Chapter 10: Startling Revelations
"Ouch!" Deidera screamed in pain, "Watch what you're doing okay? You're supposed to be fixing me up here not torturing me."
"You should be more grateful Deidera" a fellow Akatsuki member replied, "If it wasn't for me, you wouldn't have any arms at all."
"Yeah, Kakazu's right" a grey haired man agreed, "And if you hadn't fucked up with the two Jinchurki's you wouldn't be in this mess."
"I didn't ask for your opinion Hidan!" Deidera screamed back, showing his immaturity. "Anyway, your in no position to talk. At least I was able to capture a Jinchuriki in the first place, unlike you."
"Why, you smart mouthed little brat!" Hidan snarled, before revealing his scythe. "I'll rip your head off and use it as a-"
"That's enough" a deep voice called out, as the hologram of the Akatsuki leader appeared in the middle of the cave. He was joined by the holograms of the other members of the Akatsuki and they created a circle around the three physical members of the organization. "Where's Sasori?"
"Repairing some of his puppets" Deidera replied, "As soon as he's done that and I've been fixed up here, we'll head to the Sand Village to reclaim the Kazekage."
"That won't be necessary" the leader declared, "The Sand Village has tripled their defences and it's doubtful that your jutsu will be effective against him again. Besides, we've sealed enough of the One Tail anyway and he only has the smallest portion of its chakra sealed within him. I will select a different target for you in the future."
"Fine" Deidera responded hastily, while trying to suppress his obvious annoyance.
"Hidan and Kakazu" the leader continued, "You are to target the Nine Tails in the Leaf Village."
"Isn't that Itachi's target?" Hidan asked, breaking the cardinal rule about questioning decisions.
"Itachi has a different target for the moment" was the reply, "Also, you are currently the closest to the Land of Fire. Although, I must warn you that we expect to capture two more Jinchuriki in the next few days, so you must be prepared for sealing while you move."
"Understood" Kakazu confirmed, as the holograms disappeared. He then finished reattaching Deidera's missing limbs, before moving to the exit. "Let's move Hidan, there's plenty of bounties I want to collect in the Land of Fire before we get to the Jinchuriki."
"Damn it!" Naruto screamed, before falling back onto the floor in exhaustion.
"Not again!" another Naruto complained, before also falling away.
"This isn't even possible!" a third yelled, as he disappeared in a cloud of smoke.
On the sidelines, Kakashi, Sakura and Sasuke watched bemused as hundreds of Naruto's tried desperately to add the Wind Chakra Nature to the Rasengan. It wasn't going all that well, as the group had been trying for over 8 hours and had very little to show for it.
"Sasuke" Kakashi said, "That clone over there is turning, stop it."
Sasuke quickly rushed over to the clone in question, and forced the handle of his sword into its face. The clone quickly dispersed and a potential crisis was averted.
"I've told you ten times already" Kakashi moaned, "To use the seals I gave you to suppress the Nine Tails chakra rather than just ending the jutsu through brute force."
"I prefer my way" Sasuke replied, as he joined his Sensei once again. "Why are you using a method that requires so much work on our end? I want to do my own training."
"Well, I was hoping to use one of my acquaintances from the ANBU to help" Kakashi responded, "But he's been too busy recently, so I'm using you. Don't worry, with the amount of clones Naruto is using and the speed with which he picks things up, he'll be done in no time."
"I wouldn't put it past him" Sakura said, "He's done some pretty amazing things in the past."
Sasuke noticed another clone being taken over by the Nine Tails and he quickly dispatched it with his Chidori spear.
"Sasuke!" Naruto yelled, as he walked over to the pair. "Stop treating my clones so badly! You're supposed to be subduing the chakra to abusing them."
"Well, if you made any kind of progress with this jutsu, I wouldn't have to resort to such methods, would I" Sasuke shot back.
"I have made progress" Naruto replied, as he summoned another pair of clones. "Just you watch this, Sasuke."
Naruto created another Rasengan, which appeared similar to any Rasengan he had made previously. However, as the clones continued to spin the blue sphere of chakra, it began to change. There was a white glow coming from it and a faint sound of wind could be heard.
"Impressive" Kakashi said, as he stood up and held his arm out. "Lets see how it compares to a basic Rasengan."
As Kakashi created the jutsu, Sasuke observed a figure approaching from behind him. Sakura did the same and quickly jumped up to defend them against the unannounced visitor.
"It's fine, Sakura" Sasuke insisted, as he turned around. "Sai, are you still being told to follow me around?"
For the past two weeks after returning from their battle, Sai had been trailing Sasuke under orders from his superior Danzo. Sasuke had instantly discovered what was happening and had been able to convince Sai that he should go against these orders.
"No, that mission has been ended for now" Sai replied, while avoiding eye contact with both Sasuke and Sakura. "I'm actually here of my own free will."
"Why's that?" Sasuke enquired.
"I guess it was so that I could observe how you interact with your team" Sai mumbled, while looking embarrassed. "Ever since you spoke about your team to me, I've been reading about social interaction and I wanted to see it up close."
