Disclaimer: If blood is green, and Nike shoes are cheap, then I own Naruto.

"...": Speech

Italics: Thoughts

Bold: Kyuubi

Of Blades and Blood

Act II: On the High Road

Tsunade stormed out of the meeting room of the leader of Hidden Stone, feeling more dead than alive after the heated discussion between herself and the Tsuchikage. The elusive and sly leader of hidden Stone had wanted to gain more than what she allowed to secure the alliance agreement, fully exploiting the fact that Leaf desperately needed allies, or at least, neutrality from the neighboring countries. All knew of the inevitable conflict between Leaf and the ever growing village of Sound, and waited to choose sides or none at all. However, even in their precarious state, she could not afford such a alliance that the expense of Konoha's weakening economic power, while the hard-eyed leader of the Hidden Stone would not accept anything less than those conditions he asked. This mutual disagreement led to a few hours of debating, neither one of them letting up. In the end, nothing was gained from the Tsuchikage except for a flimsy statement about how he would consider their proposal.

A whole lot of good that will do, she snorted. It was now unsafe for her and her bodyguards to stay any longer within Hidden Stone, not with the swarming amounts of shinobi assassins lurking about waiting for a shot. But it was already getting late and all of them needed rest. And while she was fairly sure that Orochimaru ad eyes and ears within the Hidden Stone, she wouldn't underestimate her bodyguards. Among her escorts was one Neji Hyuuga, the famed prodigy of the Hyuuga Clan, who had volunteered his services from the Assassination Squad to escort her to Hidden Stone. While his reasons for volunteering are unknown, Tsunade was sure his intentions were well meant, considering the straight record he had with the disciplinary committee. Besides, having his Byakugan ability during the mission made it easier for them to anticipate any ambushes that may have been laid for them, though that wasn't really a problem.

As she was walking away with her Jounin escorts, a familiar and hated presence made itself known, the dark pressure engulfing the hallway with meek silence. Soon, many heavy steps echoed throughout the empty hallways. Almost immediately, several shinobi bearing the forehead protector of Sound emerged from the many corridors of the Tsuchikage's citadel. Many of the sound-nins looked barely out of sixteen, face lacking any sort of expression save a barely controlled look which spoke of distain and rage. Tsunade noted with horror as she found all of them to possess the cursed seal which granted them unrivaled strength and fast destruction to themselves.

In the centre of the impassive crowd of enhanced Sound-nins stood Orochimaru, his form towering over his pupils like a imposing predator, his face cadaverous and gaunt from all the years practicing and developing forbidden ninjutsu from the dark caverns of his lair. His cheeks were sunken from the lack of flesh on his face, a few weird tattoos painted on his cheeks standing out on his pale skin. The snake like eyes which were so pronounced never changed even after switching bodies so many times.

Tsunade felt loathing and hate as she gazed upon their sickening color and the owner of those inhuman eyes once again after four years. Her guardians stiffened at the sight of their enemy before they positioned their bodies into a battle stance but Tusnade held them back with a look, saying that it was not the time nor the place. At first, they were unsure but visibly relaxed, though ready to jump into the fray should the traitorous snake-user try anything.

"Tsunade," Orochimaru hissed rather than said, "It's has been so long since I last saw you…"

The Fifth Hokage narrowed her eyes at the crafty ninja. "Yes, and I was quite happy to keep it that way until YOU showed up. Still playing with corpses I see." Orochimaru laughed at the statement, his amber eyes boring deep into her soul. "And you are still feisty," He said, amusement clearly in his tone. Which meant that he was planning something really bad, Tsunade thought. After all, one does not spend years around a person to not pick up on their habits.

"So you say, but who is it that is getting an upper hand in this game of politics?" She retorted. "Your creditability around the continent is astoundingly bad for someone who is a leader of a Hidden village." That wiped the smirk off his face as she predicted, taking advantage of the fact that he couldn't stand insults directed at his ability.

"You should watch your back, Tsunade," Orochimaru glared snidely at her, emphasizing his point with a wave towards his elite best. "You would never know about what lurks around…"

"Save it." She glared back at Orochimaru and his cohorts before turning back to her subordinates. "Let's go." She said with a indigiant air. With that, she left with the Jounnins in tow.

