Author's Notes Sorry for the long update- my parents decided we were to take an unexpected trip down to the USA… Anyways, thanks so much for the reviews! The criticism was well thought of and I took all of your words to heart. On to the next chapter! WHOOP! (Note: This chapter contains a LOT of spoilers that may ruin the anime, as some techniques are only used in the manga so far. Happy reading!)
Also a note concerning how one scene in chapter one sort of matched one of the scenes the author Blackbelt wrote in one of her stories: Oh my. I didn't mean to do that! O.O' I revised chapter one and re-posted it so the whole scene is now different (plus, there's a tiny bit more action in the fight scenes). Sorry for the…er, likeness and confusion.
Disclaimer: I do not own any part of the manga/anime: Naruto.
Reviewers are listed at the bottom, as well as notes. Thanks for reviewing!
Chapter Two- And It Begins…
Sakura looked at her former teammate and inwardly groaned when she saw that he grew, if it were possible, ever more handsomer than the last time she was him. His face held a more angular shape, and even though his hair was kept the same, it seemed glossier than the last time she saw him.
No longer was the Uchiha fan on his back. Instead of his usual attire, he wore a black fishnet shirt, with a navy muscle shirt over top. His pants were cropped short, and like everything else, black. Silver leg guards protected his shins and covered the back of his black sandals.
Sasuke smirked as he saw Sakura's eyes travel down his body. "Like what you see?"
The kunoichi growled and sped towards Sasuke, aiming at his head.
Sasuke smirked and easily dodged her attack. 'Sliding' around her (Sakura gasped at his gracefulness), Sasuke grabbed the hand holding the kunai and twisted it around her back, holding it there. Placing his body sideways so she couldn't kick him, Sasuke nuzzled the side of her neck. "Mmm… you smell delicious." He whispered.
Sakura jerked her head to the side and growled. With her free hand, she elbowed Sasuke's ribs. Hearing a gratifying 'umph' from the man, Sakura took advantage of the distraction to rip free of his grasp and leap away.
Holding his sides, Sasuke clenched his jaw from the pain. Putting on his trademark smirk, he said softly, "Ah. So you've gotten stronger. Excellent…" Striding slowly towards Sakura, he noted, with some satisfaction, that she backed away in fear. 'Like a mouse trapped by a cat.' He thought.
Backing up into a tree, Sakura knew that she had nowhere to run. Gritting her teeth together with frustration, she took out three shuriken, placing them between her fingers. Making hand seals, she created two clones.
Smirking, she flung the shuriken at Sasuke and using the diversion to her advantage, quickly disappeared below ground.
Sasuke easily avoided the shuriken, but frowned when he noticed that his cherry blossom wasn't anywhere in sight. Concentrating hard, his frown deepened. 'Hn, concealed her chakra. Clever girl…' he thought.
Travelling underground, Sakura spotted Sasuke's chakra. Reaching up to grasp his leg, she gave it a hard yank. "Doton Shinjuu Zanshuu no Jutsu! Inner Decapitation Skill!"
Sasuke's eyes widened when he was suddenly submersed below ground with only his head visible. Grinning, he said, "Almost!" And disappeared into a log.
Clenching her fists together in frustration, Sakura sighed and calmed down. 'Perfect chakra control.' She thought, and placed her hands together in the ram seal. Concealing her chakra once more, Sakura tensed when she couldn't sense Sasuke anywhere.
"Above you!" Sasuke's voice called out, as he unleashed plumes of fire from his mouth.
Glaring, she placed her palm on the ground. "Suiton: Suijinheki! Water Element: Water Barrier Wall!" A great wall of water rose up from the ground and circled Sakura in a swirling motion. Sasuke's fire attacks instantly dissolved into steam as they were blocked.
Landing on both his feet, the Uchiha watched as the water dissipated, and the ground soaked it up. "Nice trick. But can you do it again?" he asked playfully. Sakura's eyes narrowed at the tone of his voice. He was right though. She was low on chakra after completing the previous jutsus, and before that, all the healing she did to help out the Leaf.
