Sherby: And here we are again! For chapter fourteen! Once again, I'd like to ask all the people who are casually adding me to their "update alert" lists to leave a damned review – it's not difficult! Don't make me threaten to stop updating…
So, yush! On to chapter fourteen with high spirits and little time! Work in 40 mintues!!!
Dattebayo!
Chapter Fourteen: Prophecies
Naruto stopped running as sharply as he could and waited a moment for the others to catch up. Dawn had arrived bleary-eyed and miserable, and the rain had calmed into a pathetic drizzle. The sun brought very little warmth, and Naruto was glad of the winter cloak he wrapped tightly about his frame.
He had expected the journey to take a lot longer than it had done, but he soon remembered that last time they had been travelling with an injured companion and unable to travel at full speed. With just Kakashi, Edward and himself, Naruto barely recognised the scenery as it blasted by him in a smudge of grey pastels. In the space of a few hours, they had covered nearly half the journey to Yomi.
Naruto understood quite well, with the Kyuubi residing inside him, that his stamina and endurance were higher than those of the average ninja. Plus, he knew himself enough to know that he moved more quickly and with more fury when he was emotionally charged up. Worry, and thoughts he did not wish to bring into existence even within his own mind just in case they bore fruit in reality, had added a pacing urgency to each step he took. He didn't know why; he didn't even know if anything had actually happened back in Konoha, but for some reason his legs carried him faster and harder across the weeping ground.
Kakashi and Edward, both wearing similar expressions to the one he wore himself, landed beside him. Edward was young and fairly inexperienced, Naruto recognised, and Kakashi was not old yet, but getting there slowly.
"Do you guys want a break?" he asked tentatively, wrinkling his nose at the grey sky. Kakashi stood up tall and said nothing, but Edward nodded quite gladly. He was too young to let his pride get in the way of a rest.
The three of them sat down on the wet ground and there ran between them an uneasy yet acceptable silence. Naruto wasn't too sure if Edward felt the same worry as he and his teacher certainly did; he hadn't known Sasuke particularly long and the chances of him understanding the wretched back story of the current situation were slim. Not a lot of people knew the full details of the Uchiha massacre, and fewer still the details of Uchiha Chiyo and her return to her home.
Naruto watched Kakashi's face and knew he was thinking the same thing. Hoping fervently that the details of Uchiha Chiyo and her return to her home hadn't leaked to the wrong people.
Worst of all, Naruto had always found he had a knack for reading true worry on his former sensei's features. Not that he often saw more than a glimpse of both eyes, but, surprisingly, Naruto usually guessed right when he guessed there was something genuine to worry about by reading Kakashi's face.
His actions spoke louder than words anyway, Naruto concluded with a wry grimace. And how he wished it wasn't so.
Not once in the last four hours had Kakashi reached for the dirty little novel that lived in his back pocket.
Sakura had thought it would be difficult to pull Sasuke from the room with the wrinkled Tatami mat on the cold floor and the cracked picture of two young boys, but it hadn't. He'd let himself be pulled along surprisingly easily and Sakura had noted with a dull sort of dissatisfaction that his footfalls had lacked purpose; no anger gleamed in his eyes, nor rage curled in his fists.
"Whatever happened here…" Sakura spoke to herself, "It's worse than I can currently understand."
She didn't really know where she was heading – only she knew Tsunade needed to be informed of this. A hostage situation had now arisen (at least, hostage situation was the best option out of all the others Sakura could bring to mind) and a member of Konoha had been taken prisoner by a very dangerous S-Ranked criminal and was in mortal danger (that's if she isn't dead alre—stop thinking like that). Sakura remembered those long hours spent watching Sasuke in the sterile cold hospital in the wake of Itachi's last visit. When most ninja returned to Konoha – from mission, task or perhaps even just for visit – brought joy, happiness and mirth gladness. Uchiha Itachi, whenever he visited her once peaceful village, brought pain, misery, and gloomy black destruction.
