Glimpses of Darkness
Author: shattered-words

Disclaimer: If I owned Naruto, it'd be called 'Gaara'. So, isn't it a shame that I don't own it?

Summary: The Kakurezato are on the brink of war and certain events leave several lives hanging in the balance. Meanwhile, what's the fire wielder's fate, and who is the deadly Oto Oinin that has suddenly appeared? (AU, Sequel of "Glimpses of Fire")

AN: One Day I'll Fly Away - Nicole Kidman (Moulin Rouge)

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"One stormy night, I waited in vain
for your expected return.
This life in full of uncertain fates,
yet I still hold onto hope.

That cold, bitter night they
came only to deliver your
cooling corpse, and a
blood-drenched goodbye note."
-M. e. Tello

o0o o0o Chapter Twenty-five: News From Home o0o o0o

Atsushi heard a knock as he sat at his desk and sighed softly before telling the person to enter. Ryohei walked into his father's study, and was dressed in his regular Jonin uniform. He looked exhausted with bags under his eyes and his clothing was rumpled. The older Erizawa knew that his offspring was being run ragged since news of Hiroaki's murder had become public.

Gaara, despite his dislike of the man, had ordered security measures tightened in case the incident had been Orochimaru's doing. The red head didn't wish for there to be a repeat of the attack that had been orchestrated by him almost two years ago.

"Have a seat," he told his oldest son and he obeyed by plopping unceremoniously into the chair in front of the desk. "I'll make this short so you can go and rest." Since the meeting with Fujikaru over the sand dunes a few days ago, he had come to a decision. "I have decided to continue as Soke of the Erizawa for the time being."

Ryohei frowned and sat up straighter in his seat. "What do you mean?" he asked him. In a years' time it had been decided that the position as Head of the Erizawa Ichizoku would he handed over to his heir. Ryohei had understood that his father would do this because he would be the ideal leader, who wouldn't cave to Hiroaki's demands.

"There is no need for you to undertake both your current position and this one as well," he simply responded. Atsushi was hoping that his son would be too tired to ask any questions at the moment, but one look at his face told him otherwise.

"Does this have to do with Hiroaki's murder?" he asked quietly. His blue-green orbs, which were the second most advanced in Suna, narrowed at his father's features. "You didn't...have him murdered, did you?"

Atsushi chuckled, and the sound was hallowed. "Iie, I didn't, but I do know who was responsible." He folded his hands on the desk in front of him and peered at his joined fingers for several silent moments. "I knew that it would happen eventually, and I was fully prepared to suffer the same fate."

Ryohei frowned at his statement and was deeply disturbed by it. "Tell me everything," he demanded. Atsushi sighed but nodded and started to recount the events that had transpired over the desert sand.

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She stretched her arms over her head and groaned softly before rising to her feet. "Mou osoi dess. Konbanwa, Ame-kun, E-Kuroboshi-sensei," she called, catching herself before she said Enoki's name. She had been use to having the Jonin as their instructor and realized that it would take a while until she became accustomed to having Aiko as their new teacher.

The other two said their goodbyes as well before they went their separate ways, and back to the families they were staying with. Iwane stuffed her hands into her pockets and decided to walk through the village since she was tired as it was. They'd spent the majority of the day using techniques to increase their chakra levels, and then they had spared for the remaining time. The Erizawa relished the ache in her muscles after a day spent training, since it had been a long time from the last time it had happened.

Of course, she was sad since they didn't have Arisa here to train with, but she decided to push that to the back of her mind for the moment. After all, they were training to become stronger and thus use that to rescue her from Orochimaru's clutches.

As she neared the Inuzuka compound, she paused as she saw a figure leaning against the fence waiting for someone. Iwane nearly cursed in frustration as she noticed the shoulder length, silky indigo hair and the slender figure that she identified as Hyuuga Hinata.

