A/N: Here's the latest update for A Fox among the Hounds. Hope you like it!

A Fox among the Hounds

Facing Evil

The next morning, Kiba and Naruto woke up early and padded downstairs, half-expecting to see Tsume waiting for them. However, the Inuzuka matriarch was nowhere to be seen, and in her stead, a Post-it was stuck on the fridge.

Pups,

Jiraiya and I have postponed your training today. Apparently, your teammate Sasuke Uchiha needs our help for the rest of the day, so think of today as your special day off.

Love,

Mom

P.S. You're still grounded, so you might as well clean the kennels now. Maybe you can get your Uncle Shita to help.

Naruto and Kiba stared at the note for a long time, until the blond angrily grabbed the note and viciously ripped it into tiny pieces.

"It's not fair!" he screamed. "First Kakashi-sensei, now Mom and Jiraiya. Why is it that when it comes to Uchiha, grown-ups have the tendency to ditch us and give him the special attention?"

Kiba simply stood there and silently watched Naruto fume. He knew better than to say something that might further anger his brother.

Suddenly, the rushed patter of feet was heard as Hana tumbled downstairs, still dressed in her sleepwear. "Where's the fire?" she asked. "I heard screaming."

Kiba pointed to Naruto who was still ranting about attention-starved jerks and flaky grown-ups. Hana's mouth formed an "O" as she digested the information on their mother's note and the cause of her blond brother's anger.

Naruto eventually ranted himself out and calmed down, and that was when the Inuzuka siblings finally gathered together to clean the kennels under the supervision of their Uncle Shita.

A big bear of a man, Shita Inuzuka was Shippo Inuzuka's older brother and a widower and retired shinobi. He lived next door with his children Ashi and Mimi, and their dogs Kiiroimaru, Midori, and Murasaki. He had given up the position of clan head to Shippo after he was blinded in the Third Shinobi War.

However, because of his blindness, his other senses were enhanced, and Shita probably had the best human nose in the entire shinobi world, therefore it was no surprise that Tsume often enlisted his help in the kennel clean-up. With his extraordinary sense of smell, the man could sniff out slipshod work from a mile away.

Shita took a whiff of the air and handed each of the Inuzuka siblings a broom and a garbage bag. "You have a lot of work to do, pups. Even the local dump doesn't smell this bad."

Kiba groaned at the analysis. "Do we really have to do this? This is absolute torture."

"If you acted like good siblings, you wouldn't be in this pickle now, would you?" Shita admonished. "Why, back in the day, your father and I were like the best of pals. We were practically inseparable."

The Inuzuka siblings inwardly groaned. When walking down memory lane, Uncle Shita alwayspreferred to stroll.

Sasuke found himself in one of the underground vaults beneath the Kage Tower. Towering over him were the figures of Jiraiya, Tusme Inuzuka and Kuromaru, Hiashi Hyuuga, Shibi Aburame, and Shikaku Nara.

"Why was I called again?" the raven asked tersely, glaring up at the solemn assembly before him.

"You were marked by Orochimaru, were you not?" stated Shibi. "That Cursed Seal is nothing but bad news. It needs to be sealed immediately."

"Why?" asked the Uchiha. "It seems to add to my power. I can feel it coursing in my veins."

"Power at the cost of humanity!" roared Hiashi.

"A bargain that you know all too well," Sasuke replied icily.

Byakugan eyes flashed with rage. "Enough! This situation is entirely different, and you know it."

"You may have a point," said the Uchiha, smirking wickedly as the Hyuuga patriarch shook with barely concealed anger. "One is a Cursed Seal that gives immense power, whereas the other is a Cursed Seal that limits it."

Shibi, Tsume, Kuromaru, and Shikaku turned an uneasy eye on Hiashi. It was a known fact that for years, the man had been lobbying to ban the Caged Bird Seal from being implanted on the Hyuuga Branch House members. Even the current clan heir, Neji had not been spared from the indignity as his parents were from the Branch House. But for all of Hiashi's efforts, there had only been little progress as there were fanatical Main House members who wanted to keep the tradition of the Caged Bird Seal. Fortunately, the next generation of Hyuugas were raised to be more liberal, so there was a still a good chance for the seal to be banned and the two houses reunited.