The journey to the Hokage's office was quick, and Sakura was surprised to see Tsunade waiting outside of her large room expectantly. One glance at the two dejected shinobi answered any questions she might have had regarding the pretty young woman that Sasuke had become so attached to in such a short time. Silently she held open the door to her office and let them in, shutting it quietly behind her when she herself entered. She had been afraid of this.
Shizune watched their actions from a chair in the corner, dark eyes gleaming with worry as a fat little pig sat in her lap purred under the rapid strokes of her skilled hands. Tsunade took up her place behind the large pine desk that dominated the room. Sasuke and Sakura stood quietly, miserably, waiting for whatever she needed to say.
The busty blond sighed as she watched both of the young, talented shinobi before her.
"None of this could be helped, so whatever you're feeling guilty about, I want you to drop it straight away. This is a time for missions; not inward consultations and angst-ridden introspection."
Sasuke's face remained an impassive blank as he watched the base of the desk with no emotion. Sakura met the Hokage's gaze.
"Hokage-sama, with all due respect, if we'd only stayed to guard Chiyo, or placed her under better surveillance, this wouldn't have ha-"
"Nonsense, Sakura," Sasuke interjected, his tone dry and low. "While she was here, she was safe. None of us expected an attack from him so soon. It wasn't to be expected. I have no idea how he knew, but it almost defies belief that he found her so quickly. What can you do against somebody like him?"
Sakura watched him sadly, the heaviness of that last statement weighing her light little heart down. Twice, now, had Itachi taken from Sasuke the things he held dear. Twice left him with an empty home and broken images of a once happy unit.
"Aah, but don't sound so downhearted, little Sasuke," smiled Tsunade, a hint of gentle mocking in her words. Sakura saw the tiny grimace on her teammate's face before he looked up to hear what she had to say.
"Did you know that Shizune here is an excellent tracker-nin?"
Sakura smiled – she had known Shizune for a very long time, and understood the woman's talent not only in the field of healing but also in the skill of hunting. Tsunade claimed it was something Shizune had suddenly taken up after a visit to a certain village and a certain Hokage going missing with somebody else's money, but Sakura suspected that the talent had hidden within Shizune for quite some time. Sasuke hardly knew the woman – he had seen her a few times upon his return to Konoha, and occasionally she had checked up on his wounds when Tsunade herself was busy, but they had hardly spoken and he hadn't really seen her as somebody worth knowing.
Shizune smiled at them from her chair. "Tonton here has one of the best noses in the business. Just as good as Kakashi's dogs, I'll wager."
"I believe I made a grave mistake," continued Tsunade, "in sending two teams out with only one medical specialist. Sakura, your skills are unquestionable, but you cannot be in more than once place at any given time. And, considering the scope of this mission, I was a fool to overlook the amount of injuries that would be taken. We have already received notice from Team Gai that Tenten has been injured quite seriously, and, although stable, is in a fairly substantial amount of pain. More medics are required."
She turned to Shizune. "So, Shizune will help you track down your Uchihas – both of them – and then she will defect to Team Gai once Team Seven has been reunited. Team Seven will only be reunited once Chiyo Uchiha has been discovered," she said the words she knew Sasuke didn't want to hear, "dead or alive."
The pig leaped from Shizune's knees to the ground with a gruff "oink" as she stood, revealing that she was already equipped and ready to leave. Sakura had never seen Shizune really dressed for battle – short, tight black knee-lengths wrapped with bandages, and a deep purple tunic laced with pockets and pockets of medical equipment.
"Good luck," added Tsunade as she cast an approving eye over Shizune. "As always, I expect you three to return alive and with the target in hand. Sakura, look after them. You did this before, Uchiha," she glanced at Sasuke, who looked convincingly less dejected now, "You can do it again."
With a crisp and fervent nod, Shizune led the team out of the room.
