Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto; if I did, I'd be too rich to have to worry about writing disclaimers
Chapter 21: Orochimaru's Revenge
As the group returned from their mission out in Sunagakure, they received a rather strange expression from Kotetsu and Izumo. Sure, they didn't mind seeing Deidara tied up and on his way to an ANBU interrogation cell, but they were surprised to see Sasori walking around like it was no big deal.
"Uh... welcome back," spoke Kotetsu.
"Something wrong?" asked Kakashi.
"Nothing, not a thing," replied Izumo.
"Don't worry about him, he's with us," spoke Itachi.
"Hai," replied Kotetsu and Izumo in unison.
The group made their way for the Hokage's tower. Tsunade was impressed to see that they had managed to capture a member of the Akatsuki.
"I trust you have good news to tell me?" asked Tsunade.
"I wish I could say that, but that is not so," replied Kakashi.
"After they captured Gaara, they succeeded in extracting the bijuu from him," spoke Itachi.
"I see. Well, his loss was not in vain. That member you captured will be a great source of information," replied Tsunade.
"No, he's not dead. One of the village elders was able to bring Gaara back through a tensei jutsu. She sacrificed herself to bring Gaara back," spoke Naruto.
"Oh. Well, it is unfortunate that they were able to extract Shukaku, but at least you were able to save the Kazekage," replied Tsunade.
"There is something else. Sasori, go ahead," spoke Kakashi.
"Wait, from that outfit... isn't he a member of Akatsuki? Why is he not bound?" asked Tsunade.
"Long story short, he abandoned his village under circumstances similar to my own," replied Itachi.
"I'm not sure who he killed, but I had to kill the Sandaime Kazekage in order to prevent a renewal of the conflict between our villages from the last ninja war," spoke Sasori.
"I understand. What is it you wish to tell me?" asked Tsunade.
"As you already know, Orochimaru was once a member of Akatsuki. After a failed attempt at stealing the Uchiha kekkai genkai from Osamu, Orochimaru defected from Akatsuki, and started his own village, Otogakure no Sato, in Ta no Kuni. He has since renamed it Oto no Kuni. Because of his defection from Akatsuki, he has been targeted for assassination. Because he is constantly on the move, Akatsuki was unable to locate him, and complete their mission. So, they asked Orochimaru's former partner to look into it. That partner was me. I placed a spy within his ranks several years ago. I am to meet with my spy at the Tenchikyou in Kusa no Kuni in a few days," explained Sasori.
"I see, what can you tell us about this spy?" asked Tsunade.
"We had placed him in Konoha until he could contact Orochimaru. My spy is Yakushi Kabuto, a medic-nin of some talent. He's a sleeper agent, completely unaware of his status. The jutsu I used on him to turn him into a sleeper agent was set to expire around this time. He was to meet with me at that time to share knowledge of Orochimaru's bases," explained Sasori.
"This information would be useful to us, as well. Is Kabuto loyal to you, or Akatsuki?" asked Tsunade.
"Hmm, I'm not sure how he would react to me defecting from Akatsuki. It could go either way," replied Sasori.
"Very well. We can send a team with you on your way to meet with Kabuto. If he resists, you'll have back up," replied Tsunade.
"I'm an S-Rank nin, how much help do I need?" asked Sasori.
"Look at it as insurance. That, and we still don't trust you fully," replied Itachi.
"He's right. You may use this opportunity to escape and return to Akatsuki," spoke Tsunade.
"Very well, I understand," replied Sasori.
"I wish for my team to be on this mission. As you know, I was gathering information on Orochimaru in my time away from the village. I see this as continuing that mission," spoke Sasuke.
"Very well, Team Kakashi, you will be in charge of escorting Sasori to the Tenchikyou. Is there anything else?" asked Tsunade.
"Deidara, missing-nin of Iwa, seeks asylum in Konoha. In return, he is willing to disperse all he knows about Akatsuki to us," spoke Kakashi.
"Is that so?" asked Tsunade.
"Pending a response from Iwagakure on what to do with him," replied Kakashi.
"Very well, I will send word to Iwa. If that is all, you are dismissed. ANBU! Take this prisoner to your holding cells, and keep constant watch on him. Do not interrogate him yet," commanded Tsunade.
A pair of ANBU appeared, and took Deidara away. Team Kurenai ran into Asuma in leaving from the Hokage's tower. He informed them that Kurenai had returned from her mission. Her team decided they wanted to see her, and left. Team Kakashi split up to gather supplies for their mission. They wished for a break after their last mission, but knew timing was critical for the success of their new mission. Kakashi and Sasori walked off together.
"I have to ask, what was it like having Orochimaru as a partner?" asked Kakashi.
"Hm? Well, it wasn't as bad as you might think. He was actually rather useful. Those kinjutsu he always looked into aided us on several occasions," replied Sasori.
"I guess they would, seeing as you were part of an organization where use of kinjutsu wasn't restricted," spoke Kakashi.
"True, but we didn't use them all the time. Only when necessary. This may come as a surprise, but we did have a code of ethics to follow," replied Sasori.
"A code of ethics?" asked Kakashi.
"We did have some limits. We were to avoid unnecessary fights, for example. And we were told to avoid killing, unless it was necessary," answered Sasori.
"That would explain why Kisame and Osamu were hesitant to kill us while they were here," spoke Kakashi.
"Osamu is a different case. He hates this village, and would gladly destroy it. He seems to have a rather strong dislike for Uchiha Itachi. The only reason he didn't try to take out your village is because of his orders to take Uzumaki Naruto alive," replied Sasori.
"Out of fear from retribution from your leader?" asked Kakashi.
"Not entirely. Most members joined to further their own ambitions. If Osamu can use Akatsuki to destroy Konoha, he will. That's why he follows orders," replied Sasori.
"Makes sense. Do you have everything you'll need in case we have to fight Kabuto?" asked Kakashi.
"It would be to our benefit if I was able to reconstruct Hiruko. I usually keep myself hidden within him. Many wouldn't even recognize me like this," replied Sasori.
"How much time will that take?" asked Kakashi.
"Too long. Most of Hiruko was demolished by your team's kunoichi," replied Sasori.
"You mean Sakura? Her strength is rather impressive. I might be able to find someone who can help you," replied Kakashi.
Kakashi took Sasori into the residential section of Konoha. He led Sasori to the apartment of one of his former comrades.
