Yo! It's me and I'm back again with chapter 9 of TBOWE! w00t! I know i'm late but i had a huge writer's block (concerning what to do with Naruto) and a subsequent loss of inspiration to write...yeah... Anyway I'm back now and so I hope you enjoy this latest chapter!

Disclaimer:...

Chapter 9

The evil lair is found! Confronting Orochimaru

Recap:

It was at this point that Naruto woke up. Blinking his eyes blearily, he noticed the stark absence of…well…anyone. Wanting to find out what was wrong, Naruto stepped out of the guy's tent to find the rest of the squad. Blinking again in utter confusion, Naruto queried, "Mornin' wha' you guys doin?"

Hiding the body behind them, Kiba just smirked, "We're going to find Orochimaru."

End Recap:

Naruto raised an eyebrow, "Really? You got the information already?"

The others just nodded dumbly. Wow, that genjutsu affected him more than I thought they all thought. Normally, he'd be jumping up and down, yelling about finally being able to teach that snake bastard what for. Naruto just kept talking, "Cool, let's go then."

Naruto was halfway back to the guy's tent when he put his fist into his palm and said, "Oh yeah! What happened to the prisoner?"

The rest of the squad looked up in surprise at that. They hadn't expected him to think of the prisoner. "Errrr…we knocked her out and left her somewhere in the woods?" They answered uneasily.

The blonde-haired ninja just looked at them for a moment, then shrugged and walked into the tent to pack up. The rest of the ninja's just sighed in relief.

Minutes Later

Having packed up, they were heading at a steady pace towards Orochimaru's lair in Rice country. Having discovered that Orochimaru's current place of residence is underground and just south of a small town called 'Pashinkyu', all of the ninjas were sprinting at a determined pace, with Naruto trailing behind (mostly because they have not yet told him of Orochimaru's whereabouts).

They had just passed rice country borders a few minutes ago, and were now well on their way to the city, which was located a bit south of the northern tip of rice.

They reached the city easily enough, and decided to rest there for a few hours before heading on to the base. So, the five nin spread out to enjoy themselves and eat, play, and sleep. They were determined to live these next three hours to it's fullest, because all of them realized one thing:

That this could be the last few hours of their life.

-------------------------------Konoha-----------------------------------------------

Today, Byakko decided to see the Hokage about becoming a kunoichi. So, she and Hinata split ways for a while, Hinata opting to find Kurenai and train.

Byakko walked in through the large double doors of the Hokage towers and spoke to the secretary, who told her that she might have to wait a few hours, as the Hokage had another meeting as well as a mission briefing already scheduled.

So, Byakko spent the extra time reading people's emotions with her Byakugan. She had just concluded that a chuunin with long brown hair was having…romantic...problems with his girlfriend when she was called into the Hokage's office.

Inside, Tsunade was, as always, surrounded by no less than six waist-high piles of paperwork, all needing to be dealt with by the end of the day. Sparing a cursory glance at the inordinate amount of paperwork, Byakko thought That is a LOT of paperwork. Why would anyone want this job? It's clear that it's taking Tsunade-sama all she can give just to stay sane.

Turning her attention to Tsunade's inquiring stare and bowing, she said, "Hokage-sama, I came to ask your permission to be instated as a konoha ninja."

If anything, Tsunade looked even more curious at this statement, "May I ask why?"

Byakko nodded and replied, "Well, it's kind of hard to explain, but part of it is that I've reached past the age and skill level required to become a ninja, and since my parents restricted me from going to the academy as a child I've been wanting to try becoming one. Coupled with having nothing to do during the day and a few…other…things…yeah." She finished lamely.

Tsunade seemed to accept the answer, even though it was clear she was hiding something. Leaning into her high-backed chair, she said, "Well, you do certainly have the skills to be a successful ninja, but since you don't know any of the academy jutsu, I can't instate you as one. There's also the fact that we wouldn't really have any place to put you because the new genin teams won't be made for about half a year…hmmm"

Tsunade sank into thought for a while, leaving Byakko to stand there nervously before asking her, "Do you really want to become a ninja?"

