-Set at the beginning of Shippuden, Naruto comes back from training, only to find that Sakura has to leave on a mission of her own. In need of a team, he gets stuck with Hinata and Sai. How will this affect the whole series? And will Naruto ever love Hinata?


Okay, I put up another chapter. Hopefully, this one isn't as boring as the last one. Please enjoy!


Episode Nine

~Sai's True Mission, Sasuke's Power~

"We're going as soon as my clone's ready." Yamato said.

Hinata and Naruto were in agreement. However, the Hyuga heiress didn't really think it was right to leave Sai there just like that. What if he was attacked? Sure, he was a jerk, but she didn't think Naruto would live with it if Sai were killed because of their decision.

The team suddenly jumped out of the way of a kunai shower. Kabuto appeared.

"Sai," he said, "Judging from your situation, I suppose this means you were captured. Since it doesn't seem like you've betrayed us, I'll trust you . . . for now." And he cut Sai's ropes.

"If you two are going to stand in my way then I'm not going to hold back!" Naruto said.

Kabuto started laughing.

"What's so funny?"

"Watching you truly makes me feel pity!" the medic said. "People change. Sasuke is no longer the Sasuke you knew."

And then, the unexpected happened. Sai got behind Kabuto and put a kunai to the medic's neck.

"What the? What are you doing?"

"You say people change, and here I am."

"What?"

"But there are also things that don't change."

"Sai…" Naruto was completely shocked. "What are—"

"Bonds… I want to see what they're really made of." the Root member said.

"Sai! Just keep him like that!" Yamato said as he made hand signs. A block of wood shot out from the ground and wrapped itself around the Oto-nin.

"Sai, why did you—"

"Why is it that you place so much value in the bonds between you and Sasuke-kun?" Sai asked Naruto. "What exactly are those bonds you speak of? I decided that I needed to know the answer. According to the two of you, I've been unable to get rid of the bonds that formed between me and my brother. If those bonds are so important to me then I might be able to figure something out if I see the 'bonds' between you and Sasuke-kun. That's all…"

Kabuto started laughing then. "The four of you don't know the real Sasuke-kun…"

"What are you laughing about now?" Naruto asked.

"Tell us where Sasuke is," Yamato said.

"He should be done with his training about now back in his inner chamber. There is a large number of rooms strewn all throughout the lair. If you end up looking in each as you go, you might find him. Still, if you aren't careful, you might chance upon a snake as well. Orochimaru-sama keeps his quarters in the same area, after all."

"I thank you for being so honest," Hinata said.

"Oh, no, you really shouldn't be thanking me."

"You expect us, the hunters, to become the prey then?" Yamato asked.

"Precisely. After all, fights aren't decided until the very end."

✿。.:**:.。✿

Sakura kept pacing around. Her arms crossed, she bit the bottom of her lip. She was worried. If Sai was there then Naruto and Hinata would be coming shortly. If they were to misunderstand her motives for even being in that place then… She shook her head. She was too afraid to even think of their reactions.

She could always escape… After all, Sasuke had left her in that room alone to go who knows where. In the end, she decided on another escape attempt. She was about to turn the door knob when it turned by itself.

She almost gasped. She quickly pressed herself against the wall. The door opened, almost hitting her in the process. She held her breath.

"Nope, not in here."

"That's it for this floor. Let's try the next floor."

And the door shut.

Sakura fell to her knees. Was that Naruto? Working with Sai? So . . . he didn't betray them, after all… She was glad, but now she was a bit worried. If she were to escape now, she'd be spotted. And not only would she be spotted, but her cover of going to visit her relatives would have been exposed.

Oh, god! What was she to do now?

✿。.:**:.。✿

"Oh, jeez… You two are so alike…" Sai said. Naruto and he were taking a break since they had run non-stop, searching all the rooms on that floor. "You and my brother… I mean, he was loud and impatient, unrefined…" He took out the picture book from his backpack. "But still, just like you, he took on anything he did with everything he had. Watching you somehow brings back memories of—"

He stopped, talking then. He took out a pencil and opened the book to its unfinished pages, drawing as fast as he could.

