This chapter is dedicated to my grandpa (because have nothing else to dedicate to him). He died Christmas Eve. Please read.


The mist, which by midday was beginning to fade, covered most of the mountain pass area and was beginning to annoy one of two Akatsuki members standing on a cliff watching the path down below.

"I feel like I'm going blind, yeah…" (Is that what he says, I forgot) Deidara muttered, "There's more mist here than in kiri, yeah."

"You should appreciate it." Sasori replied, "The way it lingers is beautiful, like true art."

"Not this again, yeah." Deidara complained, "For the last time art is in the moment of it's creation and it's destruction, yeah. I'll do a demonstration…" he reached into robe pockets for some clay, "Maybe it'll clear some of this mist…yeah."

"No." Sasori said, "You'll give away our position."

"Do you see that slithering snake around here, yeah?" Deidara asked.

"I thought you couldn't see anything." Sasori retorted, "He'll be here alright, my source is never wrong."

"And just who is this source you keep talking about, yeah?" Deidara wondered, "He can't be so great!"

"But he is." Sasori explained, "He successfully infiltrated Orochimaru and has been supplying me with information for years."

"For years, yeah? Figures." Deidara laughed, "You are the master at drawing things out, if I were you I wouldn't wait forever I was just take that sick bastard out, yeah."

"Things take time, Deidara." Sasori said, "If you were me, you would realize this."

"Whatever…yeah…"

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Looking out at the horizon from the base that Anko had no departed from, one would believe, like she did, that the desert it was located it stretched on forever. But, after walking about six miles Anko found that the vast expanse of packed dirt and sand gave way to a mountain range that also seemed to go on forever.

That mountain range was where Anko, Orochimaru, Sasuke and Kabuto were walking through and where further ahead two missing ninja waited to jump them.

Breaking the silence, Kabuto told Orochimaru that "Your ex-partner is waiting ahead, he probably brought back up."

"I see." Orochimaru smiled, this would be interesting.

"If we had Karin, we'd be able to tell how many and how strong." Kabuto said.

Orochimaru looked at him funny.

"She asked me to put in a good word about her to you." Kabuto explained, pushing up his glasses.

"So is there gonna be a fight…" Sasuke asked.

"Maybe." Orochimaru replied, "But you won't be in it. You must save your strength. I'll go ahead and take care of the problem."

Sasuke shrugged, not caring if he fought or not.

"I'm coming too." Anko spoke up.

Everyone looked at her funny.

"Not that's you'd need the help or anything..." She grinned, "It's just that I haven't had a good fight in a while." Anko stretched.

"Alright." Orochimaru agreed, "In fact, I'd like to see what you can do. If it comes to a fight and there's more than one, you can take them, but Sasori is mine."

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The mist had cleared now and Sasori and Deidara now had a clear view of the road under them.

"There he is, yeah." Deidara said when he saw Orochimaru, "Let's go, yeah." He once again reached in his pocket for the clay.

"Wait…" Sasori said and looked down, "Who is with him?"

"Who cares, yeah? Let's go, yeah!" Deidara exclaimed and threw bomb clay that exploded seconds after Orochimaru had time to jump out of the way.

The fight had begun.

"Orochimaru you slimy scum---" Deidara was cut of by a snake flying through the air at him and biting his arm, "---yeah." He managed to growl after the bite.

"All that to say about me?" Orochimaru laughed, "And I don't believe I know who you are."

"I'm Deidara, yeah!" Deidara shouted, flinging the snake off him and down to the ground from the cliff, "And if that's the best you can do, you're toast, yeah!"

Deidara hopped on to a bird he made of clay and flew on it so that he was hovering about Orochimaru.

Orochimaru called up to Sasori, "Come down here and fight, old friend…"

"I don't need to." Sasori stated, gesturing to Deidara who was preparing another bomb.

"Then I don't need to either." Orochimaru said and stepped out of the way, making room for Anko.

"Alright bomb-boy!" she shouted, "Prepare to blown away!"


Review please.