"Sasuke was talking about us? What did he say?" Sakura enquired, suddenly eager to join in the conversation. Sai was a little stunned at being spoken to directly like that, but soon regained his composure.
"Well, he said that-" Sai began, but soon stopped when he noticed that Sasuke was giving him a threatening look.
"This will be interesting" Sasuke said, while watching Naruto and Kakashi face off. The two Rasengan's clashed and created large flash of light coupled with a cracking sound. Kakashi stumbled back while clutching his hand, while Naruto stood in shock.
"Incredible" Sakura whispered, "He completely overpowered Kakashi Sensei's Rasengan and this jutsu isn't even complete yet."
"It's not that impressive" Sasuke remarked, "Kakashi's Rasengan isn't all that powerful anyway."
"Still, it's an impressive feat non the less" Sakura countered, "He's still got a long way to go as well."
"Whatever" Sasuke said, as he got up to leave. "I'm tired of doing this, I have things to do."
"What things?" Sakura asked immediately.
"Nothing you have to worry about" Sasuke replied, while walking away.
"What are you hiding?" Sakura demanded, "You've been like this for at least two weeks. You won't talk much and you always seem like you have something on your mind. Tell me what it is."
"It's nothing, I just want to train" Sasuke replied. "Sai can take my place with the training, he wants to get to know you all anyway."
Sasuke walked off with the sound of his teammates shouting ringing in his ears. He wasn't completely comfortable with it but he had made his decision. He just hoped that he wouldn't live to regret it.
Tsunade breathed a loud sigh as she looked at the pile of paper work that she still had to work through. It had been a stressful day so far and it seemed that things were only going to get worse. First, she had to deal with the budget for the Academy, which was always a pain. Then she had to meet with the Lord of the Land of Fire, who was difficult to deal with at the best of times. Finally, she had received words that a member of the ANBU appeared to have gone rogue and killed his squad. She had to put together a group of Hunter Nin to pursue him and pray that he hadn't leaked any village secrets.
It was almost a relief when there was a knock on the door and Jiraiya came barging in. His goofy smile and boyish charm brought relief to an otherwise dark day.
"Hey Tsunade, you're looking stressed" Jiraiya stated bluntly, in his usual deadpan fashion. "Is the life of sitting in a comfy office all day getting you down?"
"Hilarious as always Jiraiya" she replied, while setting down the report in front of her. "So, what are you doing back here anyway? You seem to avoid coming back here as much as possible."
"Maybe I got a little homesick?" Jiraiya suggested, while he took his seat. "Maybe I wanted to do some more research? You know, they don't make girls quite as well elsewhere as they do in the Leaf Village."
A quick strike to the head soon set Jiraiya straight and diverted him from his train of thought.
"Ever since I heard about the attack on Sasuke, I've been intensifying my research into the Akatsuki."
"Why would that attack have prompted you to do that?" Tsunade enquired. "That was orchestrated by Orochimaru, not the Akatsuki."
"It made me realise something" Jiraiya responded, his tone suddenly serious and his voice deeper. "The Shinobi of this village are in much more danger now than they have been for a very long time. We need to put an end to the Akatsuki and fast."
"Alright, well what did you find?" Tsunade pressed, suddenly much more eager to learn of what Jiraiya had found.
"I think the leader of the Akatsuki is in the Hidden Rain Village" Jiraiya replied, to Tsunade's horror. The Rain Village had always been notoriously secretive and difficult to infiltrate. It made sense that the leader of a criminal organisation might want to take refuge there.
"So, what's your plan then?" Tsunade whispered, secretly fearing what the answer would be.
"Well, first I intend to stay here for a few days, talk to Naruto and Kakashi about some things while some of my contacts clarify some details" Jiraiya began, "Then I'll infiltrate the Rain Village and see what I can find there."
"That's suicide!" Tsunade yelled back. "There's no way that I could allow you to go there on your own! I'd have to send a team of at least-"
"Don't insult me Tsunade" Jiraiya interjected, "You know full well that a large team would be detrimental to this mission. I'm one of the Sannin and you know full well what that means."
"Yes" Tsunade said, exasperated. "Still I-"
"You need some time to think about it, I suppose that's understandable," Jiraiya said, interrupting Tsunade once again. "I'll be around for a few days yet, so take your time to get used to it. Just remember, I'll be going no matter what."
With that, Jiraiya got up and left before Tsunade could speak again. She sat in her chair for the next few minutes, letting a mix of confusion and rage build up inside her. She knew that she wouldn't be able to forgive herself if something happened to Jiraiya, yet she also knew that the same would be true if they did nothing and the Akatsuki threatened the village. She cursed Jiraiya under her breath for putting her into this situation but her anger was interrupted as Shizune burst into the room.
"Lady Tsunade" she said, a look of concern spread across her face. "I have urgent news."
"What news?" Tsunade queried, already fed up with hearing urgent news for the day.
"It's about Sasuke Uchiha" Shizune replied, which let Tsunade know that she was about to hear the most important news of the day.
