Ino expertly wrapped the bouquet of flowers before handing the item to the customer. She had to admit that she rather liked the arrangement. She believed it was her best work yet. After receiving the proper amount of money, Ino gave a polite goodbye to the young woman. The woman nodded, and then turned, heading for the door. She halted her movements and greeted the other employee. His eyes stared blankly at the customer, giving no response. The woman chuckled nervously, and then hastily left, leaving the bell chiming.
The blond kunoichi sighed, and then smiled slightly. Her new co-worker resumed sweeping, seemingly not noticing her gaze. He had been like this since he started. Anyone who had work up the courage to talk to him was always so disappointed or frightened of his silence. It had been weeks after the invasion—weeks after her family had accepted him into their home, by order of the Hokage, and yet he was still so stiff and anti-social. But she had seen a change in him. During his stay, she had noticed that his expression softened… somewhat. His stare was no longer acidic. He no longer made her, or her parents, nervous.
The kunoichi went around the counter and walked toward her co-worker. She placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. The boy flinched at her touch. He still reacted badly to the simplest touches. Ino really hoped he would move pass that. She didn't know how much longer her mother would be able to restrain herself. In fact, last night for dinner—the very first night he had joined her family—he had wondered why they had said 'Itadakimasu' before eating. He had questioned this in a rather… cute way. Her father had to hold her mother back from wrapping the boy into a hug. "Gaara," Ino spoke. The red head turned to face her. "You know, you don't have to keep quiet. When others speak to you, you can speak back." She knew that he was rather reticent, but he would have to start trying.
"Ino-san, I-"
"Who?"
"… Sorry, I meant Ino…"
"Oh, carry on."
"Ino, I find it hard to communicate with others." The red head looked away. "No one has ever spoken politely to me except Yashamaru, but in the end, that man betrayed me. I suppose… it is fear that keeps me from responding to strangers." Strangers—that's right. To him, Ino was not a stranger, but a self-proclaimed friend. He had no other choice but to reply to her, least she would scold him. Her parents were like that, too. It truly was a punishment to live with the three of them. Their personalities truly clashed with his. Just last night, he could have sworn the mother of this kunoichi tried to tackle him.
"Gaara, I kinda understand what you mean. You are traumatized and do not want to go through the same thing again." Ino turned him around to face her. "For some reason, you trust me, Naruto, and Sakura—and I'm glad for that. But you must learn to trust others, too. Don't let something in the past stop you from moving forward, okay?" Gaara did not respond. "I know it's easier said than done. I apologize." Ino tapped his shoulders twice. "But still, a little politeness goes a long way—trust me, Panda-chan!" She smiled brightly. It was similar to the smile his first friend gave him. She had also begun to call him that, but usually she called him by name. "Try greeting the next person to walk in."
If Gaara had eyebrows, Ino thought with a smirk, they would be furrowed. "I have to do this?" he questioned, frowning. The Yamanaka vigorously nodded her head. She then ranted about lacking 'people skills' as she went back behind the counter. Gaara sighed inaudibly. Hopefully, they wouldn't have anymore customers. The bell rang, signaling that luck was not on his side. Gaara slowly turned his head. His eyes were greeted by a young girl. The headband around her neck indicated that she was a ninja. She had soft, pale lavender eyes and short dark hair. Her cheeks were stained red. There was a slight smile on her face. Gaara recognized her as one of the kunoichi that participated in the chuunin exam. "… Good morning. Welcome to Yamanaka Flower Shop." His voice was barely above a whisper, but the girl's eyes flickered over to him; she had heard him.
The kunoichi blinked, and then smiled. She bowed her head slightly and returned the greeting. A squeal came from Ino, causing both of their heads to turn. "That was good, Gaara! Nice job!" The blond gave him a thumb up. The red head frowned—secretly relieved—and went back to sweeping. Ino grinned nervously. Well, it was a start. She turned her blue eyes back to the customer. "Ah, Hinata, what brings you here?" The delicate girl moved toward the counter, smiling lightly.
"I'm walking around the village. The doctors say it will help me to recover faster. I can't train or even run, but walking is okay to do." The Hyuga heir rested her hands on the counter. Ino nodded. She had heard that she and her cousin, Neji, were hurt in the invasion. Hinata even had a lung pierced, but someone managed to make it through. Ino was both happy and relieved to hear about this. "I have been walking, but I have yet to come across Sakura-chan. Do you happen to know where she is?" Ino gave a cheeky grin. Hinata unconsciously took a step back.
"Are you sure you don't want to know where Naruto-kun is?" Hinata's cheeks turned another brilliant shade of red as she stammered out a jumble of nonsense. Ino couldn't hold back her laughter if she tried. It was just too fun to tease the Hyuga princess about her crush. The Yamanaka female waved off her comrade's stutters. "Anyway, when I met with the Hokage, concerning Gaara's punishment, he told me that Sakura's team is currently outside the village. They shouldn't be back for awhile."
"Oh," Hinata seemed a bit disappointed at the information. She then looked up startled. Her eyes glanced over to the red head. "What do you mean by punishment?" she whispered.
Ino leaned closer and began whispering back. "Gaara's from the Sand village, but he wasn't killed for invading us. He is the son of the Kazekage, which is why he wasn't immediately killed. But then he said he didn't belong to the Sand, and disowned his family. He actually told the Hokage that he was loyal only to Naruto, Sakura, and me, and so we have to come up with his penalty. Those two decided to strip him of his ninja status. Without knowing that prior to my meeting with Hokage-sama, I said that he should be watched for awhile. Hokage-sama's final decision was to have Gaara move in with my family. When my father deems him trustworthy enough, his ninja status can be returned."
Hinata dipped her head slowly. She supposed that made sense. She turned toward the red head. He had moved over to a different spot to sweep. "Gaara-san," she called out to him. His head jerked up, hearing his name. "Any friend of Naruto-kun and Sakura-chan is a friend to me, too. I hope we will get along." Gaara narrowed his eyes. He wasn't glaring, but he did have a piercing stare. Hinata began to fill uncomfortable. She shifted her weight a bit and looked down.
"Gaara…!" Ino's whiny voice brought him out of his trance. He turned his sea green eyes toward the blond kunoichi. He looked almost confused.
"If you two are her friends, then why is it that you call her that?" he asked.
"Call her what?" Ino asked, becoming perplexed. She didn't think she had ever called Sakura forehead in front of Gaara.
"You call her by a different name. She told me to refer to her as Ma-" The ringing of the bell interrupted. He turned and greeted the customer in a robotic manner. "Good morning. Welcome to Yamanaka Flower Shop."
"Try to put more enthusiasm in it, Gaara. Jeez…" Ino muttered, flatly. "Oh! It's Sakura!" Hinata gasped as Ino made her way around the counter again. The two kunoichi walked up to her in greeting. "I thought you were with your team outside the village! Did you just get back?" It was then that she noticed the girl's appearance. "You washed the dye from your hair?"