Watching the retreating forms of the Leaf-nins, Orochimaru smirked in amusement. His meeting with Tsunade of all people, here within the Earth country capital was surprisingly convenient for what his mind had schemed for some time. He turned to his honor guard, his eyes searching for a suitable candidate to complete his wishes flawlessly.

"Sakato." He decided, his eyes landing on a particularly frail-looking boy. Orochimaru's smile widened further as he remember the boy's recent achievements and capabilities, and quite satisfied to know that the boy was appropriate for the task he was about to give him. The Sound-nin bowed, his messy hair shadowing his face as he did. "Your orders, Orochimaru-sama?"

"Keep an eye on those Leaf-nins, and tell the others to attack when they leave the city." The boy bowed again, before disappearing in a white puff of smoke, leaving his companions and his master in the wide hallways. Orochimaru turned and walked towards the large double doors that led to the Tsuchikage's office.

It was time to meet the Tsuchikage, He thought with a grin.

She stopped crying a while ago, whether from the lack of tears or something else, she didn't know but she still felt like crap anyway. She vowed to forget him but everything she thought about him, those feelings came crashing back into her, making it more harder to deal with.

Forget him, Sakura, concentrate... She told herself. She cheered as the feelings subsided and crept back into the broken container that was her heart. But she knew in a deep corner of her mind that such a reprieve wouldn't last for long, it never did. Night would come and the dreams would haunt her in her sleep. She pushed back those thoughts, forcing herself to be more aware of her surroundings.

Sakura waited silently for her companions to leave the huge building that was the Administration building of Stone. Her tears were long since dried and her sorrow buried in her heart for later. The doors to the complex opened revealing her team mates and a highly irate Fifth Hokage. She went to them, wondering what made her teacher so mad, all thoughts about Sasuke forgotten.

"Sakura, take a scan of the surroundings." Tsuande immediately ordered her, a scowl on her face. She didn't argue, and did the hand seals which allowed her special sight. For a while all she saw was the usual chakra flowing within the people on the streets, then the flux of chakra produced by her and the others. Since she needed a focus, she could only see a general outline of blue and she conjectured that Tsunade wanted her to find something out of place. All seemed normal but then something caught her eye, a strange sickly color of blackish yellow upon one of the taller buildings nearby.

"I see someone," She began as her eyes glowed. "Someone strong enough to rival us."

"Right, focus on that and search again." Tsunade urged her student.

She scanned again, this time specifically for that strange chakra signature. And this time, she gasped. Instead of one, she found many hues of that blackish yellow all around them, waiting like depraved vultures ready to pounce upon them at a moment's notice.

Shit.

"Tsunade-sama-" A hand from Tsunade silenced her. "I know, I know." Sakura looked confused at that before she caught sight of Neji. Of course, as one would expect from a Hyuuga, she thought as deactivated her jutsu. Her own eye abilities were overshadowed by the Byakugan and for a good reason. Almost 360 degrees of perfect sight coverage and the ability to single out individual chakra signatures from a five-mile radius, that was the power of the bloodline which made the Hyuuga one of the most, if not the best, clans in Konoha.

"All right, boys," Tsunade said, clapping her hands once to get their attention. "Its regrettable but there is a change of plans." The Jounins didn't look surprised, only a mild interest showing on their faces. They were used to this type of thing, after all.

Neji spoke up, the first time in many hours. "Then what should we do?" With day starting to turn into night and so many adversaries waiting for the second they step out of the city, Sakura reckoned that there was only one thing they could do for the moment.

"We stay for the night." She heard Tsunade say, a soft bed and rest visualizing in her mind. But that has been dashed when the random thought of Uchiha Sasuke crossed her mind, the dams broke and she felt the tears welling along with an ache in her heart, much to her chagrin.

Sleep would not come to her tonight. Not this night.

There was once a time when he drunk and fooled around like there was no tomorrow, only to mask how tired and frustrated he was at the world, and to find himself in the next morning having a killer hangover. However, even in this state, a bottle of sake would indefinitely find its way into his hands.