After dashing across the water towards Yomi, Kakashi couldn't push away the sickly feeling in his stomach that they were getting involved in something they didn't quite understand. Island of Death. Shadowy monsters. Ancient mythology. Crazed rituals. Kakashi was an astounding ninja, but he was no exorcist. He couldn't chase away demons even if he wanted to.
He had known, from the moment he heard those broken snippets of conversation on the radio that Uchiha Chiyo had been abducted. He hadn't been as surprised as he had expected himself to be, because it didn't surprise him that that evil bastard had tracked the cute little thing down; it hadn't surprised him that the minute they had left the village Itachi had swept in with the silent, deathly manner of a disease creeping under the cracks of a locked door into the crib of a babe.
Then why, he asked himself, as Naruto and Edward landed on the sludgy sand beside him, hadn't he prepared for it?
He knew the answer before the question had been asked. He had always been an optimist. And, this time, he had dared to hope for a little happiness for his old student. Instead of preparing for the worse, he had decided against it, placing the matter of the Uchihas into the hands of fate.
A pity, he thought as they approached the filthy old marketplace, that Uchiha Itachi was so superb at scraping the badness from underneath fate's fingernails and spitting it out at everyone he knew.
A bleak kind of coldness had settled into the air, and the three of them ran with their cloaks fastened to the collar. The grey air about them offered little consolation for their damaged feelings, and they ran in silence, not really quite sure of their destination now. When they reached the market, Kakashi stopped to advise that they remove their headbands. They didn't know where Akatsuki's spies were lurking – one of them had discovered Uchiha Chiyo's whereabouts without their knowing, and so extra precaution was a necessary. Naruto removed his headband grudgingly, knowing it was vital not to look like a ninja but feeling very much like barging in there and kicking every single stall down until he found the clues he was searching for.
Not that he knew what sort of clues he was looking for, of course. Kakashi, on the other hand, had a vague idea of what he was doing.
His grey eyes scanned the market stalls for the one with the rotten apples on it. Soon enough, he locked onto it, and there she was; that cute little woman from last time, her dark hair showing thin streaks of dull violet that he hadn't noticed on his last visit, but those quiet, frightened eyes still just as pretty as he remembered.
"Stop perving on the girl and do your job, Kakashi!"
He shook himself and moved quickly to the stall, motioning to Naruto and Ed to stay behind. Edward watched with fascination, his golden eyes glimmering in the forlorn misty morning. Kakashi approached the woman with little hesitation, watching her own eyes widen as they met with his, noting the deep purple flashing within them as she backed away slightly. He offered her a smile, and, realising she couldn't see it because of his mask, he pulled it down to talk to her, revealing a face so very few had ever seen. Again, he smiled.
"Miss, I don't want you to be afraid, but there are some things that my team mates and I need to know about this place. You won't be hurt for any of the information you give me, I promise. I will protect you, as will my team."
The girl, quivering a little violently, glanced from the handsome face before her to the two younger men standing a few metres away, one of them trying his best to resist running over. The scarred eye of this man, who spoke to her with such a kind gaze those days ago, frightened her, but his face and tone did not. Could she make a difference to this pathetic little town? Could she help it be what it used to be? She didn't distrust the man leaning over the rotting apples in her rickety stall in any way, and, without being able to explain why, she didn't care. He was kind. He needed her help. If she was caught giving it, she would be severely punished. But protection was being offered to her, protection she craved after leading a doleful skinny life for years and years and longer. She knew she needed to get out of the boat to walk on the water. She just didn't know if she had the guts to stay afloat.
Ashamed of her appearance, but taken in entirely by this gallant, kind-talking man, she nodded, a little shakily at first, but then with vigour. Looking back at her life as she stepped from behind the stall and began to walk in step with the tall stranger, she realised that she had nothing to lose anymore.