"Sai, what—"

"I remembered," the Root member said, "I remembered what I wanted to draw…"

The finished picture showed the two brothers smiling and holding hands.

"I wanted to show my brother this… This picture of our dream…"

"Well, then, Sai…" Orochimaru was suddenly there. "Which side do you intend to take?" He attacked, but Naruto and Sai jumped back. "Looks like you choose to side with them, Sai . . . or whoever you are."

"I'll deal with things here," Naruto said. "Sai, you go look for Sasuke!"

But Sai didn't move.

"NOW!"

"Ok… I'll find and rescue Sasuke-kun…" And he took off.

"So . . . you've come to take Sasuke-kun back, have you? I must admit, you do have conviction, but do you truly think things will turn out so well?" Orochimaru asked.

"Yeah, I do!" Naruto yelled, making a hand sign. "First, I'll defeat you! Then, I'll take Sasuke back!"

✿。.:**:.。✿

Sai came to a stop. There were two hallways. Which one should he take? In the end, he decided to use his ninjutsu. He took out a scroll and started painting a few dozen of mice. They came to life and started the search.

He heard footsteps and quickly turned around, kunai in his hand.

"You…"

✿。.:**:.。✿

"Oh, my… What happened to all that spunk you had a moment ago?"

Naruto was now feeling the stress of having used the Kyuubi's chakra before. It was hard for him to move too quickly.

"Naruto-kun!"

Hinata and Yamato came then.

"So it's Orochimaru again…"

At the sight of Naruto's backup, the Sanin was now bored. "Naruto-kun, I'll let you live for the time being. Just try and make sure you kill at least another Akatsuki member for me. But more importantly, I have business to take care of with Sai, so if you'll excuse me…" And he disappeared in a puff of smoke.

Hinata let out a sigh of relief. Of course, she had been worried. If this battle had turned out to be just like the last one, she wouldn't know what to do…

"Where's Sai?" Yamato asked.

"He went to look for Sasuke," Naruto said. "We need to do something before Orochimaru finds him!"

"Hey… What's this?" Hinata asked, picking up a book from the floor.

"Was that from Sai's bag?" Yamato asked.

"I believe so…" the Hyuga answered, looking through it. Her eyes widened at the contents.

"What is it, Hinata-chan?"

"Naruto-kun… This . . . this is a Bingo Book… And Sasuke-kun's picture is in here…"

"What?"

"So it all makes sense now…" Yamato said.

"What makes sense?" Naruto asked.

"Sai's mission . . . it wasn't to be the go-between for Orochimaru and Danzo at all. His top secret mission is the assassination of Uchiha Sasuke."

✿。.:**:.。✿

"I don't understand you at all…" Sakura said, glaring at the boy in front of her. She took off the hood of her cloak. "First, you're recruited by Danzo to be Naruto's new teammate. Then, you stage a betrayal… And now what are you doing? Are you just leading Naruto and them on or something? Are you trying to get them killed?"

"I don't need to answer to you," Sai said, seeing her massaging her right arm. "Your arm is injured, is it not?"

Sakura didn't say anything, glancing down at her arm. Was that the look of disguist she had on?

"Why are you up? Is this another one of your escape attempts?"

". . . Yes."

"You're unsure."

"What?" Sakura almost scoffed.

"If you really were trying to escape, you'd be doing everything in your power to accomplish that. And doing everything in your power would mean getting Naruto-kun's help, does it not?"

". . . He doesn't know I'm Konoha's hunter-nin."

". . . Ah… I guess that does pose as quite the problem, but lingering around is not going to do you any good."

"I'm not stupid. I know that . . . but Naruto's . . . he's reckless. I want to make sure he's okay before I decide anything." And then she turned to leave.

"I thought I owed you a death…"

The kunoichi stopped in her tracks. ". . . You didn't betray Naruto completely… But if you continue to work under Danzo's influence and wind up hurting either him or Hinata,"—she turned back to glare at him—"I won't let you go next time…"

And with that, she turned the corner, putting her hood back on.

