Mask of Deception

By: Kisu

A/n: I really have to clean my hamster's cage.

Disclaimer: Yada yada..

Chapter 5: Discovery

Tsunade couldn't hear anything from inside of her sand prison. But by all means, the Sand-nins didn't want to kill her. So what did they want? Was it Sasuke? No. They were more focused on getting her. Was it just a trick? She felt the room shake violently and she gasped at a muffled yell. Tsunade made a decision and nicked her thumb. She swallowed the bile that rose in her throat at the sight of her blood and raised the sleeve on her arm. She drew her thumb up her forearm and slammed her palm down on the bottom of the sand dome.

"Summoning no Jutsu!"

---

"Satoh Uzutaro?" Sasuke repeated. This boy was his age and he had become ANBU. He had heard of him from Kakashi. This was the boy who had defeated his opponent in five minutes in the Jounin exam. But how was that possible? A year later and he had become ANBU?

"Hai!" The tone was still warm and friendly and he could see that his expression was kind underneath the mask. This boy, who was dangerous didn't act dangerous. In one way, he was reminded of Haku.

The room shook suddenly and Uzutaro's eye opened to look at the sand dome. Gaara gasped and Uzutaro quickly ran across the room, shielding Gaara with his body. The room exploded and sand, along with the ceiling and everything else that was in the way crumbled down to the streets below. Sasuke coughed and as the smoke cleared, Tsunade stood on top of a gigantic slug. From the rubble, Uzutaro shot upwards and helped Gaara up. He had protected Gaara from the explosion, yet he had no marks on him. Who was he?"

"Sasuke! Get up here!" Tsunade ordered. Sasuke stared up at her and cringed at the sight of the gigantic slug before jumping aboard. The ANBU and Gaara watched them passively.

"Well, our prisoner escaped." Naruto finally said.

"Plan B." Gaara said. Naruto nodded grimly and Sasuke and Tsunade tensed. Naruto's hand reached slowly into the pouch at his side and withdrew something in his hand. In one quick action, he flung it at the slug and it hit its side. The slug wailed loudly and started oozing out fluid.

"That was too cruel." Naruto said, his eye closing in regret.

"It was just a little bit of salt. I'm sure it can recover." Gaara replied, calmly.

"I wanted that puppy that one time and you wouldn't let me have it." Naruto replied, out of nowhere.

"I don't think it'll last in our village." Gaara said. "I believe the one that you wanted would shrivel up in the desert."

"Are you sure you aren't talking about slugs?" Naruto asked him. Gaara frowned. He looked at the slug before them and took out a scroll. "I'll show you my jutsu!" Unraveling it in flourish, he bit his thumb and spread his blood on the scroll. Rolling it back up quickly, he slammed his palm on the ground. "Summoning no Jutsu! Anubus come forth!" Sand shot out from the spot and swirled higher and higher. Then the sand fell off, revealing Naruto who was standing on top of a giant dog. "I got my puppy after all." Tsunade stared at him and at the dog. It towered over them with a black shiny coat and feral red eyes.

"Anubus." Tsunade repeated her eyes wide in awe.

"He's pretty isn't he?" Naruto asked as he stroked the dog's head.

"Of course I am." Anubus thundered.

"You're so full of yourself as usual." Naruto replied. "Anubus get rid of that slug so we can capture the Hokage!" He ordered.

"Easily done." The dog roared as he shot forward. He bit down on the slug's salt wound and the slug screamed, sticky fluid sprayed everywhere and shot into Anubus's eyes. Steam rose up from where the fluid had fallen and Anubus thrashed wildly.

"My slug isn't that harmless." Tsunade smirked.

"Anubus! Are you all right?" Naruto asked in concern. His hands came together to form a quick seal. "Tsunami no Jutsu!" Water burst out of the ground and formed a huge tidal wave. The water crashed over Anubus and Naruto. When the water cleared, Anubus shook wildly and the water sprayed everywhere. Even Gaara was disgusted. He quickly made his sand form a wall from being sprayed with the water. "Anubus!"

"I got you." Anubus replied as he opened his mouth. A large fireball shot forward and separated to hit Tsunade's slug. The slug squealed before falling to the ground. Sasuke latched onto a pillar and grabbed Tsunade's hand. Gaara sent his sand upwards to wrap around them and bring them down to the ground.

"Don't move or my sand will bury you. It hasn't gotten enough blood recently." Gaara warned. Anubus disappeared and Naruto grabbed onto the same pole, sliding down neatly onto the ground.

"We should fight again, sometime." He smiled at them.

"Good job, Gaara but she's not dead yet." Orochimaru stated as he appeared on what was left of the rooftop. Laughing evilly, he took off his hat and his outfit. "I expected her to be dead by now."

"We ran into a little trouble." Gaara replied in a bored tone. Orochimaru landed lightly and walked toward them.

"I have gained somewhat control of my right arm but I still cannot used my left." He said. "If you heal my arms, Tsunade. I will let you go." Tsunade hung her head and her hair covered her face. "I know you'll see it my way." He walked up to her and Tsunade raised her head. Orochimaru stared into her rage filled eyes and she spat in his face. "Don't think I can underestimate you, Orochimaru." She hissed. "I grew up with you."

