Chapter 9: The Group Gains More Members, More Answers, and a Super-Cute Name!

By: DemonClowSorceress and Red

Disclaimer: Naruto not belong to us. It belongs to Kishimoto, who is undoubtedly made of awesome and win.

Red: Hells yeah!! but....but...BUT HE KILLED ITACHI!!! WAAAAHH! ToT

DemonClowSorceress: Get a hold of yourself, woman! He's alive in this story! *sweatdrop* Drama queen....


Naruto looked back, exasperated, as his team collapsed on the pine branches covering the ground. "C'mon you guys, hustle it up!" he yelled. "We've got a squirrel to find!"

"But Naruto," gasped Sakura, rolling onto her back to look up at him, "we can't move. We're tired and hungry and some of us are sporting cramps as big as Akamaru's head! Let's rest for a minute or two, come on!"

"Every minute we waste here, Hiro-chan could be hurt or lost or in trouble!" Naruto wrung his hands, something he'd been doing whenever things hadn't been moving fast enough for him. "It's been three days already! We have to find him!"

The pink-haired kunoichi didn't reply, instead pressing a hand to her side to try and alleviate the stitch. For the twelfth time she wished Sasuke had come with their group, but again she had to face facts. The Uchiha boy had left her, Neji, Tenten, Shikamaru, and Shino with his emotional blond boyfriend. He, meanwhile, was hunting up the other side of Konoha with Hinata, Lee, Kiba and Akamaru, Choji, and Ino. Sai had volunteered his services as well and was currently scouring Konoha from the air, searching for any sign of the little squirrel-boy.

She watched Naruto look around frantically like a mother hen who'd lost her chicks. She could count on one hand the times she'd seen him this insecure. He always hid his negative emotions; he had this twisted thought that if he did, he could fool people into thinking he was fine. In that aspect, he was still a doofus.

Neji scanned the surrounding mile with his Byakugan. "I don't see Hiro, but I can pick up faint chakra trails that match his. He passed through here about a day and a half ago, tops."

"Which way was he headed?" asked Tenten.

The Hyuuga genius blinked, as if unsure of his findings. "It looks like......he arced towards River Country, but then he.......he's headed for Ame."

Naruto heard Ame and freaked. "That's where Pain is! He'll kill Hiro-chan! We have to move! NOW!" His voice got the combined tone of a hardened ANBU captain and a hysterical mother. "Shino, send a message to Sasuke! Tell him where we're going. Hurry!"

The bug boy complied, painting a message on a tree with sap and making his bugs take the message while Naruto forged on ahead. Hang on, Hiro-chan! the blond thought, pouring on more speed. Papa's coming!

********

Meanwhile, somewhere on the border of Waterfall Country....

The little squirrel-boy tripped over a tree root and went down, choking on spit and his own breath. "Did we lose them?" he coughed out, rolling onto his back.

Several thumps answered him; the rest of the children had likewise dropped to the ground, but unlike Hiro, they hadn't tripped. Gasping for air, they lay like beached whales while Kaname and Daisuke, the only ones not breathing hard, went as high airborne as they could with their fatigue and checked the surroundings.

"Nothing," said Daisuke, not bothering to land gracefully and just collapsed in a heap. "We lost them." Her extra tail tucked itself around her waist and disappeared, leaving her with one tail like before.

Kaname likewise dropped unceremoniously from the sky, wings folding against his back. "Oh god, never wanna do that again. Warn a guy next time you guys bug out like that, won't ya?"

"Sorry," gasped out Tsukasa. "Circumstances made it necessary to run without warning."

Hanika stared at the two newcomers. The ginger cat boy was wiping mud off his freckled face, casting glances at the still-unconscious cat girl. "Hikari? Hikari, are you okay?" he kept asking, concerned when she didn't stir. "Hikari?"

Tomoya, his fur plastered with mud and leaves, crept over towards Hikari. "Is she alive?"

Tsukasa came over, more hesitantly, since the bird part of him was wary of the cats. He gently touched Hikari's neck, feeling for a pulse. "She's alive, just unconscious. She must've hit her head." As Tomoya reached to touch her, Tsukasa reflexively slapped his hand away. "Nothing your brand of assistance can help with."

"Hentai tanuki," grumbled Daisuke.

"What were you running from?" Tomoya asked, rubbing his stinging knuckles.

"The tall-humans! They ransacked the village we lived in," said the ginger cat boy. His ears lay back flat against his skull as his green eyes widened. "We only barely got away. Who are you anyway?"