Jiraiya sighed, red tinting his face as the alcohol worked into his system, letting the heat fill his throat. He had to admit, albeit a little groggily, that the sake in Hidden Stone was good and the women of pleasure even better. His reddened face took a more crimson turn, if that was even possible, at the thought. He would have wanted to stay longer in the city but the women had already left and the Sake all but gone, he found no other choice but to head back onto the high road of wandering.

And so here he was, ready to leave the Earth capital to wander until he found another spot to visit. He seemed to be heavily intoxicated to most that saw him, but in actual fact, he was keenly observing the passers-by, his eyes and sense trying to find the one he has spent four years in effort trying to track. Alcohol could not stop the Sannin from using the fullest extent of his abilities, as his body burned and absorbed alcohol like a continual sponge if he wanted to; making sure that Jiraiya could get back to his senses even after consuming the most potent of sake and wine. A side effect of having naturally fast chakra regeneration. It was already evening since he left the city and it was already getting dark.

It didn't help in the fact that his tracking abilities were renowned throughout the shinobi world and yet even he failed to come across his quarry even once during those four years, the night making it all the more difficult for him. Even so, he hadn't given up and wasn't going to anytime soon. But with only doubtful leads to follow up on, despair and futility seemed a almost certain prospect to Jiraiya, making his search seem a fruitless cause every time his leads led to a dead end. Perhaps, he may even quit searching for the boy, resigning to the realistic views that Tsunade herself had just two years prior. But now was not such. And for now, he would preserve.

Luck was with him today as he caught faint scents of his target, indicating that he had not long passed by this section of forest. However he felt that he was not alone. He noticed that the shadows tended to move and that the surroundings were awfully quiet for such lush vegetation. Deciding to cut to the chase, he said loudly.

"Come out. I know you're there."

"As expected from one of the legendary Sannin." A voice from nowhere and everywhere said. In a blink of an eye, four shapes came into existence several feet in front of him. Jiraiya saw the familiar patterns etched into the fabricated cloaks they wore and frowned. One of them carried a huge sword, though it looked like a giant stab of iron rather than a sword, his arms think and wide with muscles. Another had cropped hair like a broom who had the ruined forehead protector of Cloud, a set of katars strapped to his arms, while the other two were fully cloaked, whose forehead protector told that they were form the Hidden Mist.

"We are from the Akatsuki," The one with katars said, the crimson cloud pattern making him ominous to most, but on Jiraiya its effect was lost. He possessed a twitch in his right eye which Jiraiya didn't like at all.

"You followed me." He accused openly. The leading Akatsuki member merely smiled, revealing long canines which reminded him of a wolf. "Yes, of course we did. Though now I was wondering when you would notice us…" Jiraiya became confused, before all of it sunk in. The Akatsuki weren't here for him but for who he was following. Brat…what have you done now?

"You are after Naruto?" He asked testily, his hands itching to perform the seals which would fry the four S-class criminals into ash once he obtained enough information. The news he heard about Naruto were almost non-existence though Jiraiya knew that the boy was doing a good job at keeping himself concealed from his senses. And those from the Akatsuki, he could see. Quite an achievement, he would have said, if not for situation he was in. The fact that the Akatsuki, a group known for brutality and incredibly powerful ninjas, would want with, as far as he knew, a dead last ninja bothered him greatly. The possibility of Naruto gaining vast strength on his own was next to impossible. And the amount of manpower that the organization had put in the search was irrational just to obtain the power of Kyuubi, considering that they often worked in pairs and not in groups due to their limited numbers. Things just didn't add up.

"Naruto?" The slightly deranged Akatsuki member asked in response as he tilted his head, a slightly confused on his face. "Who?" Jiraiya became even more confused. If they weren't here for Naruto, then who are they looking for?

"The one I am trailing is a low level genin that isn't worth your time. Now leave."

At that statement, the other man laughed. "Low level? Genin?! You must be joking. But I don't think his name was Naruto whatsoever." The man snorted, "But then again, you could be buffing in order to trick us!" Jiraiya frowned, the missing nin words not making sense at all. It was as if Naruto was another person entirely. But before anymore information could be spilled, the one with the Hidden Cloud emblem stopped him.

"Kazami, quit it. We got a job to do." The man in question composed himself, before his eyes turned to the Sannin, an odd sort of smile coming onto his lips. "Well, it seems that we have been compromised. Time to clear the evidence."

