Future Plans

A/N: Beta'd by KishinoKurobi. The same person responsible for getting my lazy ass in gear. Cheers to ya.

Chapter 25: Third Bite

XXX

Naruto eyed Anko cautiously, processing her words within the comfort of his mind. He was thinking surprisingly clearly right now, as if the terror he was feeling had all fled and left him with total serenity. A calm before the storm.

"Well, then. I guess it goes like this." He bent over, hooking a thumb into the back of his shoes before stepping out and carelessly tossing the entire sandal off to the side before repeating the process with the other sandal. The others watched in silence when he pulled out a single kunai and stabbed into his pants, using a surgeon's precision to turn them into nothing more than a pair of weighted shorts. He straightened up, glancing around his group.

"If ya gotta fight, might as well be comfortable." Sensing the change in mood, the others began to break from the overwhelming terror that had kept them locked down.

Crowa was second to move, silently kicking off his own zori before shedding his entire shirt, tossing the sweat-soaked garment towards the designated clothing pile.

The others soon followed suit without needing to be told, each of them stripping off their shoes and differing amounts of clothing; Choji whipped off his jacket, pulling from one of the pockets a hotdog that he quickly, viciously shoved into his mouth as though it might be his last.

Anko watched as the trespassers readied themselves for battle, sporting a small, approving grin

Kiba, clad only in a sweat-stained shirt and shorts, pulled a kunai from his tools pouch.

When the others turned to him, their looks practically inquiring the need for lethal weaponry, Kiba only frowned.

"Crowa, bein' a fox hybrid as I take it you are, you must got good senses. But a fox can't beat a canine's nose. You guys can't smell what I can. There's a massive cloak of killing chakra surrounding her, it's practically throbbing… When she attacks I would highly suggest you protect your jugular because she's striking for the best kind of blood here."

His words were met with skeptical mutterings but it was Ino who openly laughed, slapping the Inuzuka over the back.

"Come on, Kiba, relax would ya? Anko-san wouldn't do anything like that," she giggled reassuringly.

"The Inuzuka mutt has a rather sharp nose, I must admit," Anko nodded, smirking a toothy grin, "and he is quite right." Ino's laughter died away with a high-pitched squeak. "As it stands, regardless of your intentions, you're still trespassers in a 'forbidden' forest, and it's my hobby — pardon, my job to deal with trespassers as I see fit. Killing just comes with the territory."

Almost before she could finish talking, every genin present had picked up a weapon, kunai tips glistening in the sunlight that could filter through the thick canopy.

"There we go," Anko said with an approving purr, and her body fell into the infamous Hebi stance. Her change of form sent an almost physical wave of carnivorous chakra and killing intent crashing into them and their bodies trembled, hearts raced.

"Now. Let's begin!"

XXX

The day had started out hot and traversing the Forbidden Forest with it's dense foliage and high humidity trapped heat in pockets that instantly brought sweat from the pores of any foolish or brave enough to come exploring.

However, exploring may have been the wrong term to describe the motives behind the current group of genin trying to stealthily navigate their way towards the heart of this jungle. They were on a hunt for answers, fed up and tired of being left out of the proceedings headed by their clanmates and wanted to know what in the world was going on.

"It's a good thing Ino left us that note at Naruto's; We don't exactly have Kiba's nose to fall back on." Tenten shouted over the whipping winds as she and her entourage sped through the trees, hopping from branch to branch.

Hinata nodded; the Hyuuga heiress having surprised everyone with her vehement insistence on aiding in trying to figure out what Naruto and the others were hiding. She trailed just behind Rock Lee who was right on the heels of their current leader, Shino, who reluctantly took the helm. Of the almost jarringly vast amount of insects that resided within the Forbidden Forest, his clan commanded a great majority of them in one way or another, through the various branches of his lineage, and he used the ones that his branch controlled to siphon information and paint a path to their fellow genin.

Swinging by his arms instead of leaping like his fellows, Rock Lee's rather bushy eyebrows knitted in slight annoyance. "If their bright flames of youth have driven them to come together in some new regiment of training then I shall join in and assist!" he thrilled, moving from tree to tree like a monkey on a mission.

"I don't think it's training, Lee," said Tenten.

Again, Hinata nodded, her ocular senses pushed to the very edge of awakening her blood limit but not quite; a few veins had begun to creep around the sides of her temple but stopped just shy of her eyes. She didn't want to needlessly waste any chakra with her Byakugan if she could help it. "If it was something as simple as training, they would have told us by now," she uttered with surprising clarity, and both Tenten and Shino uttered their agreement.

