Ch.9

Hunger

Orochimaru hadn't been seen out of his house in quite a while and it was reported that his 'condition' had gotten worse…people worried…he laughed.

Knives and various other surgical objects were strewn around his 'lab' which was built under his house originally for storing supplies such as food and things from his past…it now stored the bodies and parts of his unfortunate victims.

He looked up from his work on a small child who he had snatched from just outside the school where he had once learned, this child had apparently been the most knowledgeable in his class…that knowledge was his now.

He wiped his forehead with a bloody hand and set down his scalpel and looked around at the various jars lining the walls, each containing something different and placed properly on their shelves, he really didn't mind that the basement under his house was damp…for it actually branched off from the sewer system bellow Konoha… "What an evil place for a lair" he laughed to himself… "Hah…I crack me up."

In Konoha tension among people had risen and the number of people missing still rose in count…Sarutobi even resorted to the summoning of ANBU for it also seemed that even some of their members had gone missing the exact same way. The Leader of the ANBU stood before him refusing to relax in these times and stand instead "Sarutobi…have you any idea who could be doing this? We have received word that people have been acting strangely lately…even one of our own has fallen ill and yet still refuses to get medical help…does this not strike you as odd?" Sarutobi looked up under the brim of his hat which he had felt better wearing for the time… "Takeda…you can't be serious…I have known…YOU have known him since he was a boy as well."

The man called Takeda sighed behind his bird like mask "I know…"

Sarutobi walked out of his office after remembering to send Yondaime out to his mother for it wasn't safe even here…Now after talking at length with Takeda he was forced to agree to having two ANBU escorts with him at all times…even when he went out on visits to see how Tsunade and Jiraiya were doing for after all they had grown older not only in body as this whole thing was proceeding but in mind…they had grown up too quickly for his likening…

The worst case involving a mission in which all three of the Sannin had gone, Tsunade…had lost her little brother and a man she had cared deeply for…he knew it must have been harder than anything but instead of completely breaking down as he thought she would her resolve just hardened and she became closed off to almost everyone around her…trouble only followed. He sighed and looked up at the sky; filling up his pipe with sweet herbs and taking a long drag on it as if in thought and blowing out a cloud of soft smoke…

"Untouchable…" he muttered getting a strange look from one of the two ANBU beside him "This person…must be stopped" then without a second thought shifted his pipe to the side of his mouth and started running slightly surprising his escorts with his speed, he would find out who was behind this…

He had heard that Jiraiya had come back earlier this afternoon from a mission and he went to visit him, Jiraiya over the time as he said had gotten older and now looked a lot older than twenty years of age…Jiraiya was slightly alarmed at the sight of the ANBU but after a few minutes of explaining he let Sarutobi and the two into his house and made some tea.

"So" Jiraiya gruffed obviously still surprised by the visit of his sensei who he knew must be an incredibly busy man himself "Is their something wrong? Another mission...is…" he looked down at the steaming cups of green tea, seeing his sad expression reflected back at him "is Tsunade alright?" Sarutobi looked up at him as he set the tray of tea on the heated table in the middle of the sitting room, it was true…Jiraiya hadn't seen her since that mission with all of them…Sarutobi smiled lightly " yes…she's fine…it took her a while but she's doing fine."

"Oh.." he smiled and saw a little blonde head poke his head from the corner…hey squirt come in here, I'm not gonna call you the fourth yet cause your just a candidate but you don't have to spy on us.

Sarutobi blinked and then burst in to laughter "I didn't even see you there young one…geez Jiraiya what HAVE you been teaching him?"

The now thirteen year old Yondaime came out and poked out his tongue at Jiraiya "yeah? And just because you're older doesn't mean I'm gonna call you 'Sensei'! "He laughed and Sarutobi watched them argue…It's nice that someone can still laugh around here, he thought…it is a comforting sound.

He looked seriously at Yondaime and Jiraiya, most especially at Jiraiya

"I'm trying to track down this person who has suddenly become the complete bane of Konoha…everything is in chaos because of this one person and I need to find out who it is…I may need your help but then again…" he looked over at the serious faced Yondaime who was trying to ask about the safety of the other two in his team, Jirobu and Ida…ah the other two that Jiraiya was training…he looked back at Jiraiya trying to not let himself be distracted " no" he huffed at the strangely silent Jiraiya " you have your own things you need to accomplish…I am the third and as so I have to put an end to this unnecessary killing."

