Chapter Nine: Orochimaru's Ambition Part 2
A/N: If this doesn't kill me, only Death itself will…
If you're wondering which team of Rain-nin was killed last chapter, it was the one where they used lots of haze bunshin, and that one guy (Oboro, I think) was always babbling about luck and a lack thereof.
I appreciate VenomLord's insight. Even if I don't like being proven wrong on any front, I guess it is more Inuyasha than Naruto-based.
Haruno Sakura was an average girl. She was only as strong as the weakest of her classmates, but was smarter than the Mr. Number One Rookie, Sasuke. She was infinitely more knowledgeable than Naruto, Haruko, and Inuki, prettier than Nariko with her old-woman hairstyle or Umeko with those stupid pigtails, and simply more popular than Sanyu or Keitaro.
But despite all of that, she seemed to be the only one scared of Orochimaru. She could blame it on their stupidity, their foolish need to prove themselves, or their need to feel useful. Deep inside, however, she knew that she was the only coward.
Nariko could outmatch her in any fighting or stamina-based competition and Umeko was more unpredictable than anyone besides Naruto. Haruko had more strength to use more powerful jutsus than she ever would. Inuki may have had the bluntness of a dull kunai, but he undoubtedly had a cooler head on his shoulders than the rest. Naruto had progress that followed no pattern, letting no one know what he'd learn and master next. Sasuke was more driven to succeed, and had talent to match. Sanyu was tactless and arrogant, with an obvious dislike for the Uchiha heir, but he could back up what he said with a host of mysterious powers. Keitaro may not have had the mind for facts that she did, but he was better at strategic analysis of the opponent's faults.
If Sakura had a nickel for every situation she didn't want to be in, she'd be a millionaire. Of course, the cause of her problems was facing down nine genin and letting his three-foot tongue twist in the air in front of him like a snake.
Growling, the pink-haired girl watched, stunned, as the tongue shot at Sasuke like an evil arrow, only it never actually flew. She saw Sasuke activate his Sharingan, and sidestep the assault.
Not far enough. Orochimaru's tongue changed direction as soon as it missed, grasping at Sasuke as the boy dodged, again.
This time, Orochimaru withdrew the strange appendage, and he almost flew at Sasuke. Orochimaru moved so quickly, how was Sasuke supposed to dodge that?
It was just luck that Haruko shoved the Uchiha heir out of the way and took the hit. As the snake sannin slammed his fist into Haruko, Sakura saw his hands form seals and, with a blast of purple chakra, Orochimaru rendered the redhead unconscious.
Haruko's red eyes rolled up in his head until all she could see was white and his whole body went limp. He crumpled as if his spine had been taken out. With a sadistic leer, Orochimaru shoved him off the branch they had been on.
Umeko and Nariko screamed as he fell from the thick tree limb, until Sanyu caught him in mid-fall and set him close to Sakura.
"Look after him." Sanyu said in a voice that seemed too soft and concerned for him. "And stay out of this fight."
"Hey, I can fight, you know!" Sakura said crossly, feeling Inner Sakura yell, I am so useful, asshole!
"That's not what we need." Keitaro said from the limb above them, as he dodged a shuriken – misaimed by Naruto. "Nariko and Umeko are good enough fighters, but they can't afford be distracted from fighting, and you're the only one that doesn't have known offensive jutsus."
"Just what the hell is that supposed to mean?" Sakura demanded, feeling Inner Sakura rise again.
"That means that if they were to be taken out, you wouldn't be enough to take their places." Inuki said in a strained voice as he saw Umeko's attack reflected into Naruto's direction, who dodged.
The killer top, which was what it looked like, proceeded to tear its way through a tree, then another. All the while Umeko was cursing at the top of her lungs, in a fashion that would have made a few people quite impressed.
"Kitsune-bi!" Nariko and Umeko shouted as one, gathering glittering green flames in their palms.