For her part, Hinata was far more concerned than what her currently reserved attitude might suggest. Ever since Sasuke Uchiha's death, she'd noticed a change in the whisker-faced boy she secretly adored, a few subtle nuances to his behavior that only one who observed him from afar nearly ever day could catch. He'd...something in him had clearly snapped, and with that restraint broken she saw that it caused him to push himself further in training of virtually everything.

That was the leading point in Hinata suspecting this was more than mere training as during some of her...reconnaissance concerning him, she'd seen Naruto in the midst of multiple sessions, practicing his taijutsu against his many clones or else vigorously trying to perfect a jutsu that she herself wasn't too well associated with. Many times she watched in quiet horror as Naruto expended all of his chakra to near fatal levels, but he always — always — climbed back to his feet and continued on.

She'd also documented him in the library at random hours of the day, pouring over books that ranged from shinobi history to the rudimentary steps needed to learn ones chakra affinity. It was with minimal effort that she deduced the blonde-haired boy was up to something, obviously something big, and the fact that no one else had noticed — given no one else cared enough to spare him a second glance — didn't surprise.

The sudden spike in his dedication had spurred the heiress towards a brighter, more streamlined path all her own. He would never appreciate her if she stuttered through every sentence, passed out when she saw him or was an otherwise worthless kunoichi.

If she was ever to have a chance at being with him, she'd need to be at his side, not dead-weight!

She couldn't remember the last time she'd stuttered, having dropped that habit a month ago in an effort to work herself over from the ground-up, starting with her most obvious flaw: showing a vocal weakness towards most people and obstacles that stood in her way. The stuttering bridge was easily crossed after realizing the simple truth that, yes, she possessed a great mind and voice, and yes, what she had to say was just as important as the next person.

Her eyes suddenly flared, able to see a distance of fifteen meters ahead of Shino, and she could make out a great mass of violent chakra charging towards them. She clicked her tongue warningly, the sharp sound causing all four genin to break off, Shino and Tenten diving to the left while Rock Lee and Hinata took the right, each group climbing high into the density of the trees verdure. Not a one of them dared breathe when the ground began to rumble, rocks and bushes shaking, quivering, rustling —

Tensed as she was, Hinata picked up Rock Lee's hushed intake of breath when a horde of...bears? To the best of her knowledge, Hinata had no clue what those beastly creatures were but they favored bears with their bristling fur and hulking figures, and she watched intensely as they stampeded by down below, the sound of their combined footfalls reminiscent of thunder. She took note that, curiously, one of the creatures seemed to be running on only three legs, one paw held almost protectively to a right eye that splurged blood. Odd, though she waited a little over ten seconds after the last 'bear' had passed before giving two 'all clear' tongue clicks.

As the four genin very slowly and cautiously slid down onto a lower set of branches, no one said anything for a moment. Then, in a baritone voice devoid of trepidation, Shino said, "Considering those…." He paused for a brief moment, "...things were coming from the direction we're heading in, I think it's safe to say we're on the right track. Let's go."

The others, slightly unnerved, slowly nodded and fell in step behind the bug-nin. As the minutes continued to drag on, all four of them could sense a strange, almost feral shroud of chakra clinging to the air. It grew heavier the more they pushed forward until the bugs were no longer necessary as a guide. Instincts alone guided them and they noticed the trees began to thin. Taking that as a signal, the four of them simultaneously dropped to the forest floor in a symphony of crunching dead grass and snapping branches.

It wasn't less than three seconds after Rock Lee finished stretching, nearly bending himself over backwards, when a metallic clang cut through the silence causing everyone to drop low and look up.

Tenten glanced about the group, her palms flat against the ground. "So, I take it I wasn't the only to hear th—"

CRANG.

Something sharp zipped through the nearby bushes and blurred past Shino's face; it thudded into the tree next to him, a kunai covered in a healthy spattering of scarlet. Hinata's eyes trailed from that to Shino's face. The bug-nin hadn't even so much as twitched but everyone could see the slight cut on his cheek and the line of blood escaping.

"In that direction then," was all he said before standing, albeit slightly crouched, and continuing on.

After a good bit of stumbling, pushing giant leaves aside and swatting off whatever leech or tick decided to dig into their skin, the four of them were reduced to a low-crawl as they neared a clearing, the cluster of bushes surrounding the area their only source of cover.

The notion of using Hinata's Byakugan to spy was instantly tossed out the window as whoever was out there, giving off one of the most deadliest chakra signatures she'd ever felt, was certain to feel the chakra spark she let off upon activation, so after sharing a glance and a nod with the others all them craned their necks and looked over the bushes.

