Okay, there may be confusion as to why NaruSaku is a pairing… it's slight… I don't think… well, I really don't know if I'll substitute it for GaaraSaku, but… that's your choice. Vote on it, because both my mind and heart aren't giving me straight answers! Oh, yeah… here's the important part. I NEED to write in past tense now. For some weird reason, I'm not comfortable writing in present tense. I've read too many past tense fics, I suppose. Please bare that in mind as you read this!

Oh, and sorry for being late in updating when I said I would update quickly… I got grounded almost immediately after I promised that!

Here's another chapter!

On to the fic!

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"What the hell?" Kankuro said, hearing the glass in the window cracking.

He took a look out of it before it shattered and some kind of force blew the glass towards himself and the others.

He shielded his face as the blast swept over them.

For a moment, all was in a panic of glass and wind.

Once it ended, no one spoke for an instant.

"An explosion…" Kankuro mused, having seen the image out the window before the detonation blew the glass frame apart.

"That's what that was?" Sakura asked.

Kankuro nodded.

"What the hell is going on out there?" Neji wondered, his voice dramatic.

Kankuro shrugged. "Explosions, obviously."

Neji deadpanned. "I meant in general… Why are the explosions occurring?"

"It seems pretty eerie." Ino decided.

Sakura agreed. "What do you think they're doing out there?"

"It better not involve harm coming to Hinata, or, I can assure you all this, Kiba will be a dead man." Neji spoke in a deadly tone.

"Well, shit. A detonation like that indicates that Hinata may have gotten some dirt on her ankles. What does over protective big brother say about that?" Kankuro mocked Neji.

"He says, 'Kiba is a dead man,'" Neji repeated.

--

"Sneaky bastard." Kiba coughed, wafting the smoke and airborne dust away.

He heard a twig snap softly. Sasuke wasn't being as careful as he could be, or would be…

'So, that's a trick.' Kiba concluded.

His sense of smell was slightly declined because of all of the dust and smoke in the air, but he trusted it.

He could smell Sasuke, and he was nowhere near where he heard the sound.

Taking a chance, Kiba plunged through the smoke to the ground.

With a clearer view, Kiba could see better closer to the earth.

Sasuke was practically right next to him.

He staggered a bit, and slammed into the other boy.

This definitely took Uchiha, Sasuke by surprise, even if it was an accident.

Kiba took advantage of the accidental element of surprise.

He pulled up his elbow and crushed it down into Sasuke's ribs.

Sasuke was obviously startled, but smiled in his sick, twisted way.

"For once, you didn't act on impulse." He commented.

"It's not the first time since you've been gone." Kiba retorted.

For once, Sasuke's smile completely dripped off of his face, and he even looked forlorn, wistful at the mention of the past.

"Maybe, I haven't known anyone of you since then. It's only natural for me to assume the worst from the worst." Sasuke retaliated after a few seconds.

Hinata started. Was Sasuke actually regretting his choices? Just there, for a second, he wished he hadn't done it?

"Maybe you've been stuck with scum for so long that you forget who is the worst." Kiba answered.

He backed off, a little disgusted with his much former ally.

Sasuke got up casually, dusting himself off.

His casual behavior covered his attack perfectly.

Kiba fell back on his butt and hocked up a mouthful of spit and blood.

'Knocked a tooth out.' Kiba discovered, feeling the empty space. 'That's gonna suck later.'

Kiba sat there for a second, playing with what Sasuke thought was a tooth in his hands.

"You ever going to get up, Kiba?" Sasuke asked.

Kiba shrugged, like a little kid contemplating his favorite dessert.

Out of the blue, the ground below Sasuke shifted.

Suspicious, Sasuke moved, but something smacked into him.

It was, oddly enough, a rock. A very big, very heavy rock hit him.

'The hell?' thought Sasuke. 'Did he just throw a rock at me?'

That was when Kiba shot right at him, quick as a bullet.

In a moment, it felt like Sasuke's jaw was splitting.

Another strange occurrence happened next: Kiba did a fire jutsu.

At close range, Sasuke was unable to dodge.

These people really had improved. A non-Uchiha preformed an Uchiha signature jutsu.

It was hard to believe, especially with them being trapped in a place like Konoha.

Still, he couldn't be too bothered by it. Sasuke burst through the flames and socked Kiba hard in the chest.

Kiba went down too easily for Sasuke's taste, and, because Sasuke had attacked at an angle, caused them to skid along the ground.

Before Sasuke could withdraw his foot, Kiba's hands clasped around it, holding it tightly in place.

When Kiba grinned, Sasuke knew it was no good news.

Sasuke looked around, realizing that this must be a trap of some kind.

Fixing his gaze, Sasuke laughed inwardly, thrilled and disappointed all at the same time that he had been caught.

'Look at that,' he thought to himself with a slight laugh, 'pocket aces.'

(Yup, another card playing reference. Guess Sasuke's a bit of a poker player… maybe?)

--

"It's time that we took action." Everyone looked at Shikamaru, surprised.

Behind Shikamaru, Gaara paced. "We should really do something." He continued.

A few breathed a sigh of relief, now knowing that Shikamaru, the relaxed smart fellow, hadn't gone totally out of his laid back tree.

"Gaara's right." Sakura pointed out. "If we do nothing, how do you think this will turn out? If Orochimaru is really in Sasuke's body, then both Hinata and Kiba may not have the best of luck, especially considering how they were when they were seen last."

"What if," Shikamaru put into the conversation, "what if Orochimaru isn't in Sasuke? That would help a lot. Especially considering what you JUST said about how Kiba and Hinata were doing."

A murmur of agreement gusted up amongst the group.

"What do you suggest we do, then?" Temari asked.

"The obvious: We follow their trail. It's really the only thing we can do." Shikamaru said.

"Hey, wait! Did any of you even think of a situation where neither Kiba nor Hinata are involved in? They might just be looking for Naruto!" Ino shrugged.

"Well… I'm guessing all of us were thinking that this is too much to be… well, just be a simple search for Naruto." Gaara concluded from the lack of agreement to Ino's argument.

"Yeah… it would be too much of a coincidence, Ino… Explosions when Hinata and Kiba just happen to be out there, and Naruto being missing is too unlikely. Don't forget, Sasuke is out there, and things like this have a way of following Naruto around. Maybe it started out as an innocent search, but it isn't anymore." Sakura said so firmly that no one had a doubt in his or her mind about the situation anymore.

"Then, it's settled. We'll follow their trail." Shikamaru confirmed.

--

Hello! Sorry I had to end it there… I had this elaborate plan… but then I realized it wouldn't work…. Oh well! I hope that was satisfying… It didn't exactly end on a cliffy, but it has a cliffy air about it because there are some things I didn't let slip through the cracks, right? Please review, I need some insight here! Thank you to the two who did review! Love of Midoriko and MizuMizu, thank you so much for your support!

I cannot promise I will update immediately, but I will definitely update in July… I may be gone by July 10th or 11th for a family thing… then I'll be back sometime in August… if I can't find a computer…

RedRum!