Sakura watched in fascination as the fiery orbs grew to the size of wagon wheels. They were strangely beautiful, like a ghost. One could never look away from such things before they disappeared on their own.
Throwing like a physically handicapped kickball player, Umeko shot her fireball in Orochimaru's direction. It moved slowly, giving the sannin time to laugh at it as it drew closer, inch by inch.
At last it hovered two centimeters from Orochimaru's nose. He laughed again. Why wouldn't he? It didn't do anything! Oh my God, we're gonna die! Sakura thought in a panic.
She snapped with the fingers of both hands.
The fireball, which had been floating there innocently, promptly exploded to cover an acre of forest. The nine genin were safe – Nariko's fireball had become a flaming shield to ward off the effects of Umeko's.
There was a dull groan, and Nariko gave a stunned gasp. As the two layers of flame cleared, Sakura saw why.
Orochimaru had Umeko by her collar, her apparently unconscious as her brother was. Her eyes were fluttering white as his had, and she was as limp as – no, limper than –a rag doll.
"The new crop of genin is certainly interesting." Orochimaru noted with smug satisfaction. "But this one is unsuitable." Without further ado, he swung the KO'd girl around and flung her down towards the forest floor.
"Umeko!" Nariko cried, reaching out hopelessly to her comatose sister. There seemed to be nothing they could do.
Then, out of nowhere, Naruto appeared. He ran up the side of the tree Umeko was falling closest to, and grabbed her out of the air.
Orochimaru almost seemed to pout as Naruto deposited Umeko near her brother. Sakura thought viciously at him, Do you enjoy killing?
Inuki gritted his sharp teeth, and seemed to debate disemboweling the sannin.
Suddenly, Sakura saw her allies in another light. While they were certainly powerful, they weren't used to working all together, much less against a ninja who had already taken out two of their number.
As Orochimaru started in on her, probably to stop her friends from giving their fallen friends a safe haven, Sakura saw Keitaro and Inuki converge on the sannin in a blaze of chakra.
Inuki struck first. He jammed his spear point into Orochimaru's calf, then dragged the tip upwards to create a crimson stripe the length of the sannin's leg. Orochimaru seemed surprised, and examined his wounded leg as Inuki bashed him in the head with his spear, and came around for a third pass by swinging it into Orochimaru's face, breaking his nose, at the least.
Finally, Inuki did the same technique as he had first used to drive off Orochimaru – Youkai Soujutsu: Kaze no Kizu. The wave of bright gold energy was dodged gracefully, but the trees falling after it were not.
As the blood began to pour out, Sanyu popped in and stretched out the fingers of his left hand to their full length, revealing pointed nails. He gave the sannin a smack with them, carving five scarlet-gushing gashes into Orochimaru's chest.
That was to everyone's surprise – he hadn't even drawn his katana!
At last, it seemed as if Orochimaru had tired of the game. His ghastly tongue shot out his mouth, a bullet, coiling several times around Inuki's neck. The white-haired boy gasped, dropping his spear in surprise. At the same time, he swung at Sanyu, though that didn't come to anything.
His hands flew to his neck, trying in vain to pry the monster's hideous tongue off him, to get air. It was useless, and the tongue tightened with every exhalation, a python's grip.
It was horribly slow for Sakura, as if she was watching every oxygen molecule die in the boy's chest. But by the look of stunned surprise and supreme anguish on Inuki's face, she knew it must be much longer for him.
An eternity seemed to pass before Keitaro twirled the weighted end of his kusarigama and latched it firmly around the middle of Orochimaru's pink, slimy monstrosity, and tugged on it.
The part after the chain's binding squeeze turned blue, as Inuki was.
Inuki's struggles were weakening, and Keitaro knew it. He, instead of doing a gentle, persuading tug, he gripped the chain and wrenched it with all his strength.
Orochimaru's expression was enough to confirm that the pull was almost enough to take that slimy pink worm out of his mouth.