Her chest heaved when she realized that she might not be able to defend any further. 'I have to go for the offence. But how can I get close? I can tell by the high amount of chakra he has, there's a big gap in our skill level.' She thought, and glanced around her for any sign of an allied shinobi. Seeing none, she inwardly groaned.
"Ah, I see you've noticed that we're very much alone." He chuckled, his voice implying something more. Sakura shivered.
Sliding back into a stance similar to the Hyuuga's 'Jyuuken' style, Sakura ran full tilt towards Sasuke. Bringing back her fist, she concentrated chakra into the palm of her hand. Tapping Sasuke lightly on the shoulder, she released the concentrated chakra into his body. She may not have the Hyuuga's bloodline, but she could still do damage.
Sasuke grimaced in pain as she flipped away… before turning into smoke.
"Kage bunshin." She spat. Looking wildly around she froze. Tilting her head around she saw that the missing-nin had snuck up behind her.
"Surprise." He whispered, and with a flurry of hand seals, Sasuke grinned. Placing his index finger on her forehead, he lightly tapped his finger on her pale skin.
Almost instantly, Sakura was out like a light.
---
Ducking the twin blades that the two Sound-nins swung at him, Hatake Kakashi leapt away. 'Shit. All this strain I'm putting on my sharingan, I don't know how long my body can keep up,' he thought, 'I only have one shot at this. Better make it count…' Backing up a good distance away from the two, Kakashi made a series of complicated hand seals. Concentrating a high level of chakra into his hand, Kakashi looked up and smirked at Gagi and San.
Rushing towards them, leaving a large trench in his wake, the Copycat ninja shoved his arm into Gagi's body, using the sharingan to predict his movement. He was shocked when he managed to dodge it. 'What the…!' his thought was cut off as his back was slammed into the ground. As the chirping sound dissolved into thin air, Kakashi looked up and saw San standing on his back, sneering. "The activation of the body to concentrate a high amount of chakra into the arm, then focusing on speed and thrust. A useless attack against us." She stated. The kunoichi shook her head before jumping up slightly and kicking the Jounin hard in the kidneys, sending him back a good hundred feet away.
Clutching his sides Kakashi shakily stood up. Grasping his knees for support, he coughed up blood, spilling it on his clothes and onto the ground. 'Damn it! My time is running out. My body is too torn from using up too much chakra for my sharingan, I can't move.' He thought, and winced.
Gagi and San wore identical smirks as they pointed the tips of their swords at the jounin. 'This is it.' The Copy-nin thought.
The two Sound-nins smiled and ran full speed at Kakashi. San let out a battle cry. Suddenly, a green blur appeared in front of the two, and kicked the blades. Shards of metal fell off the swords and made a soft 'tinkle' when they hit the ground. Their eyes widened when their attack was intercepted by…
"The essence of YOUTH!" the green blob, er, man shouted, shocking San and Gagi. San eyed the green suit with disgust, "Surely this guy has better taste in fashion." She gagged.
In front of Kakashi stood Gai in his 'nice-guy' pose. His teeth sparkled in the sunlight that filtered through the canopy of trees; his bowl-shaped haircut glistened (Gagi wondered how much gel it took to make it that shiny) with the sun's reflection.
"My eternal rival, Kakashi-sempai! We meet yet again on the battlefield! May youth prevail!" he stated proudly, as he grinned. Kakashi rolled his eyes, and nodded slightly in greeting. The tai-jutsu expert grinned and settled in his battle stance. Wagging his hand forward, Gai's expression changed into one of seriousness. "Come." He taunted.
---
On top of the Hokage Mountain, stood two figures dressed in black cloaks, decorated with red clouds outlined in white.
Uchiha Itachi, one of the last surviving Uchiha, surveyed Konoha with impassive sharingan eyes, and observed the summoned snakes from Sound destroying the city, while Leaf ninjas valiantly fought back.
"Do you miss you old home?" the man beside him asked. Strapped on his back was a giant sword covered with bandages. His face looked like one of a shark's. His name was Kisame, Itachi's partner and a member of the shark clan from the Hidden Mist.
Itachi glanced at Kisame, "Iie." Turning around, he walked away leaving a slightly amused Kisame behind. Cloak billowing behind him, the Uchiha closed his eyes. He thought about their mission. 'Stage one: complete.'