As Shizune bent to talk to the pig in the grass, Sasuke wondered what the hell he was doing with his life to deserve something like this. Family? Dead. Life goals? Messed up. Girlfriend (could he even call her that? It didn't seem to sum up how much he felt for her)? Gone. Probably dead (Sasuke, unlike Kakashi, had never been an optimist – at least, not since that day all those years ago).
And here he was, trying to be as calm as he could be so that Sakura wouldn't worry (because he knew she would and he didn't want her to) and doing a damned good job of it, watching this Shizune woman, who seemed nice enough…talking to a pig.
Sasuke fought the urge to groan. His life – her life – was in the hands (trotters?) of a pig.
This was more important. Why on earth had the Hokage assigned a pig to the mission? When had this turned into a farce?
"When you started hoping again, Sasuke," that horrible inner pessimist in him spoke out with a chuckle. "Haven't you learned your lesson yet?"
He hoped Sakura didn't notice his fists clenching in anger as he watched the black haired woman finish speaking to the fat little animal, the grey sky sweeping around them and cloaking his panic. He could argue with himself as much as he wanted, but it seemed as though his life was destined to simply spiral into dimensions he could no longer control or comprehend. How had Itachi known where to look? Was it all so predictable to him? Why were people treating this like a joke – why was there a PIG on his team?
Once again, Sasuke wondered what the hell he had done with his life to deserve something like this. The rage hadn't hit him yet, and he knew it would soon by the burning in his shoulder blades and that furious spinning feeling in his eyes. His Sharingan had activated itself. He needed to get a grip. He needed a calm head if he was going to track her down. He needed clear thoughts and clarity and patience and –
"Sasuke?"
Shizune's fairly soft voice broke into his panicking thoughts, and he almost winced when he felt how tightly knotted up his shoulders felt. He quickly met her gaze, feeling nothing but scepticism.
"What?"
"Tonton has found a scent on the air that matches that of Uchiha Chiyo and that of Uchiha Itachi. They headed west, in the direction of Yomi but through a slightly different route than that of Kakashi and the team."
Sasuke stared as Sakura patted Tonton on the head proudly.
"How the he—""
Shizune beamed as she interrupted him. "There's a strong scent on your body of Uchiha Chiyo. Probably still there from when you carried her back those days ago. Tonton caught it easily. And Uchiha Itachi – he smells just like you to Tonton. So they're relatively easy to track."
The rage knotting in his shoulders released, and Sasuke concerned himself with the puzzled gaze Sakura was offering him. He felt it better not to point out to Shizune that he had taken numerous showers since he had carried Chiyo home, and the scent on him was not simply that of the beautiful girl, but that of two Uchihas bleeding into one the night before.
"You heard the pig," he said quietly, hoping fervently that the tints of red in his cheeks came from the bitterness of the day and nothing more. "We go west."
He leaped off in the direction that Tonton faced with affirmation, followed by Shizune, leaving an uneasy Sakura to follow on after a moment's thought.
"What's your name, miss?"
Kakashi had pulled on his mask before Naruto had gotten a decent chance to look underneath it. Scowling at his misfortune, Naruto cursed his luck and vowed to get it one day. The three ninja and the pretty, skinny lady had taken shelter from a light shower underneath a jutting out section of rocks towards the beach – enhanced, to Kakashi's astonishment, by Edward, who had swiftly made a couple of hand signs, clapped his hands together, and then the small rock formation had suddenly begun to move, surrounded by a beautiful blue glow that reminded them all of Sakura's healing aura. Within moments the few rocks had flattened into a neatly formed roof, and Edward had even fashioned small but comfortable seats out of the rocky ground for them to relax in for a few moments. Naruto couldn't deny that he was impressed. The girl had just watched on, that purple wonder dancing in those big, scared eyes.
