Ch10

"Speech"

'Thought'

"W..Why can't I beat him…" Sasuke cursed as his second stage seal faded away, returning him to his original body.

"You'll never beat me," Itachi chuckled.

"What!" Sasuke's eyes flared as he looked up at his brother's back.

"As long as you are under Orochimaru, you'll never win," he chuckled once more.

"How do you beat someone by learning from someone weaker than you?" Itachi laughed , mockingly. "You want to beat me?"

Foolish little brother. You're weak. Why are you weak? Let me tell you. There isn't enough, not enough hatred in you, that's why. You want to get stronger? Hate me, hate me more, and do all that you can to survive.

You're not worth killing.

Sasuke woke upon the hospital bed, sweat still rolling coldly down his face. 'Why…' he snarled in his mind, 'What keeps him from killing me?' he demanded.

OOOOOOOOOO

Sounds of clashing of bone to wood echoed in the darkened forest. Clouds hung low in the sky and lightning roared against the wind's howl. Rain poured down the young Shinobi's face as he forced everything he had to stand. His hands and feet bled from the splinters of the timber poll he had been fighting. "NO!" he shouted as he through another fist at the poll, landing with a heavy knock. "I will surpass you!" exclaimed Sasuke as he threw one last punch, splitting the poll down the middle from the impact. His breathing slowed and his eyes grew heavy. 'Damn it,' he thought as he swayed to the floor.

It was still raining when morning came. Sasuke's eyes opened tiredly and looked around. He was still in the field. He tried to get up but his body refused. With some difficulty, he rolled over to face the sky. The rain continued to wash his muddy face. "Tchi…" he hissed before clenching his hand into a fist of frusturation and closed his eyes once more.

Light danced it's way through the window where a girl laid asleep, landing steadily upon her face to which she squinted to before opening her eyes to see that another dawn had passed. Looking around, it took her a while to realize that she was not at her home in Konoha and click in on the fact that she was still in the middle of a mission. With a tall stretch and a yawn as she made her way to the open window, she rubbed her eyes to get a better focus of the outside view. Mist greeted her as far as her eyes could see. The only solid structure she saw was a few roofs of the buildings on the opposite side of the street and what appears to be a road sign just below. She took in the morning air with a deep breath. It was clean and fresh, even better than the mountain air where she had spent the her slumber two nights past. 'This air is…delicious' was the only word she could think of to describe it in words. The mist had forced all the dust to the ground and at the second floor window, the dense vapors were condensed below and only the pureness of the morning breath jived above.

"You wish! I'll take you on any time, dreamer!" the loud challenge of the blond boy was heard from below.

Sakura shifted her glance to where the ruckus was coming from. She could barely make out 2 figures, one standing straight, the other waving his fist eagerly.

"You're an annoyance, you're nothing Dobe, you're insignificant in my eyes," Sasuke replied with his back toward his rival.

"Why you…" Naruto waved his fist more furiously in the air pathetically, as though if he waved hard enough, it might make the great Uchiha kneel down before him in terror.

Sakura's face turned from an amused smile of the usual argument of the other two members of her team to that of concern. There was a certain seriousness in Sasuke's voice that the arrogant blond may not have been able to pick up but she did. Half of his tone was of a mocking humoring tone while the other was more deeper, more darker, something that sounded like it came from the old Sasuke when he was still consumed by the seal of Orochimaru.

Changing out from her pajamas, she made her way down the stairs. Kakashi was standing before the Buda statue, looking upon it as a humble priest would. He gave a welcoming smile upon seeing her arrival and gave a nod with a "Morning."

"Good morning Kakashi-sensei," Sakura replied.

"Hey Sakura-san, you're awake!" Kenji greeted her with a cheerful laugh, "Breakfast is on the table and my wife already made you guys your lunch. You guys are going to stay around here for a few more days right? Just use this inn like it's your second home."

"Thank you Kenji-san," she bowed politely.

"Something wrong Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura asked as she looked at her teacher looking curiously to the statue.