"Kakashi? What are you doing here?" asked a man with short brown hair.
"Tenzo, I need your help for something," replied Kakashi.
"Some crazy girl try to break into your apartment to see you without your mask again?" asked Tenzo.
"No, Sasori here needs a new puppet," replied Kakashi.
"It looks like this," spoke Sasori, holding a picture of Hiruko.
"You keep pictures of all your puppets?" asked Kakashi.
"I have detailed plans of every puppet I've ever constructed," replied Sasori, "most kugutsu users do."
"Alright, give me a moment," replied Tenzo. He made some hand seals, and a duplicate of Hiruko appeared. Sasori looked it over. He pulled out some of the real Hiruko's parts, and made some adjustments.
"This will do. It doesn't have all of Hiruko's weapons, but with any luck, I shouldn't have to use them. I am curious, though, what kind of jutsu was that?" asked Sasori.
"Mokuton, it's a kekkei genkai of the Senju Clan of the forest," replied Tenzo.
"I remember Orochimaru mentioning something about some experiment involving Senju Hashirama. Were you part of that?" asked Sasori.
"Hai. How did you know about that?" asked Tenzo.
"I was his partner in Akatsuki," replied Sasori.
"Akatsuki!?" shouted Tenzo.
"He's since parted ways with the organization," spoke Kakashi.
"I see," replied Tenzo.
"We must get going. Thanks for you help," spoke Sasori.
Sasori and Kakashi made their way for the main gate. Sasuke and Kiba were already there. On her way there, Sakura ran into Hinata.
"Sakura, wait, before you leave," spoke Hinata.
"Oh, Hinata? What is it?" asked Sakura.
"While on our way here, I was keeping watch for possible pursuit from other Akatsuki members. When I looked at Sasori, I noticed something strange," replied Hinata.
Hinata explained her observation to Sakura. After hearing what Hinata had to say, Sakura made her way for the gate.
"Ah, Sakura-chan, do you have everything you need?" asked Sasuke.
"Hai," replied Sakura.
"We should get going, he'll suspect something is up if I'm late," spoke Sasori.
"Is it out of character for you to be late?" asked Sakura.
"You could say that I'm very dedicated to meeting deadlines," replied Sasori.
The group quickly got under way, their destination was two days away, and they had four to get there. Time passed quickly as they made their way for Kusa no Kuni. On their way, they weren't met with any opposition.
"Sasori, do you know if there are any other members of Akatsuki active in this area?" asked Kakashi.
"There shouldn't be. The only jinchuuriki near here is Uzumaki Naruto, and he needs to be dealt with last. It has to do with the sealing ritual. If the kyuubi were to be sealed before we had sealed the other bijuu, the statue holding them would break from the strain of trying to hold it," replied Sasori, "Osamu and Kisame should be out near Tsuchi no Kuni, pursuing a lead on the yonbi."
"I see, at least we have one less thing to worry about," replied Kakashi.
"Regardless of the truth behind your defection, I not about to turn my back to you," spoke Sasuke.
"I don't blame you," replied Sasori.
"If you bring me closer to finding and defeating Orochimaru, I might just learn to trust you," spoke Sasuke.
"I see. How about you three?" asked Sasori.
"My trust has to be earned over time," replied Kakashi.
"Trust is formed in the field," replied Sakura.
"I agree with Sakura," replied Kiba.
"If that's the case, shouldn't I be worried about turning my backs to you?" asked Sasori.
"Probably," replied Sasuke, "but I'm not about to bite the hand that feeds me valuable information."
"We should set up camp. Night is about to fall," spoke Kakashi.
The group continued on until they made it to a suitable clearing. Everyone except Sasori pulled out their camping gear.
"You don't sleep, do you?" asked Sakura.
"Actually, I do still need to sleep. It doesn't really matter what I sleep on, though. Things such as comfort don't really have meaning for me, unless I'm using my human body," replied Sasori.
"You have a human body?" asked Kiba.
"Yeah. The body that I turned into a puppet is actually a clone of my original body. I can inhabit my original body if I choose to do so. Personally, after being a missing-nin for so long, I'd rather stay in my puppet body. It's easier on the mind to sleep at night when you don't have to worry about what happens if someone stabs you in the back," explained Sasori.
"What did you learn about Orochimaru while you were partnered with him in Akatsuki?" asked Sasuke.
"You all are full of questions, aren't you?" replied Sasori.
"It's good to know both you enemies and your allies," spoke Sasuke.
"I see. Well, as me, he was interested in finding a way to become immortal. Something about wanting to live long enough to learn and master all of the jutsu of the world. He didn't want to go about it my way. He even called me puppet freak every now and then," replied Sasori.
"It's not too out of place," spoke Sasuke.
"He was more of a freak than me. I may have turned people into puppets, but they were always criminals. He didn't care. He would kill anyone in the name of research. He helped me when I first changed my body into a puppet. He was able to use his techniques to ensure I survived the process. He was also able to clone my body, so I wouldn't have to worry about causing irreversible damage to my original body," explained Sasori.
"Orochimaru helped you in creating your current body?" asked Sakura.
"Yeah, what of it?" asked Sasori.
"Can I talk to you about something?" asked Sakura.
"What about?" asked Sasori.
Sakura brought up what Hinata was talking about earlier. Sasori seemed rather surprised about what she had to say. After more talk of Sasori's past with Orochimaru, the group slipped into sleep.
The next day, Kakashi and Sasori decided they should run a couple simulations of how the mission would go, on the off chance Kabuto did turn on Sasori. Kakashi used a henge to become Kabuto, while Sasori used the Hiruko puppet he made with Tenzo's help.
"Sasori, I have come, as requested. I have much to disclose about my time with Orochimaru," spoke Kabuto-Kakashi.
"Good. Come with me, I no longer need you to act as a spy with Orochimaru," replied Sasori.
"I thought Akatsuki wanted me to remain with Orochimaru until I was able to recover his ring and assassinate him?" asked Kabuto-Kakashi.
"That will no longer be necessary. I no longer work for Akatsuki; I am now working with Konoha to defeat Orochimaru," replied Sasori.
"That is unfortunate; my loyalty is to Akatsuki first!" shouted Kabuto-Kakashi, as he lunged towards Sasori. Sasori gave his signal to Sakura, Sasuke, and Kiba to attack. They quickly pinned down Kabuto-Kakashi, only to find what they had restrained was a kawarimi.