---
Tsunade shouted out directions to the panicking shinobi and citizens below her. She sighed when one of Orochimaru's snakes burst through one of the Southern gates.
"Hokage-sama!" A shinobi with a sparrow mask shoved his way through the panicking citizens. Gasping, he handed her a piece of paper relaying the current damage done to Konoha.
Nodding to the ANBU, the Fifth glared "Leave." She snapped at the sparrow-masked ANBU. The sparrow-masked shinobi tilted his head to the side in confusion before disappearing in a puff of smoke.
Sighing, the Hokage ran her fingers through her platinum blonde hair. "Good evening Orochimaru. And what, pray tell, did I do to deserve this special visit?" she said sarcastically. Turning around she came face to face with her old teammate.
The snake sannin inclined his head with amusement. "My dear, dear Tsunade-chan… It's been a long time, ne?"
Tsunade scowled, "It has, hasn't it? I see you've re-claimed the use of your arms. Tell me, why do you want Konoha? You've already got the Uchiha, why do you want the city?" she asked, and crossed her arms over her large chest.
"Ah yes. The Third's curse was a big problem a first, but nothing a new container couldn't handle," he chuckled, "Why I want Konoha? Well, it's a building block for the start of my new reign over all the countries."
Tsunade glared at her former teammate. "You're mad." She said simply, before she made a sweep in front of her with her hand. A blue chakra blade sprang from her hand and slashed across Orochimaru's chest.
The sannin hissed and made a bout of hand seals. A purple barrier appeared in front of him, successfully blocking Tsunade's attack.
The Fifth watched the barrier with slight interest. "New tricks? Excellent. More of a challenge!" she barked, and pounded the ground with her chakra-filled fist. A large crack appeared under the snake sannin. He looked up in alarm before the crevice filled itself up, covering him with a large amount of soil.
Tsunade huffed and observed the packed dirt. "Geez. That was a disappointment…"
"Wrong." Twitching, Tsunade felt a warm substance trailing down her neck.
Twirling around, sending her pigtails flying, Tsunade gritted her teeth. A perfect replica of the Orochimaru she just killed stepped out of the shadows of the Hokage Tower. "A new clone technique. Been developing it for quite some time now." He hissed and licked his lips, which were covered in a red liquid.
Grasping her neck, Tsunade examined her fingers. "Blood…" she said softly, her eyes widening to the size of saucers. Placing her hand to her forehead, she closed her eyes as a sudden feeling of dizziness washed over her.
The snake sannin watched her with mock concern. "Aw. Is poor little Tsunade-chan gonna faint because of a little blood?" he said. Walking towards her, he cupped her chin with his pallid hand. "Now, it's your turn to feel the pain that I felt all of these years." He stated coldly. Releasing her chin he stepped back, and observed her disinterestedly.
"I've always wanted you, Tsunade. Ever since we were Genins, you were mine. But then that all changed when Dan," he spat the name out with disgust, "took you away from me. So, I killed him. I comforted you, I supported you, and did you offer me your affection? No. So, my dear, it's your turn to feel the pain."
Tsunade looked up weakly at Orochimaru and glared, "You killed him? Why?"
The snake sannin scoffed, "He was worthless anyways; a weak ninja. He was never worth enough to be in your presence." Sliding his sword out of his mouth, Orochimaru pointed it at his former teammate. "Goodbye." He said sarcastically.
The Fifth gritted her teeth and braced herself for the blow… that never came.
"Don't touch her!" Ground out the person standing in front of her, holding back the sword with the kunai in his hands. The faint whisker lines on his face were more prominent than they were normally, and although his eyes were a deep azure in colour, they glowed a bright red, reflecting his rage.
Tsunade nearly cried when she saw that, yet again, Naruto had saved her life.
Orochimaru looked at the Kyuubi container with interest, "Ah yes, the Nine Tails container. Pity your body is too weak to possess." He stated.
Naruto snarled at the sannin and pushed the katana back with such force, that Orochimaru staggered a little.
Straightening up, he viewed the blonde. Clasping his hands together, he slammed them on the ground.