The kunoichi lifted her face when she heard her approaching and her pale eyes widened in shock when they came to lock with her emerald orbs. That expression alone told her that she hadn't been waiting for her as she had first suspected, and now she cursed Kiba since she knew that he was the only one that could have been responsible for this.

She knew that she couldn't avoid this forever and so would talk with the Hyuuga heiress, but on her own terms. Iwane was sure that Kiba and his other teammate would no doubt be watching them. The Suna kunoichi strode forward and seized hold of Hinata's arm as the smaller girl squeaked in fear by her sudden action.

Iwane hesitated and smirked slightly. "Don't worry, I'm not going to hurt you, but we need a bit of privacy." She plucked something off Hinata's shoulder and the other would see that it was a bug. "Back off, bug boy," she growled and flicked the insect away before forming seals and both disappeared in a puff of smoke.

She released Hinata as soon as they appeared on the heads of the Monument and backed away. Iwane was at a loss for words for several moments as the other fidgeted nervously. The last time she had seen her, the shorter kunoichi had been in tears as she broke off their relationship. Now she flinched as she remembered the heartbreaking sight and cursed herself for causing the other to suffer in such a way.

"Gomen," she heard Hinata say, and was distracted from her own thoughts at the apology.

"Nani? What are you apologizing for?" she asked in confusion. As far as she remembered the Hyuuga girl had done nothing wrong. It was Iwane that had led her on and then broken her heart in the end.

"I k-know that I w-wasn't the b-best girlfriend, a-and that you b-broke up with m-me because I'm no g-good. I'm w-weak, a-and awkward," she stuttered. While they had been going out Iwane had been working to help her get past it, since she was always pretty bold about things. Now, it seemed to have gotten worse as she struggled with every other word.

The Erizawa sighed and moved toward her, and was disturbed as the other flinched. She was at a loss for words by the reaction and almost lost her train of thought. "You don't have anything to apologize for," she muttered, letting her hand drop back to her side. "I'm the one that was weak because I couldn't..." She clenched her hands into fists before turning away.

"I was leading you on, Hinata-chan because I was in love with someone else, and they were starting to fall for another. The reason I started to go out with you was because of that and I realized that it was wrong when she rejected me. I couldn't continue to lie to you and be with you when I knew that it was only to soothe my own heart break." She leaned against the railing and peered into the darkness that was gathering as the sun sank into the western horizon.

She turned toward her and saw that the words had made her even sadder and sighed. "I'm sorry, Hinata-chan. I never meant to hurt you." Her hands tightened around the railing and she was glad as it bent beneath her hold.

"I-it's Amane-san, i-isn't it?" she asked quietly. The words disproved the claims that the girl's Byakugan wasn't fully developed. "I a-already knew, b-but thought m-maybe I c-could make you f-forget her."

Iwane frowned and turned to face her. She was still as beautiful as she remembered her, and especially since she had grown her hair out. The strands cascaded to her shoulders in silky waves and caressed her fair features whenever the wind picked up. Before she could stop herself she had moved forward.

Hinata had gone still as her breath caught in her throat at the feel of Iwane's fingers pushing through her hair. Iwane was still two inches taller than the Hyuuga kunoichi and thus had to look up at her slightly. She leaned against the touch and closed her eyes instinctively.

Iwane caught the familiar scent of jasmines from her shampoo and the lotion and soap she also used. She leaned down and rested her forehead against her own and met her pale eyes as they fluttered open. "I feel so at ease with you, but I don't want to hurt you," she muttered, hands cupping her face.

"You won't," she whispered, leaning up and placing her lips against the taller girls' mouth. She pulled back and smiled past the tears that had gathered in her eyes. "I know you won't."

The Erizawa wiped her eyes with a sigh and leaned forward to claim her lips. She pulled her closer as Hinata's arms wrapped around her waist. As they stood in the clearing illuminated by the sun's dying light, Iwane silently hoped that she wouldn't inadvertently hurt Hinata.