"Behind you!" shouted Sakura, as Kabuto-Kakashi attempted to attack Sasori. The puppet user moved out of the way, while Sakura went in to deliver a punch to Kabuto-Kakashi. She made sure not to make her strike lethal. Kabuto-Kakashi was knocked back, while Sasuke ran behind him, and held him. Kiba and Sakura approached from the front, and tied him up.
"Not bad. Not good, but not bad," replied Sasori.
"What do you mean?" asked Kiba.
"Look behind you," spoke Sasori.
There was an explosive tag on the ground behind the group. From the way they were positioned, if it had been a real one, and went off, Kiba and Sakura would have been injured, their bodies acting as shields for Kabuto, who would have used the confusion to take out Sasuke, and get past the group.
"Not bad Kakashi. It's good to know that you haven't gotten weak over time," spoke Sasuke.
"You should know better by now," replied Kakashi, after dispelling his henge. "So, should we try it again?"
"Hai. Let's get it right this time," replied Sasuke.
They ran the drill a second time. After Kabuto attacked, Sakura approached directly, preparing to knock Kabuto-Kakashi into submission. However, at last second, Sakura ducked out of the way, letting Kiba and Sasuke run around Kabuto-Kakashi, The pair delivered attacks from the side, forcing Kabuto-Kakashi to leap into the air to avoid being hit.
"Katon: Goukakyu no Jutsu!" shouted Sasuke, launching a fireball at Kabuto-Kakashi. Kabuto-Kakashi twisted in the air to avoid being hit by the blast, and fell to the ground. Sasori was behind him, and attempted to attack him, only to find another kawarimi. Sasori was knocked out from behind, while Kabuto-Kakashi attempted to make a run for it. He found himself under attack from Akamaru, who had remained hidden the entire time. While Kabuto-Kakashi was distracted by Akamaru, the rest of the team came in from behind and tied him up, while making sure there were no opportunities for traps to be set.
"Not bad, I wasn't expecting to see Akamaru appear like that. Much better," replied Kakashi, as he dispelled the henge again.
"This should do for now. Let's keep moving," spoke Sasori.
The group continued on their way to the Tenchikyou. They arrived the night before their meeting. They made sure to set up their camp so that it could not be seen from the bridge. The members of the team slept in shifts, in case Kabuto arrived early. The next day, Sasori hopped into Hiruko, and walked to the bridge. He waited there for Kabuto's arrival. Team Kakashi hid themselves out of sight. It was windy that day, allowing the team to be able to get closer without fear of detection. At noon, a man in a hooded cloak appeared. Upon seeing Sasori, the man removed his cloak, revealing himself to be Kabuto.
"Were you followed?" asked Sasori.
"No, I made sure that I left undetected," replied Kabuto.
"Do you remember who I am?" asked Sasori.
"Akasuna no Sasori, a member of the Akatsuki," replied Kabuto.
"Good, you remember. Were you able to recover the ring?" asked Sasori.
"No, not yet. He hasn't given me access to the most secret parts of his labs," answered Kabuto.
"Do you at least know the locations of all of his bases?" asked Sasori.
"Hai, I have them listed in these files," replied Kabuto.
"You've done well. There's been a change..."
"He he he, Sasori, long time no see," came a voice from the forest beyond, interrupting Sasori.
"Orochimaru!" shouted Sasori.
"You trained your spy well; I had a tough time tracking him. If it weren't for the tracking seal I placed on you, I would have never found you," spoke Orochimaru, as he revealed himself.
"Shit, this isn't good. This isn't what we planned for," Kakashi thought to himself.
"Well, saves me the trouble," Sasori thought to himself.
Kabuto jumped over to Sasori's side, as Orochimaru approached the two on the bridge.
"I should have known from how you were acting over the past couple of days that you were one of his sleeper agents. I know full well about that jutsu you used. Very hard to detect. I'd have never known, if it weren't for the slight changes in his actions. Oh well, I guess we can't be perfect, now, can we?" spoke Orochimaru.
"It seems we may have to fight him. Kabuto, step back, I'll take care of this. Once I've taken care of him, we'll review the information you've gathered," spoke Sasori.
"Hai, Sasori no danna," replied Kabuto. The medic-nin sent chakra into his palms, and struck Hiruko, destroying it once again. Sasori escaped from the puppet, and entered a stare down with his former partner and his right hand man.
"This isn't good; we didn't expect to see him here," Kakashi whispered to the members of his team.
"I figured there was a chance of meeting him here. This is where I will test my training. We should at least be able to escape with our lives," replied Sasuke.
Sasori pulled out his Kazekage puppet, and took a battle stance.
"Ah, I've always wanted to fight you while you were using the Sandaime Kazekage. He was always your best puppet. Too bad I have arranged otherwise," spoke Orochimaru.
"What do you mean? I don't see any traps. You should know full well you won't be able to win against me with numbers. I would say things look rather bad for you," replied Sasori.
"If only you knew just how far I plan into the future," spoke Orochimaru, as he put his hand into a familiar looking seal.
"What!?" shouted Sasori.
"Die!!" shouted Orochimaru.
An explosion came from Sasori's chest, where his heart and mind were located. When the smoke cleared, Sasori's puppet fell to the ground, and there were blood and burn stains on Sasori's Akatsuki cloak. Blood was dribbling out of Sasori's mouth.
"I've always wanted to see a puppet bleed, goodbye, partner!" shouted Orochimaru, as Sasori fell to the ground.
"Raikiri!!" came a voice from the brush. Kakashi went running down the bridge, heading straight for Orochimaru. Kabuto jumped in the way, and grabbed Kakashi's wrist.
"Seems Sasori brought some guests with him!" shouted Kabuto.
Kakashi smiled, as he disappeared in a cloud of smoke.
"Kage bunshin..." muttered Kabuto.
Sasuke had ran past Kakashi, and had made it clear to Orochimaru, sending his Raikiri into the sannin's body.
"Sasuke-kun..." muttered Orochimaru.
"I thought you would be happy to see me," replied Sasuke. Orochimaru's body melted away into mud. Sasuke had his katana ready, as Orochimaru met Sasuke with his Kusanagi.
"Looking for me, are you? My offer still stands, in case you are interested," spoke Orochimaru.