Sanyu, as if to enforce the point, bounced off a tree, drew his katana and swung at the section just beyond where Keitaro's chain cut off all blood circulation. Sasuke and Naruto pulled out kunais and threw them at the immobilized sannin. Even Sakura pulled out a shuriken and tossed it at the snake bastard.
Left with only two options – drop Inuki or lose his tongue – Orochimaru's monstrous appendage curled back into his mouth, which shut with a snap.
Suddenly unsupported, the dazed Inuki plummeted towards the next branch, too stunned to try and adjust his fall.
Sasuke shot out of his position and tackled Inuki in midair, knocking the other boy to safety. Safety meant 'right next to Sakura', in battle language. She didn't really know why they were doing that. What could she do to help?
Almost as soon as Sasuke dropped him, Inuki sat up again, rubbing his bruised neck. That would definitely hurt in the morning. Already it was turning a nasty purple color.
Inuki coughed, hard, but managed to grab the trailing edge of Sasuke's armguards. He hacked again before saying, "Get Sanyu over here." Then he had his coughing fit again, all the while eyes searching for his fallen spear.
Sasuke nodded sharply, going over to take the other black-haired genin's place in the battle lineup.
It didn't seem, however, as if Sanyu was going to listen. He snapped at Sasuke, but didn't make a move to strike him. Sakura abruptly remembered that Sanyu plus Sasuke equaled zero cooperation. Inuki groaned – he had noticed, too. Then the white-haired boy vanished, leaving Sasuke arguing with thin air for a moment.
Then, Orochimaru lashed out at Sakura again, flying at her with blinding speed. Her eyes widened in horror as the snake sannin materialized less than a hand's breadth away, one arm pulled back to deliver a punch to her gut.
At that exact moment, as Orochimaru was going to silence her, a fist smashing into the side of his face cut him off. The sannin was thrown away by the force of it, colliding with – and punching a hole through – a tree.
Sakura spun around to thank her savior, only to be greeted by Inuki, whose fist was still extended.
Sakura had never seen him look so…feral.
Inuki's eyes had gone from gold to green, while the whites of his eyes had gone red. All emotion short of anger had disappeared, and she noticed two jagged purple markings forming below his eyes.
"Dammit!" she heard Keitaro shout.
"Sakura-chan, get away from him!" Naruto yelled.
Inuki snarled like a wild dog at the sound of their voices. Sakura noted that his canine teeth were longer and sharper than an Inuzuka's could ever be.
However, Sakura didn't move. Haruko and Umeko were out cold, and she wasn't going to abandon them. No way in hell.
Then the ferocity faded, and the markings disappeared. His eyed darkened to coal black, and so did his hair. Then his eyes rolled up in his head just as the snake sannin poked his head out of the hole he's made.
Inuki toppled backwards as Keitaro snapped an oath too dark for Sakura to remember. She watched, stunned, as the black-haired boy leaped over to check on his cousin, and barked his status out to their comrades.
"Alive, unconscious, out of chakra. How the hell he manages to have timing like this, I'll never know." The black-haired boy's eerie gold eyes met Sakura's, with a silent request.
Or not.
"He won't wake up for at least a day or two. When he does, be warned that he could still carry animal instincts. Be careful."
Sakura finally found to opportunity to ask her pressing question as Keitaro's eyes snapped to meet Orochimaru's near-identical ones.
"Why me?" she wondered aloud, "Why put them around me?"
Keitaro laughed, never once removing his sight from Orochimaru. "You'll find out in a bit. Not from me, though."
Then the sannin and genins clashed again, leaving Sakura with a largely unanswered question.
"What the hell are you people doing?!" Inuyasha snarled as the ANBU seemed to take too long to prepare for the outset. Not that Shippou was in a position to complain – he was just as impatient and crabby – but Inuyasha always managed to make things complicated.
Like the time where he tried to rush Sango's recovery for revenge. How does one exact their revenge when they're still stuck in bed?
Shippou eyed his foster-brother with some irritation, but neglected to comment. It would be too easy, and would likely just redirect the hanyou's wrath unto him.