Upon receiving a fervent nod from Byakko, Tsunade once again recessed into her chair to consider her options, a seeming habit of hers. "Well, I suppose I can allow you to study with a genin team for a while until you pick up the basics. After that, once you have proven that you can at least perform all three academy jutsu and one other with a decent degree of efficiency, we can test you for your placing in the ranks."

Byakko's face lit up with a bright smile, "Thank you, Tsunade-sama!" She said, bowing again.

Tsunade allowed a small smile to cross her face as well, "Yeah, yeah. Just remember that you're still not a ninja 'till you've mastered those jutsu and passed my test. Now, since there aren't any new genin teams to place you with, I'll give you free reign to study with whichever genin team you chose. There are actually only about six genin teams that haven't graduated yet."

After handing Byakko the profile lists of the genin teams, she dismissed her and the hyuuga left with yet another bow and thank you.

Exiting the Hokage tower, Byakko looked at the list. True to her word, there were exactly six teams inside the manila folder. They were as follows:

Team 2:

Jounin sensei: Yaiba Kotowaru

Members: Ippa Kitsuki, Tanami Shiritori, Jisshou Nagai

Note: meets at training ground #27, a genin team for 1 year with 30 D-rank and 10 C-rank missions completed. A scout specialist team.

Team 3:

Jounin sensei: Ichiban Benri

Members: Kisshiki Akito, Toku Haga, Kitsu Abuki

Note: meets at southwestern bridge near sushi shop Tomogara, a genin team for 6 months with 18 D-rank and 4 C-rank missions completed. An all-rounder team.

Team 6:

Jounin sensei: Nanto Yuuji

Members: Sarutobi Konohamaru, Kiruwatari Udon, Arumi Moegi

Note: meets at training ground #16, a genin team for 2 years with 50 D-rank and 25 C-rank missions completed. An all-rounder team.

Team 12:

Jounin sensei: Nagato Ryuuko

Members: Hiruma Baiken, Kuradoberi Michiru, Anji Mito

Note: meets at Shodaime memorial park, a genin team for 3 years with 60 D-rank and 45 C-rank missions completed. Trained to be an assassination team.

Team 13:

Jounin sensei: Yurushi Kondo

Members: Aburame Miyashi, Inuzuka Naomi, Nara Kikomi

Note: meets at northern bridge south of Mori forest, a genin team for 3 years with 54 D-rank and 50 C-rank missions completed. A scout specialist team.

Team 18:

Jounin sensei: Kita Minami

Members: Innamo Nishi, Kakowaru Higashi, Kimaru Chuushin

Note: meets at Mizutamari river on the east side of Konoha, a genin team for 1 year with 27 D-rank and 11 C-rank missions completed. An all-rounder team.

As Byakko looked these teams over, she thought Hmmm…Konohamaru? I think Naruto mentioned someone named that before… Maybe I'll pay them a visit tomorrow. I'll definitely become a ninja! For Naruto… Her eyes widened at this Eep! Alright, I really have to stop thinking about this… And without any delay, she hurried off to her room to get ready for tomorrow.

------Tea country, Pashinkyu city------

It was getting into the evening when the group reunited at the outskirts of the city. Crouching in a small huddle on the side of the road, Shino asked, "Is everybody ready? No items left behind, no business not taken care of? Remember, we'll be going straight to Orochimaru's lair from here."

Everyone nodded, and the five ninja disappeared.

------Orochimaru's lair, front entrance------

Shino, Naruto, Kiba, Tenten, and Sakura stopped just short of the large clearing in front of a set of stairs leading down to what was supposed to be Orochimaru's lair and surprisingly, it was unguarded.

Well, surprisingly to Shino, Tenten, and Sakura anyway. It didn't really cross Naruto and Kiba's minds, really. It probably made sense to them because of the death of the Sound four nearly eight years ago.

Before Kiba and Naruto could just move on, Shino raised a hand to stop them. Annoyed, Kiba responded, "what?"

Shino was still as calm as ever as he spoke, "We cannot just rush in. There are most likely traps everywhere inside and Orochimaru is just as likely to be aware of our presence. At the very least we should prepare a method of fighting him and whatever partners he has on hand."

Naruto didn't say anything, having been unusually quiet ever since the day after the battle. Kiba's sigh was big enough for both of them (and more) when he dropped himself down next to Shino and said with resignation, "Fine, whatever. What's the plan?"