"Well, I was looking for you, but I'm not looking to you for power, I'm looking to kill you!" shouted Sasuke, as the two engaged each other in kenjutsu.
"I can't let you have all the fun," spoke Kabuto, as he tried to attack Sasuke from behind, only to be stopped by Kakashi.
"I was wondering when you would come out of the woodwork," spoke Kabuto.
"I've never been one to standby and watch!" shouted Kakashi. The two traded blows with kunai, and stared each other down.
"You should have left after we killed Sasori. You should be thanking us for taking care of him for you. They're after Naruto-kun, are they not? That's one less," spoke Kabuto.
"We can handle ourselves well enough against them without your help!" shouted Kakashi, as he and Kabuto exchanged another blow.
"You know, after we caught word of your plans to take down the Akatsuki, we were considering leaving Konoha alone. All we're really interested in is Sasuke. There will be plenty of time for us to get our revenge on your village, after you've taken care of the Akatsuki for us!" shouted Kabuto.
"At least we fight with honor! We would have never stooped so low as to plant an explosive tag in our opponent such as Orochimaru did!" shouted Kakashi.
Kabuto and Kakashi exchanged another attack, while Sakura and Kiba were watching from the distance. They were waiting for the right time to attack. After seeing the situation unfold, Sakura was ready to engage in her healing duties at any time.
"Should I help Kakashi-sensei, or Sasuke?" asked Kiba.
"Keep an eye on the battle, and step in when you need to. You'll have the element of surprise. As far as they know, those two are the only ones here," replied Sakura.
"Right," replied Kiba.
"It seems that Orochimaru was right, I am at your level," spoke Kabuto, as he ducked a strike from Kakashi.
"Oh, you think you're at my level? Then perhaps I should stop holding back," replied Kakashi. He stepped back, and raised his hitai-ate, revealing his Sharingan.
"About time, I was wondering just how long you were going to hold back against me," spoke Kabuto.
"Katon: Goukakyu no Jutsu!" shouted Kakashi. The fireball Kakashi shot out made Kabuto jump back. He found himself face to face with Kakashi. The Sharingan user slammed his fist into Kabuto, knocking him off balance. He followed it up with a sweeping kick, forcing Kabuto to fall to the ground. Kakashi prepared to sent a kunai into Kabuto's throat, only to have Kabuto knock Kakashi's arm away. Kakashi held his arm, as Kabuto got up.
"Not bad, you almost had me, but you'll have to do better than that," spoke Kabuto.
"Gatsuuga!" shouted Kiba, as he and Akamaru plowed into Kabuto, slamming him back into the ground. Sakura followed behind him, and used her medic jutsu on Kakashi's arm.
"Thought now would have been a good time," spoke Sakura.
"I would agree. I didn't realize he could use Chakra no Mesu in combat," replied Kakashi.
"I remember Shizune-senpai and Tsunade-sama saying there was a medic-nin able to do that. I didn't realize it was him," spoke Sakura.
"Well, well, they just keep coming out like roaches, don't they? Did you bring any more friends with you, Sasuke-kun?" asked Orochimaru, as he avoided a blow that would have removed his head.
"Maybe, maybe not. I'm not sure how many decided to follow me," replied Sasuke.
"Oh ho, you jest, Sasuke. I knew you were there the entire time. I am curious, though, did Sasori know you were there?" asked Orochimaru.
"You'd have to ask him," replied Sasuke.
"Then I guess we'll never know!" shouted Orochimaru, as he came close to cutting off Sasuke's arm.
"Easy, you wouldn't want to damage the merchandise, would you?" asked Sasuke.
"I can always reattach your arms, it's those eyes of yours I treasure the most!" shouted Orochimaru, "Sen'eijashu!"
As the snake's approached Sasuke, the heads of them were all cut off by a single swing of Sasuke's sword.
"Katon: Housenka no Jutsu!" shouted Sasuke, forcing Orochimaru to evade. Sasuke got in close, and cut off one of Orochimaru's arms.
"Gah... hm... not bad, Sasuke-kun!" shouted Orochimaru. He leaped back, and puked out a new body.
"You really are a monster," spoke Sasuke, as he brought his katana to bear on Orochimaru.
"You're really starting to bother me!" shouted Kabuto, as he found himself constantly dodging Kiba's attacks.
"Oh? Too bad for you," replied Kiba.
Kabuto dodged an attack from Akamaru, and delivered a kick to Kiba knocking him back. Kabuto charged towards the pair. Kiba knocked Akamaru out of the way, and took a blow from Kabuto. Kiba was able to prevent Kabuto from striking any vital organs, but he felt Kabuto cut into the muscles into his left shoulder.
"Damn, this bastard fights like a Hyuga!" shouted Kiba, as he stood up, grabbing his left arm.
"Akamaru, time to go all out!" shouted Kiba, "Dainamikkumakingu!"
Akamaru leaped up, and marked Kabuto, causing him to grow angry with the pair.
"Is dog pissing what you call going all out!?" shouted Kabuto.
"You haven't seen anything yet! Jinjuu Konbi Henge: Soutourou!" shouted Kiba.
A giant, two-headed wolf was having a stare down with Kabuto.
"Huh, so maybe size does matter," spoke Kabuto.
"Garouga!" shouted Kiba, as the wolf form began spinning wildly. Kabuto jumped out of the way, expecting to avoid being hit, however, Kiba followed him, and struck with a near miss, cutting up Kabuto.
"Not too bad, but not good enough," spoke Kabuto. A cloud of smoke appeared, and Kiba and Akamaru fell. Kabuto had managed to hit them while attacking. He drew a kunai, and prepared to finish them off. He was stopped when a blade of satetsu cut him.
"So, you became a medic-nin, eh? I hope your as good with making antidotes are you are with using your other medic jutsu!" shouted Sasori.
Kabuto turned around to look at Sasori, before falling from the pain of the poison.
"How... you're dead! Orochimaru planted that explosive note into your heart cylinder while he was helping you convert your body!" shouted Kabuto.
"A Hyuga found it, and another medic-nin removed it. I figured Orochimaru was the one responsible, and set up a fake explosive to make it appear I died on the off chance we met here," replied Sasori.
"You teamed up with Konoha!?" shouted Kabuto.
"Surprise, my loyal spy," spoke Sasori, as Kabuto passed out.