Seeing that the four ninjas drop into a battle stance, Jiraiya immediately did the hand-seals of jutsu he had been holding for a while. "Fire element: Flame Cannon!"

A streak of hot flames emerged from his mouth, sending the four ninjas dodging from the lethal flame. But his intention wasn't to damage the four nins, oh no, it would take more than that to do. The stream died down, but not before covering the whole area in a thick veil of darkness, which was exactly Jiraiya's intent. Taking one four A-class missing nins wasn't going to be easy and the only way he could win was through surprise and deceit. Something that he more or less lacked in his combat style since his early years. But now, he had no choice unless he wanted to live to see the next sunrise.

Using his other senses and instincts rather than on sight, Jiraiya struck out, his hands striking an unknown form within the smog. There was a groan of pain was heard before there was nothingness. But then he was thrown back by a sudden force. A gale began clearing the smog, exposing five dark shapes on the dirt road. Jiraiya was surprised but slowly stooped into his ox-form. But as he bent his knees, a sharp pain in his leg made him fall. What happened?!, he thought furiously as he tried to use his chakra to heal his muscle, gritting his teeth as the pain only doubled.

Lying helpless, he looked up to see the smog finally cleared, Jiraiya took a glance at the new comer who stood in front of him, facing the four Akatsuki members. Wearing a grey cloak which obscured almost all of his body from view, Jiraiya found it hard to catch a look as his back was facing to him and it seemed that the stranger also wore a hood. At his side was a long sheathed sword, its hilt decorated with dull looking jewels.

"Karaichi Seizou, I presume? We had a hard time tracking you, and it was because of the Legendary Sannin Jiraiya that we were able to finally meet." Kazami said with fake pleasantry thickly oozing from his voice. The hooded figure merely stayed silent, his hand grasping the hilt on his sword as he observed the four men with mild interest. He ignored the silent Jiraiya who stood behind him. He would deal with him later.

"What of it?" A voice devoid of all feeling answered. "Are you here to kill me?" A sudden chill spread through Jiraiya at the voice's iciness. This aura, this strong killing intent…its-!

Kazami shrugged. "Not that it was our intention though, if you joined us."

"So you are recruiting me? Is that it?" The pieces finally clicking in his head.

"Ah, you're interested, yes? Our organization could use someone of your caliber."

A snort was his answer. "A fascinating proposition no doubt. But I'm sure there is a catch to all of this." At that the other man gave a loopy smile. "Good to know that you're sharp." But it was then his smile died, his tone becoming harsh as he spoke. "You will assist us in killing the Sannin Jiraiya, as a part of the . Refuse and die." At this, the cloaked figure pondered for a while, before finally, his lips curled into a wide grin.

"I refuse." This shocked the missing-nin and it showed on his face. "What did you say?"

"I refuse." The man repeated with amusement in his voice. Jiraiya was positively sure that the man in front of him was insane. Only a fool would dare challenge four A-class missing-nins outnumbered. He had been ready to take all of them on, the strange man included, should they gang up on him, and he was confident of taking them on. But he wanted to know exactly what the enigmatic person could do and what his intentions were.

Kazami's features hardened, motioning to the other missing-nins. "Then you shall die." But before they could do anything, the mysterious man laughed. "Are you serious?!" He asked, his laughter died as fast as it came. "Though the question would be whether you lot could kill me."

"You overestimate yourself. It is your loss that you have offended the Akatsuki."

The hooded man smirked. "Or so you say."

Not wasting anymore time, Kazami signified his comrades to attack. Even as they got closer and closer, the figure just stood, waiting for them to come. Just as the first blow was about to land, the man blocked it all with his sword in a flash, positioning all of the weapons to accommodate the length of his sword like a skilled puppeteer. What the-!, the Akatsuki members reeled back in shock. Even Jiraiya had a hard time believing that it was possible to achieve such speed! But somehow, the mysterious man did it.

"Now, now," Seizou chided slightly, "Four against one is what I hardly call fair. But…" His eyes became hauntingly crimson, a thin slitted iris in place of a normal oval one, like the eyes of a demon. "That's how I like it."

Immediately, he got free of the deadlock and stared at the four. His grin widened even further, as a breeze came by, making his hair flutter.