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Amane had left before she was noticed and sighed as a smile spread over her face. She had followed them when they had disappeared from the road because she was worried of what might happen between them. Now she saw that she didn't need to worry. Also, she hoped that the girl would be able to help Iwane get past her fears and heart break.

She left the forest and entered the streets of Konoha as she stuffed her hands into her pockets. The wind user made her way toward the ninja district and Haruno's house. As she walked, she kept thinking of the problems they had left back in Suna.

Amane had never found out who had been Iwane's attacker but she did know that he was part of her family. The only thing that bothered her was Motoki's wish to marry Iwane, and the girl's adamant refusal to the idea. She frowned and wondered for the first time something she had left untouched for fear that it could be true. 'Was it Motoki?'

She shuddered as the wind picked up and hurried toward the house. The thought was disturbing, since it was her brother but she realized that it wasn't too far-fetched. She only hoped that she was wrong.

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Naruto's eyes snapped opened as he lay in his sleeping bag and listened carefully to the sounds of the night. His cerulean orbs met Jiraiya's over the distance and watched as they flicked toward the side to indicate where they were. He blinked twice to show he understood and both quietly formed seals without giving away the fact that they were awake.

When the figures stormed the camp, they attacked the sleeping bodies and noticed too late that logs had taken their place. The four fell under the Konoha-nin's attacks before they had a chance to defend. Naruto darted around the camp gathering their possessions while Jiraiya destroyed the bodies.

They left the area immediately, since they didn't know if the ninja had reinforcements. The younger man turned to the other. "Where will we go now?" he asked. They had both seen that the ninja didn't have any hitai-ate to identify them, but they had to be shinobi by their movements.

"Kaze no Kuni," the white haired man muttered with a frown. He was on edge because it had been a while since he had last gotten a chance to do research for his latest book. So, he blamed the Akatsuki if his book didn't come out as good as the others. Naruto himself had read some of his new material at Jiraiya's insistence but had told him he found it dull.

"We're stopping at a hot springs near the edge of Wind Country," he informed him, and heard the blonde man snort sardonically. Jiraiya choose to ignore him and they increased their speed so they could leave Tsuchi no Kuni sooner.

They arrived at the border of the Land of Wind and Naruto left Jiraiya to wander on his own. He didn't have to stay with the white haired man in order to feel safe anymore. He had trained hard and was now confident that he could defend himself from any foe that wasn't higher then the Jonin level.

He'd been wandering the small town, after making sure that nothing he wore identified him as a ninja when he heard the cry of a hawk. His blue orbs shot toward the sky and his lips, hidden under his cloth mask to keep others from seeing the whisker marks, lifted in a grin.

Naruto sprinted to the outskirts of the small town before forming seals and used a small burst of his own chakra to alert the bird of his presence. The hawk swooped down and landed on his outstretched arm. He removed the small piece of paper tied securely around it's talon.

'Kitsune,
We have been sent on a mission to your village. Situation is tense at home so raccoon-eyes thought we could use a break. No news from prey, but your own home is cautious. Reply soon.
-I. & A.'

The blonde Genin frowned at the message. 'In Konoha?' he wondered silently. He could understand why Gaara had sent them if situations with the council still weren't going well.

Through their simply coded messages they had informed him of what was happening within Suna. He even knew of the attack by Otogakure after they had helped Konoha to try and recover Sasuke. Naruto was only relieved that the kunoichi hadn't been hurt too badly.

He quickly started to write out a response.

'I. & A.,
Too bad you're at my home, since I'm near yours but not for too long. No news on my end but we were ambushed by an unidentified enemy. We'll change routes soon to ensure it won't happen again. There's no set direction we're traveling. Ero-sennin is growing restless with no research but nothing new. Be safe over there, for both our sakes.
-Kitsune'

He tied it to the hawk's talon, who had started to nibble his ear, since he was already familiar with the blonde. Naruto stood and stroked his head before releasing him toward the south-east in the direction of Konoha. After he had watched the bird disappear from view he turned and wandered back to their hotel room. Jiraiya had decided to rent one just this once but he felt uneasy about it.