Hidan let out a dramatic sigh as Kakazu came out from the building. They had just been to collect the bounty of a priest that they had killed, which annoyed Hidan immensely. In his usual unsubtle manner, he made his feelings about this clear.
"This killing for money is fucking stupid" he moaned, "It's a waste of my time to go to these places with you. I want to get to the Leaf Village and slaughter everyone in sight. Oh yes, Jashin will be happy with me today."
"As usual Hidan, you completely miss the point" Kakazu replied, while walking off. Hidan quickly followed him, angry at the insult. "We collect bounties to raise money for the Akatsuki and we've already explained to you why that's necessary."
"I told you that I don't give a shit about that" Hidan replied, "I just need to kill for my religion and these deviations just annoy me."
The argument continued in this manner for another half an hour and the two Akatsuki members walked through the forest. Eventually, they came to a break in the trees and arrived in a small field.
"I'm just going to completely mutilate anyone with a high bounty, just to spite you" Hidan declared, as they walked through the field.
Kakazu then raised his arm to stop Hidan from continuing on their journey. He looked around them quickly and tightened his eyes in confusion.
"What is it?" Hidan asked, completely oblivious to whatever his partner had sensed.
"Come out" Kakazu yelled, to nowhere in particular. "I know that you're hiding in there, so your advantage has been lost. If you don't show yourself, I'll just destroy everything in my path until I find you."
A few seconds passed without any response. Kakazu groaned slightly at the extra work now involved, while Hidan just smirked.
"I guess they're too afraid to face us," he said confidently, without noticing the figure appearing from the trees.
"Not really" a soft voice hissed, as the figure stepped into the light. "Long time no see, Kakazu."
"Orochimaru" Kakazu growled, as he stared at the pale man in front of him. "I can't believe that you're showing your face like this. I thought you'd be too embarrassed after failing to capture a young Genin."
"Not at all" Orochimaru responded casually, "If you must know, I found a rather suitable replacement for him."
As Orochimaru spoke, he folded his arms, which revealed the ring on his hand. This wasn't missed by Hidan, who burst out laughing.
"You're wearing your Akatsuki ring?" he yelled, while holding onto his stomach. "That's so pathetic."
Orochimaru didn't respond to the insult and just gave a devious smile while he twisted the ring on his finger.
"I never thought I'd say this, but I'm glad to see you" Kakazu said, "The bounty on your head is enormous, probably the biggest there is outside of the Akatsuki. I'm going to be getting a big payday today."
"Overconfidence like that will get you killed" Orochimaru countered, as he laughed under his breath.
"You think you can kill us?" Hidan shouted. "We're two immortals! You have absolutely no chance here."
"Immortals? Don't make me laugh" Orochimaru mocked. "You think that having five hearts and depending on sacrifices makes you immortal? You're both deluded, I'll soon show the world what true immortality is."
"Whatever, you're just boring me now" Hidan said, while he prepared himself to attack. "We should just kill you and get on with it."
"I don't think so" Orochimaru responded, while he made a hand seal. Suddenly, several thick ropes of wood burst out of the ground and wrapped around Hidan rendering him completely unable to move.
"Wood Release!" Kakazu exclaimed, "How did you do this?"
Orochimaru burst out in manic laughter as he watched Kakazu's confused expression. He had waited for this moment for a long time and he was enjoying it immensely.
"There was a child that I gave the First Hokage's power to when he was a baby" Orochimaru began. "It turns out that he's adapted to the power surprisingly well, far better than I thought he would. It turns out that he's a far better base for Hashirama Senju's power than any of my other test subjects. So, I took his body for my own and updated the powers he had to make myself stronger."
Kakazu began to sweat as he listened to Orochimaru's words and found that, for only the second time in his considerably long life, he was scared of an opponent.
"Kakazu, I heard you survived a battle with the First Hokage" Orochimaru said, as he prepared another seal. "Lets see if you can do it again!"
Team 7 met up at the training field the next morning to continue Naruto's training. Naturally, Naruto and Sakura were there first and Kakashi turned up around an hour later. Immediately, there was concern among the group as they realised that one very important person was missing.
"Where's Sasuke?" Kakashi asked, his voice filled with worry.
"We thought he was with you" Sakura replied, to sounds of agreement from Naruto. "I haven't seen him since yesterday afternoon."
"Neither have I" Naruto admitted, as he considered several possibilities in his head. "We need to find him now."
The rest of the team agreed and they spent the next hour searching for Sasuke. They decided not to tell the Hokage until they had proof that he was missing which, after a full two hours of searching, they thought they had.
"No one's heard from him since yesterday, no one's even seen him" Naruto cried, as the team met up following their frantic search. "What do we do?"
"We have to tell the Hokage" Kakashi sighed, the signs of stress showing. "We need a full search of the village and the surrounding area just to make sure that he has actually gone."
"That won't be necessary" a soft voice called out as Sai appeared in front of them.
"Why not?" Sakura asked.
"The Hokage already knows about Sasuke" Sai said, while looking incredibly uncomfortable. "I'm actually here to tell you that you need to go see her right away because she has some important news."