AN- sorry, but I really do suck at updating. It's never been one of my strong points. So forgive the inevitable wait that there'll be in between chapters. Work really takes it out of me sometimes. Not that that's an excuse, more of a reason why I don't update much. Plus inspiration sometimes needs to strike like the lightning bolt that it's supposed to be. Ah well, thank you so very very very much to all those who reviewed that first chapter, and to those who read it, I really appreciate it.
Five am two mornings after the party saw Naruto lounging against one of the posts of the great gates, watching Neji as he walked up, a bag slung over one shoulder, sword strapped to the other. His long hair was tied into a tidy horsetail low on his neck, in blatant contrast to Naruto's shock of hair, which stuck out every which way.
"I was about to send out a search party for you, you're late".
Neji grimaced. "Check your watch fox-boy, it's just gone five. You were early for once".
Naruto grinned, and scratched the back of his head. "Well, you try going for 8 years with Jiraiya and Kakashi for teachers. Even you'd develop a slight neurosis where time's concerned. One can never remember the time, the other gets so drunk and into women that he forgets what the time is".
"Well you had to get one good talent from your years with them. Pity it wasn't something more useful, like a decent ninjutsu".
Pouting, Naruto turned woebegone eyes on the jounin next to him. "We can't all be perfect like you. I mean, someone has to be slightly less than perfect to make you look better than you really are".
"You can only hope to be as good as I am," Neji replied, before ducking the cuff Naruto sent his way.
As the pair walked out the gates, Neji turned a deadpan face to Naruto, saying, "We really ought to work on your reflexes too". This time, he didn't miss Naruto's fist.
XOX
After learning of the fight between Neji and Naruto in the days before she came, then the way they worked together on the failed attempt to retrieve Sasuke, the Godaime began to pair the two together more often. Neji could put up with Naruto's antics and mouth, and Naruto could take Neji's silence. Besides, he talked more than enough for the pair of them. Plus he was thick skinned enough to ignore any half-hearted insults Neji might send his way. Not to say the insults were always half-hearted, it was just that Naruto knew better than to talk them personally. Eventually, the two began to dismiss with the insults and antics, and gradually, a formidable partnership began to bloom. Between Naruto's power, and Neji's finesse, there were few who stood a serious chance against the duo.
Which was why they found themselves slowly circling the outer regions of what Tsunade said, and hoped, based on the intelligence she had received, was Orochimaru's current base.
Not that it looked promising. Out of the three buildings there, none of them was in any well kept state. In fact, the three of them put together probably still wouldn't have counted as a proper house. Windows were broken and dark, tiles lay smashed on both the ground and the roof, and doors hung crookedly on their hinges. Nothing moved, as the two Leaf ninja watched, hidden in the branches of a tree.
"There's nothing here. No people, no animals, certainly no ninjas," Neji spat in disgust as he surveyed the ground below, "so much for intelligence. Shall we take a closer look Naruto?" Naruto didn't reply, just stared at the building in front of them, and vague unease showing on his face.
"Something's not right. I can feel…I don't know what I feel. It feels like him, feels like them, but there's no chakra…it doesn't make sense…"
"Naruto, what're you talking about?" Neji shifted his weight from foot to foot, peering through the leaves of the trees, "there's no one there, and I can't sense a thing".
Naruto turned worried eyes on him. "Orochimaru's good at this kind of thing, making something seem like it's not." He cast a hand in the direction of the compound. "This is exactly his style, hiding in some run down shit-hole like this, where he thinks he's safe, where he thinks we can't find him. And he's right. He's right because he and Kabuto cast such damn good genjutsu that they could make you think down is up and up is down. You never see through them."
Creases smeared themselves between Neji's silver eyes as he frowned. "And how exactly do you know all this?"
Shivers ran down Naruto's spine. "Jiraiya. Personal experience. And no, I won't tell you about it. Plus, the Kyuubi feels something, and I've come to trust him when it comes to genjutsu."