He stood motioning to the two ANBU who had situated themselves near the door, ready at all times…good he would need that kind of determination as well, he turned but right before he did so he gave Jiraiya a stern look followed by a kind smile " take care of them Jiraiya…" Jiraiya nodded knowing who he meant and ruffled the hair of a confused Yondaime. "Hai, Sensei…"

Sarutobi left from Jiraiya's house also in quite a bit of a hurry, the ANBU by now were used to this and so kept up the pace a couple feet behind him keeping their eyes open for anything strange that would tip a clue to the kidnaper or where this person might be hiding out for they didn't know whether this was a woman or a man, and yet even when he knew so very little he was used to doing things like this…no doubt he would find this person. He ran on.

The day got longer and search parties and groups of ANBU swarmed everywhere looking for the missing people and the culprit…still yet to be found.

"Damn" Sarutobi sighed and then shaking his head he called it a day and went of course with his escorts back to the tower and sat in his office, everything was making no sense to him…a person that could vanish with a person at whim must be a ninja of high rank…but whom?...He shrugged his shoulders still kind of stiff from traveling around all day with a pack on his back of supplies for if they by chance found one of the missing ninja and him or her was injured…but they never needed it, extra weight.

He looked down at some scrolls on his desk that had been written and re written many times, crosses indicated peoples names that were missing from Konoha…the list of the residents was a long a cumbersome thing to toil with but it was crucial to the mission if he was to find any link between all of the bodies…he really had wanted to find at least if unfortunately one of their bodies so he could bring it to Tsunade at the medical clinic and find the cause of death which would ultimately lead to the killer…but no luck on this either.

He grouched again and pulled out his pipe, even too tired to stuff it he just chewed on the mouth piece in grinding frustration.

As he was about to check up on the list again he heard something that made him jump out of his chair and immediately draw a weapon…someone was screaming. He closed his eyes as he whipped off the hat that marked him as the Hokage and his long cloak to show that through all this he had been wearing his full battle armor…he reached in a drawer in his desk and swiftly donned the armored hat with the symbol of Konoha on the front and then opening his eyes again he found four ANBU kneeling in a circle around his desk…he nodded at them and they leaped out the balcony window after him to find the cause of the scream.

They ran with great speed but even then the four ANBU that had proceeded out the window after Sarutobi found out just HOW fast he could run when provoked…only the shining of the moon made them visible…Sarutobi's forehead protector and four eerie looking animal masks…a bird…a monkey…a dragon and a horse. Sarutobi skidded to a halt where a young woman was shaking in the street; a basket which looked like she had thrown it to protect herself was lying some feet away; violet and yellow primroses littering the stone street…a flower girl. The girl looked up frightened at their sudden approach but then calmed down when she realized she was staring into the face of the third Hokage… "Oh sir! It was horrible!" she exclaimed, tears running down her pretty face and her short red hair bobbing up and down with her shivering.

The four ANBU members spread out and searched around for any suspicious things lurking around and Sarutobi knelt beside the young girl, laying a comforting hand on her thin shoulder and then noticing a shallow gash on her left arm "what happened? Can you tell me Chio?" she looked up, her green eyes surprised that he the Hokage knew her name for she was just a nobody gennin compared… "Y-yes…I was going home and a person" she pointed at a disturbed sewer cover which was a few feet away as well " came out of there and tried to grab me but I threw my flower basket at the person and it dodged it and cut me and then it heard something and ran away…"

Fresh tears started to pour down her rosy cheeks and he patted her head and then stood up looking sternly at the sewer cover as if he was reprimanding it for allowing to be disturbed… "So…" he mumbled, scratching his beard "this is where you were…of all places…"

He alerted the ANBU as he took the girl to her house and then stopped looking again at the sewer cover "Now" he said looking at the ANBU we know this person came out of but didn't know where that person had gone…for Chio had said that it didn't go back into the sewers."

He glared down at it for a while and then turning he ran back to the place he called home, the ANBU scattering around to search the streets to see if the culprit had tried another of the main streets to get away from his pursuers…however as Sarutobi went back he began to get worried…Chio had said that the person had stopped attacking her and ran…could it have heard them coming from THAT far away?...it was absurd but…He shook his head and then with a slight grimace started to form a plan in his mind.

