Gah! So short I know but summer classes have been playing hell with my writing. They end today but that really isn't the reason for the chapter, if you want to call it that. I'm leaving friday morning for a 10 day trip back to my old stomping grounds...Hawaii! I felt i shouldn't make you wait any longer for even the smallest of updates. I promise i'll write more when i get back on the 3rd. I'll have plenty more time after my trip.

You all know the line by now. I don't own this stuff.

---------------------

Kabuto spotted their opponents as they fell from the trees off to the Leaf team's left. They hit the ground hard. 'Sasuke must have boosted his attack with chakra. That was a strong blow.' Kabuto thought as he dispatched one of the surviving clones.

The Uchiha in question dropped to the ground next to the downed ninja as the last of the opposing shadow clones disappeared in puffs of smoke. Naruto roared in victory when the last clone vanished. Sakura grunted in satisfaction then slumped to the ground.

The silver haired ninja and the blond ball of energy made their way over to the pile that was their opponents. Sasuke was already rooting through their packs to find their scroll. Naruto joined him in the search leaving Kabuto to mull over what had transpired. He took a closer look at the spots Sasuke had hit on his opponents. The imprints the boy's two sandaled feet had made lay over two critical pressure points on the back of each opponent's neck. They were hard to hit except at close range. Even a Jounin would have found them difficult to hit at anything approaching stand off distance which meant Sasuke had to have gotten really close to hit them with any accuracy. Kabuto would have whistled in amazement but he bit down on the impulse. 'I can see why you desire such a person Orochimaru-sama. He is quite a prize.'

Sasuke stood and jumped back up into the trees, reappearing a few moments later with a third enemy ninja over his shoulder. The bloody wounds on the man's torso attested to Sasuke's accuracy with weapons and incredible use of his bloodline limit. 'Quite the find indeed.'

Naruto let loose with a huge grin and pulled a scroll out of one of the downed ninja's packs. He hefted a scroll of heaven, a match to the scroll of earth they had gotten from the three sound ninja that had caused them trouble. Sakura sighed heavily. "That's it. We've got both of them. Now we can get to the tower." She said she struggled back to her feet.

The three young men nodded. Naruto managed to hold back a shout somehow. Kabuto went around to each of the fallen ninja and touched a pressure point under each of their arms to make sure they wouldn't be moving any time soon. Sasuke set about acquiring shuriken and kunai from their opponents to replenish his stocks. They were ready to leave within four minutes of the end of the fight.

They reached the tower an hour later. The moon had just entered the sky when Team Seven bade Kabuto farewell and entered one of the sealed doors in the tower's base. Kabuto stayed outside to wait for his team which he assured them were not far behind.

The door led them into a large bare but brightly lit room.

"There's no one here." Naruto said in a slightly huffy manner. "You think we'd at least get a welcoming committee or something. What are we supposed to do now?"

Sasuke nodded towards a large sign at the far end of the hall. "That will probably tell us what the next step is."

Sakura read it out loud. "If you do not possess heaven, gain knowledge and be prepared. If you do not possess earth, run through the fields and gain strength. If you have both heaven and earth, dangerous paths turn safe. This is the secret of 'something something'. It shall lead you on the way."

"Ah damn. I hate riddles." Naruto said as he scratched his head in contemplation.

Sakura pointed to a specific area where a word was apparently missing. "I can't what it fully means without that missing character. But I'm guessing it has something to do with the scrolls. I think it's telling us to open both of the scrolls."

Sasuke pulled out both the scrolls and handed one to Sakura. They collectively held their breaths as they fingered the edges of the paper. Tension seemed to suddenly fill the room. It dripped from the ceiling and pooled at their feet. Naruto gulped and nodded. "Do it."

As one Sakura and Sasuke pulled open their scrolls. The effect was rather anti climactic.

"Hito...Jin?" Sakura said as she looked at the writing, confusion stamped large on her face. Naruto's eyes widened as he realized what those two characters meant. His suspicion was confirmed when the paper began to bulge and spout smoke.

"This is a summoning jutsu," he said in a panic. He had seen Jiriaya perform summonings multiple times before and was well versed in their varied types. He also knew what could happen when a summoning went wrong.

Sasuke also knew what summonings were about and knew well enough to stay away from them. "Quick, get rid of them."

Sakura threw hers away with a small yell. Sasuke just grunted as he discarded his. The two scrolls bounced off the ground and landed together, their unfurled pages overlapping. The smoke they emitted multiplied and a loud pop of displaced air announced the arrival of the summon.

Team Seven took a collective step back, unsure about who or what would appear out of the smoky haze. As it cleared their eyes widened in surprise.

Sasuke's voice seemed to stumble over itself as he realized who it was. "You are..."

The sandals, the cloths, the pony tail. Naruto gasped, his mouth hanging off it's hinges. This was the last person he expected. "E...ERO SENNIN! WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING HERE!"

--------------------

A bit of a twist there at the end for you. Inner Vala - The hell it was. It's Iruka's only appearance in however many episodes and you steal it from him!? You bet your rear end i did. I don't like Iruka much anyway and with Naruto not having been in his class he doesn't mean anything. Sorry to any Iruka fans out there, if there are any.

TOKEHGECKO - Sorry it took me so long to reply. I don't mind if you stick my story on your web site. I'm honored you think it rates a spot.