Clenching his teeth, Naruto twisted his body to the right as the shockwave of sound (( A/N: Ha ha! Get it? Heh. My sad attempt at a joke…)) blasted away the ground that he was previously standing on. Crossing his hands in a cross shape, he shouted, "Kage Bunshin no jutsu! Shadow Clone Technique!" Multitudes of Narutos surrounded the original. Smirking, the fox boy pointed at the sannin.
Orochimaru licked his lips and slashed at the first wave of clones, which disappeared in a large cloud of smoke. "You think you can defeat me with shadow replicas?" he inquired over the noise of the dissipating clones.
"No, but maybe with this, I can!"
Peering over the thick mist, Orochimaru's eyes widened slightly. Two Narutos stood at the side. One was holding a swirling mass of red chakra; another one was spinning it around in the hand of the holder.
Grinning like a fool, the two Narutos sped towards Orochimaru. Grunting, the real Naruto used the clone as leverage to pinpoint the place of his attack. Letting out a loud battle cry, Naruto shouted, "Rasengan!" and pushed the swirling ball of concentrated chakra into the torso of Orochimaru.
The sannin was sent flying off the railing of the Hokage Tower and onto the ground below.
Spitting out blood, Orochimaru wiped his mouth and glared at the boy standing on the railing of the tower, smirking. Clasping his hands together in the snake seal, Orochimaru hissed.
Stretching his head, his grunted as his neck expanded. The sannin's teeth enlarged to great proportions, dripping with what looked liked venom.
Naruto gulped and immediately tried to flee away from the attacking head. 'Damn it!' he thought, as he tripped on one of the steps of the staircase. Landing on his knee, Naruto quickly scrambled off the ground. 'If I concentrate all of my chakra to my feet, the most I can do is run away. I can't get on the offence without killing myself…' He grunted as Orochimaru dove at his ankles. Jumping off the ground, he arched his back and flipped upwards.
Landing on the red shingles of the Tower, he reached into his waist pouch and pulled out a blue scroll with the kanji for 'water' on it. Unrolling the battered parchment with care, Naruto bit his thumb hard enough to draw blood. 'You'd better answer this call, you guys.' He thought, and spread his thumb across the unrolled parchment. A white plume of smoke engulfed the area, and Naruto waved it away impatiently with his hand.
Orochimaru looked amused, "Hm, summoning?" he thought aloud, tapping his chin with his finger.
Five members of the ANBU appeared beside Naruto, each wearing a mask representing an animal. Turning towards the blonde, the one in the owl mask, his voice muffled by the mask, said, "Captain. You called us?" Naruto nodded.
"Hai. We've cornered Orochimaru. I want you to summon as many fellow ANBUs as you can to catch this son of a bitch. He murdered the Third, and tried to assassinate the Fifth. It's payback." He growled.
The sannin sighed, "You really think you can catch me? You're poorly mistaken." He hissed at the shinobi and made a one-handed seal. Thick drops of venom gushed from his mouth. Spitting it out, it landed on an ANBU with a weasel mask. The ninja immediately cried out in pain as it dissolved his skin and clothes. Orochimaru laughed.
The remaining ANBU members clenched their hands together, either in frustration, or in fear, and prepared their assault on the snake sannin. The one with the owl mask voiced his anger and sprinted head long towards the sannin, aiming to cut the muscle connecting the arm to the shoulder. He yelled out a string of curses when Orochimaru sidestepped so fluidly, that it appeared he was dancing.
"I'm genuinely surprised that the Leaf ANBU couldn't do any more than this."
The owl-masked shinobi growled at him and launched another attack. Whipping out four shuriken, he tossed them at Orochimaru, while making an array of hand seals. "Shuriken Kage Bunshin no jutsu! Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique!" Multitudes of shuriken made their way towards the snake ninja- all of them very real.
Smirking, Orochimaru used his katana and reflected the weapons back at the user.
The ANBU gasped slightly when his own tools were propelled back at him. Ducking slightly, he made the seals, ram, tiger, ram, ox, horse,and dog, and then slammed his palms on the ground. "Fuuton: Fuusajin no jutsu! Wind element: Dust Winds Technique!" A large gust of wind pelted towards Orochimaru in a wave of earth and wind.