"My team…?" Both Hinata and Ino seemed surprised by her voice. It was as if someone had sucked the life out of her. Gaara narrowed his eyes, remaining silent. "I no longer have a team. She stole them from me."
"Hm? What are you talking about, Sakura? Where's Naruto and Sasuke-kun?" Ino was shocked when her friend actually glared at her. She hadn't directed a glare her way since the Academy days. But what shocked her the most was the fact that this glare was cold and full of loathing. "Sa-Sakura…? What's the matter?"
"That girl… That thief stole my life away from me. How would you feel if that happened to you, Ino?"
"Sakura-chan, we don't understand what you mean…" Hinata spoke up. Sakura turned her callous green eyes to the Hyuga. She raised a pink eyebrow. Slowly, a smirk appeared on her face. "Is something the matter?"
"Yes, there is. A girl has been impersonating me since I became a ninja. Finally, I was able to return to my body not too long ago." The pink-haired girl's smirk grew, seeing the stunned faces of the two kunoichi. She then faked a frown. "But still, I could not regain what was originally mine. My team, my mother, and apparently my friends." Tears began flowing. To the other two girls, they were sad tears. "She took everything from me, and yet you talk of her like she's a god." The kunoichi turned to go. "I shouldn't have come."
"Sakura, wait…!" Ino's voice stopped her. Her back was turned, so the others couldn't see the grin. "What do you mean? What happened to you?"
"Tell us everything," Hinata said. "Please."
"… That girl… did horrible things," Sakura began.
--
Mayu stared at her teammate. Her eyebrows knitted together in concentration. A bead of sweat slide down her face and dripped from her chin. The blank stare that Sasuke was giving annoyed her. He was underestimating her like last time. He didn't believe that she would be able to succeed. She narrowed her eyes. The young kunoichi would definitely show him. Mayu moved forward. Sasuke didn't bat an eye. She smirked, and then made her move. The young Uchiha released a sigh at her dramatic antics. "Was this your card?"
"For the last time, no…! You suck at this!"
"Aww…"
Suddenly a crash was heard, followed by a frustrated shout. Both Mayu and Sasuke sighed. These noises told them that Naruto had yet to master the Rasengan. "You really think he's going to master that jutsu by tomorrow?" The Uchiha picked at the small fire and took a glance over to his blond teammate. Naruto was lying down, staring up at the night sky, gasping to catch his breath. Mayu turned her eyes to the deck of cards in her hand before shuffling them.
"Who knows…? He just might pull it off." The kunoichi showed him a card. Sasuke immediately glared at her. "Fine, fine…" she muttered, setting the cards on the ground. "I'm just bored. We haven't trained since Naruto made that bet with Tsunade-sama." Mayu stood up, patting her numb legs. She had been sitting on them for awhile now. "I'm going into town." She began to walk away, faltering slightly as she went.
"Why?" Sasuke called after her.
"None of your business!" Mayu waved without turning back. "Probably won't be back, so take Naruto to the hotel whenever he passes out!"
"Hey!" An indignant shout came from the blond.
"See you guys later!"
--
Mayu breathed out slowly, concentrating. A blue glow engulfed her hand, indicating that she was assembling chakra. The kunoichi narrowed her eyes as she watched the small fire she had created. Frowning, she stuck her naked hand in the blaze. The flames licked at her skin, causing her to grimace. She immediately pulled her hand out. The genin hastily rubbed hands together, breathing into them. "What should I do, Nana-chan?" The flames danced in her eyes as she gazed into the fire. "Normal fire still burns me. Imagine what chakra-enhanced fire will do to me." Mayu sighed heavily as she brought her knees to her chin. "I'm still such a long way from reaching mother or uncle's level. I'm so far from being a Master Ishikari."
Nana's response was a yawn. Mayu chuckled lightly. She knew her feline partner was tired, but in order for Nana to start speaking the human tongue, she needed to feed off her chakra. The black leopard couldn't do such a thing if she wasn't near the kunoichi for a long period of time. Mayu turned her eyes back to the crackling flames. Again, she sighed. Her mother and uncle were probably the greatest masters, in her mind at least. Both were so strong—equally strong, in fact. Her uncle had told her that they had once fought one another with all they had. Neither had been a winner. In the back of her mind, Mayu had wanted to see that fight badly. But sadly, it had happened before her mother was pregnant. The kunoichi had—and still—wanted to be just like her mother. "But the way I'm progressing, that goal-" She looked down at the burns on her hand. "-seems to be out of my reach."
It was pathetic to think that way, especially since her teammates were working hard to become stronger, but she couldn't help it. She had never felt so… feeble before. Back when she's was in Sakura's body, she was practically fearless. And who wouldn't? With twice the power, anyone would feel invincible. But now… Mayu closed her eyes. But now, she doubted she could fight like before. The kunoichi rubbed her temple. This was no time for self-aversion. She needed to be strong, not only for her team but for herself as well.
The sound of a twig snapping caused Mayu to lift her head. Nana, too, had done the same. She growled, sensing the presence of another other than her partner. The two stood, glaring into the darkness. "Who's there?" Mayu called out. A figure stepped out of the shadow of the trees. She recognized the person as Tsunade's traveling companion, Shizune. "What do you want?" Mayu turned back to the fire, knowing she wasn't really a threat to her. The woman had come to her team once before after Naruto had agreed to Tsunade's bet. She had wanted to explain to her Naruto why it was a bad idea to bargain with that necklace. She even told him an angst-like story behind the necklace. Long story short, both she and Sasuke sent the woman off with rude comments. Tsunade had lost two lives that she held dear. But they had lost many in only one night. They didn't want to hear a sob story that couldn't possible compare to the pain that they had felt. For that reason, it was rather strange that she had come to her, and her alone.
"Why aren't you with your teammates?" The woman moved closer to the kunoichi. Mayu glared, not in the mood for small talk. She wanted to know Shizune had come to her—now. The woman must have picked up on the girl's disposition. She ditched the polite smile. "Alright then… I want to know why you seem to loathe Tsunade-sama." Mayu remained silent. "I know that you also threw a kunai at her. And after that, you even spoke rudely of her and her past. What is your reason for this?" Shizune glared at the younger female. "I won't permit anyone to speak ill of Tsunade-sama!" It was silent for a few moments.
"Are you finished?" Mayu snorted lightly. "As for your questions, she was being a bitch." The young kunoichi noticed the way Shizune's hands clenched at her sides. "You know this is true. Not only did she insult my teammate, but she also insulted the Hokage name. Any other ninja from the Leaf would have done the same, if not more."