Shino's eyebrow twitched unnoticeably, a sure (though useless, as it was unnoticeable) sign that his patience was running thin. Ignoring Kiba's lack of care, he started, "Well, seeing as how we don't know what kinds of traps that Orochimaru has in his halls, the best we can do about that is to stick together and be alert. What I'd like to turn my attention to is how we're actually going to fight Orochimaru when we find him. Do we have any ideas?"

Naruto, having had the most experience with Orochimaru out of all of them, started speaking in a curiously dispassionate voice, "Well, Orochimaru usually does not bring anyone with him other than Kabuto and now, probably Sasuke as well." Suddenly, Naruto looked up at them with red eyes that burned with great focus and intensity, but his voice still did not change, "I don't know about you, but regardless of the plan, I want to fight Sasuke. He's mine."

Sakura seemed to jump at this as well, "I want to fight Sasuke-ku…Sasuke as well!" she said, raising her hand eagerly like a school girl. Naruto didn't seem to have any problem with it.

Shino inwardly shook his head I know they have unresolved issues, but they're making it exceedingly difficult. Now we'll have to build our strategy around them…Naruto would have been a good partner for Orochimaru as well…

Outwardly, Shino just went with it and continued, "Well then, it seems that we will be splitting the battles into separate ones. Since Naruto and Sakura want to fight Sasuke, that leaves Kiba, Tenten, and I to deal with Orochimaru and Kabuto."

Kiba looked at Shino in disbelief, "Are you just going to let them fight Sasuke like that!"

"Are you volunteering?" Shino retorted, raising an eyebrow over his glasses…err…goggles…whatever.

Kiba's eyes widened comically as he turned away, making a grunting noise like a dog that's disgruntled at being picked up out of the blue by it's owner. Shino ignored this in favor of talking to the rest of them.

"Well, since, from what I know, Kabuto tends to rely on medical ninjutsu and a fighting style that requires chakra, as well as the fact that Orochimaru will probably need at least two people anyway to keep him from interrupting in the other battles anyway, it is my idea that I should fight Kabuto while Kiba and Tenten fight Orochimaru. Are there any objections?"

Tenten shook her head. Why should there be, when they worked perfectly fine against that Doton jutsu user? Kiba wasn't paying attention still lost within the confines of his mind after being shown up by Shino. Noticing Tenten's look, Shino told her, "Don't worry, he'll snap out of it soon. And when he does, make sure to fill him in on the plan."

The five intrepid ninja (plus dog) set off immediately, with Kiba in the back, running on autopilot. It was strange, for on the first three floors, there were absolutely no traps to be found. While it was probably to put one in a false sense of security, it did the exact opposite with the team from Konoha. The eerie quietness was starting to get to them (well, Kiba, Tenten, and Sakura, anyway. Shino and Naruto just kind of kept walking), making them somewhat (really) paranoid.

It was on the fourth floor that everything started happening. It first, it seemed to be endlessly sloping down until they found that they were caught in a genjutsu trap. Then, when they released themselves from the genjutsu, the found that they were actually sloping down. This scared them into thinking that they were still trapped in the genjutsu, and Kiba used up a good bit of chakra trying to 'kai' the supposed thing into nonexistence before Sakura managed to calm him down.

Then they happened upon a room with three doors to choose from. It turned out that only the center door was a real one, as the other too only led to painted walls. Well, it couldn't really be distinguished as a wall until they walked inside and triggered the trap, causing the wall, which appeared to be pulled far back into a corridor and arrested by springs, to shoot forward and eject them forcefully from the pathway. This gave Naruto, Shino, and Kiba (luckily, Akamaru was hiding behind Kiba and was thus cushioned from the blow) a broken rib or two. It was no problem for Naruto, who healed right up by himself, but Sakura had to tend to Shino and Kiba, already using up chakra to heal them quickly.

They were then subjected to numerous other small traps. This time thankfully of the normal variety (shuriken, kunai, small spiked pitfalls, etc.). These were still physically tiring nonetheless, as they were forced to dodge with nearly inhuman speed.