The sannin narrowed his eyes as bits of dirt, sand, and grass covered him from head to toe. He barely had any warning as a quick punch made it's way towards his stomach. Grunting, he whirled around, bringing his leg up to kick the attacker. The owl-masked ANBU grunted when the kick made contact on his shins.
The remaining ANBU sprinted at the sannin, crying out, "Taren Ken! Match Punch!" An array of fast-moving punches came flying towards Orochimaru.
The snake sannin's eyes darted back and forth, trying to decipher where the main attack was coming from. 'Damn it!' he thought, as all three shinobi managed to hit him in the jaw.
Flying back and landing roughly on his knees, Orochimaru spat out three bloody teeth. Wiping his chin with the back of his hand, he smiled. Seeing a sudden flash of light in the distance, he glanced in the direction where the North gate was, and grinned cynically. "Well, sorry I couldn't stay longer! I have some very important business to take care of!" he cackled, and disappeared in a plume of purple smoke.
The rat-masked ANBU swore, and punched the evaporating smoke with her fist.
The four ANBU glanced at their teammate who looked like he had been brutally skinned and sliced up; they covered him with his jacket and removed his mask. Looking at each other, they nodded and sprinted off to help the rest of the Leaf defend against the Sound.
---
Landing beside the shocked Tsunade, he heaved one of her arms over his shoulder and used it to help her up. "Come on Tsunade baa-chan! You can't die now!" he huffed. Jumping onto the top floor of the Hokage Tower, he propelled himself off the roof and on to the house next door. Continuing the process, Naruto looked back to see if they were being followed. When he saw no one, he determined that it was safe to stop.
The Fifth looked at Naruto, "You saved me again…"
"Of course! What was I going to do? Leave you?" he laughed harshly. Dropping down to the ground, he set Tsunade down. "There. Neji's squad should be here shortly, until then, stay hidden." He smiled lightly at her, and then placed his fox mask back on his face. Waving slightly to the Hokage, Naruto sprinted off towards the West gate.
Tsunade sighed and leaned back on the building behind her. Placing a hand on her aching head and closing her eyes, she thought about how stupid she was for getting herself, almost, killed. 'But if it wasn't for Naruto, I would have.' She thought ruefully, 'He'll be a better Hokage than I am one day.'
Propping her hand on her chin, she fell into a light sleep. Snapping her eyes open, she tenses. A slight rustle of leaves could be heard in the forest just beyond the fenced gates that surrounded Konoha. Squinting her eyes, she gasped as she spotted a flash of black and red hidden in the trees. 'The Akatsuki!' she thought, and stood up. When she looked closer, they were gone.
---
"He's here. We should move out now…"
"Hai." Sharingan eyes viewed the fox boy with interest. 'We meet again, Naruto-kun.'
Moving swiftly and silently through the foliage, the two members of the Akatsuki easily caught up with the Kyuubi carrier.
Landing in front of the startled blonde, Kisame smirked. Unlatching the belt that held his sword in place, he swung it over his shoulder and pointed it at Naruto. Dragging it on the ground, the bandages covering the sword were instantly shredded to pieces, leaving the sword uncovered. "Say hello to my beauty, Samehada." He said, and patted the hilt of the sword affectionately. The blonde looked quizzically at the weapon.
Itachi nodded to Kisame. "Remember, do not kill him. Bring him back in one piece." Standing back, he watched the battle ensue.
Kisame smirked, "Sure…" and propelled his sword at the ANBU.
Naruto gaped. He didn't even see the shark-man move his arm!
The Kyuubi-carrier grunted and sidestepped out of the way, watching as the sword missed him. "Ha! You missed!" he taunted, but realized his mistake when Kisame's sword flew back into his hand. "What the hell? Fu…" he ducked as the giant sword covered in many spikes grazed his shoulder. 'This sword's not meant for slicing, it's meant for shearing the opponent!' he thought. Coving his bleeding arm with his hand, he panted. 'What the hell! My chakra…'
Grinning like a maniac (not that he isn't one already), Kisame propped his sword in the ground and began making a flurry of hand seals. "Mizu Bunshin no Jutsu! Mist Shadow Clone Technique!" Two Kisames appeared beside the original. "Ah, so you've noticed. My sword just isn't for cutting, but this little beauty can suck up as much chakra as I want it to." He smirked.