"We're.....just like you," said Hanika, bouncing forward a little. "Fur-children. I'm Hanika, and that's Tomoya, Tsukasa, and Hiro. The fox-girl is Daisuke, and the bat-boy is Kaname."

"I'm Hikaru, and that's my twin sister Hikari," said the ginger cat boy. "We're from a village near Kusagakure." His ears drooped again. "At least, we were."

A cough from Hikari drew everyone's attention back to her. She shook her head, tossing back black hair streaked with silver-white stripes, like a reverse Siberian tiger. Opening golden eyes, the girl sat up and, seeing so many unfamiliar faces, bounced on her feet and raced behind her brother's back. "Who are they, Hikaru?" she asked, scared.

"Friends.....I think." Hikaru's pupils, slit like a cat's, suddenly slimmed into sharp black lines. "You are friends, right?" Both cat children's tails ruffled like bottlebrushes, fur standing straight up.

"Sure we are," Hiro said cheerily. "Here, a handshake. Handshakes are friendly, right?" He stuck out his hand. After a second or two of staring, Hikaru shook it. "There. Now we're really friends!"

"YAY!!! MORE FRIENDS!!"

Every one of the children jumped as a smaller child suddenly jumped from the trees in front of them. Curly orange-brown hair bounced like corkscrew springs as the child backflipped from a tree and did a handstand, looking at the others upside-down with big orange eyes. A long prehensile tail wriggled into view, holding a peeled banana down to the kid's mouth for him to chew on. His clothes were much like Hiro's, with a fur shirt, shorts, and furry boots that tied up to his knees. All were colored the same orange-brown as his hair.

"Saru-chan!*" shouted Hiro, highly amused.

"Hi! I'm Shippo!" said the newcomer. "Welcome to Taki! Why're you all upside-down?"

Hikaru blinked. "Because you're upside-down?"

"Am I? Oh, wow! Cool!" cried Shippo, looking around as he walked on his hands. "So, where are you heading?"

"Konohagakure. Do you know where it is?" asked Hiro. "Can you take us there?"

Shippo flipped back onto his feet. "No!" To which everyone did an anime fall. "But I know someone who can! I know an Inu-chan** who lives near the Valley of the End. I can get you to the Valley of the End, and she can get you to Konoha!"

"I know where that is! Papa and Tou-chan talk about their big fight there," Hiro informed the other children.

Hikaru and Hikari looked at Shippo. "How long will it take to get there?" they asked in unison.

Shippo tapped his chin, thinking hard. "Two, three days. But we'll need to go north first." To punctuate the fact he pointed north towards Takigakure. When some of the children began questioning him he added, "We'll need to forage for food before we go. Nothing near Oto (Sound) Country is edible, thanks to the poisons of the evil snake-man."

Tsukasa and Hanika shuddered; neither liked snakes at all. Hiro, however, shuddered for a whole different reason. "Papa and Tou-chan said the evil snake-man's name is Orochimaru, and he's a bad person. He tore Papa and Tou-chan apart. He gave Tou-chan a..........a mark on his neck." He'd seen the mark on his Tou-chan's neck when the latter had attempted to cover it up. Hiro had also seen the look that passed across his Papa's face - a look of sadness - whenever Papa saw the mark too.

Shippo nodded. "The evil snake-man has a scary snake-child too. I've heard rumors."

"Sn-sn-sn-snake child?" trembled Hanika, bringing her hands to her mouth in fear. "W-w-w-what d'you m-m-m-mean?"

The little monkey boy shuddered. "They say she's got long black hair and big slit eyes that can paralyze you, and she uses huge swords made from crystal, and that from the waist up she's a kid, but waist down, she's a snake!" He clapped his hands together and made his entire body slither while hissing, further freaking the bunny-girl out.

Kaname and Daisuke crossed their arms in thought. "Is there any way to pass Oto without incurring the wrath of the snake-child?" asked Kaname.

But before Shippo could reply, there was a loud growling sound. In seconds, there were several playing a three-part harmony. The fur-children rubbed their tummies, remembering that they had had little to eat the previous few days. Grinning sheepishly, Tsukasa asked what every other child was too embarrassed to ask. "Shippo, do you have any food now?"

A question soon answered when the monkey boy brought the little band to a hut filled with his own personal stash. Mostly bananas, but nobody was complaining.

When everyone was full and satisfied, groups were made to search for other food groups. Hiro judged, from their merry little band, that they would need meat for the carnivorous children and berries for the rest. But, he admitted, not as much as normal children.