"Did you kill him?" asked Kakashi, as he approached Sasori. Sakura went to treat Kiba and Akamaru's injuries.
"I changed the poison; it's nonlethal, but it will make sure he doesn't attack us on our way back to Konoha. Mission successful," replied Sasori.
"Not yet, we have to help Sasuke. He and Orochimaru had taken off into the woods," spoke Kakashi.
"As strong as he is, he's going to have trouble facing Orochimaru on his own. We better back him up," replied Sasori.
"Sakura, as soon as you are done with Kiba, regroup with us. Sasuke may be injured," ordered Kakashi.
"Hai, Kakashi-sensei," replied Sakura, as she continued healing Kiba.
"You entertain me to no end!" shouted Orochimaru.
"I'm glad I could amuse you!" shouted Sasuke.
"This will only end one way, Sasuke-kun. I will have your body, your eyes, and your power," spoke Orochimaru.
"Raikiri Nagashi!" shouted Sasuke, as electricity began to run through his katana. The electrical chakra began knocking Orochimaru back.
"Raikiri Senbon!" shouted Sasuke, firing off electrical projectiles in all directions. Orochimaru was knocked down onto the ground.
"So, that's why you forced me away from your friends, so you could attack me freely. I'll greatly enjoy integrating your abilities into myself!" shouted Orochimaru, as he puked up another body for himself.
"Uh... no matter how many times I see that, it's hard to watch..." muttered Sasuke.
"You should try and learn a thing or two from me, you would find it to your benefit!" shouted Orochimaru. "I can't keep fighting him like this. It's too close to the time for Fushi Tensei."
"I thought you were one of the Sannin? Don't tell me you've become weak over time?" asked Sasuke.
"Cocky, aren't we? I have many more tricks up my sleeve!" shouted Orochimaru, as he started spewing out fire at Sasuke. The Uchiha was able to deflect the fire by rapidly spinning his katana, however, Orochimaru had used the time Sasuke was unable to see him to get close to him. He was about to bestow Sasuke with a new Juin. Sasuke caught him in time, and removed his head, forcing the body back.
"Katon: Goukakyu no Jutsu!" shouted Sasuke, incinerating the head, remembering what happened the last he fought the Sannin. Sasuke quickly turned around to see Orochimaru sprout a new head.
"Like a hydra, cut off one, and more take it's place," spoke Sasuke, "Katon: Kaenhoushaki!" Flames spewed out of Sasuke's mouth, burning the snake sannin's entire body. Orochimaru's body fell to the ground, burnt all over. It seemed as if he was dead.
"Stop playing dead, and face me!" shouted Sasuke.
"Very well Sasuke-kun," replied Orochimaru, as he stood up, and puked up another body. He was panting this time, clearly growing fatigued.
"Seems this is the end," spoke Sasuke.
"Not quite. I will have your body... I was going to wait a little longer, but I've decided I'm going to take you now!!" shouted Orochimaru. He transformed into his true body, a giant snake composed of many smaller ones. Sasuke found himself unable to move.
"And now, Sasuke-kun, I shall be taking your body," spoke Orochimaru, as he lunged towards Sasuke.
Sasuke had a look of fear, but it slowly turned to a smile.
"Goodbye, Orochimaru. Amaterasu!!" shouted Sasuke. Black flames appeared, searing Orochimaru's body. The Sannin screamed out in pain as his body was incinerated. Sasuke dropped his katana, and began panting, worn out from having to use his Mangekyou Sharingan.
"It's over..." muttered Sasuke.
"Is it?" came a voice. Sasuke found himself trapped in a genjutsu. Orochimaru had bound Sasuke with chains, and was slowly corrupting his body.
"When this is complete, you will become a part of my consciousness. Don't look at it as dying; look at it as becoming part of something greater," spoke Orochimaru.
"You're quite stubborn with staying in this world, aren't you? Allow me to speed you on your way to the afterlife!" shouted Sasuke, "Kondaichisaiku! (Soul Shatter)"Sasuke's Mangekyou Sharingan was blazing once again. Orochimaru looked back. The genjutsu appeared to reverse itself, with Sasuke standing over a bound Orochimaru.
"What is this!?" shouted Orochimaru.
"This is my world. It is here I will remove you from existence. Your crimes end here!" shouted Sasuke. Sasuke's chakra flared, and appeared to emanate out of Sasuke's right eye. The chakra enveloped Orochimaru, and ate away at his body like acid.
"No!!" shouted Orochimaru, as his body disintegrated. Once Orochimaru was gone, Sasuke found himself in the arms of Sakura. He was panting heavily, his chakra was nearly depleted from his battle with Orochimaru.
"Sasuke-kun! Are you alright?" asked Sakura.
"I'm fine... as for Orochimaru... may he rest in peace..." muttered Sasuke, as he fainted.
"He was able to defeat Orochimaru..." muttered Kakashi. "Even I would never be able to do that. It seems that Sasuke here has reached the point where he is stronger than me... and at such a young age."
"That means he will not be able to move his bases around like he did the last time we captured an Oto-nin. We'll be able to find all of his places of operation now," spoke Sakura.
"How is Kabuto," asked Kakashi.
"He'll be out for a while. That was the strongest sleep inducing poison I've ever made. He won't be awake for a couple of day," replied Sasori.
"I see. Well, that will give Ibiki plenty of time to prepare to deal with Kabuto," spoke Kakashi.
"Ibiki the Torturer? I've heard of him before. After having someone as forthcoming as Deidara, he'll probably be glad to have someone that's a challenge," replied Sasori.
"Well, we should head back to Konoha. I'll carry Sasuke," spoke Sakura.
"There's a surprise..." muttered Kiba.
"Shut up, baka!!" shouted Sakura.
The group made their way for Konoha. Kakashi carried Kabuto, while Sakura carried Sasuke. After the first day of the trip, Sasuke recovered enough to walk on his own, and the group continued. They met no opposition from any enemy shinobi. As soon as they made it into the village, they headed straight for the Hokage's tower. Kabuto was immediately placed into an ANBU interrogation cell, with guards there at all times until Kabuto recovered from Sasori's poison. When the group made it to the Hokage's office, they were greeted by Sasori and Deidara.
"Sasori no danna, I trust your mission went well, hm?" asked Deidara.
"How did you get out?" asked Sasori.