Naruto would convince the old man that they needed to continue moving and soon enter Kaze no Kuni where it would be less likely that they'd be attacked. At the moment they were thirty miles away from Amegakure and he felt wary about that. He had seen very few shinobi from Rain fight, but something told him that the ninja that had attacked him had something to do with that village. With that thought, he hurried toward the ryokan and was glad he hadn't unpacked their belongings.

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The mornings had been spent training before they stopped for an hour for lunch and then they'd start once more until sundown. That had been their normal routine for the past two days, and Amane thought that this day would be the same as before. However, she was informed that the Hokage had summoned her. Even though she had asked the reason, it seemed that neither Yumi or Shun; Sakura-san's parents; had any clue as to why Tsunade wanted to see her. So, she had no choice but to go to the woman's office and hopefully the rest of her team would be there as well.

When she arrived it was to see a Suna Chunin standing outside of the office and realized that Tsunade had received a message from Sand. Aiko and Iwane had arrived at almost the same time as the Itagaki, and the short haired woman, whom had introduced herself as Shizune the other day, ushered all three of them inside before leaving the room. There were two sealed scrolls in front of the busty woman and the three of them realized that they were meant for them.

"Ohayo," Tsunade greeted them and held out the scrolls. "Itagaki-san and Erizawa-san, you have received messages from your village." The girls moved forward to take the offered scrolls from her and they wasted no time to open them.

Amane's features contorted into a look of shock before her face was once more an unreadable mask. It was the most emotion that Aiko had ever been privileged to see and wondered what the letter contained. "Sumimasen," she muttered before bowing and leaving the room. Iwane's own reaction was a simple furrowing of her brows before rolling up the scroll once more and excusing herself to go after her teammate.

Aiko blinked in confusion before he turned to glance at the Hokage. The woman had filled the sake cup in front of her, never mind that it was too early in the morning to drink, and downed the contents. "It seems that a man named Itagaki Hiroaki has been murdered with Sunagakure," she explained to the Jonin. When she saw the look of realization dawn on his features, she became more curious. "Who is this man?"

The Suna-nin hesitated for a moment at the Hokage's question, but decided that the information wasn't too important to keep hidden. "He was Itagaki-san's grandfather," he muttered and crossed his arms over his chest. While he projected a confused expression as to who could have murdered him, he knew well what had most likely happened.

It seemed that his letter had reached Morisue Fujikaru's hands and the man hadn't been pleased with what had been written there. So, he could only assume that he had proceeded to punish the Itagaki, who had kept the knowledge of Arisa's survival from him.

"So ka?" Tsunade muttered before nodding, as if she understood the girl's reaction. In actuality, Aiko had no idea how the girl was reacting expect for that brief flash of surprise that had registered on her face.

"Sumimasen, Hokage-san but I should check on my students," he informed her with a bow. When she nodded, he turned and strode out of the room and disappeared as soon as the door had closed behind him. He knew that the kunoichi would most likely be at their training area since it was the only place they had any privacy and quickly made his way there.

He arrived to the sight of Iwane flipping back as the Kaze no Yaiba ripped through the ground, which came dangerously close to hitting her. They were training but there was a definite anger behind Amane's attacks, and the Erizawa was only dodging instead of defending.

He situated himself in a tree branch to watch over them, since he could tell that the girl was grieving her grandfather's death and this was the only way she could express it. As he observed their match he wondered if he should tell them his conclusion that the letter he'd written to the Morisue Soke might have had something to do with his death. He wasn't certain that Fujikaru had been responsible, but there was a strong possibility. For the moment, he was indecisive but knew he had to come to a decision soon or the kunoichi would resent him more for not telling her sooner.

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When Enenra was five miles away from the safe house he changed out of his Oinin uniform and sealed it, along with his weapons into a scroll. He changed into a fishnet shirt and black pants and sandals before slipping on the Akatsuki coat. Usually he also removed the chain with the ring but he couldn't bring himself to do so this time, and instead used a Genjutsu to cover it.