Anko, as far as the redhead could tell, was equally agitated. Anko was well-known for her sadistic impulses, as well as for her seemingly bottomless hatred for her ex-sensei, Orochimaru. It didn't take a genius to see where she'd gotten the former.
However, unlike a majority of the people involved in this crusade, she had a very personal score to settle. Shippou's was a little besides that, and Inuyasha was just extremely worried about the genin. Specifically, Inuki.
Shippou had four times the problems, though they might have amounted to about the same.
Firstly, his estranged son, other wise known as the Kyuubi no Youko, was running rampant in the Forest of Death. Secondly, Komaru didn't have any idea that he now was an older brother. He'd left before the triplets had been born, and probably wouldn't recognize them. Thirdly, Orochimaru was messing with Team Seven, and Shippou's children had most likely gone to back them up. They were contrary like that. Fourthly, there was a chance that someone – most likely Orochimaru – was orchestrating an attack on Konoha within the next month, according to Hachi, who was far away in River Country.
Amazingly, Hachi was their fly-on-the-wall in the Akatsuki. His human disguise was flawless, but only if he tried to mimic Miroku. Anyone else, and the illusion would quickly fall.
Myouga had been considered, but hadn't changed much in all the centuries they'd known him. Still mainly useless, aside from messenger duty, Myouga rarely was found beyond the reach of his master, Inuyasha.
More astoundingly, Sesshoumaru had no claim to control over him, much like how Inuyasha could not (and wouldn't care to) order Jaken or his descendants about.
Inuyasha often mentioned how he'd gotten the short end of the stick in that bargain.
"Hey, Inuyasha," he started, tapping to other man on the shoulder. Inuyasha's white head snapped towards him, golden eyed flashing. He was clearly in no mood to be bothered, but Shippou had had an idea that wouldn't go away. "This might be a little off-topic, but you know that Orochimaru used to be part of the Akatsuki, right?"
"Yeah, and sucked at it." Inuyasha replied dryly, a smirk playing on his lips.
"Well, Hachi also says that they're planning on take over the world using the nine bijuu, starting and stopping wars without much effort, causing the people to depend on them for all shinobi resources and crap until the hidden villages die out." Shippou and Inuyasha rolled their eyes at that. A more than implied 'yeah, right' was in there.
"Thing is, they aren't really expecting several different factors. Foremost, they don't know about us. I'm the Jyuubi, though I'm certainly no half-demon. You could most likely kill any demon we'd run into, bijuu or not. And Sesshoumaru…let's just say that it's never been smart to piss him off. Ever."
Inuyasha grinned, showing off his very long canines. "And only bijuu, the strongest half-breed giant monsters in the world, can be sealed. Komaru definitely isn't a bijuu anymore, so we can say that the Akatsuki will never complete that goal."
Souten chose that moment to walk over, saluting the two even though it wasn't necessary. "We're ready to hit the road. Got everything?"
Inuyasha patted himself down, fingering the hilt of his prized fang for a moment. "Let's see – Tetsusaiga, check; lousy temper, check; fire-rat haori, check. I'm all set."
"All I need is a lot of youki and my brain, so I'll be fine." Shippou informed his wife with a foxy grin. "Can't say the same for Stupid over here, though."
There was a pause; Shippou hadn't tried to spark his foster-brother's temper in a very long time.
"Correction: lousier temper, check."
With that, the ANBU forces found themselves tailing the two hyperactive (and angry) jounin as they tore off through the trees.
For better or for worse, they would confront the snake sannin. Most likely, for worse. Far worse.
Screw what everyone else thought, Rin was still the most active member of Konoha society out of the family she had.
She had to be. She was the one who shopped while her sons were on D-ranked missions, who bantered semi-playfully with the townsfolk for more than an hour a day, and kept her three children from destroying their things.