"She wasn't always like that! She has suffered greatly because of the loss of-"
"So have I." Mayu crossed her arms. "I'm pretty sure everyone has lost something, but that doesn't give them the right to take it out on everyone else. She's been through pain—so has the rest of the world, and yet the world moves on."
Shizune turned her dark eyes to the ground. "You… You just don't understand her." Her eyebrows knitted together. "Her pain is far worse than anything you can imagine."
"You assume the wrong thing. Sasuke and I—and even Naruto have her beat in that department." Shizune turned her eyes back to her. "I lost my entire clan. Sasuke lost his entire clan. Naruto… has never even had a clan or a family to begin with." The young Ishikari showed her teeth. She was not smiling. "Tell me… What right do you have to compare our pain?!"
Shizune's stance faltered as she stared at Mayu. The girl was trembling as if she was truly angry. But she couldn't be. What she said had to be a lie. Shizune knew about the Uchiha clan, and she knew about Naruto holding the Kyuubi—well, she had heard stories, at least. However, she had not heard of another clan of the Leaf village dying. Mayu turned her back on the woman. She kicked some dirt into the fire, putting it out.
"If you came to me, wanting me to feel sorry for that hag, then you're just downright stupid." She gestured for Nana to follow. It wasn't that she hated Tsunade. She had just lost respect for the woman. Just watching from behind the fourth wall was definitely not the same as experiencing. The Sanin's previous words had really struck a nerve. "Now, if you have nothing more to say, then I shall take my leave."
"Wait a moment!" Shizune called. Mayu stopped, curious. "Are you really from the Leaf village?" The kunoichi turned her head slightly, perplexed by her question. She answered, nonetheless. "You say that your clan died, but that's not true. The only report of a dead clan from the Leaf is the Uchiha clan. No other clan from the village has perished." The woman narrowed her eyes. "Just who are you?"
"… You wouldn't know about my clan. Only a few knew about it." Shizune shook her head and repeated her question. "Ishikari Mayu of the Hidden Leaf Village." The woman's dark eyes widen. She could have sworn she heard that surname somewhere else before. She gasped lightly when the memory hit her.
Sorry for my rudeness. I am Ishikari Morino of the Hidden Leaf Village.
Shizune frowned. So this girl was related to that man, huh? The two did share the same complexion. He had been much more polite, although a bit eccentric. "Now I know you're lying." Her statement caused the young Ishikari to face her. "There might be a clan of the Leaf known as Ishikari, but they're not dead. You don't have to tell lies in order to make others feel sorry for you." Mayu practically snarled at the woman. Nana growled angrily.
"Who the hell are you to make that assumption?!"
"It's not an assumption. It's a fact. Just a few months back, I met a man who went by the name of Ishikari."
Mayu froze. Her mouth dropped open, shocked. Her eyebrows disappeared behind her bangs. Hopeful incredulity filled her eyes. Shizune was startled by the sudden change in the girl's expression. "You… You met my uncle…? Ishikari Morino? Uncle Mori?" Despite her earlier anger, her eyes welled up with tears. In all honesty, she believed that she wouldn't get to see her uncle ever again. She had even thought him to be dead like the rest of the family. She knew he had not died on that night on the count that he was away on a mission, but she had assumed that he eventually died as well, which was why he wasn't in the village. Mayu stepped forward. "You really met my uncle? Tell me where he is. Where did you see him?"
"That… That isn't the point I was trying to make. The point was that you shouldn't lie to people about something like that!" Shizune did not answer her question. Mayu glared at the woman.
"I wasn't lying! Uncle Mori and I are the only Ishikari members alive right now! Tell him where you've seen him!"
The older female involuntarily took a step back. The girl was getting riled up again. Perhaps she had been wrong… Now that she was thinking about it, that man had mentioned a niece during their short meeting. He hadn't mentioned anyone else, though. "I… I am sorry for assuming." She bowed. It was the least she could do. It was rude of her to judge and guess.
"Forget all that! Please tell me where you've seen him!" Mayu pleaded. Shizune blinked, surprised again by her shifting of emotions.
"I doubt he's still there, but we met in the Bird Country."
"The Bird Country…?" Mayu repeated. Her blue eyes fell to the ground. She looked to be deep in thought.
Shizune shifted uncomfortable. For some reason, she felt a bit awkward. Well, she did come to the girl intending to take back her words. In the end, it was she who had to take back her own words. It was… embarrassing to do so, especially to a young child. "Well then… I will leave you now." The woman disappeared before Mayu could give a response—not that she was paying attention. She was much too focused that her uncle was alive and well. He was… alive.
"Uncle…" A tear slipped out of her eye. The kunoichi clenched her fist, determined. "You've just given me another reason for become stronger." She sniffed, and then looked towards her feline partner. Mayu grinned, and then dramatically pointed in a random direction. "Nana-chan…! We're going to do our best to catch up with Uncle Mori and Mizuiro!"
The black leopard gave a roar of agreement.
--
Sasuke felt himself growling as he waited for his eyesight stop being so blurry and for the feeling to return to his body. That old hag had been fast. He barely comprehended the punch to his gut. Hell, it might not have been a punch. He grimaced as his hand caressed his torso. Finally, his eyesight had returned. He stared up at the ceiling for a moment before sitting up—or at least trying to. Confused, the young Uchiha looked over his shoulder. To his surprise, there laid his teammate's head. It was no wonder, his arm felt numb. Slowly, he pulled his arm away. "When the hell…?" he murmured. Sasuke stood up. His dark eyes spotted that woman, Shizune on the floor, apparently knocked out. "Must've gotten her, too."
He had barely heard the conversation between the two women last night, but they had been talking about Orochimaru and some type of offer. He should have been paying more attention since the subject was on that snake bastard. Sasuke turned back to his sleeping teammate. He reached over and smacked his head. "Hey…! What the hell, Sasuke?!" Naruto woke up with a start. The blond had fallen unconscious last night a little after their other teammate ditched them. He had been that way the last time he'd seen him. He had heard from the busty Sanin that Naruto should have slept for a few days, but he knew better. Chakra exhaustion wasn't something that would keep the hyperactive blond down.
"Shut up. We've got a problem."
"Problem…?" Naruto repeated. His eyes moved past Sasuke's body. "When did Mayu come back?" Startled by the question, Sasuke whirled around. The blond was right. Their teammate had returned. When—he couldn't say. She was sprawled on the other bed with a drizzle of drool coming from her mouth. He narrowed his eyes as he moved over to the bed. Because she was on the bed, to him that meant Jiraiya never came back. The Uchiha shoved the girl's shoulder, telling her to wake up. "Hey! How come I got smacked and she just got a gentle touch?" Sasuke gave the blond a rude hand gesture as the kunoichi slowly sat up.
"Hey, guys, what's up?" She rubbed the slobber from her chin. Yawning, she looked around. "What time is it?"