Sai went back to finding the Uchiha. He concentrated and waited. It was only a matter of time before… Found you!

✿。.:**:.。✿

"Who's there?"

"Caught me red-handed," Sai said from the door. "Still, I've acquired the upper hand here."

"What is it you want?"

"I intend to bring you back to Konoha!" the ANBU Roots member said. "Although I did originally come here to kill you, I want to see if I can protect those bonds between you and him that he holds so strongly…"

"Bonds…? You woke me up to talk about bonds…?" The anger in the Uchiha's voice was evident.

✿。.:**:.。✿

As the team kept searching the hallways, they heard a loud explosion.

"What was that?"

✿。.:**:.。✿

Sakura, too, had heard it. Damn it… He can be so cranky when he wakes up… Looks like he blew up his room this time… She sighed. Guess I better go back before he turns that anger on me… Damn that stupid Uchiha and his wonderful way of expression things…

✿。.:**:.。✿

"You live up to your reputation… To be able to overpower my jutsu is quite something." Sai said, wiping the blood from his mouth.

"Sai!"

The artist turned to the doorway. The Hyuga stopped right in front of him.

"What exactly . . . are you trying to do?" she asked him, trying to catch her breath from running so much.

"So . . . it's the Hyuga brat?"

Hinata's eyes widened at the sound. That voice… Is it really…? She turned and looked up. Much to Naruto's surprise (he was still in the hallway), Hinata called out to his ex-teammate. "Sasuke-kun…"

Naruto bolted then into the clearing, and his eyes followed Hinata's gaze. "Sasuke…"

"Naruto, so you came too?" the Uchiha asked. "Then should I be expecting Kakashi?"

"Sorry to disappoint you," Yamato said, walking out of the doorway. "But Kakashi couldn't be here unfortunately, but I'm here in his place. We, Team Kakashi, are going to be taking you back to Konoha."

"Team Kakashi, huh? If I remember correctly, Sakura was the kunoichi on the team, not the Hyuga. Whatever happened to her? Died already? She was always weak…"

Naruto clenched his fists. "You have no idea what you're talking about… She's out on leave…"

So he's not going to risk exposing her… Perhaps there's something going on. Sai thought, watching the Uchiha carefully. He unsheathed the short sword on his back.

"Sai!" Hinata exclaimed.

"So he's my replacement then, is he?" Sasuke asked. "He was spouting some kind of nonsense between Naruto and me. One more pansy for the group, quite the fit I'm sure."

"It's true that my top-secret mission was to assassinate Uchiha Sasuke," Sai told the team. "But those orders don't matter anymore. Now I want to think and act for myself. Because of Naruto-kun, I feel like I might be able to remember something… Remember how I used to feel before… Something which I can't help but feel was very important to me before…" He pointed the sword at the Uchiha. "I may not know you all that well, but I know there's a reason why Naruto-kun chases after you with so much passion. In order to prevent his bonds with you from being broken, in order to keep them intact, he's doing everything he can. I still don't have a good understanding of it myself but you, Sasuke-kun, should have a good understanding of it yourself."

"Sure, I did, and that's why I severed them. I have other bonds to carry now. Fraternal bonds, forged through hatred… Having too many bonds causes one to lose focus, weakening their strongest wish, their greatest desire…"

"That's true…" Naruto said after much consideration. "But if that's true then why didn't you kill me back then when we fought? Is that what you call 'severing bonds', Sasuke?"

"The reason is simple, and it wasn't that I wasn't able to severe my bond with you. I simply didn't want to give him the pleasure of seeing me attain power by submitting to his plans."

"What do you mean by that?"

"There's no need for me to tell you… Still, the one thing I can say to you is that, back then, I spared you on nothing more than a whim of mine." And in a split second, the Uchiha was standing with the group, right in front of Naruto with his hand on Naruto's shoulder.

He's fast… Yamato thought. When did he…?

