they were handled easily enough. Still, it never hurt to be cautious.

Pakkun panted as it followed Kakashi. "Oi, Kaka-bastard! Slow down! I'm getting old, you know!"

"This is a mission. How slow d'you want me to go?" the Copy Ninja didn't miss a beat.

:You were the one who wanted me to come along, baka,"

"For company,"

"Because someone couldn't come along…"

"Sakura's on a mission,"

"AHA! So you wanted her to come!" Pakkun declared triumphantly. "Hey, you in love or something?"

Kakashi glared daggers at the over-talkative dog. "She's like my sister, baka… the only one in Team 7 who ever opened up to me… you know that Sasuke and Naruto were always interested only in achieving what they wanted… she had very different goals,"

"Aww… how sweet… the Hatake Kakashi admitting that he's got a soft spot!" Pakkun said sarcastically.

"Just shut up," Kakashi muttered. "Like you'd ever understand…"

"Haha. Very funny," Pakkun snorted a little. "You better not get me killed in this mission, Kakashi… I'm not your field agent, I'm just an innocent little bystander,"

"Innocent bystander?" Kakashi snorted. "We've got a mission to complete, Pakkun, so just shut up and buck up already,"

N

In the shadows of the trees, a figure lurked, listening to their every word. As soon as the duo was out of sight, the figure chuckled dryly.

"Hatake Kakashi… the forest is a really bad place to hold personal conversations…"

N

Kabuto adjusted his glasses and squinted through the dim light to see the body he was working on. Silently he cursed Orochimaru for always choosing the dull, dark places to stay. Medic nins needed light, for goodness' sake.

He stopped for a moment to reflect.

Hidden Sound was crumbling rapidly. Putting high-handed, powerful ninjas all in one village was not paying off. Everyone wanted the best for oneself, co-operation was non-existent. No one dared determine where their loyalties lay, who was a friend and who was a foe. Everyone was a suspect, let down your guard for two seconds and you were a dead man.

Orochimaru was desperate. Metempsychosis (1) had failed for the first time, and the snake Sannin did not take failure well. Besides, there was no guarantee that it would succeed, even this time. The Uchiha blood was not yet his.

Otogakure was under control when Orochimaru had a clearer mind, but now his mind was filled with nothing but acquiring Sasuke's body as his own. It had become his obsession, his weakness, and his empire was crumbling with him.

Kabuto smiled to himself. The outcome of this battle had already been decided when Orochimaru began to fear his own apprentice.

"Uchiha Sasuke… you are one remarkable boy…"

N

The Konoha shinobis had to learn the harshness of the desert- even at night- the hard way.

Everyone was nearly frozen stark stiff. The chilly winds nipped at their pale, cold, exposed faces scathingly, until their skin felt almost raw. No one spoke, everyone merely struggled against the blowing wind with their eyes narrowed to prevent sand from blinding them.

Sakura pulled her light brown cloak tightly around her shoulders and looked around enviously at the other girls, who had the boys' protective arms around them, shielding them from the wind.

The formation had been totally forgotten. Gaara, totally unfazed, walked forward calmly, leading the group. Neji and Tenten, Naruto and Hinata, Shikamaru and Ino followed. Kiba was too busy protecting Akamaru to notice anything or anyone else, Lee and Sai walked unfailingly behind her.

Sakura shivered slightly, still trying to act like a tough kunoichi while her feet were shaking and her tightly clenched teeth still managed to chatter uncontrollably. She barely felt any warmth from her cloak.

Just then, she felt an arm placed firmly around her shoulders, and jolted.

It was Sai. Sai. What was happening to the world?

"Sai?" Sakura asked quizzically.

"You're uncomfortable with this?" Sai asked emotionlessly, not letting go of his grip on her visibly trembling shoulders.

"No… this just isn't… normal… for you,"

"Get used to it, then. And don't mistake my intentions, you're just a friend to me… ugly,"

"Yeah, sure. Whatever you say," Sakura managed a dry smile. "Arigatou, Sai-kun,"

"Hn," was the extent of his reply, but the kunoichi could've sworn that there had been a twitch at the corner of his mouth- the first sign of a real smile.

N

"We're almost there,"

Everyone looked up, hope crossing their perspiring faces. After seemingly endless days of braving the bizarre desert weather conditions, that sentence was all they wanted to hear.

The Kazekage looked at the group f shinobis behind him, shaking his head slightly while trying to contain a smile. They'd made it this far, after all…

"We'll take a break…" Shikamaru panted. "Is that a mirage, or do I see an oasis?"

"It's real," Gaara said dryly, turning to head towards the lush heaven spread before them, complete with a clear blue lake and shady trees, located right under a rocky cliff whose peak was too high to be seen.

Gratefully, the rest of the Leaf shinobis trailed behind him, comforted by the thought of achieving one of their mission objectives by tomorrow.

N

Somehow, Sakura distrusted this place. She studied her surroundings as she sat on the grassy bank of the lake alone, watching her friends ramble around, exploring the oasis while laughing and joking.

