I just LOVE cliffhangers. Mwahaha.

The Link

Chapter XII: Murasaki Miyabi's True Story

Deidara cackled gleefully in the rain as Itachi fell forward, tried to get up, but fell flat on his face instead. Dark, red blood was quickly being washed away by the rain, to be redirected in the gutter of the building the three of them were on. Kisame took steps forward and lowered the exposed Samehada so that its tip touched the back of Itachi's neck.

"I didn't know he could be this weak," Deidara nodded toward Kisame. The blonde was busy sitting on the building's chimney, comfortably dry in spite of the storm. "I had grown used to the Itachi who kicked his enemies' asses."

Kisame did not bother replying. And then the shark-man's eyes widened.

"It's a trap -!" was all Kisame managed to shout before the Itachi on the roof exploded.

Deidara was quickly on his feet, his mouth hanging open. Amazing! And he managed to do Bunshin Daibakuha too! The blonde suddenly felt a sudden rush of excitement as he looked around him, a sinister smile surfacing on his face. Behind him, Kisame was spluttering.

"Blasted!"

"You okay?" Deidara asked without bothering to look.

"Got scratched." Kisame replied.

Right! Deidara jumped back just as a water bullets pummeled the spot he had been standing on. Ahahaha! Looks like he isn't dead after all. Suiton Suigadan, wasn't it? "Sugoi ne, Itachi-sama!" the blonde cackled as he landed gracefully on his feet.

Meanwhile, Kisame had finished performing hand seals. "Suiton! Suikoudan!"

The billboard advertising a special set of kunais was punctured by countless powerful water jets from Kisame's attack. There was a pained grunt, and then a soaked Uchiha Itachi in his woolen pajamas finally emerged. Deidara stared. Itachi's long black hair was wildly against his face. Dark red liquid dripped from the edge of his pants. So Kisame did get him after all, Deidara grinned.

Kisame put the Samehada on his shoulders as he looked at Itachi's disheveled form. "He's blind."

"Oh?" said Deidara.

"He would be using Tsukuyomi on us now if he weren't, fool." Kisame was getting annoyed.

Itachi did not speak. He shifted uncomfortably on his bare feet as blood continued to drip down his legs. His wound was not much of a problem, but the blood that was flowing out of it. It did not help that he relied on his four other senses heavily, and that the storm was such an awful distraction. He had to dispose of these two before he went to Sasuke and Heion – they could not find out that the girl was still with him. They would take her back to the Leader, extract the Houou and kill her. Itachi could not have that happen to the little girl he loved.

"Itachi-sama, how does it feel to be blind?" Deidara laughed as the mouths on his palms opened ready. "How does it feel to be surrounded by darkness?"

A pang of pain sent the Uchiha hissing. He gave a flick of his hands, and kunais slid into his palms. Deidara laughed some more. Senses tingling, Itachi jumped back just as Kisame attacked with Suiton Bakusui Shouha. The Uchiha could feel the droplets from the water hit his face. He landed on the opposite building. He raised his kunais ready.

"Really, Itachi-sama, what could a pair of kunais do?" came Deidara's mocking voice.

Itachi froze as he felt eight clay arms bury deep into his right shoulder. Shit!

"Katsu!" said Deidara.

There was a great cloud of fire as the Kumogata Nendo exploded.

"HEY!" Sasuke shouted. "YOU PUT DOWN MY NIECE RIGHT NOW, WHOEVER YOU ARE!"

Silence erupted in the emergency room with twenty pairs of eyes turning to Sasuke, who was now on his feet, kunai in hand and Sharingan eyes blazing. Koyuki took an automatic step backward, still clutching Heion close in spite of the baby's efforts to ease herself out of her aunt's grip. Sakura hurriedly turned to her.

"Really!" said the pink-haired kunoichi in a scandalized voice. "Put the baby down so I can tend her! And who are you to grab her like that? Sasuke put down that kunai or I will make you!" Sasuke spared a moment to glare at her but obeyed anyway. Sakura shifted her green eyes back to Koyuki.

Green healing chakra flared around Koyuki's arms, enveloping Heion completely. The baby stopped crying and looked in wonder at the green light surrounding her. Sakura looked terribly offended by this gesture; she even clenched her hands into fists. Sasuke took a step forward, glaring.