"Never mind that right now. Didn't you find it strange that a woman is unconscious on the floor?" Sasuke asked. "Did you just come and fall asleep without noticing?"
"No, I saw it. You were on the floor, too."
"Then why didn't you do anything?"
"… Thought she was drunk and passed out. She smelled like sake. And I thought Naruto had kicked you from the bed again, so I put you back." The Uchiha flushed.
"That wasn't necessary!"
"What the hell are you two talking abo—hey, she really is on the floor!" Naruto jumped from the bed and went over to the woman. Sasuke and Mayu did the same. "Hey. Hey!" The blond shook Shizune. After a few moments of this, the woman's eyes finally opened.
She stared at the three genin before gasping loudly. She sprang up and frantically looked around. "Shit! What time is it?!" After glancing around, Shizune focused her eyes on the team of three. "No! What day of the week is it?!" Startled by her strange hysterical behavior, Naruto hesitantly answered.
"Monday…"
"Wow, someone must've been really hammered last night." A smack to the head came from her teammate.
"You idiot! The sake smell came from that other woman!"
"I'm… so confused," Naruto complained.
"Wait a minute… Your body is fine already?" Shizune asked. Finally, it appeared as if she calmed down. "You should have slept for two days." Mayu scoffed at that.
"Naruto won't waste time sleeping."
"Yeah, after a little bit of rest, my body recovers. I've been like this ever since I was born." Naruto flexed his fingers and grinned proudly. He then got serious. "Anyway, where's that old hag? Today's the deadline for our bet!"
Mayu turned excited eyes on her blond teammate. "So you've finally learned the Rasengan, Naruto? That's so awesome!" Naruto chuckled nervously as he rubbed the back of his head.
"He didn't." Sasuke answered for him.
"It's not complete yet! But I can still hope to get it right in front of her!" The blond had the nerve to have conviction in his voice. Sasuke rolled his eyes as Shizune chuckled. Her actions only made the pain in her gut to increase. She grimaced, and then looked towards the window before moving.
"You three stay here!" Shizune slid over the window, preparing to leap out. Just as she was about to, a kunai whizzed pass her head and embedded itself into the pipe outside the building. Her eyes grew wide before turning to the where the kunai came from. "You're…" A hand slid the window open further, and three more heads popped out.
"Pervy Sage…!" The three genin were shocked to find their temporary guardian. He looked absolutely awful. His breathing was erratic and strained. Sweat covered his face. They could tell he was exhausted. He slowly and shakily held his hand out and told the four to wait. The group quickly jumped out of the window and crowded around the Sanin. Both Naruto and Sasuke helped Jiraiya sit down with his back against the wall. "What happened to you?"
"That damn hag poisoned him from what I can tell," Sasuke answered before Jiraiya could. "She knocked me out last night—her too—and then left."
"Ah… So that's what happened…"
"You." Sasuke glared at Tsunade's attendant. "You're going to tell us exactly what deal that snake bastard made with that hag—now." Three more pairs of eyes turned to Shizune expectedly. The woman put her head down ashamed. Perhaps believing in Tsunade was a mistake.
"I…" She placed on hands on her stomach. "I will have to explain on the way! We're running out of time. Please follow me!"
"We're coming, too!"
--
Kabuto grimaced as he narrowly missed the kunai by falling back. Damn—and he had almost had her. He was sure that he had taken Tsunade by surprise when he moved so quickly after she had messed with his nervous system. The thought made him smirk. She shouldn't have underestimated him, Sanin or not. Kabuto was just about to expose the woman's weakness, but a smoke bomb came between him and his victim. He had jumped back. If he hadn't, a kunai would have been impaled in his head. "Naruto, do it!" Kabuto's eyes grew wide. However, since there was damage to his nervous system, he couldn't even turn around.
He felt a hit to the back of his head, sending him flying forward. Next, the hit came from below him, forcing his body up high. Hands wrapped around his ponytail. His body was to twirl with the body of another. "Uzumaki's Seismic Body Toss!" Kabuto's nose smashed against the unyielding force of the ground.
Naruto flipped back over to his teammates, glaring at Kabuto's twitching form. So Mayu had been right all along. He recognized the silver-haired man from the chuunin exam. He had tried to befriend their team, but Mayu was quick to distrust him—and with good reason. If that headband of his was any indication, this man had been working with Orochimaru the entire time. He must have been a spy for whatever village they now hailed from. It pissed him off that he probably would have fallen for Kabuto's innocent act if it had not been for his attentive teammate. The sight of blood flowing from his nose, however, brought him some approval. The blond stood up straight, breathing through his mouth.
"It's been a short time, Jiraiya." Orochimaru smirked as he spoke to his former teammate and rival. "I didn't think we would meet so soon after… what happened."
"And yet you still have that evil look in your eyes." The toad Sanin gave a smirk of his own. "After that humiliating defeat, you'd think you would have been slightly depressed." The snake Sanin's smirk turned into a frown. His golden, snake-like eyes shifted over to the genin beside his ex-comrade. The smirk came back, and with it his tongue. Orochimaru licked his lips, staring at the boy that had his full attention.
"Hello again, Sasuke-kun."
Mayu could feel her teammate's body tense and shiver. She had to keep herself from snarling in Orochimaru's general direction. That, though, did not stop her face from twisting into an expression of fury. How dare that snake bastard refer to Sasuke like that? As far as she was concerned, he didn't have the right. Mayu watched as his eyes moved from Sasuke to Naruto, commenting on the Nine-Tailed fox, before turning his focus on her. There was no recognition in his eyes. If anything, he seemed confused. "Of course he does." The only time Orochimaru had seen her was in the body of Haruno Sakura. He had actually stated that he was interested in her because of her ability to copy bloodlines. There was no reason for her to draw attention to her real name. It would be safer if Orochimaru believed that she was an unknown kunoichi. "That means I won't be able to use my jutsu—damn it."
Without warning, Tsunade broke out of her startled dazed. She pushed passed Jiraiya, knocking him over. She darted toward Kabuto, exclaiming that she would be the one to defeat both him and Orochimaru. Sasuke scoffed, watching the woman attack Kabuto. "That isn't likely." For some reason, she was not using her strength behind her punches and kicks. Not only that, but her movements were slower—much slower than last night or when she played around with Naruto. Sasuke narrowed his eyes as Tsunade finally cornered Kabuto. Suddenly, however, the man grabbed a kunai and slit his own wrist. Blood spewed from his wound, spraying Tsunade. Her hands, chest, and face had been hit. Furrowing his eyebrows together, Sasuke wondered why the woman suddenly froze… as if she was afraid. Then it hit him. Shizune had said something about Tsunade having a fear of blood. A ninja having a fear of blood was just absurd. He hadn't believed her, but actually watching the fear in the Sanin's expression was enough to convince him.