"And this is how you treat an old friend?" He sighed, wiping his face. He smiled and turned to Gaara. "Kill her." Gaara nodded and the sand began shifting. Orochimaru raised his head and laughed, his evil laughter rang throughout the village and everyone seemed to pause in the middle of their battle. All at once, Orochimaru coughed and was cut short. Blood trailed down from the corner of his mouth and he looked down. Kabuto had his arm through his chest, making a hole that could have been made from the Chidori. "Kabuto, why?" He coughed. But Kabuto's eyes were glazed over and he realized in shock that the Uzutaro had punched through Kabuto and into him. Uzutaro withdrew his arm slowly, the blood dripping off it from his right shoulder down to his fingertips. None of the blood was his. Kabuto slumped to the ground lifeless and Orochimaru stumbled back. With an evil grin, he reached out for Sasuke who was suddenly released from the sand and a large wall drew up in front of him.

"He was really nice." Uzutaro said. "I'm sorry that he stepped in the way." He pulled out a kunai. "But you have to die, today." He disappeared and reappeared behind him, the kunai sliced across his throat like a knife through butter. He stepped away and Gaara's sand crashed down to engulf him. Orochimaru gasped as the sand buried him and it exploded, leaving nothing left but a shower of blood. Tsunade and Sasuke stared in shock and Sasuke turned around, throwing up from disgust.

"Gomen nasai. You had to witness his execution." Uzutaro said, politely to Tsunade. "But if was something we had to finish." A kunai whizzed by and caught the mask off his face. The two pieces fell slowly to the ground and Tsunade stared at the ANBU before him. Her shaking hands reached up to cover her mouth and as the pieces of the mask hit the ground, Tsunade brought her hand up and backhanded him.

"Where have you been?" She demanded, coldly. "Do you know there is a price on your head?"

"A price?" Uzutaro repeated, "How much?"

"Enough that you can buy a whole village with." Tsunade snapped.

"Sugoi. You hear that, Gaara?" He asked, looking over his shoulder. The Sand-nin shrugged and looked away.

"Thanks for telling me, Hokage-sama." He turned and started to walk away.

"Uzumaki Naruto!" Sasuke yelled, angrily. "Where are you going? Why did you kill Orochimaru?"

"Wasn't it better if he was dead?" Uzutaro asked, quietly. "But you must have me confused with someone else. My name is Satoh Uzutaro."

"That's bull! You are Naruto!" Sasuke snarled, diving forward. Uzutaro sidestepped him easily and turned around, his emotionless blue eyes pinning them all down.

"I am Uzutaro of Hidden Sand." He said. His eyes slid upwards to where Kakashi was standing. He had thrown the kunai at him. "You have good aim." He smiled. He darted backwards and stopped beside Gaara.

"The death of Orochimaru was to avenge my father. The previous Kazekage." Gaara said. "With both of them gone, I will take over Hidden Sand. I hated them both, they used me as a pawn in their game." Gaara smiled and closed his eyes. "But, I have realized that I am no pawn. I will submit to no one." Uzuataro folded his arms together. "I will withdraw the Sand-nins. Do what you wish of the Sound-nins. Sand does not associate itself with them anymore."

"Ja! Let's meet again!" Uzutaro waved as they vanished in a swirl of sand.

"Naruto." Sasuke whispered, falling to his knees. He was positive it was him but the eyes showed no recognition and the face did not hold the familiar whisker marks. Not to mention that across his right eyebrow was a scar. What had happened to Naruto? Who was Uzutaro? "Do you think it was him?" Sasuke asked, quietly.

"Hai." They turned to look at the new speaker who had stepped out from behind Kakashi. Hyuuga Hinata stared at them through her blank eyes. The veins around them faded away and her eyes dropped sadly. "It was Naruto. He held two charkas. One of them was red and one was blue. But, his blue chakra overwhelmed the red one." Hinata curled a finger around a strand of her shoulder length hair. "His attacks used up only half of his blue chakra. Most of it was taijutsu."

"You two were watching all this time?" Sasuke asked, angrily. Hinata looked away, uncomfortably and Kakashi beamed at him.

"We only got here when things started to get interesting." He said. Hinata bowed.

"Gomen nasai, Kakashi-sensei helped me fight off a few Sound-nins and I agreed to help him out." Hinata said. "But, that was Naruto-kun for sure." She bit her lip when it trembled. "But Naruto-kun doesn't remember us."

"Then he must be brainwashed! Or worst, amnesia!" Tsunade realized. "That's why he thinks he's a Sand-nin! We need to send some people to retrieve him!"

"Ano-" Hinata began.

"We'll do it." They looked over to see Shikamaru grinning at them. Next to him was Neiji. "We'll bring him back."

"I'm coming." Sasuke said, walking toward them. "I want him back. After all, he is still my teammate."

"Give him this." Tsunade took off the necklace from her neck and threw it at them. "Remind him of his promise to me and come home safe."

"Hai, Godaime-sama." The three of them bowed their heads before darting off.

"Mission: Retrieve Naruto is in progress." Tsunade said, turning to look up at Kakashi and Hinata. "It'll take awhile for Konoha to recover. But it could have been worse. I basically destroyed my office with my jutsu." Kakashi grinned and looked down at Hinata.

"What doesn't break us will make us stronger." He commented.

"Hai." Hinata nodded. She turned to look out at the setting sun and a soft smile crossed her lips. "Come back soon, Naruto-kun."

TBC!