It was at this moment that Shikaku Nara intervened, before things got out of hand. "Can't we just put aside the family feud and start the sealing?" he said. "This whole issue is getting troublesome."

The Hyuuga clan head muttered something under his breath and stalked back to his colleagues.

"Well then, let's get this show on the road!" said Jiraiya, cracking his knuckles. "Sasuke, take off your shirt and stand in the middle of the sealing circle, please. Hiashi, you stand at the Genbu Gate, Tsume, you take Suzaku, Shibi, you take Byakko, and Seiryu goes to Shikaku. I'll be taking charge of the Central Meridian right behind Sasuke. Sasuke, you'd better brace yourself, because I assure you- this will hurt.

"These are the hand signs for the Holy Purification Seal," the Toad Sage continued. "Just follow my lead. Boar, Rabbit, Tiger, Ram, Tiger, Dog, Rat, Ox, Horse, Ox, Monkey, Snake, Rabbit, Dragon, Dog, Rooster, Ram, Rat, Monkey, Snake, Rooster, Boar, Horse, Dragon."

The senior Jonin followed the Sannin's actions, and as they did, the Cursed Seal began to glow an eerie crimson. The young Uchiha writhed in pain, but Jiraiya and the senior Jonin remained steadfast and continued with the sealing ritual.

After the last hand seal, the Cursed Seal pulsed, still glowing red. "Is it done?" Shikaku asked, panting.

"Not even close," wheezed the Sannin. "We've only sealed off the yang half of the seal. There's still the yin side to nullify, and we have to wait for the exact timing, otherwise it'll be all for nothing. I did say that this seal is a doozy to nullify."

"What are we waiting for?" asked Tsume, rubbing her palms. "Let's deal with this seal."

"I'm afraid you won't be able to do that, my dear," came a new voice.

Jiraiya and the senior Jonin whipped around and saw Orochimaru leaning against the wall with a lazy smirk plastered on his face. The Snake Sannin sauntered into view, geared up his old Jonin uniform plus a Konoha headband glinting on his forehead.

Immediately the five Konoha-nin formed a tight circle around the Uchiha. A low growl erupted from both Jiraiya and Tsume. "Orochimaru…" Hiashi, Shikaku, and Shibi shifted into their battle stances.

"Nice to see you too, Dobe," the snake hissed as his golden eyes flitted towards Jiriaya.

"You won't be taking the Uchiha, traitor!" shouted Hiashi.

Orochimaru's mouth twisted into a predatory smirk and his tongue snaked out to lick his hips. "Really? I like to see you try. Tsuchi Bunshin no Jutsu!" Several clones rose from the earth, each one taking the form of the Snake Sannin, right down to the same inhuman grin on their faces. Without a word, they charged towards the Konoha-nin.

"Kage Yari no Jutsu! (trans: Shadow Spear Technique)" Shikaku's shadow expanded and spikes rose out, impaling the clones.

"Hakke Rokujuyon Sho! Two strikes! Four strikes! Eight strikes! Sixteen strikes! Thirty-two strikes! Sixty-four strikes!"

"Hijutsu: Mushidama (trans: Secret Technique: Insect Sphere)."

"Kyokudo no Gatsuuga (trans: Extreme Gatsuuga)!"

"RASENGAN!" A swirling ball of chakra was slammed into several clones, and they too, dispelled.

In the midst of chaos, Orochimaru took it to his opportunity to attack. Brandishing his Kusanagi sword, he spun through the air, aiming towards the Konoha-nin. Anticipating the attack, they dodged and was about to counter, when a blast of killing intent from the traitor effectively froze them in place.

The air was thick with tension when four of the five Konoha-nin present found themselves subject to Orochimaru's mercy as he approached them, the Kusanagi poised to kill. Already, Jiraiya moved to stand between the two sides, ready to defend his countrymen. But instead of striking his adversaries right then and there, the Snake Sannin suddenly sheathed his blade.