"The Tsuchikage was found guilty of attempting to incite war with Kumogakure. They even found evidence that his daughter was involved at one point. Apparently, Dedara ended up doing a favor for Iwagakure. He's still regarded as a missing-nin, but we are free to do with him as we please," explained Tsunade.
"He would be that lucky..." muttered Sasori.
"I heard you captured Yakushi Kabuto. I take it this means your mission was a success?" asked Tsunade.
"We were fortunate. Orochimaru had set us up. He planned to use this meeting as a chance to kill Sasori. We ended up falling into a trap," replied Kakashi.
"Did Orochimaru appear?" asked Tsunade.
"Hai," replied Kakashi.
"I see... he'll most likely move his bases again, knowing we have Kabuto..." muttered Tsunade.
"That won't be happening," spoke Sasuke.
"Why wouldn't he move his bases? Did you make it appear that you killed Kabuto?" asked Tsunade.
"No, I killed Orochimaru. I don't have any proof, since I destroyed his body, but he will no longer be a threat for this village," replied Sasuke.
"You killed Orochimaru!?" shouted a shocked Tsunade.
"He almost died from chakra exhaustion, but he did succeed in defeating him," replied Kakashi.
"He was weakened. It appears that he gets weak when it gets time for him to change bodies. He made himself vulnerable by attempting to take my body," explained Sasuke.
"I see. Impressive work. Once we get information on his bases, we will infiltrate them to see what we can learn. As he was a former member of Akatsuki, he may have some information about them we can use to our advantage. This was an A-Rank mission, but, since you brought down Orochimaru, I will credit your team with successful completion of an S-Rank mission. If that is all, then everyone, except Sasori and Deidara, are dismissed.
The members of Team Kakashi left, while Sasori and Deidara prepared to hear what Tsunade had to say to them.
"Since you have been exonerated from your crimes as members of Akatsuki, you are free to do as you will. It's your choice if you wish to stay on with us, or return to your villages," spoke Tsunade.
"I'm still a missing-nin, returning to Iwa wouldn't bode well for me, hm. I'll remain here," replied Deidara.
"I plan on returning to Suna, but for now, I will aid you against the other members of Akatsuki," replied Sasori.
"I see. I have already sent warning to Kumogakure to be on the lookout for the members Hidan and Kakuzu. According to Deidara, those were the two after the jinchuuriki there, correct?" asked Tsunade.
"Hai, I take it Deidara told you what we know of their abilities?" asked Sasori.
"They are difficult to kill. Hidan is immortal, while this Kakuzu has five hearts, right?" asked Tsunade.
"Right. We don't know much else about them; we know those facts because of Kakuzu's history of killing off his partners when he burst into fits of rage. Hidan was partnered with him because Hidan can't be killed. We don't have much more information to offer you on Uchiha Osamu and Hoshigaki Kisame. We can only tell you that Zetsu acts as our spy, and is in charge of body disposal," explained Sasori.
"I'm trying not to picture that..." muttered Tsunade, "Do you know anything special about this Tobi?"
"Tobi? He's not a full member, or at least he wasn't before. There is a good chance he will take the place of either Deidara or myself. As far as I know, our leader did not have any other potential members in mind. I don't know much about how he fights," replied Sasori.
"All we know is that he is a master of space-time jutsu, on the same level or greater than our Yondaime Hokage," spoke Tsunade.
"I didn't know that much. As for our leader and his partner, we know nothing of them. I believe he created the statue we use to extract bijuu, but that's all we know for sure about him. His partner never speaks. We don't even know if his partner is male or female. We also have no knowledge of where he is based," replied Sasori.
"I'm not surprised. I would expect your leader to be the cautious type, wanting to avoid bringing attention to himself, seeing as he is an enemy of all the shinobi nations," spoke Tsunade.
"So, do you have an assignment for us?" asked Sasori.
"As of now, you are both on probationary status. Once that is over, you will both be considered to be jonin. I'm not sure how Suna will handle your case, but as far as how you will be regarded while you are here, that will be your rank," replied Tsunade.
"A Konoha jonin, hm? Never thought I'd see the day..." muttered Deidara.
"There is one squad consisting of three jonin, all nin who used to work for Otogakure. Sasori, you will help them with raiding Orochimaru's bases. As for you, Deidara, you will remain on standby. Try and learn about your new village," replied Tsunade.
"Maybe I should see that brat, hm?" Deidara said to himself.
"Deidara, you are dismissed," spoke Tsunade.
"Ja na," replied Deidara, as he left.
"Sasori, once Kabuto's interrogation is finished, I will send you out with Team Kimimaro, the team of former Oto-nin I mentioned before. Until then, you are dismissed," spoke Tsunade.
"Very well, arigatou, Hokage-sama," replied Sasori as he left.
"So, he's really gone..." muttered Jiraiya, who came in through the window after Sasori left.
"He stopped being your friend the day he betrayed this village," replied Tsunade.
"He was a member of our team, though. I tried so hard to stop him, and, though I wouldn't really admit this to anyone, I was still hoping against the odds he might one day have come to his senses," spoke Jiraiya.
"I would be lying if I said I didn't think like that at some point. I guess we'll have to change our name the Legendary Ninin," replied Tsunade.
"Doesn't have the same ring to it. Besides, I would have to go and rewrite all my introduction speeches," spoke Jiraiya.
"And we can't have you doing that, now, can we?" asked Tsunade.
Several days passed before Kabuto gave up any information on Orochimaru's bases. He had a hard time believing that Orochimaru had been killed by someone like Sasuke. Due to his being a highly skilled medic-nin, he was able to resist multiple forms of torture from Ibiki. However, even Kabuto found he had limits. He eventually gave out detailed information on the locations of all of Orochimaru's bases. Kabuto was tried, and sentenced to thirty years in prison. Because of his skills, he was made assistant prison medic, but he was always kept on heavy guard, even when performing his medic duties. After Team Kimimaro was given the information, they headed out to Orochimaru's primary bases.
"What do you think we'll find?" asked Sasori.
"He experimented on many people. I wouldn't be surprised to find many who ended up like us. There will also be those like Abumi Zaku, who had some kind of device implanted into them," replied Kimimaro.
"Abumi Zaku?" asked Sasori.