"HA! You think you can beat me with that?" Naruto said, crossing his arms, confidence shining in his azure eyes. Mentally, he was panicking. 'Shit! He's a member of the Akatsuki, plus Itachi's here! Even with three Jounins fighting against them, they were no match. Fuck! I'm low on chakra after fighting all those Sound-nins, plus Oro-' He cried out as one of the bunshins somehow managed to sneak up behind him and cut the area behind his knees. Falling to the ground and landing on his face, he cursed.
The shark-man grinned, "Are you sure this is the right boy, Itachi? For someone who has the power of the Nine-Tails, he sure is weak!" he mocked.
The blonde coughed and shakily sat up. Glancing at his torn legs, he assessed the damage. 'Muscle tissue is torn at the knee… That bastard! I can't move!' he rolled out of the way as one of the clones tried to skin his arm.
Itachi closed his eyes, "Kisame. Enough. You've already damaged him more than we needed to. He won't be pleased." Opening his eyes, he strode towards the Kyuubi carrier and squatted in front of him.
Looking him straight in the eye and glaring defiantly, the blonde watched as the three pinwheels in the Uchiha's eyes spun rapidly around in the center, before expanding into three points. 'This seems familiar…' he thought, but before he could decipher what it was, he blacked out.
Standing up and brushing his cloak, Itachi nodded to Kisame. "Contact the others. We're leaving." Bending his knees slightly, the Uchiha bounded off into the depths of the forest.
Kisame smirked and hoisted the limp container over his shoulder. Nodding to his bunshins to contact the rest of the Organization, he disappeared into the foliage after his partner. "Part Two of the Mission: Complete." He said softly.
---
"We've received information that Uchicha-san and Hoshigaki-san have found the Kyuubi. Contact Deidara- we're moving out." A raspy voice spoke out from the shadows and licked his lips. Pulling his cloak tighter around his deformed body, he disappeared in a swirl of leaves.
The five other Akatsuki bowed slightly and vanished from Konoha's gates.
To be continued…Author's Notes: Hehe, and that's chapter two! For some reason, the fight with Orochimaru and Naruto/Tsunade wasn't satisfactory- in my mind. I dunno. Tell me what you think and review! .- Oh, and about Gai/Kakashi's fight: That'll be next chapter… . '
On to Reviews! (Signed reviews will be bolded, anonymous will be normal.)
Shang: Really? I believe there are a few more stories out there with Naruto as an ANBU member… Well, glad I could be your first? Lol! Thanks, I'll try to improve my fight scenes. I can see they really need work… -cringe- Thanks for the review! I hope this chapter is more improved than the last in fight scenes.
Tsuki Angel: Ahhhh! Sorry for the confusion! I revised chapter one and edited it ((psst: There's a tiny bit more action in the fight scenes aswell…)) Thanks for noticing- I wouldn't want to steal other people's ideas.. ( Thanks for the review!
Des: Glad you like it! Thanks for the review! Stay tuned for Chapter 3! X3
Kimi: Ahhhhh! O.O I totally forgot that Lee has no chakra (do you know why?). Geez I have to pay attention to what I type. These fingers have a mind of their own. Glad you like the story! Thanks for the review.
Gothbrat: Hehe! I'm glad that my story interests you… I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Thanks for the review.
Susakuru: Thanks! (I have fans! Rofl!) I really do hope this chapter was to your satisfaction… / Thanks for the review! Lol!
Kurama-kawai: Glad you're enjoying the story so far! .- Hope you enjoyed this instalment! Thanks for the review!
RunRAMENrun: OMG! I totally love your pen-name! Reminds me so much of our loveable Naruto! . 10/10! You really like my story that much? –gasp- I'm so honoured! –blushes- I'm glad that you like it! I hope yo enjoyed this chapter… Chapter 3 will (hopefully) be up soon! Thanks for the review!
NOTE: I'm still looking for a BETA to read over my work. If you are interested, please send me an e-mail or state so in a review (you MUST have an e-mail address so I can contact you.). Thanks again, you guys/gals! You ROCK!