Great Saiyaman: Thanks I actually started this story at when the Manga was at this point.
Dcitychild: Wish Granted )
deedee2034: Sorry about the lack of action but I tried to spice this one up to make up for it.
At the same time that two boys, Naruto and Ryu,began a friendshipwhile they headed towards what was home and sleep, another boy woke from sleep, a boy who hoped to regain the friendship he'd ended three years ago, though at the moment he was more focused on his original goal of vengeance..
Uchiha Sasuke quickly rolled up the small cot he'd slept on for the previous few hours. He picked up the first article of clothing he'd left piled a few feet away. It was a pair of black pants similar to the ones Kakashi wore. Next he put on the dark skintight sleeveless shirt that outlined his muscular chest. Over this he wore a long-sleeved leather coat. Next he put on an old pair of sandals, and tied the shuriken holsters to his inner forarms.
He quickly disarmed the traps he'd set around himself, so he could sleep somewhat peacefully for a few hours. As soon as the traps were down he began erasing all traces of his presence there. The ashes were the fire had been were buried, any branches he'd broken were removed, and the dirt he'd scuffed up was brushed over. This goalaccomplished he stood on the edge of his camp near the Hidden Rain Village.
"Itachi. I'm coming for you." Hemuttered as he stepped away from the small forested area of his camp and into the plains that he knew eventually turned into the desert of the Wind country. He started walking and slowly his pace changed to a light jog, then he began to run, and finally he began to sprint.
The past three years of training under the Sannin Orochimaru, had changed him both mentally and physically. Under Orochimaru he'd been put through a hellish physical training regimen which, on a daily basis began with climbing to the top of a mountain that was two miles away from the compound where Orochimaru resided with one hundred pound weights on each arm and two hundred pound weights on each leg. When he returned from that warm up the real training began. It included sparing with as many as fifty opponents at once with the same weights on his arms and legs. Another training session involved a calisthenics workout with a jutsu cast on him that made his body's weight increase to ten times the norm.
As Sasuke ran his thoughts went over the last week or so. Orochimaru had asked him to come to his room, for his next mission. He was told to go to the Hidden Village of Rock and assassinate several leaders there, while at the same time make it look as if ninja's of the Hidden Mist had done it. He'd told Orochimaru that it would probably take him one month to do so properly. Orochimaru agreed and Sasuke had left. But had given explict orders not to take any longer than that.
Instead of going to Mist and finding someone that he could pin the assassination on he had headed straight for Hidden Sand. Earlier that same day he'd gained some information from one of Orochimaru's agents, about a plot by the Akatsuki to capture the Hidden Sand Kazekage. If members of Akatsuki were going to the Sand, the Sasuke planned to be there.
It took the average Shinobi two days to get from the Rain to the Hidden Village of Sand. Sasuke did it in a little over eight hours.
'First things first…' Sasuke said to himself, as he moved his way through the streets to the large somewhat circular building in the center of the city. He'd decided to warn the Kazekage first. Sasuke wasn't sure if he'd believe him but he had to do it anyway.
Shinobi were placed all around the complex but Sasuke had no real problem slipping by them, something that worried him. If it was this easy for him to slip by then how hard could it be formembers of the Akatsukitoinfultrate the place. Though his real reason for coming here was to get information from the Akatsuki members, he found that he didn't wish for anyone from this peaceful village injurd.
He made his way slowly through the large building, sneaking past guards and looking for the Kazekage's quarters. It took a while but eventually he found the large ornate room. Inside a man stood out on the balcony overlooking the village. Sasuke thought it was strange for someone to be awake at this hour, but it made his job easier none-the-less.
Sasuke made his way almost soundlessly towards the man on the balcony, but the man sensed his presence despite Sasuke's near perfect stealth. He turned almost imperceptibly as Sasuke stepped out onto the balcony, to stand a few feet from the man. He looked up at the moon for a moment before he turned to face the man. Sasuke was surprised, and the situation was instantly complicated. The black-ringed eyes pale green eyes of Sabaku no Gaara stared back at him, calm acknowledgement showing in his eyes.
"What are you doing here Uchiha Sasuke? The last information I had on you said you had gone to Orochimaru. Are you here on his business or your own?" Sasuke was silent for a moment as he looked back up at the half empty moon. He was somewhat surprised that Gaara hadn't attacked him on sight, since last time they'd met it had been on the field of battle. Then again, Sasuke musedfor him to have become Kazekage, he couldn't really be the same bloodthirsty maniac that he'd been before.
"I'm here to warn you," He said pausing before adding, "Of my own free will."
"Warn me?" Gaara answered slightly surprised though it didn't show in his eyes.
"The Akatsuki are coming for you. They are supposed to be here tomorrow." Gaara said nothing for a moment then he said without a trace of humor in his voice.
"I guess I'll just have to greet them personally when they arrive." As soon as Gaara's words left his mouth sand poured out of the gourd on his back and formed hundreds of eyes. The eyes scattered all in different directions. There would be no sneak attack on the Hidden Sand Village.
Sasori and Deidara walked slowly towards the pass that lead into Hidden Sand. It wasn't long before two figures became apparent there.
Sasuke and Gaara stood alonein the middle of the entrance to the pass. Neither of them looked happy.