"He's a chunin under Zabuza, who was a missing-nin from Kirigakure, and one of Kiri's Seven," replied Kidomaru, "He had tubes implanted into his arms that allow him launch fuuton techniques with his chakra."
"I see," replied Sasori.
"He didn't hold back; he experimented on anyone willing to submit to him, and many who weren't. He would promise power to those who helped him, but in the end, they were nothing more than breeding grounds for his experiments," spoke Tayuya.
"I'm not surprised to hear that. He wasn't too different when he was in Akatsuki. His experiments did give me the key to this body, though, I will give him that much," replied Sasori.
"I doubt he did that without wanting some kind of compensation," spoke Kidomaru.
"You're right; he hid an exploding note within my body, hoping to use it to one day kill me. If it weren't for a member of the Hyuga clan, I would not have returned alive from my previous mission," replied Sasori.
"Is that how he treated his partner? He really was an evil man," replied Tayuya.
"What are we to expect here?" asked Sasori.
"This was one of his primary bases of operation; he was operating out of this base before your mission. He will most likely have some kind of guard, so be on the lookout," replied Kimimaro.
The group made it into the first part of Otogakure. As Kimimaro said, there were many guards there, but they didn't put up much of a fight. As for those who remember the former Sound Five members, they knew not to fight back. They told everyone that Orochimaru had been killed, and that they no longer had to follow his orders. Kimimaro said that knowing that many who were working under Orochimaru did so out of fear, rather than desire. Sasori found what he was looking for in the form of a severed hand bearing Orochimaru's Akatsuki ring. Sasori took it, and move on with the group to the next base. Orochimaru had three primary bases he operated out of. For each base, the group recovered some documents, some research materials, and many prisoners, some former test subjects. All were more than happy to be freed. News spread quickly about the fall of Orochimaru. The village of Otogakure was officially disbanded once news of Orochimaru's death made it to the Daimyou of Ta no Kuni. Next was Orochimaru's secondary bases. There were three, each led by a high ranking member of Otogakure. The first base they arrived at held victims of Orochimaru's curse seal experiments.
"Is that... Kimimaro?" asked one of the Oto-nin.
"You are correct. I would advise you not attempt to attack us. Orochimaru is now dead; you may do as you please. We are hear to look for any information Orochimaru may have had on Akatsuki, and to also grab Jugo," explained Kimimaro.
"Jugo?" asked Sasori.
"The source of the curse seals Orochimaru developed. His body produces the enzyme used to make them. Kimimaro is the only person he trusts," replied Kidomaru.
"The crazy fucker goes on a rampage when those enzymes activate, making him go berserk. Kimimaro was the only person strong enough to contain him," replied Tayuya.
"Oh..." muttered Sasori.
The group made their way into the base, and headed for Jugo's cell.
"If it's a boy... no, a girl..." muttered Jugo.
Tayuya entered the combination to the locks and opened the cell. Jugo looked at the visitors.
"It's a girl! Jackpot!!" shouted Jugo, in his partially transformed state. Kimimaro stepped in front of Tayuya, and blocked his attack.
"Jugo! That will do!!" shouted Kimimaro.
"Kimi... Kimimaro!?" shouted Jugo, "I thought you were dead!"
"No, the only person who is dead is Orochimaru. I was saved by the legendary medic-nin of Konoha, Tsunade, our Godaime Hokage," replied Kimimaro.
"You are under Konoha now?" asked Jugo.
"Hai," replied Kimimaro.
"Then I am, too!" shouted Jugo.
"I thought as much. Come with us, we're going around to each of Orochimaru's secondary bases right now, looking for any information he may have had on Akatsuki," explained Kimimaro.
"Hmm... I'm pretty sure he only came here for experiments on me," replied Jugo.
"The information we found is consistent with that. We have two more bases to look into," replied Kimimaro.
The group made their way to Orochimaru's northernmost base. It was set up as Orochimaru's main prison facility.
"Karin is the guard here for this place, right?" asked Kidomaru.
"She was always the head guard for the main prison, since her ability left it so no one would ever be able to escape," replied Tayuya.
"What ability did she have?" asked Sasori.
"She's a chakra-sensing type; the best we've ever encountered. She would know if a fly escaped her guard," replied Kimimaro.
"Then she probably knows we're coming," spoke Sasori.
"Correct, but she will recognize us. We have nothing to worry about," replied Tayuya.
The group entered the prison facility. They ran into no opposition until they made their way into the main building.
"Well, look at what we have here," came a feminine voice.
"Just come out already, you four-eyed shit head!" shouted Tayuya.
"That attitude... yep, you're Tayuya," replied the voice.
"Karin, I see you haven't changed. Still have the glasses and odd hair style," spoke Tayuya.
"You still have that mouth on you, Tayuya. Hmm... you brought the spider freak, the bone master and his pet, and... who is that? He has a high level of chakra, higher than Kimimaro," asked Karin.
"Akasuna no Sasori; I used to be Orochimaru's partner in Akatsuki."
"I see. So, if you're all here like this, then the snake must be dead?" asked Karin.
"Correct. You are now free to do as you want," replied Tayuya.
"Well, fuck this place, I'd rather cruise with you," spoke Karin.
"Such language for ladies..." muttered Sasori.
"Oh boy..." Kidomaru thought to himself.
"Shut the fuck you, you puppet freak!!" shouted Tayuya.
"Fuck off, shorty!!" shouted Karin.
Tayuya had Karin free the prisoners, and the group took off towards the last of Orochimaru's secondary bases.
"Well, not too busy here. You don't suppose this place has been abandoned?" asked Kidomaru.
"He did some research here, and also kept a certain person prisoner here," replied Kimimaro.
"Hozuki Suigetsu, right? I can't stand that guy..." muttered Karin.
"He will be helpful to us in the future. I'm not sure where his loyalties lie, though," replied Kimimaro.
"Where is he?" asked Jugo.
"He's right in front of us," replied Kimimaro.
"In these water tanks? Which one?" asked Jugo.
"This one," replied Karin, while pointing to the one in the middle. Kidomaru punched it open, releasing the water. Suigetsu pulled himself up.
"Gah! Try clothes!!" shouted Karin.
"What? Don't like what you see?" asked Suigetsu.
"I see being stuck in that tube hasn't changed your personality," replied Kidomaru.
"You three are still around, huh? Snake boy told us you were all killed," spoke Suigetsu.