With one punch, Kabuto sent the older woman flying into the arms of Shizune. The Uchiha watched this all unimpressed. "Some Sanin…" he muttered, turning his attention back to Kabuto. As a matter of fact, all three of the Sanin seemed to be not at full strength. Even Orochimaru looked as if he should rather be lying in bed. He didn't need his Sharingan to see that. Naruto suddenly yelled out and started charging at Kabuto. Sasuke sighed. "Mayu…"
"Yeah, yeah, I'm on it."
The kunoichi dashed forward, ignoring Jiraiya's cries for her to halt. In terms of speed, Mayu was faster than her blond teammate. She caught up to him quicker than anyone thought she would. Using Naruto's shoulders as a balance beam, Mayu flipped over her teammate. This action startled the blond shinobi so much that he stopped, unknowingly shooting the girl further right toward Kabuto. The Ishikari landed near the older ninja on her hand. The momentum of her movements brought her foot down, about to smash against Kabuto's head. Seeing this intent, the silver-haired man moved his left arm up to block her foot. What he hadn't counted on was Mayu putting her other hand on the ground and twisting her body at the last second. Her right leg swung and knocked into Kabuto's right side at the neck. The man was sent soaring away by the force behind the attack.
Mayu stood up straight and smirked. She knew that his right side was left vulnerable from his earlier stunt against Tsunade. She also knew that the slug Sanin had done something—she couldn't remember what—to his nerve system. The girl slowly pointed a finger at Orochimaru. The man raised an eyebrow. "Just because you are Sanin-" She pointed to Kabuto, who was rubbing the painful crook in his neck. "And just because you might be as strong as Kakashi-sensei-" The kunoichi grinned. "-doesn't mean you can underestimate me or my team!" She looked toward her two teammates. "Naruto! Sasuke!" The two young shinobi looked her way. "Let's make some noise!"
"Hell yeah!" Naruto formed a hand sign. "Shadow Clone Jutsu!" Four clones surrounded him. He moved his hand forward, ordering his clones to launch an attack. "Go!" he exclaimed sending them off toward Kabuto. Sasuke smirked.
"Let's do it then." Like his teammates, he, too, ignored Jiraiya's cries of protests. The young Uchiha quickly moved, running behind the clones, as did Mayu.
Kabuto dropped into a defensive stance as he watched the clones, and the other two genin race towards him. This situation was truly unexpected. Though he knew he could quickly dispose of the Naruto clones—even Naruto, himself—the other two oncoming ninja made him chary in his movements. One, he knew nothing about. Her strengths, weakness—even her identity were unknown to him. The other one he knew of—Uchiha Sasuke. Out of all of them, Kabuto was sure that he was the most talented of the three. If the team actually fought together with him, his chances of surviving would slip, especially since his body wasn't working probably. Cursing the slug Sanin, the Sound ninja moved forward. He decided that he had to get rid of the clones, and then attack Sasuke. Once he was incapacitated, he would kill the other two. Kabuto smirked as he rushed forward. He would take great delectation in paying Naruto back for his nose.
Mayu suddenly halted and looked back at her teammate. Sasuke stopped beside her. They both nodded before turning to where Kabuto was fending off the clones. Quickly, the two genin made their hand signs. "Fire Style-" The Sound ninja blocked a punch and looked over to them with wide eyes. "-Great Fireball Jutsu!" The two powerful fire attacks actually combined to create an even stronger and bigger ball of fire. Kabuto could only stare in at the attack in astonishment. The ball was so big and fast that no matter which way he went, he would still get hit by it. The clones had only been a distraction.
The fireball destroyed and scorched the ground on its way to the Sound ninja. Four separate puffs of smoke signaled that the clones had been obliterated, meaning the flames had reached Kabuto as well. Slowly the fireball disappeared, leaving practically nothing in its wake—nothing except the smoldering, burnt ground. Sasuke raised a brow. Could the combined fire attacks really burn a person's body out of existence? "Something seems… wrong." The young Uchiha narrowed his eyes. That's all he needed to hear to confirm his suspicions. He turned his onyx eyes toward his blond teammate.
"Naruto!"
The blond, startled by his comrade's frantic voice, suddenly felt compelled to move toward him. The hairs on the back of his neck stood on end. Instinctively, Naruto flipped away from the spot where he was standing. In his handstand, he saw that hands, along with Kabuto's head were sticking out of the ground. The Sound ninja's hands were encased in a glow of chakra. He had been planning to do some weird, freaky jutsu to him! "You missed!" Naruto twisted and jerk his body, making his left heel collide with Kabuto's face.
Mayu grimaced, hearing the crunch that echoed throughout the clearing. "Nice one, Naruto. I actually saw teeth go flying." The blond landed in between his two teammates. He grinned at the kunoichi. She turned her blue eyes back to Kabuto, whose body had fully come out of the ground. Both of his hands covered his face. Muffled groans of pain came from behind his hands. "Seriously, though, that's a lot of blood. Serves him right, I suppose. That bastard shouldn't have tried to attack us."
"How can you say that with a smile? Just what kinda person are you?" Sasuke produced a flat look. Mayu only laughed at his expression.
The Sound ninja let out ragged breaths as he slowly stood. This was not good. Naruto was proving to be more challenging than he originally thought. And with his body the way it was, things didn't seem to be to going in his favor. "I have to retreat for now. Sasuke-kun is smart; he won't dare attack while I'm by Orochimaru's side. He'll stop his teammates, too." Kabuto narrowed his eyes, focusing on the kunoichi of the team. Ignoring his dripping blood for a moment, he tried to think back. Naruto or Sasuke hadn't said her name yet, or given any type of clue to who she was. It was clear that she was not the original kunoichi on Team 7, Haruno Sakura. "I must find out who she is." Kabuto leapt over to his leader, causing the three genin to shift their focus back over to him. Damn brats had the nerve to start a conversation and completely ignore him.
"Hm… It appears that you're having trouble, Kabuto." The snake Sanin chuckled. Continuing to pant, Kabuto pulled out a single bead-like item. He rolled it between his finger and thumb, toying with the idea of using it right now. Of course, he needed it. He had lost far too much blood. He popped it in his mouth a bit down.
"Food pill…?" Naruto murmured. "Oh, that's just great!" He looked back and forth between his teammates. "Please tell me we have some of our own?"
"No, we don't." Mayu shook her head.
"I did have some, but they somehow mysteriously disappeared after you two spent the night over." Sasuke was obviously pointing the finger, causing his comrades to chuckle nervously. "Anyway, I still think we could all take Kabuto on even if he does have pills. The problem is Orochimaru. I don't want to tangle with him again if I don't have to." Mayu nodded in agreement. "I say, for now at least, that we head over to the pervert and see what he has planned, and then act accordingly."