"Kenji-san," he suddenly started, "you told us that Yoriko-san was looking at this statue when you retrieved her jacket for her correct?"

"Huh, yes…what about it?" Kenji raised his eyebrows.

"Have this Buda always never had the jewel upon it's forehead?" he continued to question.

"I don't recall it ever having a jewel in it's forehead at any point in time. It must have fallen out before I was even born to this world for it is something that's been in the family for quite some time now."

"I see…"

Sakura moved beside her teacher to look at the statue to which he was so interested in. Her eyes opened suddenly, "Kakashi-sensei, could this be…", she gasped.

"Yes, I am almost positive of it," he replied. Turning his attention to the bewildered man who also was looking upon the statue, clueless to what the Jounin and his quick witted student was seeing he told the man to call the other two back.

Naruto and Sasuke walked in with the old man and all 5 stood before the statue now. "You're saying this thing may hold some clue to the whereabouts of the sword?" Sasuke glanced to the side.

"Look at the location where in a normal Buda statue would contain a jewel. Do you see that round ditch with a skinny rectangular hole?" Kakashi pointed.

Naruto stuck his neck forward with the old man and the two squinted to get better focus. "Yea, what about it?" Naruto asked.

"Naruto, do you still not get it?" Sakura sighed to the boy's slow wittedness as Naruto gave a few more blinks at the statue.

"The cross and the pendant!" he finally bursted out.

"Precisely," Kakashi nodded.

Kenji's mouth opened wide with astonishment, "Well I'll be damned," he whispered to himself, "So that cross that I've held on to for all these years was a key?" he asked.

Kakashi walked up and began to knock the statue, "It does not appear to be hollow," he announced, scratching his head, "But that jewel slot seems too much of a coincidence to be shaped like that."

"Shall we see if it fits?" Kenji asked.

"Well, that is up to you?" Kakashi replied as Kanji gave him another look of confusion. "I don't know what will happen to this statue once we unlock it. From the looks of things, I don't see any marks to mark where it will open so for all that I know, it may just fall apart. We'll understand if you do not wish for us to open it," he replied.

A moment of silence came through the air as the team looked upon the man. "Bah!" he blunted, waving his hands as though to shoo a fly. "Just open it, that was just something my great grandfather bought when he went to a hot spring as a souvenir anyways."

"Thank you," Kakashi gave a small bow then glanced over to Naruto who nodded, knowing what his teacher wanted him to do.

He walked over to the statue and took the cross from his pocket and the pendant from his neck into the palm of his hand. First, he pushed the cross straight into the hole. It was a perfect fit with a satisfying click that signaled it has reached the end. Next was the pendant. He pushed it in to the ditch, which also fit with a click. He backed away to see if something would happen. Breathing came to a halt and muscles tensed between the 5 individuals that lined and waited for what was to come.

Through the curious eyes of Sakura, she noticed a tremble. Naruto swallowed hard as his neck attempted to stretch farther as though those extra few millimeters could allow him to see anything that he would not at where his head was. 'What is this mission for Naruto,' Sakura wondered, 'I know that this mission is probably special but to what extent? For if we could not find the sword in the next five days, what will he say?' Her eyes began to grow more of concern for the hotheaded ninja.

A crack caught the attention of all who focused their attention upon the statue. Straight down the center, splitting the bronze ornament to front and back, a line appeared where wind, though only slightly, blew out. All of their eyes opened in astonishment as a second crack was heard, splitting the statue into two and the front and back fell like an unfolding flower with only two petals, revealing it's center, which beheld a scroll.

Kakashi looked down upon the two fallen sides and saw there was indeed a rectangular ditch to where the scroll was hidden. 'Amazing, this statue had been cut before yet it is so cleanly cut. Could it have been the wave breaker's doings? Not on that, she managed to reassemble it without any noticeable trace of her doings. She's good…' Kakashi admired.

"Should we take that scroll?" Naruto asked, stuttering slightly.

"I think so…" Sakura replied hesitantly.

Naruto moved up cautiously and extended his hand toward his prize. He took the scroll to his hand. It small, only about the size of a palm. He looked upon it curiously for a while before untying the string that bound it closed. All eyes now fell upon the unraveling scroll.

