A big thank to Furionknight and Sukki18 for their wonderful reviews. Sukki18, I hope you'll survive!

Anyway, just a little recap of the last chapter just in case. The children are on a mission to protect Idate Morino from rain ninjas and encounter some problems. As for Damaru and Itachi, they're still helping Jiraiya to find informations on Orochimaru and met a young girl, Sasame. After defeating a few goons, they head to Orochimaru's hideout with Sasame's help.

Enjoy and don't hesitate to leave a little review!

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Chapter twenty eight

Rain of needles, traps and sharingan

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Sasame was beginning to think Konoha nins (or whatever ninja village they originated from) were weird.

They had forgotten her so easily, Damaru-san even telling her she would have more or less done the same thing if it had been Itachi (after that the dark haired man had punched Jiraiya-san because he had begun giggling).

After that, while she was leading them to Orochimaru's lair, the white haired woman and she had talked about what she could have done differently, and Sasame had to admit some of the plans they came with were good. She felt so stupid! She should have thought of them instead of rushing forward like the scatterbrain she was!

She had thought she couldn't do much else because of her weakness, but Damaru-san opened her eyes and showed to her the hundreds of other things she could have done, even with her poor skills.

She went back to reality when they neared the entrance of Orochimaru's lair.

"This is it." She informed the group before they all jumped down to the ground.

"There could be traps." Jiraiya informed, his dark eyes narrowing at the doorway leading beneath the ground.

"It is highly probable." Itachi nodded "Yuki and Gin will scout forward."

The wolves nodded before padding forward cautiously.

"Be careful." Damaru warned before turning to the young girl "Sasame-chan, go back to Hanzaki and wait for us there. We will bring back Arashi-san."

Sasame smile her thanks before disappearing within the high trees.

Jiraiya, Damaru and Itachi followed Gin and Yuki inside, encountering no traps until they came to a junction.

"We will need to split up." Jiraiya observed casually.

"It seems so." Damaru nodded "Yuki and I will…"

"Stop right here!"

Damaru, Itachi and the wolves froze in anticipation. With a grin, Jiraiya brought out a stick before hitting an end with the ground and letting it fall.

The stick fell to the right path.

"I will take this path."

Damaru twitched violently and Yuki snapped her jaws in exasperation, both resisting the urge to punch the man. Itachi and Gin glowered, the silver wolf holding in a subtle dark rumble.

Damaru took a deep sigh "Yuki and I will take the left path." She turned to Itachi and Gin "Be careful you two."

"What? No words for me?" Jiraiya whined.

"Try to make it out alive."

"So mean Damaru-chan!"

::0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o::

Idate climbed down the ink bird's back, slightly trembling from the travel. He really didn't like flying on a mere ink creature.

He put his feet on the rocky ground of the shore and the bird disintegrated into ink drops, falling on the rocks in ribbons.

Idate glanced at the sea behind him. The dark grey waves were crashing on the rocks, but he saw no ninjas coming.

The boy snorted. He knew it! The cowards had abandoned him.

"Die!" A voice yelled before the boy felt needles sink into his flesh.

Idate cringed and fell on his knees. He looked up and his eyes widened when he saw Aoi above him, a cruel smirk stretching the man's lips.

The rain ninja raised his kunai, and Idate closed his eyes, waiting for the pain. It never came.

A kunai was thrown and intercepted the other before it reached its goal.

"Who?" Aoi turned to see four children and a wolf running to him.

The girl quickly slid next to Idate, her hands glowing green "Please Idate-san, don't move while I'm scanning you."

The young boy nodded as the three boys and the wolf positioned themselves between Aoi and their charge.

"Tch!" The jonin scowled "You think a bunch of guenins can win against me?"

"We won't know until we try." Sasuke smirked, getting out a kunai before charging with Kimimaro.

Aoi dodged before disappearing.

"Above!" Gaara warned.

They looked up just in time to see the man about to swing his umbrella.

They all dodged, Amaru carrying Idate away.

"I admit you're not as weak as I though." Aoi said "But I still don't feel the need to waste my chakra or techniques over you."

He took out more needles and threw them, only to have a wall of sand block them.

"Thanks Gaara." Kimimaro turned to the red head.

"I won't be of much help with this rain." The thirteen years old warned, his sand retreating into its sealing scroll.

"Then we have to finish this quickly." Sasuke concluded "Kimimaro? Taiyo? Ready?"

His elder brother nodded and the light blond wolf barked his agreement.

Sasuke did a few handseals and threw a fireball at Aoi. The jonin quickly replicated with a water technique, creating a thick cloud of smoke.

From that cloud Kimimaro emerged, sword in hand, engaging the man in a spar.

The boy was holding himself pretty well against a jonin, and managed to distract him enough for Taiyo to sneak on him. His jaws closed on the man's hand, drawing blood.

With a cry of pain Aoi shook the blond wolf away, cradling his now mangled hand to his chest.

Deciding it was time to retreat –after all Idate would surely die from the poison- he threw down a few smoke bombs before escaping.

Sasuke, Kimimaro and Taiyo waited a few tense seconds before relaxing.

"Amaru-chan?" Kimimaro asked, turning to his sister "How is Idate?"

"He's going to pull through." The red headed girl reassured, her hands stopping glowing green as she stopped examining Idate "Nothing a few hours of sleep won't cure."

"Then let's get out of this rain." Gaara decided, eyeing disdainfully the droplets crashing onto his shoulders as he walked to Amaru.

"Shouldn't we wait for the others first?" The girl asked, lifting an unconscious Idate with the help of Gaara.

"They'll find us soon enough." Sasuke said "Let's go and find a cave to light a fire in."

::0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o::

Itachi and Gin casually strolled into the large room, their steps and attitudes deceptively calm.

The traps had been simple enough and quite easy to avoid. If anything else it set Itachi on edge. No lair, especially Orochimaru's, could be that simple to break through. Either the snake had a hidden, more complicated plan that would kill them all, either he had long ago deserted the place. Or both.

"Itachi-kun…ku ku ku…how nice to see you."

Red eyes narrowed onto Orochimaru and Kabuto before sharing a glance with Gin who growled warningly.

Yes, it seemed like that.

He threw a few kunais before dashing forward, trying to slash Kabuto with another one.

The man escaped, only to meet Gin.

The fight began and Orochimaru retreated behind a set of doors.

"How is Damaru-chan?" The oto medic taunted with a smirk "It's been a while since I saw her."

Dark grey eyes narrowing were the only indication his words had any effects.

Kabuto smirked when he managed to slash Itachi with a kunai, only to lose his smug expression when the shadow clone exploded.

He was thrown back and crashed against a pillar. Gin appeared from the shadows not a second after to bit down his ankle.

The bones cracking under the pressure resonated sickeningly and the silver wolf threw the man against the nearest wall where he slumped down.

Itachi narrowed his eyes suspiciously. It was too easy.

He understood why when Gin cried out in pain, collapsing on the ground with green threads connecting the lupine and their opponent.

He cursed internally, recognising the chakra threads and the arrogant smirk now adorning Kabuto's face.

::0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o::

Sasame cautiously walked through the barely lit long corridors composing Orochimaru's lair.

She knew disobeying would probably –more like surely- land her in problems, but she needed to see Arashi! She needed to see if he was alright! She just couldn't sit down and wait patiently.

She was distracted from her thoughts by an explosion to her right. Curious, the young girl directed her steps to the source of the noise and peaked around the corner to see Damaru and Yuki emerging from a hole filled with water.

The white wolf growled at the green eyed young woman, glaring through lumps of wet fur. The lupine was drenched wet, giving her a comical appearance.

"Okay." Damaru admitted, twisting her hair to get rid of the excess of water "This wasn't the best idea, but it still worked!"

Yuki gave another growl before vigorously shaking herself, sending fat droplets in her direction.

Damaru rolled her eyes at her partner's pettiness before noticing Sasame still half hiding behind the wall.

She frowned "Sasame-chan? What are you doing here?"

The girl jumped, startled, before throwing the woman an apologizing look.

"I'm sorry Damaru-san. But I need to see Arashi-nii-chan."

The white haired woman shared a look with Yuki before sighing.

"Alright, but stay close to me, okay?"

Sasame nodded vigorously before following after her, jumping over the water filled hole.

A few minutes of wanderings brought them into a large room filled with pillars.

Sasame didn't immediately notice the silver wolf lying down on the floor, but Damaru and Yuki did. The white she-wolf let out a bark of distress before rushing to his side, licking his muzzle and keening softly.

Gin managed to open his eyes and moved to lick back her own muzzle in reassurance while Damaru approached Itachi who was kneeling next to Kabuto.

The man's red eyes turned to her and Sasame gasped involuntarily, half hiding behind Damaru on reflex.

"I managed to trap him under a genjutsu and make him stop trying to kill himself." Itachi told them, his eyes briefly flickering to the beating heart residing within the medic's hand "But I can't seem to break those chakra threads."

"This is one of the fuuma clan's techniques." Sasame recognised with widened eyes before rummaging in her pouch.

She got out a seal and handed it to Damaru "Please Damaru-san, wrap this around a kunai and cut the threads."

The woman studied the paper for a moment before nodding and complying.

::0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o::

Idate awoke with a groan and tried to stand up.

Amaru helped him to sit "Careful Idate-san, the poison is gone but you will have to wait a bit for the aftereffects to go away."

"Where is he?" The boy asked, looking around "What happened to Aoi?"

"He disappeared." Kimimaro informed him "Do you know him Idate-san?"

Idate looked away, reluctant to answer "He was my teacher back in Konoha."

"So you're from Konoha?" Naruto asked curiously leaning to him from his place by the fire.

"Aoi betrayed the village and became a jounin in amegakure. He tricked me and instead of returning to Konoha, I ran away. He's right. I'm a coward. I always run away. I'll never fulfil my promise to Jirocho-sama."

"Hey!" Naruto protested "What are you talking about? You can't give up now."

"Jirocho-sama is counting on you." Haku frowned "Are you going to abandon him like that without giving it your all?"

"B-But, the other racer is probably already at the shrine."

"No problem!" Naruto assured "I'll carry you until you can run yourself."

"Don't give up Idate-san." Amaru encouraged "I'm sure Jirocho-sama is waiting for you at the end of the race."

"Does everyone know where he needs to position themselves?" Shin asked.

A chorus of yes answered him and the boy got up to put out the fire "Then let's go. We have a drop behind to catch up to."

Amaru helped Idate climb up on Naruto's back while Haku, Sasuke and Taiyo ran out to scout ahead. Naruto followed, Gaara, Inazuma and Amaru sticking close. Shin, Kimimaro and Sai imitated them shortly after, bringing up the rear.

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Damaru was a bit reluctant to let Sasame stay with them, especially after what the false Kabuto told them.

What they found behind the closed door only confirmed her suspicions.

"Arashi-nii-chan!" Sasame cried out in obvious delight before darting to him.

Damaru's hands shot to her shoulders and kept her in place. Sasame sent her an exasperated, confused look, and the white haired woman sighed before shaking her head gently.

"But Arashi-nii-chan…" The young girl protested.

"Sasame-chan." The boy in front of them said softly "I'm not the Arashi you remember."

"But…!" Sasame frowned.

That's when the change took place.

Unnatural lumps swelled on his back and Sasame screamed, stepping nearer Damaru in fear.

Itachi and Damaru shared a brief glance before the green eyed woman scooped Sasame in her arms to dart away, Yuki at her heels.

A shear appeared from a protrusion of flesh and extended toward their retreating backs. Itachi threw a bomb tag and the weapon was separated from the flesh.

Arashi (or whatever it was now) screamed in pain and tried to reach for it, only for Gin to snatch it away.

Itachi intercepted him when he tried to grab the lupine and they engaged in a taijutsu match.

"Arashi-nii-chan!" Sasame yelled out, trying to run to him.

"Sasame-chan, no!" Damaru encircled the girl with her arms, keeping her from running into danger.

Unfortunately her yells and their struggle were noticed by Arashi who smirked before managing to punch Itachi away and slash Gin to the ground, the silver wolf collecting a large gash on his side.

Yuki immediately dashed to his side, pulling him away before a lump of hardened flesh could rip the lupine apart.

Arashi began going through handsigns and Damaru distinctively heard Sasame gasp.

"Why is Arashi-nii-chan using that technique?" The young woman heard the girl whisper to herself "That's a secret technique that can only be used by some of the highest ranking members of the Fuuma Clan."

"Fuuma ninpou, jibaku mandara!" Arashi yelled before throwing his technique to the two girls.

Damaru gasped and only had time to push Sasame away.

The technique collided with her, imprisoning her within the triangle.

"It's over for you." Arashi grounded out before tightening his hold.

The triangle shrank and Damaru greeted her teeth in pain.

"No!" Sasame cried out, scrambling up and running to Arashi in hope of preventing the man from killing the woman.

Itachi reached him before her, his sharingan spinning in anger.

"Sasame, go take cover!" He ordered, and the girl couldn't find in herself to disobey him.

The dark haired man engaged Arashi into another taijutsu fight, keeping the boy from tightening the triangle Damaru was in. The woman took the opportunity to gather chakra in her limbs and force her prison open.

"No!" Arashi growled, giving Itachi an opening. The man threw a bomb tag at the lump representing Jiguro, the protuberance exuding chakra before pouring away from the main body.

Itachi saw the glimmer of sanity in Arashi's eyes and lost no time in exploding the other lump.

By that time Damaru finally opened her prison fully, which exploded.

Sasame cried out as a pillar began falling on her.

"Sasame-chan!" Arashi recognised before disappearing.

Itachi took refuge behind a pillar, hoping it would hold.

The white slowly died down and the man peaked around his cover to find his wife panting slightly in the middle of a hole with a triumphant smile on her lips.

He smiled back at her, glad she was alright, before noticing a rock falling to her.

"Damaru!" He called, rushing forward.

The white haired woman noticed the boulder too late and froze.

A giant blue toad poofed into existence, slapping it away.

"Jiraiya-san!" Damaru recognised.

"Sorry for being late." The old man smiled "I had my own annoyances to deal with. Hop on now, we need to get out of here before the room collapse."

With a sigh Damaru jumped on the toad, Itachi imitating her. The wolves followed soon after, Gin leaning on Yuki.

Damaru lost no time in kneeling next to the injured lupine, her hands glowing green, stepping around the unconscious black haired girl.

Jiraiya looked around the room for Sasame, only to find her in Arashi's arms.

The boy threw the girl to Jiraiya before turning to Itachi.

"Itachi-san, Orochimaru possesses several hidden places like this one, scattered around the elemental country, but his main operation room is in this country. I'll advise you to be careful, the man is obsessed with the sharingan, especially your little brother's. I don't know everything, but it has something to do with you two being brothers and a new kind of sharingan."

Itachi nodded and was about to beckon him to jump on the toad when a stream of wind pushed the dust away, revealing the lumps of flesh the man had exploded away earlier clinging to Arashi's feet.

"Arashi-nii-chan!" Sasame cried out, trying to reach for him, only for Jiraiya to restrain her.

"Sorry Sasame-chan." Arashi smiled "But I'm already a puppet. I can't live if I leave."

He nodded to Jiraiya who nodded back before telling his toad to get out.

Damaru bit her lips as Sasame screamed, tears falling from the young girl's eyes.