Thusly, it was a lucky break that they came upon a larger pitfall that dropped them down into a large, cavernous room. Now, to the normal eye, this wouldn't look like an advantageous happening, especially after water started filling it at a rapid rate. This didn't bother the ninja, however, as they had managed to learn to walk on water long ago.

They were still in quite a conundrum, however, as the water level was rapidly rising, forcing them to stretch out their chakra farther and farther, with no escape in sight (the trapdoor in which they entered was made of pure iron and steel and obviously locked). Of course, it was just their luck that no one noticed the small latch sitting innocently on the floor in the center of the room (which no doubt led to the next level and hopefully Orochimaru's throne room. After all, anyone would doubt that they could take much more.

Their heads were scant inches from the wall when wonder of wonders, Shino remembered that this was water and that they could go down. Looking down, he did manage to notice the latch. Facing his teammates, he told one of them to dive down and release the latch. When told to do it himself by a rather miffed Kiba (He ain't the boss of us! He shouldn't order us around like that! If he wants to it done, he should do it himself!), Shino answered, "My bugs…they are not partial to water…"

That was quite enough for Naruto as without a word, he shed his jacket and dived down towards the latch. He was unable to release it, however, as the water pressure was too much for him to overcome. So, he half-stood half-floated there for a bit, thinking while his friends were barely able to crouch upright anymore. Finally, much to everyone's surprise and relief, it appeared he had an idea.

Naruto created a rasengan and drove it into the spot where the door should have been. While the rasengan lost most of its drilling power due to the water, the water itself made a strong enough current to push past the door and break it due to the sheer inequilibrium (is it a word? I'm not sure but I'm using it anyway XP) of pressure.

Naruto fell through in the first gush of water. The rest of the team followed through almost a whole two minutes after along with the last of the draining water.

Suddenly, they heard the sound of clapping. Well, not really clapping, more like something wet colliding with flesh (that's his tongue 'clapping' against one of his dead arms, in case you didn't get it). Orochimaru stepped slowly out of the shadows, "Kukukuku…It seems that we have some rather unexpected…or should I say expected? Guests. Isn't that right, Kabuto, Sasuke?"

The aforementioned people also stepped out of the shadows and formed a sort of triangle formation with Orochimaru as the center. "Yes, Orochimaru-sama" They both intoned in unison.

Orochimaru looked the same as always, with arms wrapped in bandages, a beige tunic, and baggy pants tied together with a purple bow. Kabuto too changed very little. For now he was wearing a very simplistic royal blue T-shirt/midnight blue pants combo with a long sleeved fishnet shirt underneath and thin chest armor. He also appeared to have gained a pair of escrima sticks.

Sasuke, however, changed the most. His bangs were now down to his chin and his hair was shoulder length (thought the back still stuck up somewhat, it was not as prominent due to the longer hair). He now had a thin black T-shirt with the Uchiha fan at the shoulders as well as a white vest with no collar that was worn unzipped. A sound hitai-ate replaced the konoha hitai-ate at his forehead and he now had longer, thicker black pants that covered the top part of his high-topped black ninja sandals. He also seemed to have gained a peculiar weapon, this one a katana with a armored, curved, segmented haft (bottom part of the handle).

Orochimaru smirked, "Well well, it looks like some stray leafs got lost in the snake's pit. To what do we owe the pleasure?"

"We came here to destroy you, Orochimaru!" Kiba growled ferally as he said this.

Orochimaru chuckled. "Well then, it seems as your host…that I must welcome you to the sixth layer of my lair!" He bowed with a flourish, all the while congratulating himself on his 'fabulous' pun.

"Let the games begin!"

No notes today...but I do have an idea that i'd like to run past my readers. I have an idea for a new fic, in which the name should be enough to explain what it's about. There are multiple possible versions of this idea, so I would appreciate it if you tell me if you hate this idea, like the current idea, or like the base of the idea, but would like a different version. If you would like a different version, please include which one of the ones I've thought up or an original one that you'd like.

The title is: "Civillian eye for the Shinobi guy". Of course, it is quite easy to switch it around and make it, "Shinobi eye for the civillian guy", or even, "Kunoichi eye for the Shinobi guy". I'd like to see what you think of these ideas.

And as always, feedback on the actual story would be appreciated, so please REVIEW!