Kakashi had deemed it best they not stay too near the town. He didn't really like the situation they were in, but it was the best they could hope for at the moment. They had taken an innocent civilian onto the team, which worried him. She had been frightened before she had even committed a crime (not that Kakashi thought her offering them a little information was a crime, but she obviously did). Now, he had no idea whether whoever was running this crazy little village would be tracking her down, for treason or usurping the peace or whatever ridiculous charge they decided to throw at her.
"Kei," she answered, so timidly that the three men leaned closer to hear her. "Hiyomura Kei."
Kakashi smiled at her. "Well, Miss Hiyomura, we have come to this island because we believe a group of criminals may be harboured here. Furthermore, we believe that they may be attempting to unleash a terrible power, and we have been sent by the Fifth Hokage of the Village Hidden in the Leaves to stop that from happening."
Naruto stared at Kakashi blankly, wondering at the way he spoke. Edward was a little quicker on the uptake.
"He's trying to impress this woman…"
"Unfortunately we have already lost two team members," Ed interjected, drawing the cute little purple gaze over to his gold one. "And we don't really have a plan. To be honest, the whole thing is turning into a joke."
Naruto suppressed a chuckle as Kakashi bore an evil gaze upon Ed…who merely smiled pleasantly as a result. The skinny, cute woman named Kei looked from one to the other, not quite sure what to make of the situation.
After a moment, Kakashi sighed. "I think I'd better explain things to you in detail, Miss Hiyomura. It's not fair of me to ask information from you when you have received none from us."
And so Kakashi gave her the story, including all of the details he could remember, letting her in on the secret of the Jinchuuriki, Naruto piping in here and there when he felt he could help as Kakashi told of Akatsuki, of Uchiha Itachi, of Uchiha Chiyo (Kei nodded with a smile at the mention of her name – they obviously knew one another), of their mission, and of the danger they faced in stopping it but the greater danger they would face if they didn't.
Kei listened, listened hard, her thin face absorbing all of the details, and her eyes darting back and forth as it processed in her mind. As Kakashi spoke he watched her eyes, wondering at the deep purple in them. He had never seen eyes like that before. They flashed like the rain that fell upon their sturdy roof.
As the ninja completed their story, Kei took a deep breath. This world was like nothing she had ever experienced before. Ninja missions? Hostage situations? Ancient mythological curses? What on earth had she thrown herself into at the glance of a handsome man?
Truth be told, it had been a long time since a man had looked at her in the way he had. With her sagging clothes, grimy skin and lank hair, she felt she was as undesirable as she could possibly be. She'd looked nice, once. Before the war. Before all the toil and the hardship, and the children with the dead eyes on the road side eyeing her up only for the stinking apples they wanted to steal.
Once, she remembered a man who had loved her. But then things had rotted, and she hadn't known what to do. He'd left, and she'd been stood there, simply selling those dirty rotten apples at prices too high to people too desperate.
And then this Kakashi had come along, with those very kind eyes, and he had looked her up and down, she had seen it, but he had not been displeased with what he found. That was not to say he was a pervert (although, as he had walked away that time, the back flap of his pocket had been open, and she'd caught the title of an erotic novel peeking out from the top – then again, she had to question why she was looking at his buttocks as he walked away), and she had appreciated the eye over he had given her. He needed her help. She would gladly give it.
"I don't really know what I can do to help you," she said, still a little nervous, although these three shinobi seemed like good, kind people who wouldn't shout at her for saying the wrong thing. "But I'll try my best."
The blond kid smiled at her. "That's what we wanted to hear, Miss Kei!"
She cracked the first real smile she had smiled in years.
The rain, falling much harder now, left tiny eggs upon his dark eyelashes as he flew along at a pace he knew that they couldn't maintain for long. Although even as he thought that, Sakura leaped past him, splashing through a hefty puddle and scattering the right side of him with more sprinkled water droplets. On his left, Shizune had no trouble keeping the pace. For the first time in a while, Sasuke felt his spirits rising a little. At this rate, there was a chance. At this speed, it might just be possible to find her before he killed her.