His entrance into the safe house was silent and unnoticed as he waited for a moment before moving into the main part of the compound since he had sensed two more presences inside. As he entered, his suspicions were confirmed when he saw that Deidara and Sasori were there.

He gave the slightest of nods in Kisame's direction and the shark man flashed his razor sharp teeth in his direction. Itachi resisted the urge to roll his eyes and plopped into his usual seat after grabbing something to drink.

"Yo, Itachi," Deidara called out to him with a sly grin. "Where were you hiding, un?" The Uchiha member could hardly tolerate the man and showed great restraint by not ending his miserable life, and not to mention the fact that the mouths in the palms of his hands were disturbing to look at.

He flashed him a crimson glare before turning away without answering his question. After all, he refused to get into a conversation with the man simply because he couldn't hold a decent one that didn't involve blowing things up.

Anyone within Akatsuki knew that he did things efficiently, and preferred short fights instead of prolonged ones. It was one of the things that he and Kisame differed, but they compromised. Either he wrapped things up quickly or Itachi would kill him.

That's why Sasori would have made a great partner for him since the puppet master was the same way. He hated waiting and had nearly killed Deidara several times already because he'd taken too long on certain missions that could have been completed quickly. Itachi supposed it was better he had Kisame as a partner, since he had managed to convince the shark shinobi into siding with him in case Akatsuki ever turned on them. The thing he had failed to mention to him was that they would be the ones that would eventually betray the organization.

Sasori was currently fiddling around with a puppet, and it was surprising that he wasn't within Hiruko as he always tended to be. He had thrown the Akatsuki coat over the chair as he worked, and from where he sat Itachi could see his wooden body. The red headed man had made himself into a puppet long ago and thus retained his youthful appearance.

Itachi knew that the puppet master held no true loyalty toward the leader of Akatsuki but knew of his treacherous nature so he hesitated to approach him for an alliance against Pein. He knew that Kakuzu and Hidan wouldn't side with him since being in the organization suited their needs and desires. Kakuzu's being greed and Hidan's need to kill because of his Jashin religion.

He wouldn't even consider that Tobi individual since something about the man didn't sit right with him, and he doubted Deidara would betray Akatsuki either. In the end he would have no problems dealing with Zetsu and Konan since both of them were vulnerable to fire, and the kunoichi to water as well. He would only have to use either a high-level Katon jutsu or attack them by surprise, but he doubted that he'd have to resort to Amaterasu to defeat them.

Pein on the other hand would be trickier to beat since the man changed bodies, but he supposed that he could sabotage the others so he wouldn't be able to change. However, it would be a difficult thing to accomplish since they were sure to be heavily guarded or always within Pein's watchful eye. After a few moments of contemplation he decided that doing so would be the first thing to do and then take care of the members one by one.

He paused as he remembered Eniwa Minoru. He was a year younger then himself but his skills in combat had been said to be unrivaled, and not to mention that he hardly ever returned to any of the safe houses either. That would be another difficult battle but he decided to deal with him when the time came. If he had to he would reveal his true skills to take down this organization and would die to protect Konoha as his family had done.

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Joukai paused as she heard movement ahead and managed to slip into a nearby room before she was seen. When the person had passed by the door and turned the corner, the kunoichi left the room and continued down the hall.

She was aided by the shadows since night had fallen as could be told by the windows lining the hallway every ten feet. Joukai knew that sneaking into the Otogakure tower in the middle of the night was a bad idea, but she had to. The only thing she hadn't learned from the Hunter yet was how to summon, and there was a better chance of hell freezing over than her asking Orochimaru for help.

Her steps were noiseless as she neared the library that held the snake's scrolls. She was sure that some of them would contain jutsu and she was eager to learn because then she'd have a better chance at defeating the Sannin. It was her ultimate goal so she could finally free Hitori from his control.