"Sounds boring, but okay." Naruto also nodded in agreement. The team of three swiftly moved, stopping when they reached Jiraiya's side.
"You little brats," he greeted. He then gave a small smile. "But I must say that I was impressed."
"Of course you were! We're badass, after all!" Naruto gave a cheeky grin.
"Now's not the time to be cocky, however. You three are still way out of your league." And just like that, the toad Sanin shot them down. "I will fight Orochimaru. Shizune, I leave four-eyes to you." The dark-haired woman nodded as she stood in front of a shivering Tsunade. "But before we get started, I want Tsunade to heal me."
"It can't be helped… it will take awhile before the effects of that poison wears off." Shizune's blunt response caused Jiraiya to freak out momentarily.
"Oh well, I guess I have to fight him as I am," he said.
"What about us?" Naruto questioned. Jiraiya looked at the three pairs of inquiring eyes. "I mean, what can we do?"
"You three… stay put and protect Tsunade-hime and the pig."
The three genin instantly deadpanned.
Ignoring their expressions, Jiraiya turned to Orochimaru and Kabuto. "Now let's get this started!" He bit his thumb, drawing the blood necessary to complete the jutsu. Kabuto wiped blood on the arm of Orochimaru. At the same time, the two slammed their hand against the ground. "Ninja Art: Summoning Jutsu!" The enemy summoned two giant brown snakes—their sizes were the same as the one in the second stage of the chuunin exam. On the other side, Jiraiya had summoned… a tiny, orange toad.
"I shit you not." Sasuke's eyebrow twitched as his teammate pointed at the small thing.
"You want to fight Orochimaru with Gamakichi? What the hell?! Even Naruto can summon his father!"
"Yeah!" Naruto bit his thumb. If Jiraiya couldn't do it in his state, then he would have to summon the Chief Toad for him. He'd done it before, he could do it again! Quickly, he made the proper hand signs. "Ninja Art: Summoning Jutsu!" He pressed against the dirt with his hand, looking determined. For his efforts, he received a toad as big as Gamakichi. Mayu's face hit the ground in a classic anime fall.
"You make it real hard to give compliments, Naruto… real hard."
"Hi, everybody!" The new toad seemed a bit… air-headed. Through the bickering between the new toad and Gamakichi, it was discovered that his name was Gamatatsu and he was the younger brother of Gamakichi, meaning he was another child of Gamabunta.
"They're coming…!" Sasuke's warning, causing the ninja to become alert and move away. The two snakes crashed into the ground where they once stood. The ground cracked and crumbled under the weight the two giant snakes, causing debris and dust to obscure vision. "A separation tactic…?" The young Uchiha immediately activated his advanced bloodline, only to shut it off again. He didn't want to waste any chakra on the unnecessary. Pretty soon, the dust would disappear. The Uchiha heard Jiraiya call out to his blond teammate, meaning he was in danger. "Damn it!" Sasuke landed on the ground. Somehow, a swamp appeared, trapping the two snakes. It most likely was a jutsu that came from the old man. He jumped back, narrowing dodging a snake head. The giant brown snake hissed at him, and then slowly sank into the mud.
"Well, that was close!" Sasuke whirled around to see his female teammate surveying the damage. She turned her blue eyes his way. "Come on—while everyone's distracted!" The kunoichi grabbed her teammate's wrist and dragged him behind a large stone, hiding them from view of the others.
"Why are we hiding?" Sasuke peeked over the top of the boulder. The other ninja seemed not to realize that the battle was missing two people. "And where did you go? I didn't sense you in the clash."
"Are you kidding me?" Mayu gave him a look of disbelief. She scoffed, causing the Uchiha to turn to her, annoyed. "As if I'd willingly go into a place where I'm virtually blind! I was standing next to the dust cloud, shaking my head because of everyone else's actions." Sasuke flushed, slightly embarrassed because apart of him knew that what she said was a bit logical.
"I can't believe you manage to pull it off," he murmured, turning his eyes back to the fight. The fight between the two weakened Sanin didn't prove to be very interesting. What he was more focused on was Shizune and Kabuto—the former was losing miserably. Pretty soon, they'd have to be the ones to step in.
"Pull what off?" She, too, had her eyes on the fight between Shizune and Kabuto. A sigh escaped her lips, disappointed at the display of so called kunoichi power—from both women.
"You're smart, but you sound stupid when you talk."
"Well, thanks—hey, wait a minute!"
"You guys are both… dumbasses."
A groan reached the ears of the two genin, preventing an argument. Their eyes moved left and right, and then down. Naruto was on the other side of the boulder, lying on the ground and holding his stomach. A glare was focused on Kabuto, who had stopping messing around with Shizune and focused his beatings on a weak and defenseless Sanin. "Naruto…? When did you get there?"
"Are you blind?! How could you two not see a giant snake slamming me against the rock that you're hiding behind…?!"
"Whoops…"
Naruto sighed heavily, causing friction. He winced at the pain. "What are we going to do? We can't let her keep getting hurt by this bastard!" Tsunade's screams and pleas of protest, begging for Kabuto to stop only further pissed him off. "What kinda man-"
"Cool it, Naruto!" Sasuke ordered. "What we need to do now is to think with our heads. But I know that you suck in that area." Ignoring the heated stare being directed at him, the Uchiha turned to his female comrade. "That means you're up, Mayu. You can use either my body if you need to. Naruto looks like he's not going to be able to move effectively for a few minutes." The kunoichi did not respond. "Hey, what's the matter?"
"… I'm not switching with you. It would probably be better to go on offense with two Sharingan users on our side, but… I can't do that at the moment."
"Is something wrong with your jutsu?" Naruto asked. Mayu shook her head.
"No, nothing like that." She closed her eyes for a moment. "I just can't use it when those two are around. I don't want them getting any ideas."
"I see…" Sasuke frowned.
"But I do have a plan, so listen up."
--
Yakushi Kabuto stared down at the woman. She was weak, useless—defeated. She had not even tried to block or evade his kicks and punches. The so called Sanin, who was Orochimaru former teammate, was so substandard. Hell, she didn't even scream anymore. The silver-haired ninja played with the idea of piercing her skin just to hear the frightening screams that he knew she would let out. But he couldn't possibly do that no matter how fun it would be to watch. His master's arms and legs still needed to be fixed. It was only a matter of time before the medicine would wear off. This woman was the only one who could cure him of that strange poison. Tsunade needed to be sharp and precise when she healed, not traumatized and scared by just the mere sight. No, it was best to just leave her unconscious for the moment. Making her bleed would probably break her.