Of course, he wasn't such a fool as to lift his hopes too high. He knew his brother; he really knew him, and knew exactly what he was capable of. If they found Chiyo alive, she would still be a mess from torture and mind games. Sasuke wasn't expecting her to run into his open arms and for them to fly away into the sunset. But still.
But still.
They covered the distance in a breathtakingly short amount of time. Fear lent wings to their feet. Four and a half hours, Sasuke made it, as his feet came into contact with the waters that surrounded the island. Four and a half hours to make a journey that should by rights take days. He was astonished that Sakura had kept up. Glancing over at her, her perfect chakra control more beautiful than his as she glided over the water, he felt a pang of pride as her feet danced over the once more choppy waves. He heard the pig oinking in the arms of the medic ninja to his left. They were getting closer.
Sasuke had tried – really, really tried his hardest – to ignore the feeling in his gut that had tore right through him when he realised she was missing. He could hardly bring himself to acknowledge her pretty little name anymore. It hurt him (and he hated to admit it) that she wasn't there with him, hurt that she might be hurt herself. He hated himself for leaving that morning. Why had he listened to that stupid Hokage? Why hadn't he stayed and protected her?
It's ok, Sasuke; I understand. I'll wait for you.
He screwed up his eyes as those words struck out in his mind.
You'll have the warm, soft things…I swear…I'll be waiting.
"But you didn't wait…" he found himself thinking, surprised at the wetness at the back of his eyes as well as the front. "You didn't wait because you couldn't wait. You couldn't wait…" he took a deep breath. "You couldn't wait because of him."
The sand was slippery in the rain beneath their feet. Any tears Sasuke may have felt were ragged away by the cold air; they were sent glistening to death.
"You couldn't wait…because of him…this time, I really will kill Itachi."
They stopped briefly to catch their breath. Sakura looked about herself quickly.
"I can't sense Kakashi-Sensei's chakra…"
"They're probably masking any traces of themselves," answered Sasuke swiftly. "They don't want to be discovered if they're sneaking in anywhere."
He turned to the pig, feeling slightly ridiculous as he spoke to it but determined to overcome his embarrassment for the sake of finding the one he was missing so badly.
"Where now, pig?"
Shizune frowned. "Her name is Tonton."
Sasuke flinched. "Where now, Tonton?" he said, forcing the most plastic smile he believed he had ever smiled. Shizune didn't seem to mind, and she placed Tonton down on the sluggish looking sand. They had entered the island on the other side to where they had originally swept themselves up. Sasuke was glad. Seeing Chiyo's tiny little hut wouldn't help him.
The pig sniffed around for a moment, nose to the ground, and then to the air. Shizune spoke a little nervously.
"The rain is difficult for Tonton to smell through. It masks some scents and enhances others. Give her a moment."
"In the meantime," said Sakura, eyeing the pig with her green gaze, "I have this book to look at. The Hokage gave it me. I'm sure it must be useful in some way."
She pulled out the book, the gold leaf wilting in the rain, and flipped it open. "I haven't really had much of a chance to read it in depth, but, like I said, the Hokage must have had good reason for giving it to us."
While the pig sniffed and spun about, following its nose, the three of them gathered over the book, dripping clear drops onto the old, yellowing pages. Sakura's sharp eyes scanned more quickly than Sasuke's and Shizune's, and she didn't bother waiting for them before she turned the pages. After flipping a few pages ahead, Shizune spoke to her.
"Wait, Sakura. Go back. I saw something."
The kanji on the pages were ancient and hard to decipher, but, as Sakura flipped back to the page Shizune had seen, the word Yomi was painfully clear at the top right of the page. Deep, black ink. Large kanji decorated with small pictures, similar to fleur-de-lis. Images crawling up the side of the page of deep purple, shadowy creatures reaching out from the night. Sakura translated quickly, as she knew the others would struggle with the ancient text.
"Izanagi, flight of fools
Tooketh thou the path of cowardice
Thou becameth shadow in itself.
