#::Hidden Spirits: Village Hunting & Side Effect::#
A Naruto Fan-fiction -- Sequel from 'Hidden Spirits'
By: Climax

Disclaimer for ALL chapters: Do not and never own Naruto. Except this story plot, idea, and my own characters I create on this story.

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Scroll 4: Retrieve!
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Kakashi and Asuma were standing in front of the east gate.

"Now our job is waiting for them…" said Asuma as he lit up his cigarette.

Kakashi, with his nose buried in his 'Icha Icha Violence' book, answered with an amazingly relax tone. "And pray they will come back safe and sound."

"You make it look so simple to break through the cave. If my memory serves me right, even you need ten days to get out of there, right?" asked Asuma as he inhaled his cigarette.

"You're right. That cave sure is a giant maze. No wonder why the Blue Glow medicine is so expensive."

"Not to mention the traps that was set to prevent from intruders…"

"And that kind of place is the perfect training field for our need to adapt team."

"In case you forgot, I'm remembering you that the chuunin exam is next week. What we are going to do if they won't make it?" asked Asuma sharply. Why Kakashi could never be serious?

"They can participate for the next year exam…" Kakashi answered simply.

Asuma narrowed his eyes. "And if they don't come back?"

"We will catch up with them and retrieve them or their corpses."

Asuma sighed in defeat. "If only it is as simple as you said…"

Suddenly ten people popped up. Nine of them were ANBU and the last one was… Tsunade.

Kakashi closed his book and smiled cheerfully to the newcomers.

"May I ask you on what purpose you are here, Godaime-sama?" asked Kakashi. His eyes narrowed a bit then. "Especially with three team of ANBU…"

Tsunade wasted no time for explaining. "Where're your students?"

"In the cave. Why? Anything wrong?" asked Asuma.

Tsunade didn't answer. Instead she ordered the ANBUs to search the genins. The three team of ANBU spread out. One team for one entrance.

"You two," Tsunade said to Kakashi and Asuma. "Help the ANBU retrieve your students. Kakashi, summon your dogs to find Asuma and your students. Before you ask, one of the medical ninja said that there're some unidentified creatures that roaming inside the cave. What I fear most is if he is right about the missing ANBU team. Now go!"

"Hai, Godaime-sama." Kakashi shut his book and inserted it to his pocket. Then he summoned Pakkun and the other sharp nosed dogs. Asuma stood up from the big rock he had been sit at and prepared to go as Kakashi gave two of the dogs to him. Pakkun and the other one followed the masked ninja.

Tsunade stopped them before they left. "Oh. If possible bring the creature dead or alive for me to study."

"Yes."

"Hai."

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"THEY CALLED THIS TRAINING FIELD??" shrieked Naruto as he dodged more spears and kept run as fast as he can to follow the archer in front of him.

"If they don't call this training field, we won't be here and there will be none of these traps, right?" asked Sakura.

They have been dodging the traps for a while. After the cave collapsed incident, they continued their 'journey' and found so many traps on their way; way too much for Naruto if you ask him. Not to mention the false ways that were created to lure them to the dead end with deadly traps. Luckily Rhaera had gotten the sign of the Blue Glow smell. So they didn't have to worry about false ways and false walls. But unfortunately, Rhaera said that the place where the smell came from was still far. He predicted that maybe they could reach that place in two days if they kept running like this and no traps on their way.

"Rhaera, are you sure this is the right way?" asked a doubtful Naruto.

"Yes I am." Rhaera answered plainly without any hestitation.

But Naruto wasn't satisfied enough. "Rhaera, are you really SURE this is the right way?"

"Yes, Naruto, I am. Beside, there is an idiom say: 'the more we get close to the target, the more traps we will face'." Rhaera said as he dodged some shooting arrows. Naruto bowed his head as a sharp looking arrow passed his head and barely missing his skull. But he didn't have the time to lift his head back because a big sword sprouted from the cave wall with its sharp side facing him. Naruto jumped to avoid his leg from being cut by the sword.

The blonde genin grumbled. "I'm beginning to hate that idiom."

"The same goes here…" replied Sakura.

Naruto glanced to Sakura, wondering why the pink haired genin was beginning to hate an idiom. She usually likes idioms especially the unique ones. But at the first glance to her after a long time. He understood immediately.

If they weren't in such 'critical' condition Naruto would laugh till his knees met the floor. The kunoichi was covered with 'something that anyone won't like' from head to toe. Apparently there was a naughty trap that was set to spill some animals' digestion remnants; or in short: animals' feces. And that trap did its way to Sakura. She smelled great now.

Naruto would really happy if he could say: "The animals' craps goes well with you!" but decided that it was an unwise thing.

"Sakura-san," called Rhaera.

"Yes?"

"If we find water source, please wash your body as clean as possible. Not that I couldn't find the plant's smell but if this thing continued, I'm not sure I will get the clear smell of the plant. And my nose is too sharp so I cannot stand near you any longer than ten minutes," said Rhaera as honest as one could do. Apparently he didn't notice (or didn't care?) that Sakura was humiliated enough with just covered with animals' crap.