"Leave now." Gaara said with no emotion in his voice.
"And if we don't?" Deidara asked with a smile playing on her lips. Sasuke smiled in return.
"We'll make you leave." He said as he activated his Sharingan.
"Ah… Itachi's brother…" Sasori said as he removed his wide brimmed hat to reveal the strange black ridges on the top of his black haired head. The only sign of Sasuke's hatred of that name was a small twitch in his hand.
"So… you do know something of my brother." Sasuke said quietly. "Tell me where he is and I'll let you leave alive."
Sasori simply laughed, a low cold laugh, not patronizing like Orochimaru's but detestable none-the-less.
"Deidara, capture the Jinchuuriki. I'll dispose of this brat." Sasori said. Deidara held out a clay bird in her hand with the same smile playing across her face. The bird hopped off of her palmand the woman's hands formed a seal. There was a burst of smoke and when the dust cleared a huge clay bird stood there. Deidara jumped onto the birds back and it took off into the blue sky above. Gaara wordlessly followed up on a cloud of sand.
Sasuke and Sasori were left on the ground facing one another. Sasuke continued to smile as Sasori stood motionless. Sasuke decided to see how the Akatsuki member could deal with taijutsu.
Sasuke charged forward, not nearly at full speed, but fast enough to make Sasori cautious. He was justwithin twelve feet of the squat man when he saw a blur through the Sharingan. Sasuke skidded to a halt and back flipped all in less than an instant. Before him imbedded in the sand was a long tail made of flat and spherical parts that fit together almost like the pieces of a puzzle. While normal sight might not be enough to see it, Sasuke could see lines of chakra connecting the pieces.
"So… you're a puppet master…" Sasuke muttered. Sasori said nothing instead he stood there watching Sasuke for any sign of his next move. Sasuke rushed him again, faster this time, trying to get a gauge of just how fast that tail move.
The tail lashed out again and Sasuke knew that without the Sharingan there would have been now way for him to dodge. Sasuke tried to move in for a strike but was forced back each time by the wild strikes of the tail.
"This could be interesting…"
Up high in the air Gaara and Deidara faced each other. Without any warning sand closed in from all directions. Deidara's large bird was hard pressed to escape the walls of sand that threatened to crush both it and it's strange artistic mistress.
Soon after escaping the prison of sand, Deidara sent two crane-like sculptures back at Gaara, who instantly encased himself in the sand blocking the explosions. Only the eye of sand above the sand showed him what was happening around him. Gaara decided to bring up some reinforcements. Raising his arms within the shell, he raised thousands of tons of sand from the complete opposite side of the town and brought it to him. Given a choice he would have brought it up from direct underneath him, but there was to much danger to Sasuke in that.
Forming the gigantic arms of Shukaku, the sand rushed towards Deidara who was left with only one option for the moment. Run.
While Garra was obviously in control of his own battle, Sasuke was having trouble. For all his speed and agility, nothing he threw at the puppet master worked. Throughout the enite battle the only time the man hadmoved waswhen Sasuke had launchedhis Goukakyuu no jutsu, towards him. He'd dodged away and all the attack had succeeded in was turning the sand where the man had stood to glass.
Now Sasuke knelt on the ground just out of reach of that long whip-like tail. He looked down at the ground before him where there was a line drawn in the sand, where Sasori had missed in an attack. Inside was some kind of gooey liquid, with the consistency of something like green honey. It took Sasuke onlya moment to realize just what it was. Poison.
That moment a plan shot through Sasuke's mind, and he knew how to win this fight. The Only problem was it would likely loose him any chance to get any information from his brother.
Sasuke burst into motion charging, towards the squat man. Sasuke watched for the tail to snap into his vision and when it did instead of dodging it, he grabbed onto the end of it. As soon as he had a grip he concentrated his chakra onto the very last piece of the tail, the spade shaped spike trying to disrupt the chakra that Sasori used to hold it together. It loosened and Sasuke through it before Sasori really knew what had happened. After acomplishing this Sasuke simply couldn't hold on anymore and was smashed against the ground like a rag doll. Despite this the attack succeded.
Sasori tried to dodge, but the spikejust barely grazed theside of his face. Sasuke lay in the sand a few feet away, in pain from the fall but not so much that his couldn't look up at Sasori withgrin. Sasori glared back at him and began to back away.
"Deidara!" he yelled as his face began to sweat from the effects of the poison. "We're leaving." Deidara swooped down still trying to dodge the sand arms and Sasori jumped onto the bird.
"We'll be back." Sasori said.
"We'll be ready." Gaara said as he landed next to Sasuke who still lay on the gorund. The huge arms of sand dissolved and fell back to the sands.
"Please, Gaara. Follow them." Sasuke said. Gaara nodded andoneeye of sand was form andfollowed thepair of black cloaked figures,out into the desert.
"I'll be back in a little over a month to see what you learn. Please tell no one I was here." Sasuke said. As he stood and walked away.
"As you wish. I owe you that much." Gaara said.
"Thank you." Sasuke said as he walked off into the burning sands in the direction of Konoha.
Small change of pace here. I'm sorry that Gaara's fight didn't have much to it but he has a very hard style to write about. Anyway I hope you enjoyed it and I'll try to continue ASAP.