Fair Izanami, rotten core,
Blossoms wilted 'neath rain and snow.
Bringer of death, thou ruler of shadow.
Shikome, Shikome, fealthy to thine mistress,
Brought forth thou shalt be by the eighth of nine.
Shadow ruler walketh once more
In vale beneath, on towering clifftop.
Shikome, Shikome, fealty to thine mistress
Viper locks hang o'er glimmering orbs.
Sword of snake shall splice thy curse,
Sun from left, Moon from right,
Storm from breath shall seal thee fast.
Thy curse bereft, fair mistress,
Thou shalt wither in blackness."
Sakura finished stumbling through the text and closed the book.
"Makes no sense to me."
The other two were frowning in confusion too. Before they could discuss it any further, Tonton gave out a bleak "oink" and they all turned to her. Her nose was pointing firmly up the distant mountainous structure in the centre of the island. Sakura swallowed.
"That's where we're heading, guys. Chiyo is up there."
Without a word, Shizune took off in the direction that Tonton was guiding them in, scooping up the cubby little thing in her arms and running across the rocks. Sakura glanced at Sasuke.
"You ok?"
His gaze, spinning with the Sharingan, glowing bright in the drab air aroung them, was focussed on the mountain, and his face wore that look which said his mind was spinning just as quickly as his eyes were.
"In vale beneath, on towering clifftop."
Sakura caught his words as the wind began to pick up again. She pushed her gaze slowly up to the top of mountains in the misty distance.
"The monsters came from the hills," said Kei, her tone assured and confident. "That's for sure."
"What did they look like?" Naruto asked her, his eyes wide and eager for information.
"Viper locks hang o'er glimmering orbs…" Sakura spoke quietly, heart suddenly pounding.
"Like snakes," Kei locked eyes with Naruto, her eyes sparkling. "Vipers for hair, so I heard. And eyes that sparkle like those of a snake."
"Creepy," said Ed. "Hope we don't have to ever meet them."
"Think we'll meet them up there?" Sakura asked her companion, whose gaze had not moved.
"Do you even think they exist?" Sasuke questioned in return. Sakura couldn't help but shiver.
"I think they're still up there," Kei continued, "But hiding, you know? Waiting for the right time…"
"Brought forth thou shalt be by the eighth of nine…" muttered Sasuke, for a moment pushing Chiyo out of his thoughts as the puzzles began to fit into place within his head. "What are there nine of, Sakura?"
She didn't want to say it. She couldn't bring herself to utter it.
"Bijuu, did you call them?" Kei continued to speak, surprising the three men around her. "The demons held in the Jinchuuriki?"
"That's right, the Bijuu," answered Kakashi, pleased that she was offering what information she could.
"You say this group Akatsuki are collecting them….these Bijuu…"
"They're still missing one," said Naruto with a foxy grin. "I've got the boss inside me!"
Kei watched him with those glittering eyes.
"The eighth of nine…"
Sakura felt a rush of hatred towards the book in her bag. With a growl, she flung chakra into her feet and set off as quickly as she could, followed by a silent Sasuke, whose mind was a whir of thoughts, feelings, and most of all, worries.
"The eighth of nine…They only need eight…
And my Chiyo is up there with them…"
His feet hurled him upwards.
"Well," said Kei to Naruto with a nervous smile, "You've certainly thrown a spanner into the works, haven't you, kid?"
Naruto smiled. "There's nothing to worry about while that fox bastard is still inside me!"
Guess again, kid. Guess again.
Sherby: And…we're done! Another fortnight, another chapter Things are heating up for the two groups now…
PLEASE FOR GOODNESS' SAKE LEAVE A REVIEW DAMN YOU!!!
LOL…um…yeah. Hope you enjoyed. Chapter 15 soon. IT'S ALL HEATING UP NOW!!!
God bless and Dattebayo
Sherby xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx