A moment later orange streaks out of the darkness before skidding to a halt beside Sakura; his breath ragged as he gazes upward.
Gently a breeze drifts by ruffling the figure's hair, the bright mid morning sun silhouetting his front. His lips press together nervously before asking.
"Who are you people?"
In his mind, eternity nearly passes, but in honesty, only a few minutes pass. Memories feeling so fresh in his mind, racking his head, making old scabs bleed in his psyche and emotions. He whispers his best friend's name, a part of him wishing that everything could go back to their days of friendship. His being craves the answer to a question he's wanted to know for years. So with a slight panting of breath and eyes bright with joy and sorrow he asks with a steady but demanding voice.
"Why then... Why didn't you kill me then? That's how you destroy bonds isn't' it, Sasuke?"
When no forth coming answer replies, he's equal parts frustrated and heartbroken. His heart peeling even more at the lack of even a spiteful retort.
"Sas..uke..."His next shout, his next demand, dying quietly in his throat. Both Sai and Sakura seemed started at the outburst, eyeing him with a curious but slight bewilderment. But their reactions aren't the one's he's staring at. It's Sasuke's.
There's a horrible twisting pain in both his heart and stomach while his mouth suddenly feels as rough as concrete sitting on tongue and throat.
Everything is desperately and absolutely wrong.
It's so obvious now that he sees it.
It's an acute revelation.
It's not Sasuke.
Thick clotting anger is missing as well as overabundant pride, instead a calmness and humbleness leaks into his posture despite Not-Sasuke's nervousness. His black well of an eye holding a gentle kindness and bittersweet understanding. Ruffled, but somewhat neat decency that never matter Sasuke's polished looks his appearance has. A sense of old tradition surrounds him, though it seems more of a way of life than reverement.
An apology sits on his tongue.
"Naruto..." The remorseful sweet tone of Sakura interrupts. Her voice filled with melancholy understanding.
"You... You must have me mistaken for someone else. I don't even know you." Not-Sasuke yells back. His fingers nervously hovering over what appears to be a gold hilted sword. His eyes quickly leave Naruto to the tunnel exit.
Soft footfalls tap on the dusty stone as Captain Yamato smoothly stands near the rest of them, his piercing eyes studying the strange root formation hanging on the man-made chasm before steadily locking on the other's dark eye.
"We're here to escort you to the Leaf Village."
Not-Sasuke's eyebrow slants down as his his lips thin.
"You want me to come with someone who claims I've tried to kill him and another who tried to kill me? For some reason I see that ending really badly." His voice icy thick with sarcasm. Nervousness slightly seasoning his words.
Naruto glances between them both, a type of stubbornness echoing in both their frames. A stalemate of determination.
"I knew it!" Sakura whips towards Sai, her frame radiating anger. "You were going to assassinate Sasuke."
He nods in agreement, surprise colors her face.
"It's true I was given an assignment to assassinate Sasuke. But I am tired of following orders, I wanted choice. I was going to bring him back to Village, but there is a problem to that. " He blinks slightly turning his head to the pink haired kunoichi. "I was unable to locate Sasuke."
Her body language screams disbelief as her emerald eyes narrow. There's a slight shifting of feet to Naruto's left as Yamato takes this information in.
"That is most disappointing, I was hoping that you would not realize that."
Shring. There's golden light reflected in the blade of Not-Sasuke's sword as it's clumsily ripped from it's sheaf. It held in-front of his person, as if it alone could shield the evils of the world.
"Ah it appears you've met our intruders Kubo." a serpent wide smirk and golden eyes echoing a strange type of mirth. "How kind of you to apprehend them. But holy unnecessary."
"Our? I was unaware kidnapping someone made them part of your 'household'" Kubo snipped back.
"Ah so would you rather of been wondering the woods for weeks on end, or perhaps be killed by a random assassin?" His voice hiking at the end, entirely sweet like cream. His body slowly circling Kubo, a predator toying with its food.
"Better than the Oni that poses as a snake." swaying with the patterns of the snake, his foot holding growing smaller as he backed further.
"That Oni will be your salvation." Hissing he reached forward, attempting to grab the storyteller only to get a katana swung at him. It unfortunately being a critical mistake as Orochimaru grasped his arm stopping the momentum entirely.
He wasn't sure what had made him move. One second he stood beside Sakura and Captain Yamato, the next he charged forward as if on invisible strings. It didn't matter if he was Sasuke or not. Orochimaru would be too much for anyone. His feet dug into the gravel and wood as jumped from jagged ledge to jutting root. Nearly at the top, a surprised voice vociferated from above as something rumbled from underneath to shoot up, gnarled roots spearing at someone. A body suddenly toppled over the edge, the body twisting in panic before the blond snatched them from the air.
The person named as Kubo, quickly twisted his arms around his neck, his grip tight as Naruto attempted to bring them down both safely. He mostly succeeded only missing a step near the ground, spilling them onto the use-to-be dusty stone floor. They both surged upwards and forward. Placing distance between them and the snake man.
"Ah so you choose the Leaf." A voice drolled. Kabuto glancing over the edge.
A hiss replied to the ill comment, an unamused Orochimaru joining him a second later.
"When you realize when you made a mistake, I'll be waiting for you."
"Unlikely." A dusty Kubo hollers back. Small orange flames flicker around the two figures till they completely disappear.
Kubo coughs a little, attempting to dust himself off, but the dust refuses to obey.
"I'm Naruto." He cheerily introduces himself. "Naruto Uzumaki."
There's a radiant smile stretched across mouth and glittering sapphire eyes of mirth on his face.
The other slightly pauses, taking in his demeanor, then bursting in a fit of giggles.
"Sorry." other quickly apologizes, "This has to be the most ridiculous introduction I've had. Topping even my fathers."
Quickly after, his laughter dies down.
A smile lights up his face.
"I'm Kubo."