Sakura would be so pleased if she could land her fist on the archer's head but since Rhaera was the radar of the team so she hesitated—for now at least. But her inner self was shouting about something that Rhaera better change his plain accent before he drew them to further problems. That archer better watch his back carefully after this mission.

"Fine."

After some minutes they found a place without traps and with some pools of cave water. Sakura didn't have to wait someone commanding her to have a bath. She immediately jumped to one of the pools and washed her body and clothes as clean as possible; too bad she didn't bring shampoo or soap with her. She didn't bother to strip her clothes because there was no hidden place with water.

Meanwhile Sakura was bathing; Naruto began to wandering around the place. He never had a good chance to take a good look of the cave. He soon found a cute brown frog and observing it before it jumped away and he began to chase it around the cave. He quickly caught it and released it again because he found another frog and chased it. So it went like that again and again.

While Naruto was behaving like a small kid, Rhaera was sitting near a big stalagmite and check his arrows and bow. He and Sakura didn't have to worry about another collision that caused by Naruto's running because there were many stalagmite and stalactite pillars in here and the rocky wall seemed thick and hard.

/Help…/

Rhaera was checking the string on his bow when he heard someone called for help. The voice was very faint and weak but he was sure that it was a girl's voice.

"Did you hear that?" he asked.

"Hmm?" asked Sakura and Naruto. Sakura was having her hair washed meanwhile Naruto had a frog on his head, five on his shoulders, two at his hands, and one on his mouth. He looked cute with those small frogs.

"That voice…" said Rhaera as he titled his head to everywhere incase if the voice sounded again he would know where it came from.

"Naruto has been making a lot of sound…" Sakura pointed out.

"So is your bath sound…" said Naruto. But he was right so Sakura didn't mind him.

"What's the matter anyway? Something wrong?" asked Sakura incase if there was any danger.

Rhaera shook his head. "Nope. Maybe it's just my feeling." And he continued checking his equipments. Sakura shrugged and continued her hair washing. Naruto began to chase the frogs again and then beginning to observe a pool of tadpoles.

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Ino and her team had beaten up. Thanks to Chouji's slow move. Unexpectedly for a sixty years old man, Shijirou managed to pass the traps well; though not as good as new.

"Chouji —gasp— can't you run and dodge better so we don't have to worry for another thing beside our own ass?" asked Ino. She was right. She and Shijirou kept saving Chouji from fell to a hole or having his head separated from his body.

"Boy, you really need to diet…" grumbled Shijirou as he took a bottle of a bottle of light alcoholic sake and drank it.

But Chouji seemed to not hear all of that request and critique. "I'm hungry…"

Ino's patience immediately snapped. "We have been worrying over our safety and what you have been doing is worrying over your stomach??!"

Chouji cowered. "But if we don't eat, we'll die because of hunger!!"

He was right.

"Ino! Chouji! Shijirou!!" called a similar voice.

"Asuma-sensei!" said Ino in surprise.

Asuma was accompanied by an ANBU (plus two of Kakashi's dogs) which acquired Ino and Shijirou's wonder. Chouji didn't care because he was too hungry to do anything.

"Asuma-sensei, why are you here? Accompanied by ANBU too…" asked Ino.

"I'll explain that later. Have you meet Naruto's team?" asked Asuma.

"All we have met is lovely traps and have a date with them…" said Shijirou mockingly as he gulped another gulp of sake.

"Well then, you all come with me. We are going out of this place." Asuma prepared to leave and gestured his students to follow him.

"Why is that, sensei?" asked Shijirou. Was it only his feeling or Shijirou really felt disappointed?

"I said I'll explain that later. It's not safe here…" said Asuma as he walked.

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"We are out of the cave. So tell us Asuma-sensei, why did you say it is dangerous in the cave?" asked Ino.

"I don't know the details, but Tsunade-sama said that one of the medical ninja reported that recently some unknown creatures spotted and a team of ANBU is missing. So she ordered Kakashi, three team of ANBU, and I to retrieve you all including team seven before anything happened. And luckily we you found three before something bad happened to you."

Ino sighed. "Something bad has happened to us. We deal with annoying traps. Luckily that old geezer Shijirou didn't be a hindrance. Chouji is more than enough."

Asuma's head darted around as if he was looking for something. Speaking of the devil, "Where's Shijirou?"

Guh.

"I don't know. I think he followed us back then…" Ino said as her eyes were looking for the old man.

"Don't tell me that he is still in the cave," said Asuma; expecting the worst possibility.

"I think he is. There's no one that threw me a rock before I said 'old geezer'…" said Ino.

"Shit!"

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:-:The next day…:-:

Rhaera finally managed found the right and shortest way to the plant. Or at least the expected to be plant. They didn't have to run because they were near to the place. Beside, this area seemed to be as frail as the previous collapsed area. No need to ask them if we want to know if they were afraid for another collision.