"I'm warning you, put her down -!" Sasuke hissed.

"She has a fever because she is starting to grow her teeth." Koyuki said levelly as she lovingly patted down the sparse brown hair on Heion's head. "Her mother and father would have been very excited about this." The green healing light faded, and Koyuki put Heion back down on the stretcher. The baby looked back at her in a puzzled fashion. Koyuki smiled before meeting Sasuke's red eyes with her purple ones.

"What are you talking about?" Sasuke demanded. "Her father is Itachi -!"

"Her parents were Murasaki Shinobu and Murasaki Kurumi, proud members of the Murasaki clan of Kirigakure!" Koyuki stalled Sasuke's words. "She is Murasaki Miyabi, my niece, sole heir of the Murasaki clan."

"What -?" Sasuke could not believe what he was hearing.

Koyuki ignored him. "Not one year ago my brother and his family had been attacked by the Akatsuki. Our clan had gained the trust of one of the tailed monsters, the golden-tailed Houou. The Akatsuki was after this tailed beast, as they are after the rest of the biju and their jinchuuriki. My brother confronted three of them – Hoshigaki Kisame, Deidara and Uchiha Itachi. Sadly, my brother died. His wife Kurumi, out of desperation, sealed the Houou into their daughter Miyabi. She died beside my brother.

"Fire had devoured our clan compound, and by the time I came back, they were gone. Miyabi had been taken from me. I searched for her, following any kind of information or lead the other jinchuuriki could give me. I first went to Gaara, Kazekage of the Sand. He told me to go here. And thus, I have found my niece at last."

Sasuke's knees would no longer support his weight. He slumped back down on the same bench, his Sharingan deactivating out of pure shock at the woman's words. The silence in the emergency room was blended well with tension. Sakura did not know whom to side with.

"But...but..."

Memories of the past months flitted inside Sasuke's head. He had often asked himself who Itachi had a fight with in order to lose his eyesight and possibly the Sharingan forever. He had also often asked himself who Heion's mother was. Where his brother had come from, bleeding, on that morning he saw Itachi in the house again. His head started to throb painfully from all the thoughts.

But Heion...Heion WAS his niece! Heion WAS Itachi's daughter! Heion was...family.

A lie, everything had been a lie. Itachi had come back with a child and set to repair their broken relationship as brothers and as a family, only to have Sasuke broken heartlessly like this again. Sasuke's hands flew to his head. He had been thinking of actually forgiving his older brother! He had been thinking of starting the clan again – he and Itachi both! The pain in his chest was so raw it made him want to cry. He could not find the strength to meet Koyuki's eyes. A lie, everything was a lie. Itachi had wounded his soul again.

"Sasuke..." Sakura whispered hesitantly.

Koyuki's eyes shone with gratitude and sympathy. She knew the pain of hoping for something and then to have that something snatched rudely from one's grasp. "Your brother lied to you, Uchiha Sasuke." She said softly. "What I have told you is the truth. You can have the proofs if you want them. For one, the seal marked upon Miyabi's belly. The other is the same eye color that we share through our bloodline limit."

Sasuke looked up, silent tears flowing from his eyes. "Do you know...that I...I actually wanted...to forgive him?" he said bitterly. Sakura did not know whether to sit down beside him or to remain standing. "I...I believed him!" Sasuke cried. "I did not ask him a single thing! I let him in; I did not kill him like what I had planned to do all these years -! I trusted him!" The word trust came as an agonized yell.

Koyuki, Sakura and the others in the room could not speak.

"What is the meaning of this...congregation?"

Tsunade and Shizune had entered the room. Shizune was looking politely puzzled at the people inside, whereas Tsunade's eyes were currently rounded with confusion and incredulity.

"Well?" said the Godaime Hokage, planting her fists on her hips. "Have you all lost your tongue?" She shot Koyuki a venomous look. "And you? Haven't I told you to go back to your village already?" Koyuki gave an apologetic bow and kept her gaze to the floor.

"Hey, Sasuke, what are you doing here?" Shizune piped up.

Sasuke rose without looking at anyone of them and fled back to the storm through one of the windows.

"RAAAAAAAAAAARGH!"