"Come to think of it, isn't becoming Hokage a dream of yours?" Sasuke asked of his ex-teammate. "If you had the time to be looking for me, you would have been better off training. Don't you think, Naruto? And that's why, this time, you're going to lose your life, all at a whim of mine." He unsheathed his sword.

"Like there's any chance that someone who couldn't even save his best friend would become Hokage, right, Sasuke?"

But as Sasuke brought his sword close to Naruto's neck, Sai jumped in the way, grabbing Sasuke's arm. Naruto quickly flipped so that he was behind the Uchiha. And using this distraction, Yamato quickly made his hand signs. But Sasuke was a step in front of them. Without making any hand signs, he used a jutsu, his Chidori Nagashi, and lightning shot out of his body. Even Yamato was shocked into a frozen stance when he saw Sai and Naruto being deflected to the ground.

During this time, Hinata's Byakugan had activated. The Chidori coming out of his body… What incredible chakra… I can't waste any time… "Gentle Step: Twin Lion Fists!" Her chakra surrounded her hands in the forms of lions, and she thrust forward.

Though she had Sasuke dodging for a while, it only meant that he had more time to send his chakra through his sword. Hinata saw this with her Byakugan but, when she realized what he was doing, she had no time to dodge. And when he was about to stab her through the heart, Yamato stood in the way, protecting the Hyuga heiress.

"Yamato-taichou!"

The Uchiha smirked. "Your choice of defense, quite the mistake… You see, the Kusangi I hold here is a little special. It's the kind that can't be blocked."

Body's going numb… Is he sending his Chidori through his sword? Yamato thought, observing the blade. So that's it… By doing so, not only does it make the sword extremely sharp, he also deprives his opponent from freedom of movement through numbness…

"Enough, Sasuke."

The voice was high, reedy, and commanding with a transient gentleness to it, and it came from the side of the battlefield. A small, dark figure came out of the passageway Team Yamato had; an elegant black cloak covered the person's body, a veil over their face. However, the Konoha nin even Naruto who was now struggling to control himself were able to tell that it was a she. Her voice sounded more of a soprano than it did bass, her waist too slim, her chest too busty, and her gait was too graceful; not to mention the fact that guys did not wear high-heeled boots—at least, not the normal ones.

She stopped right in front of the Uchiha. Apparently, she had a death wish. Sai watched on with anticipation. If his observation from been right from the first time he seen these two together then perhaps she could tip the balance towards their favor.

Sasuke's blazing eyes shifted towards her. "You were to stay in your room." The pretense of civility had disappeared. His voice was flat and icy.

The girl was not fazed even in the least. "Can't you behave yourself?" she asked, teasing him. Her hand extended out of the safety of her cloak; a strange tattoo decorated her arm.

So that's why she kept caressing her arm before… Sai thought. Just what is that strange mark?

She rested her hand on top of Sasuke's, on the hand that held his katana. She glanced over at the Hyuga then back to the Uchiha. "There are ladies present."

Team Yamato watched on in astonishment. How was she—a hidden, undersized (compared to Sasuke), and possibly fragile girl—able to cause a moment's hesitation in the Uchiha? And if it was because of a whim then screw the f***ing Uchiha. (A/N: Sorry, I only curse in my character quotes, not in the narration of my stories.)

"Heh, you have an ulterior motive" were his words before he stabbed his sword deeper into Yamato.

"I only came to check out the explosion. Thought you blew yourself up; now, I'm wishing you did." The girl's nails dug into Sasuke's hand, but that only added to his suspicions.

"Then explain why you're getting so worked up."

"Because . . ." she said, her grip loosening. "You don't trust me." It was at that moment when she felt that same burning sensation on her left wrist—of which, may I add, that she keeping hidden from Hinata's view as she would be able to recognize the bracelet she wore—from earlier that day. She quickly glanced over at Naruto. Her worry confirmed.

Hinata followed the girl's gaze, her own eyes widening. "Naruto-kun!" She ran to his side. This isn't good… Should I block his chakra points before the Kyuubi's chakra spreads? If I do that then he'll be totally defenseless against Sasuke…

In his head, the ramen-loving ninja was arguing with the Kyuubi.