Even with the hand Hinata had instinctually clapped over Rock Lee's mouth, she could still feel his shout of surprise reverberating throughout her arm. She couldn't blame him, the sight was shocking and confusing.

Just in the middle of the clearing were a multitude of figures moving in a desperate, animalistic fashion like their lives depended on every movement. It was clear to the four onlookers who was fighting who: the missing members of their squads were obviously trying to outmatch and outmaneuver that well-known Tonketsubo Jonin, Anko Mitarashi, who was clearly at ease as she performed elegant twists and turns around her would-be attackers.

All of them were stripped down to the bare essentials of clothing, even Neji, shocked as Hinata was to see, and all of them glistened with sweat, their faces screwed up with concentration.

Splotches of blood shimmering from the trampled grass drew Hinata's keen gaze and it was then she noticed that, while Anko could have most certainly killed each of her attackers, the Jonin chose to only deliver non-lethal counter-strikes to each of their failed attempts, either slicing into their arms, their legs, their back — virtually whatever area was left undefended after an attempt on her life.

"What…what is this?" Rock Lee's voice shook, whether with excitement or dread, Hinata couldn't parse but regardless she had no answer anyway and could only shrug.

Behind those shades, Shino's eyes narrowed. "It's hard to say exactly what they're doing, but it's clear this isn't just some regular sparring session. Also…" He trailed off curiously, taking a moment to push his shades up. "I wonder just how long we'll be able to stand just hiding here as a silent audience..."

No one said anything yet there was a unified shudder when Naruto leapt off Choji's shoulder, arms reared back for a downward slice aimed at Anko's throat that was all too easily sidestepped. He crashed into the ground knuckle-first, a series of agonizing cracks emanating from his fractured digits. Before Naruto could even yell out, Anko's foot collided with his midsection, punting him clear across the field.

"Goal!" she shouted with a ruthless, jubilant laugh as the blonde bounced like a sack of potatoes before curling up into a tight, shivering ball. "Aw, come on now, you maggots!" Her eyes, so wide and bloodthirsty, scanned the rest of her prey like the tender little morsels they were. "There's got to be more fight in you brats than this!"

"Lee!" Tenten's urgent whisper tugged at Hinata's attention and she glanced over to see the weapons mistress with her arm thrown around a struggling Rock Lee's throat, restraining him as he clawed at the ground, obviously trying to jump in the midst of that slaughter. "Calm down, dang you! We can't just rush in there without knowing the situation!"

"Then feel free to tell me when you've figured it out!" Rock Lee responded valiantly, and his body seemed to meld through Tenten's grip in a way reminiscent of his Drunken Fist style. He twisted out of her hold, crouched like a tiger, then shot forward as though shot from a canon.

"Dang it—ROCK LEE!"

Shino suddenly grinned, however subtle. "And here…we...go."

All combat came to a jarring halt when a bright green blur shot across the field, a whirling, yelling green blur. Recognition dawned over Neji's face in the form of a grimace and he dropped to his knees as the blur shot by overhead followed by a vociferous, "KONOHA HURRICANE!"

Just barely managing to get back on his feet, Naruto's eyes flew open, immobilized by sheer surprise when Rock Lee slammed his foot into the back of Anko's head with a sickening crack.

"YOSH!"

Hinata and the others had just emerged from the bushes when Anko's body gave a violent shudder and morphed, her head sinking down between her shoulderblades—

Kiba was the first to yell, madly swiping his arm, "Lee! Get away from her!"

In a burst of white smoke, where there once stood Anko was only a gigantic anaconda, one with a body the length of two adults and scales the color of a poisonous violet. It's jaw unhinged itself in a blink, revealing a set of elongated fangs that sank into Lee's leg. An agonized groan tore itself from Lee's mouth before he was lifted like a twig and hurled over both Choji and Naruto into a tree trunk.

He thudded to the ground and a voice tittered with no clear point of origin. "Well, well, well, lookie here. More maggots come crawling out of the woodwork, hm?" Arms fanned out, what Naruto assumed to be the real Anko fell from the foliage of a tree to his right. He glanced from her giggling form to the anaconda, gaze lingering on its' blood-coated fangs, then scowled as he put two and two together.

"Lee!" Tenten skidded to a halt on her knees next to her teammate, watching as he sat up with a hand to his throbbing forehead. "Lee, are you…are you okay?"