Naruto screamed just as red chakra flared wildly around him, transforming him, turning his sunny blue eyes into angry red. Pumping more effort into his already-complaining legs, the fox jumped from tree to tree with renewed vigor, defying the storm and even his own body in the process. Exhaustion and the beginnings of a bad bout of flu were clawing at him from all sides, but Naruto ignored them all as he tried with all his might to inch nearer to Konohagakure, which had never before seemed so far for him in his entire life.

The only thing that kept Naruto going was the tiny, faint heartbeat that thumped gently along and against his own. It was the only indication that Orochimaru was still alive. Still alive... Naruto shook his head at the thought. Nobody was going to die here. They would reach Konoha before dawn like what he'd promised, the old crone Tsunade was going to heal his sensei and everything would be all right.

Orochimaru shifted slightly behind him. Naruto could no longer feel his arms.

"Naruto-kun...?"

He could barely hear the Serpent's voice. "Here!"

"Where are we...?"

"We're nearing Konoha now, sensei!" Naruto hated to lie, but he had no choice. He could not tell Orochimaru that they were probably lost. The fox's sense of direction had left him completely an hour ago.

"Naruto-kun, did you know that I used to work in Ichiraku Ramen?"

What's with the sudden question? Naruto thought. "Y-yes, sensei. Why?"

"Nice place, Ichiraku..." Orochimaru replied faintly. He had been having delusions for thirty minutes now. "Is it...is it still located in...in...what street was that...?"

"I don't know, sensei." Naruto replied worriedly as he turned his head this way and that. The pines held no real difference to him now. They were literally stuck in the middle of nowhere.

"Oh...never mind...but wait, Naruto-kun. Did you know that our team...you know...Jiraiya, Tsunade and I...we were once known as Team 7 too."

In another time Naruto would have been very happy to know the details of the story. "Really? That's very interesting, sensei, but I think that you should just save up your energy. Get some sleep if you can while I take us to Konoha. When you wake up your fever will be gone. Tsunade-baachan has amazing healing powers, doesn't she?"

"I...you're right...I should just rest..."

"Yes, you should, sensei."

Finally gaining some bearings on his sense of direction, Naruto turned east, jumping from tree to tree again. Somehow the torrential rain had lessened, and the clouds parted, allowing sparse moonlight to give him some visibility. Focusing on the little heartbeat from behind him, Naruto pushed on, no matter how hard it was.

"Naruto-kun, forgive me..."

"What are you talking about, sensei?"

"Naruto...promise me on your honor as the Rokudaime Hokage...that..."

"Sensei!"

"...that you will not...let...Kabuto...have the scroll..."

"What scroll, sensei? Kabuto? What's he got to do with –!" and then the realization hit Naruto so hard he almost reeled. Oh god! It's Kabuto! He's done this to Orochimaru-sensei! That damned bastard!

"...the scroll...all of my jutsus...don't let anyone else have it...it's yours by right...only yours, Naruto-kun...as the best...of my students..."

"What scroll, sensei? Where do I find it?"

But Orochimaru no longer answered back. Naruto felt a stab of fear, but he ruthlessly pushed it down as pine forest finally gave way to muddy grassland. Orochimaru had just fallen back to sleep, that's all. There was nothing to worry about. Orochimaru was just asleep again, and he'd wake up again later and start his confusing chatter.

"Sarutobi-sensei! Sarutobi-sensei!"

"Ah, Orochimaru-kun...you look like you haven't changed at all. Take my hand, child."

"Where are we going, Sarutobi-sensei?"

"To a place far better than the one you have just left. A place where you will not worry about anything at all. To a place where you will find your own peace, as I have found mine."

"But Sarutobi-sensei..."

"Yes?"

"Naruto-kun and I...we made a promise to each other..."

"Child, let the future worry about their promises. Your time is over. You deserve nothing but peace now. Come with me. It is time."

The child Orochimaru hesitantly re-takes the Third Hokage's proffered hand and turns briefly to the direction from which he came from. And they walk hand-in-hand, Sandaime Hokage and his best student, toward the glittering light ahead.

"Naruto-kun...I'm sorry I won't be able to walk down Konoha's streets with you..."

The faint little heartbeat was gone, and Naruto did not even feel it fade away.