This place wasn't created by genjutsu, she was sure of that. But she had that tingling feeling in her gut, her intuition was telling her that something was about to happen. She couldn't shake off that sense of foreboding, even if she wanted to. Sakura trusted her intuition.

She vaguely saw Kiba and Akamaru, flanked by a singing Lee, heading towards the lake with its cool, inviting water. Lee's singing was terrible, but somehow Sakura was oblivious to it. She kept feeling something… something….

A sudden jolt shook Sakura's body as images filled her mind and the terrified cherry blossom reached out a hand to try and stop the two boys from touching the water.

Yet no sound escaped her throat, her body was rigid and unable to move as she watched them bending, in slow motion, closer and closer towards the glassy surface of the water… before she found her movement and voice again.

In milliseconds, the kunoichi was on her feet and racing towards them at top speed, a strangled cry escaping her lips as she ran.

"Kiba! Lee! NO!"

Kiba and Lee straightened suddenly to look at Sakura, totally confused by her sudden outburst.

Too late. Akamaru's white paw touched the surface of the water, sending little waves rippling across the still surface of the water.

And hell broke loose.

N

Neji leaned against a tree, his opaque eyes watching Naruto talking to Hinata and making her blush and laugh. His eyes narrowed.

After Hinata had shyly excused herself, stammering, to help Ino do something, Neji strolled up behind the hyperactive ninja quietly.

"Naruto,"

"Yeah, Neji?" the jinchuuriki turned to face his team leader, smiling but curious.

"Come with me for a sec," Neji ordered, walking towards the trees.

"Geez, what is this about?" Naruto grumbled, scrambling through the prickling bush with as much grace as a herd of stampeding elephants, before bumping into a solid chest head-on.

Naruto looked up, only to find Neji staring down at him.

"What?"

"You like Hinata,"

It wasn't a question, Hyuuga Neji was making a blunt statement. His gaze never wandered, never wavered. After all, he was one of Konoha's best interrogators.

This was scary.

"Y-Yeah?" Naruto shook slightly. Neji had a way of scaring the wits out of a person. 'What's up with him?'

Neji's right hand flew out suddenly and slammed Naruto into a tree. Naruto let out an indignant yelp. "What was that for?" he hollered, getting angry.

The Hyuuga genius, unfazed, spoke stoically.

"Don't hurt her. If you do…"

"Then what?" Naruto didn't mean that he would ever hurt Hinata, but he was curious.

"Then you can kiss your beloved ramen goodbye,"

"Uh… why?" the hyperactive ninja sweatdropped.

"Because," Neji smirked satisfactorily, dropping Naruto and turning to walk away. He paused, glancing sideways at Naruto.

"I don't think there's gonna be any ramen in hell,"

N

"NO!"

Sakura's piercing yell rang through the air. Neji and Naruto looked at each other, expressions hardening, before sprinting out of the bushes swiftly.

By the lake, a sight met their eyes. The rest of the team were staring, with a mixture of horror and awe at the thing rising out of the water from beside the lake.

The clear blue lake water rippled in wide circles, creating waves that washed upon the shore violently. The ground shook, Kiba and Lee sprang back quickly to avoid falling into the lake altogether.

A screech, somewhat terrible, yet beautiful and powerful, echoed endlessly through the silent sky.

Everyone subconsciously edged away from the thing, with three exceptions. Sai remained rigidly still, as did Gaara, their faces ever expressionless. Sakura-

Sakura was walking towards the creature.

N

"What is she doing!" Naruto bellowed disbelievingly. "Does she know what that thing can do?"

Neji's opaque eyes narrowed. Sakura wasn't that stupid, or rash. Unless-

"Byakugan!"

The Hyuuga prodigy scanned the scene carefully, picking every minor detail out for examination. He saw nothing out of place, nothing to indicate that the entire thing had been a set up or a trap.

"No, this isn't genjutsu," he spoke quietly. "This- is the real thing,"

Naruto watched the huge phoenix, in all its golden glory, with its majestic seven tails swishing as it rose gracefully, in awe. He let out a low whistle, impressed by the pure beauty and power of the creature.

"So…" he breathed. "This… is the Nanabi,"

N

Eh… cliffhanger!!! For those who don't know what these words are-

Metempsychosis- the process in which Orochimaru inhabits a new body.

Nanabi- the seven-tailed beast, like the Kyubi (nine tails) in Naruto. Since I think no one knows the Nanabi yet, I used it in this story. It plays a major part, so… pay attention!

Kakashi made an appearance in this chapter… hope you guys liked that part! Sasuke will appear again in the next chapter, sorry because he wasn't in this one.

I won't be updating next week, I'm not gonna be free. That leaves you plenty of time to review. Hehe…

I hope you guys like this chapter. Really. Leave me a review!

Oh, and the next chapter will be dedicated to my 100th reviewer (if there even is a 100th reviewer)

Next chapter:

Chapter 7- The Nanabi

七-七尾神

Well, have a great day…

-Raven Ariana-