A trickle of blood spilled from a gash on his forehead but he didn't seem to notice, pulling a kunai from his pouch to slice a hole in right legging. Tenten winced. Two deep puncture marks met their eyes, each one pulsing blood with every beat of his heart. Using a finger to catch a few drops, Rock Lee put it to his lips, getting a taste and adopting a rarely seen analytical expression. After a moment, he exhaled, making a fist.

"My flame of youth has seen me through! I'm not poisoned!"

"Of course you aren't," Anko mused, her words aimed at Lee even as she sashayed towards Naruto with an intended switch to her hips. "Although I've killed for less, it seems I've the pleasure of having the entire 'rookie twelve' all to myself… plus one extra," she said condescendingly. She shot Crowa a smile and the worse-for-wear fox hybrid instantly bared his fangs.

"Cute. But so I feel I must ask, would you four like to join in the grand battle?" As Tenten helped a slightly limping Rock Lee back to the others, Hinata lifted a hand.

"That's what we wanted to know, actually…." She chanced a peek at Naruto, and for some odd reason felt her face begin to flare up. Just seeing him adorned with a multitude of nicks and scratches, some of which bled, had set her heart racing. Then her eyes found Crowa, standing at a hostile lean with his teeth showing, snarling almost, one eye closed to avoid the blood gushing from a wound amidst his mop of bright orange hair, and she suddenly dropped all infatuation.

"Just what is this all about? Grand battle for what…?"

Naruto had only opened his mouth when Anko suddenly slapped her substitute snake over its back as though congratulating it, which caused it to vanish in another explosion of smoke.

"Why, the plan to revive Sasuke Uchiha, of course!"

Not even Shino could keep the look of bafflement from his face when Anko's elated voice lit up the clearing. And then glances were exchanged, from Kiba to Hinata, to Tenten and Neji, right down to Rock Lee and Sakura.

"You want to do… what?" Shino asked.

"She pretty much just said it," Kiba said, using this momentary ceasefire to bend over and catch his breath. "We're...gonna bring back...Sasuke," he panted.

"I know some people's flames of passionate youth burn bright, but… bright enough to come back from the dead?" Rock Lee look downright flummoxed, using one of his bandaged hands to scratch at his head. Then he cracked an excited smirk. "Yosh!"

"No — not 'yosh', Lee!" Tenten loudly scolded. "He died for a reason! What's dead should…well, it should stay dead!"

"If Sasuke can somehow manage to reignite his flame of youth to such a blazing roar that he can crawl out of the ground brand new, that'd be a testament to all of our strength!" Rock Lee exclaimed.

Tenten facepalmed herself with a grievous sigh while Shino merely glanced between each of his fellows fighting Anko. With no need to say anything further, that rudimentary mask of indifference settled over his face.

"That's impossible," Hinata uttered robotically, without meaning to, and she somehow remained conscious when Naruto turned to her.

"I have a plan," he started dryly, a sense of fatigue setting in as the adrenaline slowly ebbed away, "and yeah, I know, 'Naruto with a plan, this oughta be good for a few laughs', but seriously, I do."

"But the thing about that is…you lack the talent, boy." Draping her arms over his shoulders, Anko's lips were nearly pressed to his ear yet the seriousness of her words struck him cold as she cut her eyes at all of them.

"You all lack the talent necessary to accomplish anything except providing a few pitying laughs to your killers. You are fourteen, Orochimaru is fifty. Age rarely has any correlation to skill, especially in these times, but when it comes to him it does, it does in spades. None of you are within two spurts of blood of Kakashi's strength and even he can't touch Orochimaru."

There was a persistent wound carved in Crowa's side, the end result of not being able to dodge one of Anko's blindingly quick parries. It bled, not enough to be life-threatening, but enough to blur his vision somewhat and send a few scarlet trickles streaming down his hip to stain the hem of his boxers. There was no doubt in his mind now where this woman's strength was concerned and he staggered up past Shikamaru, sucking in breath through clenched teeth.

"Then...what about you?"

"What about me, what?"

Crowa motioned to himself then the others of the SRT. "Teach us."

Naruto gagged when the grip over his neck tightened and Anko burst out laughing. "Me? You're asking me to…" She snorted, staring at the hybrid as though he'd just cracked the joke to end all jokes. "Boy… Crowa, was it? I don't teach. I destroy. It's how I was raised. I don't know how to go easy."

Neji nodded, his once noble ponytail now but a tussled river of hair hanging behind him.

"Good, follow your instincts. We need a crash course in this."

Continuously turning from one to the other, Tenten's face fell in absolute shock upon hearing Neji's words. Of all the people here, she had expected him to be that cold voice of reason, the one to talk some sense into everyone.

"Oh, you have got to be kidding me…."