"We defected to Konoha after our failed attempt to bring Uchiha Sasuke to Orochimaru. We were wondering if you wanted to join us," replied Kidomaru.
"What about the snake? I don't think he'll just let me go," spoke Suigetsu.
"Uchiha Sasuke killed him," replied Kidomaru.
"Well Hell, I might just join you to see this Sasuke guy. Strong enough to kill the snake? I wouldn't mind taking him on in a fight. I'm in!" shouted Suigetsu.
The group went through the labs at the base, but didn't turn up anything useful. With their mission completed, they made their return to Konoha, and appeared before Tsunade.
"I see you brought some friends," spoke Tsunade.
"Former prisoners. They will be helpful in our coming confrontations with the Akatsuki," replied Kimimaro.
"Very well, I trust your judgment. What did you learn from your raids?" asked Tsunade.
"It seems he didn't know too much about Akatsuki. There was very little he had that was of use to us. There is one thing I can show you. This," replied Sasori, as he pulled out Orochimaru's Akatsuki ring.
"What is special about this ring?" asked Tsunade.
"These are necessary for the jutsu the leader used for bijuu extraction. There are ten rings in all, one for each finger. Their requirement makes it so that at most there can only be ten members of Akatsuki. They can't be replaced; this ring was one of the reasons Orochimaru was hunted. As for what we can do with it, we have two options. We can hold onto the ring. There is a chance Akatsuki will learn we have it, and they may attempt to come here to take it. Our other option is to get rid of it, preferably by putting it in a place it could never be found. The less members there are to perform the jutsu, the longer it takes. That's time we could use to mount a rescue," explained Sasori.
"If all members have these rings, then where are the ones you and Deidara wore?" asked Tsunade.
"We disposed of our rings. They most likely have found them," replied Sasori.
"I see. Since we don't know the full extent of the abilities of all their members, it would be best for us to get rid of it, rather than give them an excuse to launch a full attack on us," spoke Tsunade.
"Very well," replied Sasori.
"Now, for you three, do you wish to become shinobi of Konoha?" asked Tsunade.
"Hai!" replied all three.
"Very well. I will have you all tested to see where you will be able to fit in our village. I don't have the resources to give you places to live at the moment," spoke Tsunade.
"I have to be with Kimimaro. He's the only one able to keep my abilities in check," spoke Jugo.
"I can stay with Tayuya," spoke Karin.
"I can get along well enough with the spider," spoke Suigetsu.
"If that's all, then you are dismissed," replied Tsunade.
Jugo and Kimimaro made their way for Kimimaro's apartment. Suigetsu followed Kidomaru down the street to his apartment. They ended up running into someone Suigetsu knew.
"Zabuza!? You're here, too!?" shouted Suigetsu.
"Suigetsu? Didn't think I would ever see you again," replied Zabuza.
"That's right, you were an apprentice to the Seven. No wonder you know Zabuza," spoke Kidomaru.
"This place is getting more entertaining by the minute!" shouted Suigetsu.
Tayuya led Karin to her apartment. Tayuya was the first to enter.
"Hey, pineapple! You here!?" shouted Tayuya.
"Troublesome woman... I was sleeping so well..." muttered Shikamaru.
"What was that!?" shouted Tayuya.
"I'm glad to see you're back. Who's that?" asked Shikamaru.
"This is Karin. She's going to be staying with us for a while. We just brought her back from one of Orochimaru's prisons," explained Tayuya.
"I don't mind. She can use the pullout," replied Shikamaru.
"I knew you would understand!" shouted Tayuya, while lifting Shikamaru up with a hug.
"To think this was the same foul-mouthed kunoichi I fought three years ago. She has her tender moments... but damn, I'm as whipped as tou-san," Shikamaru thought to himself.
"Wait, you have a boyfriend? He's not that good looking... must have an interesting personality," spoke Karin.
"Actually, he kicked my ass," replied Tayuya,"he kicked my ass, and then he gave me the respect I always wanted."
"This lazy bum beat you!?" shouted Karin.
"Are you that surprised?" asked Shikamaru.
"Of course! You look like she could snap you in two, and you beat her!?" shouted Karin.
"Yeah... uh... troublesome red head..." muttered Shikamaru.
"Hey, what did I tell you about the 'T-word?'" spoke Tayuya.
"The same thing I told you about swearing," replied Shikamaru.
"I hate it when you that..." muttered Tayuya.
"You like it, you just don't like to admit it," replied Shikamaru, with a sly smile on his face.
"Grr... shut up!" shouted Tayuya.
"And you two live together?" asked Karin.
"Actually, most would say we make a good couple. You just have to read underneath the underneath to see it. Don't feel bad, my sensei took a while to understand, too," replied Shikamaru.
"Just take his word for it; if you try to argue with him, you won't win," spoke Tayuya.
"Okay then..." muttered Karin.
Within the ranks of Akatsuki, Zetsu was about to deliver some interesting news to Pein.
"Leader-sama, a team of Konoha shinobi have killed Orochimaru. We believe they have his ring, as well," spoke Zetsu.
"Do they? Well, at least they took care of Orochimaru for us," replied Pein.
"Should we make an attempt to recover the ring?" asked Zetsu.
"No, leave it be for now. We won't be needing them for too much longer," replied Pein.
"Very well. I will continue looking for the other jinchuuriki," spoke Zetsu.
"Have you informed Hidan and Kakuzu of their targets whereabouts?" asked Pein.
"Hai, they are on their way to intercept the Nibi Jinchuuriki right now. I have still been unable to find where the Hachibi Jinchuuriki has hidden himself," replied Zetsu.
"I see, keep looking into it," spoke Pein.
"There is one more thing, I have found the sanbi. It had has no jinchuuriki," spoke Zetsu.
"The sanbi is Tobi's target. Inform him of the location," replied Pein.
"Hai, Leader-sama," spoke Zetsu, as he disappeared.
"It's only a matter of time before we secure all the jinchuuriki," spoke Pein.
"And then we can begin the plan," replied Konan.
"We will show the world what pain really is," spoke Pein.
Unknown to the Akatsuki leader, another was observing his conversation.
"Such a fool. He thinks I don't know what he plans to do. For now, I'll continue to let him believe that. With any luck, someone will dispose of those two for me when the time comes," Madara thought to himself, as he set off to capture the sanbi.
A/N: Don't forget to review!