She found the library unguarded and slipped in after making sure she didn't hear any movement within. After all, it would defeat the purpose if she happened to walk in and Orochimaru was already inside. That was the reason she hadn't been using chakra since she had left the hut, and that had forced her to use her speed and agility to break into the tower. It didn't bother her too much since it was also a test of stealth and in the end it would help her training.

It almost felt like old times in Suna when all she had cared about was training. While she had done so to allow her brother's legacy to live on, she had no real goal at the time besides death. Then she had started to care for Gaara and then met Amane and Iwane, and the pull of oblivion wasn't as strong as it had once been. Without realizing it, she had found people to protect and love.

Joukai vehemently squashed these thoughts down. She had already decided that that part of her life was over, and would never willingly return to Sunagakure no Sato. Even if she had to drive a knife in her heart to do so, here is where she would remain until she had accomplished her new goal. She would kill Orochimaru and free Hitori from his enslavement.

"I knew I sensed your presence," a voice murmured from the darkened corner of the room. She felt an involuntary shudder of terror and turned slowly towards the figure that left the shadows.

Yakushi Kabuto stood at half a foot taller then her and made an intimidating figure as he stalked closer to her. Joukai had allowed herself to freeze but she snapped out of it when he reached out a hand to touch her.

"Keep your filthy hands off me," she growled as she moved back, hands going instinctively to the hilts of her wakizachi. She could distinguish his lean figure clearly, dressed in black pants and a black shirt. Joukai forced herself not to look at his hands, the slender fingers which had been responsible for her suffering for so long.

He stepped toward her, his black sandals barely making a sound, but this time she stood her ground. She was prepared to fight him this time, and if need be she'd use this beings' chakra to burn him from the inside out. "I challenge you to a spar, and if I land the first blow you will not inform Orochimaru of my invasion of his office," she said after a moment. He looked ready to refuse but she spoke again. "Unless, you're afraid that you'll lose?"

The gray haired ninja clamped his mouth shut and seemed to think about it, but she already knew he'd accept her terms. It'd be a hit to his pride to denounce the challenge. "I accept."

Joukai grinned beneath her bandages and wasted no time as she lunged at him. He easily evaded her but she refused to be denied her victory as she continued to attack him. They had both silently agreed not to use any chakra since that would alert the snake Sannin of their fight, so they'd have to stick with taijutsu and weapons' use.

"I haven't set my terms incase I land the first blow," he told her as he countered but the kunoichi managed to block. "But I don't think I need to inform you what I desire if I happen to win." Kabuto's grin turned malicious when he saw her eyes widen, and the part of her face he could see had drained of color.

Kabuto's words had thrown her off and he almost managed to land a hit but she had lifted her knee in a successful block. She crossed the short swords in a scissors motion toward his throat but he ducked under and aimed a punch to her unprotected stomach. Joukai tucked her stomach in so the fist narrowly missed her.

Both of them jumped away from one another and Kabuto threw three kunai at her. Joukai used the short swords to send two back toward him and caught the third one in her mouth by the handle. The Oto-nin had caught the other two, since it wouldn't be too smart to let them hit anything in the room or the Sannin would still find out of their fight. However, if they fought outside or in the hall then they'd attract unwanted attention.

It was several minutes later that finally brought their skirmish to an end. Kabuto had managed to catch both of her blades in his hands, and even if the sharp edges had drawn blood it didn't change the fact that he had caught them. He yanked them from her hands and flipped them so he was now gripping them correctly.

He attacked her this time, and the kunoichi used all the speed at her disposal to twist out of the way and brought her hand up to land a chop to the back of his neck in the process. Kabuto stumbled forward and Joukai stepped back as he turned toward her with an angry expression. She relished the sight of his face and this time it was her turn to grin. "I believe that makes me the winner."-

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Jashin: evil god
Amaterasu: the powerful sun goddess, is the most well-known deity of Japanese mythology, which Itachi named the black fire he can use with his Mangekyo Sharingan
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End, Chapter Twenty-five