Actually, she had come to think that Konoha was like a very large family. The shinobi were sort of like the big brothers and uncles, watching over the noncombatants. The kunoichi were the big sisters and aunts, keeping them safe like the shinobi did, but also making sure they didn't grow cold. For an orphaned woman, that would be quite the speech.
Sesshoumaru-sama wasn't Sesshoumaru-sama anymore, as Kagome liked to put it. That didn't mean the priestess wouldn't address him as was due – far from it – but she implied that the uptight demon lord wouldn't mind being called 'Sesshoumaru-kun' by Rin.
And he didn't. However, he did forbid her from calling him that in public. Well, some things never would change. If he wasn't overly prideful, he simply wouldn't be Sesshoumaru-sama.
Rin hurried along her path, dodging a straying child, her feet barely touching the ground as she ran. The villagers stared at the blur she had become, not quite able to grasp that the smiling, good-natured, open-to-the-world Rin could rival a shinobi's top speed.
While she couldn't move or react as quickly as Sesshoumaru-sama (old habits die hard) would have liked, she was far more powerful than the others would fully give her credit for.
Perhaps it was because she merely hid her triumphs in order to stay anonymous. Anonymity was a shinobi's best weapon, which the other five had not quite gotten into their heads.
Souten, even with her oinin mask, was pitifully easy to recognize by her burning red eyes and her long black braid. The two flaming wheels she used for flight were more than a dead giveaway. Her skin was a normal tone, but a single dismissive wave of her hand could scorch another person into a lightning-induced pile of ash. If her brother could do it, it came as no surprise that Souten could, too.
Shippou's red hair had been cut, and he'd taken to dulling it with shinobi-specialized shampoo, but any moron within twenty feet – or fifty for ninjas – would be able to see he wasn't normal, just from his facial structure. For lack of a better term, Shippou was almost…elfin. His chin was sharper, and his eyes were a little larger, and the ears gave everything away.
Inuyasha couldn't be subtle or tactful if he tried. He wasn't in Konoha often, but when he was, he would occasionally forget to wear his bandanna/hitai-ate that would have hidden the oh-so-obvious dog ears he sported. When someone dared to ask, Inuyasha tended to whack said idiot through a building. Hence, everyone in Konoha now feared him, rightfully.
Kagome was easier. She was a Tokubetsu jounin, which meant most people wouldn't be stupid enough to mess with her in the first place. She knew very few attacks or jutsus outside of what she could perform with her bow, which she carried everywhere. If someone happened to meet her at night, and she wasn't wearing her hitai-ate like the bandanna it was supposed to be, they'd know right away that she was a far cry from human.
Sesshoumaru…well, he didn't honestly care about impressions. If the person didn't acknowledge his rank and power, they tended to die. Plus, while he didn't spend that much time actually in Konoha, his reputation from Iwagakure and Sunagakure should have been obvious enough, even leaving out the fact that he never – ever – wore anything resembling shinobi garb.
Rin skidded to a halt in front of the Hokage's office, greeting the two chuunins on guard with a smile and a wave. Izumo and Kotetsu returned the sentiment.
Oh, I am going to need to apologize to the people I blew past. They were only doing their jobs, Rin thought.
"What are you doing here?" Izumo asked, back to his polite, if unusually distant, speech. Izumo was the one without the bandage across his nose, Rin reminded herself.
"I wasn't sure if Yondaime-sama had gotten the message, so I'm here to relay it, if he hasn't." Rin responded, equally polite but still a little hurried.
"What message?" Kotetsu put in.
Rin's lips quirked into a sad half-smile; she really didn't like saying no to people who meant well. "I'm very sorry, Kotetsu-san, but Souten-san says that Hokage-sama needs to hear this first."
Izumo nodded, and quickly scooted into the Hokage's office. It seemed only a moment later of chatting with Kotetsu, and Izumo was giving her permission. He was also holding the door open for her.
Rin had a funny feeling that ninjas tended not to take 'civilians' seriously, but were making an exception in her case. How nice of them, she mused.