This is your chance, Naruto… the fox said. Show him… Make him see how our powers are not to be trifled with…

But Naruto didn't say anything back.

What's wrong? Why the hesitation? the Kyuubi asked, forming outside of his prison. You need my power, right? Well then, who do you want to kill?

"Your face! I don't want to see it anymore!" Naruto yelled.

Why is it that you grow fearful?

"Shut up! I don't need your power anymore!"

But the Kyuubi laughed. Oh, really? Then remind me… Who was it that came here, shouting, "Lend me your power," every time something came up? You should know that you can't do a damn thing without me! Remove this seal once and for all! If you do then I'll entrust all of my power to you…

"Get lost!"

But it was then that a shocking (A/N: and I use that word loosely) visitor came into Naruto's mind.

Ah, so you're an Uchiha… Congratulations on making it this far…

"Why are you here?" Naruto asked.

"I'm able to see it now…" the Uchiha said. "So this was your secret power then… It's hard to believe that something like this existed inside of you." And then…

Pop!

The Kyuubi was gone.

Unbelievable… To think you'd be able to suppress my power… I may not see you again, but . . . I warn you… Don't kill Naruto… You'll end up regretting it…

And now, back to outside of Naruto's mind, the cloaked woman and Hinata just stared in awe as Naruto returned back to normal.

The Kyuubi's chakra… Hinata glanced back at the Uchiha. Just what did he do?

It was then that Yamato decided to get the sword out of his chest. A wooden block pushed the sword out, surprising both Sasuke and his companion. And suddenly, a large wooden structure enclosed on them. But the Uchiha broke out of that, bringing the cloaked girl with him. They landed on higher ground.

"Why don't you get it?" Naruto yelled. "Your body's going to be stolen by Orochimaru anytime now!"

"If that happens then it happens…"

His answer shocked everyone there even the girl under the cloak. Sakura, though, pretended as if she didn't care. She shouldn't… After all, this battle clearly showed he'd kill them if given the chance… She wanted to scream to Naruto to let go of his promise that he made her… But she was too worried, too scared, about his reaction to finding out that it was she under that cloak.

"You're still quite the kid, Naruto." Sasuke continued. "Revenge means everything to me. As long as I can have my revenge, I could care less what happens to me or the whole world, for that matter. Let me make it clear for you: For both me and Orochimaru right now, killing Itachi is impossible. But if I am able to accomplish that goal through nothing more than offering Orochimaru this body of mine then he can have my life and my afterlife."

This was when Naruto would've gone Kyuubi. How could he even think like that? Just how could he be so consumed by his hatred?

"Konoha, indeed… I'm through with you."

Hinata, unlike everyone else, however, watched the woman carefully as the Uchiha spoke. Just who exactly is she? A friend? No, if Sasuke had severed his bonds then he wouldn't be making new ones… She tried to stare past the hood's veil as the woman's fist clenched at the words that were just said. But did her eyes deceive her? Were those Sakura's emerald green eyes she saw?

Without thinking, the words just came out of her mouth. "Sakura-san?"

Sakura's heart almost stopped when she heard Hinata's words. Apparently, she had not count on the fact that Hinata's eyes would be so sharp as to make out her physical features. But now what? What could she do?

Sakura could feel her body tremble. She glanced over at Naruto. Don't look at me with those eyes… Please…

"It would appear you're not as good an actress as you think…" Sasuke's words knocked her back into reality.

"Shut up! I don't . . ." She glanced at the Hyuga. "I don't know what she's talking about!" she lied. "I've never seen them in my life before!"

"Suit yourself…" And the Uchiha started making hand signs. "This ends here…"


Whew! This chapter is done… I got to say, I really don't like this whole confrontation… I wanted to change it some way to incorporate Hinata more, but then it would be giving out too much from the surprise you guys are going to get in the later chapters. I just wonder if this is a better chapter… Hinata's going to act out more in the next chapter… I hope…