"You trust that demon!" Neji's eyes narrowed to incredulous slits. "You've got to be joking"
Some of his regular humor reappeared in Naruto's eyes. "I'm not joking. He's better at genjutsu than me. Besides, he's come to realize that if I die, so does he, so he's decided that it's in his best interest to help me. Of course, the old bastard rarely does it willingly. Most of the time I've got to bully him into it."
"Bully the Kyuubi…?" It was comments like this that made Neji remember exactly how strong Naruto really was. Between the fox's gigantic supply of chakra, and Naruto's own freakish stamina, and force of will, Naruto was an almost insurmountable force.
Neji shook his head, and turned his thoughts back to the problem at hand. "Okay then, so you're obviously against going in there. So what do you suggest we do then?"
"You could try your Byakugan, but I don't think you'll find anything." He paused while Neji did try, and shook his head. "Didn't work? Didn't think it would. He wouldn't be in those buildings. His base will be underground, and since he knows about your clan and their talents, he will have built it deep enough so that you can't see anything." Neither jounin mentioned exactly how Orochimaru would have gotten such precise information. It was still a touchy subject, even after all the years.
"Well then what? Do you want to try sending in a clone? That'll just reveal that we know where he is".
"True." Naruto was silent for a long while, staring out through the leaves. "If it's an underground base, then there's got to be a door down to it. We need to find that, but we can't go in there ourselves. So we'll send someone else."
One dark eyebrow shot up. "And who exactly do you suggest we send? There's only the two of us."
A smirk stole across Naruto's face. "Not quite". He bit his thumb and sent his hands flying in a rapid sequence of seals, before slamming them onto the tree limb. "Kuchiyose no jutsu".
A puff of smoke rose, then a reedy voice piped up. "Yo!"
Smiling, Neji shook his head. "I should've thought of it first".
"Guess even geniuses aren't always perfect. Anyway, Gamutatsu, good to see you again."
"You too kid. Whatcha need me for this time?"
"I want you to go into that compound and see if you can find any doors leading underground. I'll give you half an hour before I cancel the jutsu, ok?"
"Sure thing. Just one question. This wouldn't have anything to do with Orochimaru, would it?"
A devilish grin worked it's way over Naruto's face. "It's your job to find that out. Now hurry up. Sooner you go, sooner you can get out of here."
Grumbling, the toad slipped off the branch.
Naruto leant back against the tree trunk and closed his eyes. "Wake me up in half an hour". And with that, he was asleep.
XOX
29 minutes later, Naruto awoke to find Neji leaning over him.
"It's been half an hour. Cancel the jutsu, and let's get away from here before you get him back."
Naruto yawned, and stretched his arms back before releasing the summoning. "Okey dokey, lets go."
Two hours later found them crouching behind a stand of bushes, as Naruto prepared to summon Gamutatsu again.
"Hope this little punk's got something for us", Naruto muttered as the smoke cleared. "Hey… WHAT THE FUCK?"
Gamutatsu lay in the dirt in front of Naruto and Neji, a kunai thrust clear through him.
"If they found him, then they know we were there," Neji murmured as he stood, drawing his katana. "We need to move, now".
"Too late" Naruto growled, and Neji looked back over his shoulder just in time to see a Sound-nin step through the bushes. Rustling caused him to turn to find another Sound ninja sizing him up.
"You know," Naruto said conversationally, "Sakura really will kill me if you get too hurt"
Thrown slightly by the random comment, Neji's mouth moved before he thought. "What does she have to do with any of this?"
"It's just that she's got something to talk to you about".
"What?" Neji asked, eyeing the advancing ninja in front of him.
"Oh no, I'm not telling you. Tsunade may have taught her to heal, and taught her the secret to that strength of hers, but she never taught her restraint, so it's not worth my life to tell you. Anyway, I don't really know what she wants. She was a little vague on the details."
"You're really helpful Naruto" Neji growled, tensing as the Sound-nin got closer.
"Aren't I just?" came Naruto's glib reply.
Bringing his hand up to eye level, Neji growled out a single word as the chakra rushed to his eyes.
"Byakugan!"