She stepped through, and kicked the door shut behind her. She heard Izumo curse, but she had decided that it was worth it. Best not to have chuunins hear something they shouldn't be privy to. Worst case scenario, they could be killed for it.
The Yondaime had never stuck her as a person who enjoyed paperwork. Sure enough, he still didn't.
To one side of his desk, a terrifyingly high stack of unsigned papers was teetering on the edge of the influence of what could be called balance and into something called gravity. Sitting neatly on his desk, a comparably small pile was just there, as if the signer had been in denial of the haphazard position of the other pile.
Everything else was normal enough.
"Did you need to see me, Inutaisho-san?" Arashi asked in that respectful tone that Rin knew should be used only for visiting dignitaries, which she was not.
Rin shook her head, and suggested, "Call me Rin-san."
As she watched the Yondaime's blue eyes grow wide, she knew it hadn't been a good idea. Then she remembered that one of the Yondaime's students was named Rin as well.
Rin wasn't sure if it was a given, but it seemed as if all of the really prestigious teams (Team Yondaime and Team Sarutobi) tended to fall through in one way or another.
She inclined her head at Arashi, who seemed to have regained his composure, and continued with what she'd planned to say.
"Yondaime-sama, there's been a…incident. Orochimaru's been spotted heading into the Forest of Death, and I'm almost certain he's after Uchiha Sasuke." Rin waited for the name to register. When the Hokage's eyes cleared, she knew it had.
Rin continued, and she wasn't going to like the reaction he displayed, she knew it. "If you'll recall, Uchiha Sasuke is on the same team as Uzumaki Naruto. Orochimaru will most likely attempt a Gogyou Fuuin (Five Elements Seal), and while it wouldn't cause that many problems, Naruto doesn't have a normal seal. Something like that…it certainly wouldn't be good."
The silence was thunderous.
"WHAT?!" Arashi's shout was punctuated by his fist caving in a section of his deck. Not that she blamed him for that. It wasn't her desk.
He was on his feet, and his normally content blue eyes had gone cold. If he hadn't had some sort of appearance to maintain, she could easily imagine him vaulting out of the window to go to his son's rescue.
"Oh, and the Kyuubi's decided to come back and kill Orochimaru himself. He's in the Forest too, I think. He says that he'll stop bugging you once the Snake is dead." Rin added with false cheer.
That shut him up. Now the Yondaime was gaping like a fish, which she would have found amusing, but the situation was far too serious for something like that.
Rin put up two fingers. "At the moment, there are a grand total of…two traditional ninjas in Konoha who can take on Orochimaru and possibly win. One it you, the other is Sandaime-sama."
"I can't leave my post as Hokage," Arashi muttered, sounding very disappointed in himself, "and Sarutobi-sama's too old for things like this. What am I going to do…?"
"Hold it," Rin almost snapped, speaking with some uncharacteristic forcefulness. How surprised her family would be, seeing her stand up to the Hokage like that. "It's too early to give up. My sons, nephews, and friends' children are in there too, you know. Their parents, siblings – and my husband – aren't going to slack off."
The Yondaime's eyes went flat, and Rin sensed a debate at hand. "Orochimaru is a Sannin, Inutaisho-san. Few people have ever been able to compete with one of them, one of which was Hatake Sakumo, Konoha's White Fang. For the most part, those people are dead."
Rin knew that. Rin had known that humans couldn't fight worth anything since she had been killed by wolf demons and revived by Sesshoumaru-sama. Since she was small, she'd also known that demons were so much more powerful than people, it was pathetic.
Rin huffed – something she had gotten from Kagome whenever she and Inuyasha clashed. "I said traditional ninjas, Arashi-sama. Inuyasha-san and Shippou-san are heading into the Forest of Death right now, along with Souten-san, Anko-san and two full squads of ANBU. They aren't perfect, but all three of them are more than a match for any snake-obsessed pedophile. Don't worry."