The earth and sun meets above the white ocean before the end When the fallen leaves whisper

Let the devil be of your guide to what you seek upon this highest peak

And find it beneath the brightest spike of the night

"A riddle?" Kenji asked.

"It appears so," Kakashi replied.

"What does it mean?" Naruto asked, scratching his head.

(Time pass)

Kakashi leaned against the sidewall with his arms folded and a bored expression on his face as the afternoon sun beamed his side through the open window. The three teens sat around a small table where the scroll was placed open upon it's center. A small vein popped in the impatient blonde's forehead as he stared angrily at the words that seemed to mock him as it lay upon its wooden bed.

A sudden lightning struck his head as his eyes brightened. "I think I know where the sword is!" he gasped to himself as the other three turned his way.

"You got it Naruto?" Sakura confirmed.

"Yea!"

"Lett's hear it,"

"Alright, Where earth meets sun above the white ocean, I think that might be a mountain top above the clouds." He explained.

"But that could be anywhere. The sun moves throughout the day and the year," Sakura argued.

"That's why it says 'Before the end'" Naruto gave a wink, "Meaning, before the day's end so sun set."

"Still, what about…Fallen leaves!" Sakura gasped.

"Exactly, leaves fall in the autumn. So that means, we are to look at where the sun sets at autumn upon a mountain."

"Good work Naruto," Kakashi said firmly, "Let's start heading west to the mountain range. If we leave now, we should be able to clear the fog at just before sunset to locate that mountain from the mountain range.

"Wow Naruto, I can't believe YOU got the riddle," Sakura sighed.

"Simple minds are better at these things," Sasuke grinned.

"WHAT!" Naruto jumped out of his seat angrily.

(Minutes Later)

"You lads are headed out now huh?" Kenji said.

"Yes, thank you for your hospitality," Sakura bowed.

"Alright then, you fellas be careful now. I've heard some unsoundly things about that place." Kenji nodded.

"Don't worry, we'll be fine," Naruto raised his hand as a good bye.

The group gave one final bow before turning around and headed into the afternoon sun. Through the dense mist, it was no more than a small white orb. One could look straight into it with no pain to their eyes.

They stopped at the gate to the city and turned around one last time toward civilization. "Alright, we only have 4 and half days left, we won't rest until we reach mountain range," Kakashi commanded.

"HAI!" three voices sounded strongly.

The horizon began to tint in orange as precipitation slid down their faces. The fog was beginning to clear and they can see faintly in the distance, the shadowy outline of a mountain range. In the middle, one peaked higher than all others, rising high into the clouds, was a peak to which the sun sat comfortably upon it as though it was a throne.

"That must be it," Naruto pointed.

"Yea, keep moving, we're almost there," Kakashi ordered, then with one brief moment of collecting his bounce, he picked up his pace with a swift lunge. The three followed in a line

"They're on the move," a voice whispered in the shadows into the receiver.

"Good, keep your distance and follow them." Came a reply.

"After this, I want you all to leave me and my family be! I don't want any part of you!" Touji demanded.

"Just do your work and your family's safety will be insured," the dark voice chuckled and the phone clicked off.

(Akatsuki lair)

"We'll have it soon" a figure laughed.

"Who will go to retrieve it?" another voice asked.

"Let me, I have some personal matters to deal with anyways," Itachi stepped forward.

The eyes upon the figure narrowed slightly but then gave a nod, "Very well, do it quickly," it ordered.

End…

Reviews

Shina-lim: Thank you, hope you enjoy this one too

Ookami Hanyougurl: Lol, I'm not a really big Yaoi fan. I found a few that was really funny that I liked but never really looked at the "Serious" ones, haha! The pairing for this story is the same as Anime although slight different cause times are in the future and it's my guess on what Sakura, Sasuke, and Naruto would be like.

Kawaii Hisui: lol, thanks

Iiiris: you said something like that the last time too lol. I guess this story don't get update that fast does it? But hey, quality over quantity right?