"Why do you say that?" asked Daisuke.

The squirrel gave her a look of Why do you think? "Because obviously Hanika, Kaname, you and me can make our own food. Chi!" And an acorn fell into his hand, which he cracked open and ate. "So can Shippo, right?"

"Right!" chirped Shippo. "Boing!" he added, pulling a banana out of thin air with his tail. Peeling it, he smashed the entire thing in his mouth and held the peel in his tail. "Food and weapon, all in one," he said, tossing the peel on the ground.

Tomoya had to ask. "How?"

In answer, Kaname and Tsukasa snuck up behind the tanuki boy and pushed. Tomoya stumbled forward, stepped on the banana peel, and went sliding along the floor until he hit a wall, provoking giggles from Hanika and the cat twins. Even Daisuke cracked a smile at Tomoya's unplanned trip.

"Okay then," Hiro said, gaining control of the situation again. "Let's get our stuff together. In one day, we move out!"

"Okay!" came eight other voices in agreement.

********

On the other side of Konoha, at the seashore, the next day......

Sasuke dunked his head in the crashing surf, rinsing out the caked-in mud and grime from the last four days. Waves pummelled his body, trying to force him down, but he steeled himself on his hands and knees. He was tired, overheated, and spent. This cold salty seawater helped him calm down and think.

The trail had gone cold. Apparently they had overshot Hiro's range and kept going east, until they hit the sea. Shino's bugs had arrived only moments ago, claiming that Naruto's group had found Hiro's trail, a fresh one.

Now, all Sasuke wanted was to rendezvous with the others and find his son.

A cool hand touched his back gently. He turned to see Hinata looking at him with concern in her eyes and a smile on her lips. "Don't worry Sasuke, we'll find him," she said. "Hiro's very brave and very resourceful, just like his fathers. I'm sure he's doing just fine."

And Sasuke knew she was right. After all, Hiro had come to Konohagakure with survival skills that rivaled that of trained jonin. He had heightened senses thanks to his squirrel-ness, a quick ability to adapt and improvise, and coupled with his developing ninja skills, he was a regular little one-boy army. The child could defend and provide for himself for a good while.

But that wasn't the reason Sasuke wanted to find him quickly. According to Shino's message, the trail arced along Konoha's borders towards Ame. And, if Hiro remembered his history (a faint hope) and avoided the country, the next hostile place would be Oto.

Where Orochimaru, still at large, was last reported to be lurking.

Unconsciously Sasuke cupped his hand around the dark curse mark, partially hidden under his shirt collar. Rubbing the skin, he could still feel the tainted chakra, lying dormant thanks to the special seal around it, devised by Kakashi, Jiraiya, and Tsunade. But it was still there, lying in wait for a moment when Sasuke's defenses were weakened.

It was the reason that, whenever those lovely blue eyes saw it, Naruto would have such a sad face that he had to pretend extra-hard that nothing was wrong.

Sasuke never wanted to let Hiro have the same curse upon him.

He stood up, shaking his head to shed the water soaked in it. "Let's move out," he ordered his group, heading back towards Konoha. "Kiba, you and Akamaru keep your noses to the ground and in the air. You catch even a faint whiff in a crosswind, I want to be the first to know."

"You got it," Kiba said, getting back on Akamaru's back. But he caught the twinge of pain Sasuke had before they headed out. I hope he's okay. The last thing we need is a psycho Sasuke drunk on evil chakra.

********

Back to Hiro's band.....

Hiro shouldered his pack, which was now getting muddy and torn, stuffed full of berries and roots and a little bit of everything else the group had scavanged in the last day. Kaname and Daisuke had commandeered the majority of the meat that they had gotten (no one else wanted to carry it, being vegetarians) while Tsukasa's bag was filled with all kinds of seeds.

"Are we ready now?" asked Tomoya. "I mean, should we get going?"

Daisuke's ears flicked as the wind changed. "We should. I can smell tall-humans coming. And they don't smell friendly."

"All right then!" Hiro took to the front of the group, pointing eastward. "Fur Fighters, let's move out!"

No one asked about the name until the smell of tall-humans was a distant memory. Then Hikaru had to ask, "What was that name?"

Hiro paused in the middle of his story. "You mean the name Papa called the scarred-man who bossed around Tsuna-baba***? The b - "

"No no no, he meant that whole 'Fur Fighters' thing," clarified Hikari. "Why did you call us that?"