Unexpectedly, Arashi looked as if he were going to laugh. It was unmistakable – the relaxation of the chakra pressure in the air, the softening of the eyes, even the stress marks on his too-young face seemed to fade slightly.
"What's so funny?" she demanded; this was hardly the time to laugh!
"Sorry," the Yondaime replied after regaining his composure, again, "but that's the first time I've ever heard someone call the Legendary Sannin Orochimaru a snake-obsessed pedophile, though it's probably true."
Rin threw her hands up in exasperation. It wasn't like she had that much to say. "One more thing. Do not, by any means, trust the Kazekage. By the time he comes (with Gaara in his genin arsenal, how could he not), he'll most likely be dead. The man who may greet you by then will most likely be an imposter, so don't assume you can trust. Far from it. If the ninjas who've already entered the Forest fail to kill Orochimaru, expect him."
Arashi looked like his head was very stuffed now. "The Kyuubi is helping us? Seems nearly impossible when you remember how it nearly wiped us off the map."
"I wouldn't call it helping, exactly. More like his goals just happen to coincide with ours." Rin admitted sheepishly.
"That's better."
The two smiled, but they knew the next days would not be easy. If they were lucky, the snake would break under the combined pressure from the defending genin, the attacking ANBU, and the Kyuubi, but they doubted it. Snakes were irritating like that.
(A/N: For those who wanted to see Komaru/Kyuubi, sorry, but he doesn't have another part until next chapter. So I posted an omake in his place: What did the jounins do while their teams were taking the Second Exam?)
"Kagome-san, who is he?" Kakashi asked the other jounin. Kagome blinked at him.
"Who?" she asked. She was pretty sure Kakashi knew everyone in the room – someone had gone and reserved special rooms for jounin-senseis of every village. Asuma and Kurenai were there too, while Gai was severely testing the patience of one Sesshoumaru.
"Oh, Sesshoumaru-sama?" she inquired softly, so Gai wouldn't be distracted and thus stop distracting Sesshoumaru.
"Yeah, him." Kakashi responded from behind the orange cover of Icha Icha Paradise. Kakashi was so good at looking disinterested; she'd have never known he was even paying any sort of attention if it weren't for the fact that he'd started this conversation.
"Um…well, I've known him for a long time. He's Inuyasha's older brother." Kakashi's one visible eye widened slightly. Just slightly. She continued, "The first meeting was very…unpleasant, since he almost killed Inuyasha and me. He's been very busy managing all the land he inherited from his father, but I'm glad he's finally stopped killing people just because they got in his way on the road or something."
Any pertinent info after that was drowned out by Gai's shout, since he had finally started to notice Kakashi was there, too.
"YOSH! MY ETERNAL RIVAL IS FINALLY PARTICIPATING IN THE YOUTHFUL ACTIVITY OF DATING!"
The silence was just astounding.
"Um…I'm married." Kagome put in.
Wrong thing to say.
"OHO! SO KAKASHI IS–!"
Whatever Gai had intended to say after that was cut off by him rather forcefully exiting the room. Kakashi and Kagome hadn't moved.
"You are certain he is sane, correct?" Sesshoumaru inquired in a vaguely interested tone. It was honestly very strange to see four jounin (the fifth having been knocked out) scared out of their minds while facing one other.
Kagome giggled rather inappropriately, and said, "We can only hope."
A/N: Wow, six pages of action and eight of junk (plot stuff).
I do not, by any means, expect joy at the release of this chapter. It's so late, it'll be a miracle if anyone even remembers it exists.
I am very happy today - Christmas Eve, man! I get presents tomorrow, I get presents tomorrow! Yay!
Gai may be out of character. I wouldn't know. Kurenai and Asuma, if you noticed, have had no lines at all in this story. Happens to a lot of characters in fanfiction, I'm sure. Gai's longest line is copyright to Foxie-sama, since I honestly couldn't think of anything.
There is no beta, so I take all credit for any mistakes in this chapter.
Next up is 'Kyuubi no Youko vs. Orochimaru'.