Orochimaru sighed as he climbed easily into a tall tree having been startled out of his capture of the flower girl who as he had noted had a certain talent for growing things that were useful…a talent only shared by the first Hokage…he had almost had her when he had heard the patter of footsteps from the direction of the Hokage's tower…he had cursed and turned tail on the girl…he would most likely never get another chance at her for Sarutobi was clever and would make sure an extra few of those pesky ANBU were at her side.

"No matter" he thought as the wind howled through the streets tousling his long black hair playfully as he did a back flip from the tree he was in and landed easily on the bough of a large ginko tree, sending a shower of yellowish green leaves to the sky. He took a deep breath of the crisp winter night air and turned slowly vanishing into the night…after all… his lips curved into a sharp sneer… "I have work to do."

Chio the flower girl had indeed gone home and sat in her room polishing her forehead protector until it was shiny and clean when she stopped and noticed a bruise under her right eye… "EYES!" she squeaked and dropped the forehead protector "I forgot to tell him that the person had really creepy gold eyes! Eh…"she thought over this for along while and then shrugging went back to her homework muttering something along the lines of "oh it's alright; he'll find him soon anyway."

Jiraiya had left early the next morning with Yondaime, Jirobu and little Ida…something about training farther away from all the mess of the village…Sarutobi sighed… "Our sannin are just too busy for anything else…no matter…" and then he slightly remembered the sick Orochimaru and he shook his head…even though the boy had been sick quite a while he still even after he had told him many times over that he shouldn't, persisted to go on searches for the villain, even though he persisted Sarutobi growled and made him stay saying for reasons unknown that he should stay indoors…

He thought that the strange tingling down his spine whenever he saw the boy meant that something would happen to him soon, such as HE would become the next person that showed up missing just because of his power…it would be a major blow to Konoha ninja if one of the Sannin was similarly disposed of. He just wouldn't have it.

Sarutobi got no sleep that night and even watched Jiraiya leave that morning… he had been to restless to sleep, the whole world around him was way to restless, he had been trying to form a plan in his mind of how to catch this person who had run a kidnapping spree for quite a few weeks now…he was tired of not being able to do anything and his anger on this matter warmed him and kept him awake.

He had again talked to Takeda about different plans that sprouted into his mind and when he had a hard time with it he would go out to the roof top and stare at the faces of his teachers, try to consult with them…question them what they would do in his position…they just stared at him…silence, no words were really needed because he knew he needed to figure it out himself.

Now he stood upon the roof and stared not at the first and second but at the blue grey of the sky, his eyes misted in thought and his right hand tugging at his brown beard now streaked over with grey from all the stress no doubt.

He looked down still wearing his battle uniform at the people bellow, if they were shopping they did their business quickly, not wanting to be caught out in the open by the kidnapper or worse…suspected of being the kidnapper…they all stayed in doors. He sighed and then turned and sat upon a bench where two ANBU stood by; he looked up at them…Takeda and Inoe… "Well my friends" he gestured at their masks staring blankly at him "mind removing those…as times are it is sometimes pleasant to see my friends"

The two looked at each other and then shrugged and took off their masks

A middle aged man smiled at him politely scratched at his spiky brown hair, Sarutobi stared at him for a moment remembering how amused he was when he heard a person whispering something about Takeda being his long lost twin for he did indeed look like himself…and then he looked over at the other so not be rude, ah the flower in the dirt of age, Inoe had a pretty face though she was pushing thirty she didn't have the signs of stress that ANBU members usually possessed, she had her long dark purple hair tied up in a pony tail behind her but as pretty as she was her dark green eyes were as stern as stones…

"Sir" Inoe spoke " have you devised a plan to catch this person who is down as you say 'in the filth of Konoha'?" this raised a slight smile to her pink tinged lips and got a chuckle from Takeda " yes" he smiled " I have…

though I have separate missions for you" he lit his pipe and puffed on it for a minute or two, his two friends being quite patient with him until he was done, and when he was he tossed the debris to the wind and turned, his face suddenly changing from 'nice old man' to 'I'm gonna kick someone's ass old man'…

The ANBU were slightly amused and alarmed at the same time and as they were he started to speak telling them the in and outs of the plan which they were to tell the other ANBU of their plan and go through with it…

He stood and turned "we will put this person to the justice of Konoha!" then without a second glance down he stormed inside to begin preparations.