The little squirrel-boy crossed his arms and smiled, looking much like his blond father did whenever he was smug about something. "Well, we're all fighters, and most of us have fur on us, so we're the Fur Fighters! Duh!"

"That's so simple it's stupid!" yelled Kaname.

"I think it's cute," Hanika said, smiling.

"Hold up!" Tsukasa's command cut through the goofing around. Everyone saw the boy's white wings fold tightly against his head, trembling slightly. "I think we should reconsider our choice of direction, guys. I hear someone coming. A lot of someones."

"Shippo, is there anywhere we can hide?" asked Hiro.

The monkey glanced around before pointing for the trees. Moving quickly, the children scaled the tall trunks and hid themselves in the foliage. The only one who had a problem with it was Hanika, who had a fear of heights previously unseen. However, when the humans came closer, she stifled all protests and huddled in on herself.

Daisuke, having the best hearing of the group, twitched her ears as she listened in on the conversation. One of the group sighed as he spat into the grass. "Why are we even doing this? Nobody's stupid enough to attempt an invasion of Oto. Lord Orochimaru's infamy has discouraged all idiots."

"Which is exactly why Lord Orochimaru wants us to do these patrols," replied another guy. "Some idiots are stupid enough to try and infiltrate Oto. He doesn't want anyone going in or out."

"I thought he had that Hebi**** to be his personal watchdog," remarked the first guy.

"True, but not even the Hebi can get all the intruders. She's still just a kid." One of them scratched his head. "I still can't believe it's only been sixteen months since Lord Orochimaru first found that weird little snake-baby...."

Snake baby? Sixteen months? thought Hiro. Then she'd be the same age as me. Another fur-child......serves the pervy snake-man? Why?

"Dammit," hissed Kaname. "How could that happen? If she's one of us...."

The confusion became firm resolve. He must've used a brainwashing jutsu to make her serve him. We have to save her. We must.

The patrollers headed out, allowing the Fur Fighters to shimmy down the tree and resume their journey. Once they made sure no one was following them, they kept going, being extra careful to cover their tracks and mask their scent.

But the story of the Hebi had plenty scared them. Even Kaname and Daisuke, themselves predetors, were skittish and jumpy. The kitsune even started violently when cicaidas began chirping, her fur standing on end. "How soon can we put this creepy place behind us?" she snapped, agitated.

"The Inu-chan should be close by; she makes her den about halfway to the Valley of the End." Shippo glanced around nervously. "If we're lucky and the Hebi doesn't come close, we can come across Mei and she can lead us to the Valley of the End. She knows all the hiding places from here to there."

Hiro stood up. "We should see if we can talk to the Hebi-chan. She sounds like one of us."

"He has a point," said Tsukasa. "She's obviously one of the Snake clan, even though I've never heard of one being half-snake at such a young age.....nevertheless, she could be."

"Could be what?" Hanika asked, tilting her head in confusion.

"You do know why we exist here, right?" Hikaru threw another log on the fire, ears laid back. "Why we don't look or act like other humans? Where we come from, our families?"

Hiro shook his head. "I was found when I was a few months old. Papa and Tou-chan are my family."

"I've been alone for as long as I can remember," said Hanika.

Shippo voiced agreement with her, as did Tomoya. "But I learned why from Kaname and Tsukasa," added the tanuki boy.

"Care to enlighten us?" asked Daisuke irritably, cleaning her tail by dragging her teeth through the caramel fur. "Or is it an exclusive know?"

"It's not an exclusive know. At least, it shouldn't be." Tsukasa's wings ruffled, then folded against the side of his head. "See, there's a reason why we age faster than other humans, why we have certain parts that others don't, why we look and act and are the way we are." He closed his eyes, breathing slowly, as if steeling himself for what was about to come out of his mouth. "It's because we're - not from this world. Not this dimension, anyway. And we're here for a purpose."

Hiro leaned forward, his ears pricked. Now I'll learn everything. Now I'll have answers.


Cliffhanger!! Sry it takes so long to update, I have to communicate w/ my co-author...

Red: Author-chan, c'mon, you can come up with good stuff yourself!

Me: Yeah, Muse-chan, but together, WE can do impossible things in the world of Naruto!

SO KEEP READING AND STAY CLOSE! ANOTHER CHAPTER WILL HOPEFULLY BE UP SOON!!

A.N.

* - Saru means monkey.

** - Inu is dog.

*** - Tsuna-baba is Tsunade.

**** - Hebi means snake.