Tsunade shivered, looking away from him. It was almost as if she was accepting whatever happened. Such disenchantment, Kabuto thought. He curled his fingers into a fist. He would finish her with one last punch. Playing around with someone who didn't even fight back had lost its thrill. He pulled back his arm, preparing to strike her. However, a kunai suddenly embedded itself in the ground between him and Tsunade. Upon closer inspection, Kabuto saw a note attached to the weapon. "Explosive note…!" Eyes widening, he quickly jumped away from area.
Instead of exploding, the note attached only swayed in the wind. Kabuto narrowed his eyes as the young unknown kunoichi appeared in front of Tsunade. She had an arrogant grin. "As if I'd actually put my future in harm's way." She pointed a finger at Kabuto. "Get any closer, and that will be the last action you take." The Sound ninja only chuckled.
"Ah, it would seem as if you've slipped my mind." The man smirked. "But I assure you, you're no match for me."
"Oh really…" Mayu crossed her arms. "Do you honestly think that the Third Hokage would place me on a team with the Kyuubi and the last of the Uchiha just to be a placeholder? I've got my own little secret." Kabuto's eyebrows knitted together as if he were considering that, so the kunoichi continued. "With my abilities I can easily contain theirs. Imagine what I'll do to you if you attack." From the distance, she could see sweat slide down the man's face. She continued. "I am Haruno Sakura's replacement because of this. It is my mission to be on this team. Do you think a mere genin could live up to controlling the Sharingan and the Nine-tailed beast? The Hokage has even compared me to Uchiha Itachi and let's just say he wasn't talking personality-wise."
"Who are you?"
"Like I'd be stupid enough to give out that information… Why don't you be a good little subordinate and stand down?" To her surprise, however, Kabuto began to walk forward.
"Nice try, little girl, but your bluff is not working on me." As he spoke, he did not stop his movements. "I am very confident in my abilities, so even if you were speaking the truth, I wouldn't hesitate to try. Uchiha Itachi just happens to be a person that I want to fight."
"Well, isn't that just perfect?" Mayu almost rolled her eyes. Kabuto suddenly broke into a run, arm pulled back ready to punch. "Anytime, guys…!"
"Show me what you've got!" Instead of hitting Mayu's surprised/scared face, Kabuto ended up hitting Naruto's headband. The blond genin glared at the Sound ninja absolutely pissed. Not only was he mercilessly attacking the old woman, but he also had the nerve to try to hit his teammate. Ignoring the blood leaking because of the impact, Naruto mentally swore revenge. "Naruto-kun…!"
"You son of a bitch!" The blond gathered chakra in his palm with his right hand. This was it! He was definitely going to do it this time! With a battle cry, Naruto shot forward.
Kabuto was momentarily startled by whatever new attack that his opponent had learned. But he knew that all he had to do was dodge it. He shifted his body to the left while gathering chakra in his hand. As Naruto missed and passed him, Kabuto tapped the back of the young shinobi's leg. The genin fell to the ground as the Sound ninja stopped. Kabuto turned, smirking callously, knowing that such a big motion wouldn't be able to hit anyone who had enough sense to move. "It seems that your battle with the snake cracked your bone." Naruto response, to his utter surprise, was wearing a grin.
"Forgetting something…?"
The Sound ninja's eyes expanded. He had forgotten! Kabuto turned around sharply, only to get hit by the blunt end of a kunai between his eyes. "Distraction, bitch!" The kunoichi followed up with a swinging kick to his chest. The startled ninja staggered backwards. He rubbed his torso and coughed. That girl had a surprisingly strong foot. "Sasuke!" Again, Kabuto's eyes grew wide. His instincts told him to move. The man quickly jumped back, narrowly dodging Sasuke, who had broke free from the dirt beneath his feet with Chidori in hand. Although the Uchiha's initial attack did not work, that did not stop him from running after the Sound ninja. He flipped, dived, and jumped away from the lightning-based attack. He saw the damage that it could do, and that was not something he wanted to happen to him. Getting tired of running away, Kabuto shot forward, startling his pubescent enemy. He swatted his arm away, making the Uchiha lose his concentration, causing the Chidori to disappear. After summoning his chakra scalpel, he smacked Sasuke's chest.
Sasuke fell to the ground coughing, holding his throat. "I can't breathe…!" He heard the victorious laughter of Kabuto and it pissed him off. The man turned his eyes to his female teammate. "This is bad."
"Heh… What will you do now that I've crippled your team, girl?" Mayu chose not to answer. The plan had just gone sour. She had underestimated Kabuto's agility. And because of that both Sasuke and Naruto were practically useless. "You don't have to answer that. I know exactly what you'll do." The kunoichi narrowed her eyes. "Kill Naruto-kun."
"What?! Are you stupid? There's no way that I will!"
"Do it, or Sasuke-kun dies." Mayu clenched her teeth. Of course… Kabuto wasn't physically holding her teammate hostage, but he did hold his life in his hands. "You know very well that I can save him, but now… his life is slipping away. Kill Naruto-kun or I will not fix Sasuke-kun's lungs." Mayu nearly growled.
"Fuck you! Get yourself another idiot! I won't do it!" She charged at the Sound ninja, intending to give him hell.
Kabuto only smirked. Young ninja were amusing. "Very well then… I will take you out first. If you try to attack me, I will kill Naruto-kun, and then Sasuke-kun right before your very eyes." The kunoichi halted at his words. Sweat slid down her face. Using her clan's jutsu would really be helpful right about now, but she couldn't. They would know and constantly be after her. There was also the fear of not getting to her teammates in time if she unleashed a counterattack. The girl's body went limp. She bowed her head in acquiesce. "Good girl." Kabuto advanced forward. "You are the type who cares more about her friends than her own safety. Truly pathetic…"
Sasuke and Naruto could only watch helplessly as Kabuto slowly walked toward their teammate. "If my leg wasn't…" Naruto gritted his teeth as the sick bastard moved closer. His fingers gripped the dirt, creating small trenches. "Please move, Mayu! You don't have to do this!" He violently shook as Kabuto stood in front of his motionless teammate.
"You know something… You made a mistake." The Sound ninja grinned. He punched her. Mayu lost her balance and fell to the ground. "You die to protect them." He kicked her twice, creating the satisfying crunching noises. The kunoichi groaned, holding her side. Kabuto grabbed her hair, pulling her back up. "You die to know that they will live on and make something of themselves, but… in the end you sacrificing your own life does not change the way this will all turn out." He struck her nose, almost breaking it. Blood flowed from her nostrils. He grinned, deciding to let gravity deal with the girl. Kabuto dropped her on the ground. He took out a kunai. The projectile in his hand hovered over the kunoichi's throat. He released the handle causing the kunai began to descend. "I will kill Naruto-kun and take Sasuke-kun away!"
