I do not own the anime/manga Naruto or any of it's characters.


Sound Ninja Four

Kidomaru, Tayuya, Jirobo, Sakon, and Ukon landed in a small clearing as Jirobo gently put Sasuke down so he was resting against a tree, "Okay, we're far enough", said Sakon as he took out a scroll, and unsealed what looked like a large cylinder-shaped coffin with a rope surrounding it with some talismans hanging on top of it.

"Here", said Sakon giving Sasuke what looked like food pills, "Your curse mark has two different levels. The first level is when you get those markings on your body, while the second level will increase all your abilities. However, to unlock the second level, you have to die first. These pills will put you into a death-like state in order to unlock your second level, and then there's a possibility your wounds would heal quicker due to the fact that during the awakening of the second stage your curse mark tends to improve some features, though this is a one-time thing only", explained Sakon.

Sasuke looked at Sakon like he didn't trust him, but he knew that Orochimaru sent these four to get him because they also share curse marks like him, according to what he saw back at the gate, and if he could awaken the second level of his curse mark, he would be unstoppable, 'No one would stand in my way, not even the idiot and Sakura.'

Sasuke took the pills and ate all of them, however, once he was finished eating them, he felt his curse mark react as pain coursed through his whole body. AHH "W-What d-did you do to me?! Grunt You'll pay for this!!" AHH

"The pain is a normal reaction; we all had to go through it. The coffin is to entrap any chakra release that would warn an enemy close by to our location, and it would make transporting your body easier", explained Kidomaru as Sasuke fell unconscious to the ground. "Obnoxious brat, now maybe we can get some peace and quiet", mumbled Kidomaru grabbing Sasuke's body and placing him in the coffin. Tayuya was leaning against a tree with her arms crossed, glaring at the ground, while thinking about the events that occurred last night. "Hey, Tayuya, you okay?" asked Jirobo with concern.

"I'm fine", said Tayuya angrily.

"Tayuya, I know it's hard to lose someone close, but hasn't occurred to you that she might actually be Kin, and that the Uchiha was playing with your emotions just to escape the village?" asked Kidomaru.

Tayuya didn't respond to Kidomaru and just glared at the ground, "Tayuya, we all felt the loss of Kin. She was like a sister to us, and we accepted her just like we accepted you being her lover, though that took some time getting used to", said Ukon whispering the last part. "Each of us were driven from our homes, and lost someone really important to us, which is why we all agreed to stay together. If Kimimaro were here, he would probably say the same thing", said Sakon.

"But you still have to consider the possibility that maybe those Leaf ninja were telling the truth. What if through some miraculous event, they did save Kin's life, and she is now living with them?" said Ukon.

"What do you mean 'miraculous event'?! Even if they did save her life, they probably tortured her or worse!" nearly screamed Tayuya as horrible images ran through her mind causing Tayuya fall on her knees while holding her head as she tried to get those horrible scenarios out of her mind as tears of sorrow ran down her cheek.

"Tayuya, we hate to see you like this. We know you really loved Kin, but maybe next time we see this person, maybe we can ask some questions to see if she's real or not", said Jirobo trying to cheer her up.

Tayuya was still on her knees crying when she felt a reassuring arm on her shoulder. Tayuya looked up at Kidomaru with a sincere smile, "And if she isn't the real Kin, then we'll all avenge her death. Now cheer up, what would Kin say if she saw you like this?"

Sniffle "She'll probably be crying with me holding me close until I feel better while whispering something like 'It's going to be alright', or something like that. Ha, She was always a soft person at heart, but I guess that's why I fell in love with her", sniffled Tayuya.

"Speaking of which, I wonder how Kimimaro's doing. He wasn't feeling too well when we received our orders. He really wanted to come, but his illness got in the way. Man, I hated not helping him get up when he collapsed in front of Lord Orochimaru. It really ticks me off that we have to hide the fact that we've become somewhat close to each other. That lousy snake always finds some way to manipulate others that have someone they care about", said Kidomaru.

"That may be true, but right now we've wasted enough time. We should get moving in case there's a squad looking for the Uchiha", said Sakon.

Team Shikamaru

Naruto, Kiba, Akamaru, Neji, Choji, Shikamaru, Kin were jumping treetop to treetop following Sasuke's scent thanks to Kiba and Akamaru's help, "Huh? Sasuke's scent is becoming stronger. We're getting close to the enemy", said Kiba. "Good, because they left at dawn, these guys have a huge advantage over us in distance. This could be a lucky break that we have in order to catch up with them", said Shikamaru.

"True, but how do we approach the enemy if we do catch up? This is the kind of enemy we can't just face head on. We need a plan", said Naruto with a determined look. "You know, saying that coming from you, it's kind of scary Naruto", said Shikamaru with a smile.

"What's that suppose to mean?!"

Kin just giggled at Shikamaru's comment causing Naruto to sweat drop, "You too Kin? Why does everyone have to pick on me?" whined Naruto.

"We're coming close to the enemy, I can smell their scent."

"Alright everyone, look sharp. We don't know who we're dealing with so don't underestimate them", said Shikamaru with a determined face.

"Right!" cried the rest of his team.

Shikamaru's group landed in the small clearing only to find small clues that the Sound Four stopped to rest, "They stopped here recently. Their scent is everywhere, and it's still strong."

"They might've moved on already", said Neji.

"Neji, can you see anything?" asked Naruto.

"Byakugan!" Neji activated his Byakugan to search his surroundings and found what he was looking for. He saw four figures jumping from treetop to treetop with one of them carrying what looked like a large cylinder coffin, "Over there, they're about several kilometers away. We can still catch up to them if we move."

"Then we have no time to lose, let's move out!" ordered Shikamaru.

Sound Four

"Jeez, this thing weighs a ton. Grunt Either that bastard is heavier than he looks, or this wooden crate is too heavy", grunted Jirobo carrying the wooden coffin on his back, while jumping from treetop to treetop.

"Probably his oversized ego that's causing the extra weight", said Tayuya earning a snicker from the others.

"Can we stop for a minute, my back is killing me", grunted Jirobo.

The Sound Four landed as Jirobo put down the coffin with a loud thud. "I'll carry him next so you can rest Jirobo", said Kidomaru. Kidomaru was about to grab the coffin when Sakon stopped him, "Hold on Kidomaru, it looks like he have company."

Shikamaru's team landed in front of the Sound Four as the Sound Four got into different battle stances.

"Wait, we don't want to fight. We just want to talk", said Shikamaru raising his hands to show he means no harm.

"No, I'll do the talking, and I'll only talk to her", said Tayuya pointing at Kin.

"Neji, where's Sasuke?" whispered Naruto.

"He's in that crate, but something's not right. I can't tell what's going on in there, but I do know that he's in there", whispered Neji.

"Tayuya, it's really me, but if you still have doubts, then ask me anything. I'll prove to you that I'm still alive Tayuya, and that Sasuke was lying to you", said Kin in a soft voice.

'I hope it really is you Kin, and that the Uchiha was lying. If not, I'll avenge you Kin, my darling', thought Tayuya. "If I find out you're a fake, you and the rest of these liars will die a slow and painful death. If you are the real Kin, then we'll hear you out. Understand?"

"Yes, Tayuya, I'll answer any question you want. I'll prove that I'm still alive", said Kin in a determined voice.

'She even sounds like how Kin would respond', thought Tayuya as images of her and Kin lying underneath the shade of a tree passed her mind, "Is that alright with you guys?" asked Tayuya to the rest of the Sound Four.

"Fine by me, now maybe we can get some answers without the prick interfering in our business", said Kidomaru.

"Good, now then, your first question…"