"Kukuku…" he chuckled. "That was a lot easier than expected."

"The hell you're blabbering about?" Tsume snarled.

Orochimaru's smirk grew chillingly cold. "As if your puny, impulsive brain could ever comprehend my scheme. You're too much like the Dobe…" At this both Jiraiya and Tsume growled again. "…always too focused on the now, rather than the then and after."

The calculating grin shifted to Shikaku. "So much for your so-called genius… You can't even recognize a diversion in plain sight…"

The blood drained from the Nara's face. "You don't mean…"

"Regrets- they always come too late," said the evil Sannin in a patronizing tone. "And thanks to your idiocy, I've already won."

Jiraiya paled. "No…"

Mocking laughter rang out of Orochimaru's lips. "You have always been a dobe. I can't believe you fell for the oldest trick in the book." He disappeared in a puff of smoke, his ominous laughter still echoing the room.

Jiraiya and the Jonin turned around to look at Sasuke. His Cursed Seal had faded back to its original black color, and the pulsing was gone.

The crucial moment had passed. The purification seal had failed.

Naruto sighed as he and his siblings heaved three large garbage bags filled with waste matter. He, Kiba, and Hana were tired and covered in filth. Shita stepped towards the kennels and took a whiff.

"Daisy fresh," he grinned. "Nice teamwork, pups. Go freshen up."

With a grateful smile, the Inuzuka siblings plodded towards the faucet in the garden. While they were hosing themselves clean, they heard a cheerful voice call, "Hey Hana, un!"

Three heads turned to see Deidara Yamanaka leaning over the fence, smiling at them.

"What's up, un?" he greeted. "Why are you guys all dirty?"

"We were…" Kiba began.

Hana clapped a grimy hand over her brother's mouth. "… just getting cleaned up!" she chirped, smiling at the pony-tailed blond. "Excuse me, please." She grabbed Kiba and Naruto and dragged them away from the confused Deidara.

As soon as Deidara was out of earshot, Hana turned a furious glare at Kiba. "What are you doing?" she hissed. "If Deidara and the other Chuunin ever find out that I've been grounded, they'll never let me hear the end of it!"

Kiba spat on the ground and wiped his lips on a clean spot on his sleeve. "You just have a crush on him, you gross hag. And clean your hands before touching my lips! That was nasty!"

"How would you like my fists on your lips?" Hana threatened.

"Bring it on, ya Amazon!" Kiba challenged.

"Is that squabbling I hear?" Shita called. "Do I need to tell your mother?"

"NO SIR!"

A/N: Sorry if the story's a little short. Technically this is just another filler chapter. The plot chapter will come out soon. Just send your opinions on how I can improve this chapter via review board. I may still edit this chapter.

Info tidbits on the OCs and whatnot:

Shita Inuzuka: Shita means tongue in Japanese. He is the older brother of Kiba and Hana's dad, and Tsume's brother-in-law. Is blind and wears his Konoha headband like a blindfold. He is 47 years old. His partner is Kiroiimaru.

Kiroiimaru: A brown bear-like dog. He turns yellow after swallowing a soldier pill, hence his name.

Ashi Inuzuka: Shita's son. His name means paw or foot. A member of the Konoha Hunter-nin corps. He is 20 years old. His partner is Midori.

Midori: A black-and-tan Saluki-like dog. She turns green after swallowing a soldier pill.

Mimi Inuzuka: Shita's daughter. Her name means ear. Like her brother, she is also a member of the Konoha Hunter-nin corps. Like Hana, she is 17. Her partner is Murasaki.

Murasaki: A white Spitz-like dog with brown spots. After swallowing a soldier pill, he tuns purple.

Holy Purification Seal: When used correctly, it can completely nullify a Cursed Seal, however, it can only be used once and requires perfect timing. Jiraiya was only able to nullify half of the Cursed Seal, thus Sasuke's Cursed Seal is still active, though somewhat weaker.

Yin side: Contains most of the evil energy in a Cursed Seal. Is fueled by the person's darkest desires.

Kage Yari no Jutsu: The user's shadow expands and spikes rise from the expansion, impaling the user's opponents.