CLANG
Instead of piercing flesh, the girl moved her body at the last possible moment, making the sharp end of the kunai to hit the metal part of her headband. It fell near the side of her head harmlessly. "You underrate my feelings toward this team." Mayu slowly sat up, glaring at Kabuto. She stood up, her stance displaying that she wouldn't give in so easily. "I will not die before Naruto becomes Hokage and Sasuke revives his clan—no matter what!"
"Don't give me that!" The man prepared to strike the girl. "That's nothing but a lot of-"
"CHIDORI!"
Sasuke had miraculously overcome his paralysis. He's attack went right through Kabuto's arm! The Sound ninja both shock and in pain let out a horrifying shout. He gripped what was left of his severed arm, drenching his hand in blood. The boy had ripped right through his elbow! Kabuto hastily jumped away, groaning at the horrendous ache. "Sasuke…!" Mayu held her arms out and caught her teammate. "That was incredibly stupid!" The shinobi panted, ignoring her shout.
"You think you can just give your life up without permission? I own you both… You or Naruto can't die until I say!" He then promptly fainted. Mayu deadpanned after his words sank in.
"You narcissistic bastard." She gently laid her teammate's limp body down on the ground, only to wince at her own aches. Damn that four-eyed freak, she thought. The kunoichi turned to Tsunade. She stared straight ahead, yet her eyes were not focused. "Hey, you…! Tsunade-sama!" Slowly, the woman's eyes became to focus. "Heal my teammate right now!"
"… But… bl-blood…"
"Blood…? So what? You're a medical ninja—act like it!" Mayu shouted. "Heal Sasuke and Naruto or I will never forgive you!"
"It's no use…" Kabuto panted. "She's so afraid that she's frozen in terror."
"I've had just about enough from you, you one-armed sissy!"
"Even with one arm, I'm still way out of your league!" Kabuto ran toward her, kunai in hand. Mayu tried to move, but ended up grimacing. She couldn't move the way she was now. "This is the end for you!"
"Don't count me out just yet!" A shout rang out through the clearing. "Shadow Clone Jutsu!" One clone held back Kabuto's attack by grabbing the man's wrist. The other clone stood beside the real Naruto. The two were in front of his teammates and Tsunade, protecting them from harm.
"Naruto…!" Tsunade was utterly astonished.
"Get ready to own up to your promise!" Naruto held his palm out. The clone's hands swiftly moved about his hand, gathering the chakra. "Let's see you dodge this, asshole!" He thrust his blue sphere at Kabuto's torso. The man howled. "RASENGAN!" The ball of chakra and wind pushed Kabuto back, creating a large furrow in the ground. His body smashed against a boulder, ultimately stopping him.
Naruto panted heavily. Finally… Finally, he had achieved that jutsu. His blue eyes watched as Kabuto's body collapsed. The blond genin turned. He walked towards the three. Sasuke was still unconscious. Mayu looked near tears. And Tsunade, to his satisfaction, was staring at him in disbelief. "That's right… old woman…" he muttered. A small grin slowly appeared on his face. "I mastered the Rasengan… in just one week…" He kneeled down next to her. His hand came up and clenched the crystal hanging around her neck. "This belongs to… me now."
Tears welled up in Tsunade's eyes. They spilled over, and one by one dripped from her chin. Smiling a bit, she pulled the necklace from around her neck. Carefully, she slipped it around Naruto's. "Once more…" she whispered. The woman stood up and moved over to Sasuke and Mayu. She crouched down, placing one have over Sasuke's chest, and one had over Mayu's hurting side. Green chakra emitted from her hands. After a few minutes of this, the woman took her hands away. The Uchiha's body flinched before sitting up. He opened his eyes to be greeted by the excited smiles of his teammates. "Just once more…" The three genin turned their hands to Tsunade. Her smile had grown. "I want to place my hopes in you… and your team." One last tear fell before she wiped them away. Her face turned serious. "You three—I want you to leave now."
"What? But you just healed us! We can-"
"No, you've done your part. Go back into town." Sasuke suddenly gasped, causing the other three to become alert. That's when she felt it. "Killer intent…?" The Sanin turned to see Orochimaru heading straight for them. Her eyes sharply turned to Naruto. "He's after him?!" Quickly, her body moved. It was an unconscious movement that caused Orochimaru's sword to go through her chest.
"Tsunade-sama…!"
"Old woman…!"
"Granny…!"
Tsunade coughed out loudly. Orochimaru stared up in shock before removing himself from his former teammate's bosom. The sword and tongue returned to his mouth. He stepped away from the slug Sanin. Out of everyone, she was the only one he had not intended to kill. "That boy will cause problems in more ways than one. Do not get in my way to kill him." Tsunade shuddered, trying to catch a breath.
"That boy… That boy and his team—I will protect at all costs! From here on… I, too, will risk my life for the sake of the village!"
"What the hell happened…? I could have sworn we still didn't like her all that much…" Sasuke whispered.
"Yeah, a lot of things happened while you fainted," Mayu supplied.
"You three—I said to get out of here! Go!" Tsunade's pain-stricken voice startled the three so much that they got to their feet. "Hurry! Leave now!" The team left without another word. The Sanin's body shivered, keeping her amber eyes on them until she could no longer see their backs.
"Why do you go to such lengths to protect mere leaves, Tsunade? Eventually, I will get what I want."
"That's because I'm… the Hidden Leaf Village's Fifth Hokage!"
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Finished September 6, 2009
You don't know how glad I am that this is over. Yes, I said it—the Tsunade arc is over! It was… annoying that I didn't want Sasuke, Naruto, or Mayu fighting Orochimaru. Even in his weakened state, he's still a Sanin, and I was definitely not going to mess wit that, so it was tough writing this. That's why someone else too most—if not all—of the beating.
Kabuto: Yeah, he lost an arm in case you didn't read that right. Why did I make him lose his arm? Well, because he was a bit of douche the episodes, so—nah, I'm just kidding. The real reason I made him a one-armed guy will be explained in the future… hopefully. But there is a serious why! Trust me! Anyway, concerning the fight between him and Team 7—I must admit was a bit of fun. Though, it may appear that Kabuto was weaker than he was, that was not my intention. My philosophy is that if people work together, no matter who the single person is, they have the advantage. It just depends on how much that single enemy can endure. If it was Orochimaru in Kabuto's place, what happened, wouldn't have happened. That snake can endure a lot of crap, so I feel confident that tricks and surprises would work on him—but those things wouldn't do much to him—damage-wise. Got it? No? Oh, well… Sucks to be you.
Tsunade and Jiraiya VS Orochimaru: -scoffs- Like I was going to touch that! Hope your hopes weren't up.
Sakura: I was going to give a preview of what I'm planning to do with her, but nah! I'm going to let you all try to figure it out during the next couple of chapters. But let me tell you, I've changed what I originally planned for her, so it may not be what you think. Stay tuned!
Next time: Trying to Find My Place
I'm looking forward to your reviews.