"It has been quite some time since I had good opponents…" Kazami growled in response at the statement, having had enough of this nonsense. Without warning, he charged head first, his katars aiming to sever the offending head. Slice… The blow managed to shred the hood of the sword user as he dodged at the last moment, causing blonde locks to spill freely. Looking at his ruined hood, his grin faded to be replaced with seriousness. Jiraiya was frozen with shock as he recognized that same tone which his

"Play time's over." Almost instantly, the blonde man flipped the reversed side of his sword over, his form flickered then appearing on the other side of his opponents, his back towards their own.

The Akatsuki members looked over their bodies curiously, finding no visible wounds inflicted on them, oddly feeling a chill running through their bodies though they were fully clothed. Kazami laughed. "What type of shit technique was that?!" He readied his katars for another strike at the passive man. "Die!" But as he swung his arm, he felt an immeasurable pain surging through his arm, finding it cascading into the air a moment later. Then he felt the same pain in his left leg as he landed awkwardly on the ground, only to find it slanted uselessly on the ground. All over his body he felt that hellish pain. Using the last of his strength to turn his head, he saw the others bleeding heavily from their eyes, noses and mouths. Then each one of them convulsed as blood from their wounds started soaking through their clothes.

"You will live, don't worry." The blonde said, not bothering to look at the man sprawled behind him. "It will take much more to slay you guys…"

"…You…" He found his voice as his life dripped away onto the warm soil below, and then hearing the sudden growing whine that threatened to burst his ears. "What…are you…?"

'Seizou' ignored him as he sheathed his sword, his eyes turning back into its deep blue color.

"You heard the sound, didn't you?" He asked instead, the wind playing with his golden hair as he smiled. The missing-nin didn't respond as torrents of blood began trickling down from his mouth, a gurgle of blood foaming as he tried. The blonde gave a snort at the critically wounded man.

'Seizou' turned to face the Sannin, his features fully revealed to the injured Jiraiya.

Cradling his leg a few meters back, the Toad-Sannin had a look of disbelief, horror and fear, even though deep down he knew when he saw that face, there was no mistake that it was him, it was just that he refused to believe it. The hints and clues were already right in front of him but possibility of the boy becoming so…changed was a distant odd. He wished that he would find the same unchanged brat everyday, having it almost becoming a nagging voice in the back of his head but now he wished he did so under different circumstances. Not here, not now. But as it stands, 'Karaichi Seizou' was the one and the same boy he last saw four years ago.

He still retained that radiant golden hair, which he had grown down until his shoulders and he had still those same eyes which were now sapphire. But the scene was so wrong. It was like some sick sight taken out from a nightmare, the only difference was that it was real, and would have stayed that way if not for a voice jerked him from his thoughts, forcing him right back into reality as watching eyes bored into him.

"It's been a while, Ero-sennin."

It couldn't be him! It cannot possibly be…!

But no matter what he thought, his eyes did not lie.

Standing so ever calmly as dusk started to settle in the background was none other than Uzumaki Naruto.

A/N: To those who have waited patiently and reviewed, I thank you all for your support! I apologize if things seem to go very fast but the pace will slow down after Act III. The past week has been nothing but rough on me, with school beginning to slip back into the monotony of hours upon hours of unending study. Despite this…setback, I managed to devote my time to writing Act III which is more or less 60 completed, so I will try to quicken my pace to churn out more chapters. Also, starting from Act III, the word length of each chapter will be significantly increased, as the story takes shape in those later chapters. From this, you could say that all was written to this point were 'plot setters'. Of course, the advantages of longer word length are fairly obvious but also this comes with a price as chapters will take longer to complete. But do not fret; I will try my utmost best to write in such terrible conditions. With any luck, I will be able to post Act III by the middle of next week or even earlier perhaps. To the people asking whether this would be a Sasu/Saku or Saku/Naru, it would be both though it would lean to the Sasu/Saku side. Till then, read and review please!

One Azn Dragon: Yup, Naruto's using a reversed edge but that's not really the one he uses sword, it's a stand in. You can contact when I'm on msn though the timing may be irregular.

Sirus183: I am planning to make them meet somewhere in the later chapters. How? I'm not going to tell… :)