Rhaera's sharp nose was filled with the unique smell. Because the short range, Naruto and Sakura now could smell it too. Though it was faintly. After some minutes they reached a large area. They saw something glowing blue at the center. When they were close enough, they could be sure that it was their target.

"So beautiful…" sighed Sakura when Naruto lost his tongue. Rhaera remained silent because he couldn't see what Sakura and Naruto saw.

Sakura was right. The plant's leafs were perfectly diamond shaped. Meanwhile the flower petals were almost triangle shaped. Each flower had three or four petals. Not only that, unlike what Sakura and Naruto imagined, not only the flowers that glowing. All parts of the plant were glowing though not as bright as the flower. Naruto and Sakura almost sure that even the roots were glowing too.

"Then, what are we waiting for?" asked Rhaera. Sakura and Naruto snapped from their trance. They began to walk towards the plant. Suddenly, the old members of the team seven stopped.

"Why stopped?" asked Rhaera. He didn't sense any danger so it must be what they saw that stopped them.

Sakura placed her hand in front of her mouth as if she was going to vomit. "This is…cruel." She had to think the right word for what she saw.

There was no other word that could match it. Many of the Blue Glow flowers died. It was no usual. The dead plants seemed to have their liquid drained out. Their color weren't golden brown as other dead leafs. It was black. As if the plants were burned by a hot fire but not hot enough to burn them into ashes.

Rhaera lowered his body. He kneeled on the ground as he touched the ground. His fingers touched some of the plants remnants. It felt so rough, fragile, and lifeless at the same time. He drew his fingers back. He didn't want to feel it. Feel the plants pain.

/Please…someone…/

Rhaera shook his head. No. That voice again. It seemed that Sakura and Naruto didn't hear it. Why was that? And whose voice it—

"Guys! Come here!" Naruto's voice broke his thought.

Sakura quickly went to Naruto's place. Rhaera stood up as he smelled another smell. The smell of blood. Why he didn't notice it back then? Then he realized that the Blue Glow plants' smell were too overwhelming.

If Sakura was a mere girl, she would scream in horror. What Naruto found were some human corpses. Some of the corpses wore ANBU uniform. But found ANBU, the elite ninjas, corpses wasn't the thing that made Sakura wanted to scream. It was the fact that their body condition was…scary. The ones that didn't wear ANBU uniforms were at the same condition as the plant. Meanwhile the ANBU were less horrifying but no better from the 'dried' ones. One of them had his mask fell from its place and revealing the owner's blank eyes but horrified expression.

Naruto checked one of the ANBU corpses. He frowned.

"Mmm… Sakura?" asked Naruto.

"Yes?"

"Don't you think this is… strange? I mean, died plants and human corpses; especially some of them are ANBU members. And this ANBU corpse," Naruto pointed his thumb to the corpse he checked earlier. "has his blood drained away. But I don't see any wound or something that caused blood loss…"

"Let me see." Sakura walked towards the corpse and examined the dead body carefully. It was a little helping that she was a medical ninja so she had to 'get along well' with biology and anatomy. Thus she has the right reason to not fear corpses. She checked the corpse carefully and found nothing else but the same thing Naruto found. What method the culprit(s) used? And what was the reason they did this?

Rhaera tensed and went into his fighting stance immediately. "Someone is coming."

Hearing that, the other two went alert and set their fighting stance. They didn't have to wait long to prove what Rhaera said. Sounds of footsteps were echoing through the cave. The footsteps didn't sound hard and rapid. So the owner must be walking. Not long, a figure came by. Sakura and Naruto recognized it as Shijirou. But it didn't ease them. Wasn't Shijirou came here as their rival of mission?

"Don't worry, I come here not for that mission…" Shijirou said as if he was reading their thoughts.

"Then what for? We came to this cave for this Blue Glow plant, right? How could you say that??" asked Naruto.

"How could I say that? It is because not until one hour ago my sensei ordered us including my team and yours to come back. I don't follow that Asuma kid because I still want to search that Blue Glow plant," Shijirou said without any lies.

"Why do you want to search the Blue Glow plant when there is no reason to do that?" asked Rhaera. He and the others didn't let go their alertness.

"Because if I buy; that plant is too expensive for my budget. By the way, I have a reason."

"Wait a minute. Why Asuma ordered us to come back? Something happens?" asked Naruto.

"Well—"

"AAAHHHH!!!" Sakura's voice interrupted Shijirou. All three males turned to see what the cause of that screaming.

Naruto gaped. "Oh my God."

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Ended on: December 20th 2004

You know, I'm beginning to think that the cause of lacking reviews is there's no Uchiha yet in action. Yeah, I know that. I'm an Uchiha fan too. But my favorite is Naruto and Yondaime. Damn Masashi-sensei. He should attach Yondaime a name. By the way, review please! And I shall work harder!