The Link
Chapter II: Tsunade's Decision
The place where Naruto finally tackled Orochimaru in the country of Sound was a total wreck after the battle. What had once been a lush patch of forest had been reduced to a barren wasteland that would very much be at home in the country of Sand. Gaara would be very happy with the huge mounds of sand, if ever he'd know and come anyway. A lone soul was currently standing in the middle of the wreck, a certain bespectacled medic, who goes by the name of Yakushi Kabuto.
Kabuto was silent as he paced around the wasteland, as he was wont to think out loud. He could not understand – and probably never will – how a moron like Naruto ever managed to capture his master. He could vividly remember the battle; all its details before he got incapacitated by a blast of Rasengan.
There was fire; he could remember that very well – fire that was devouring the fallen coniferous trees. The smoke was terrible, so Kabuto had had to let his imagination go wild because he could not see a thing, as his face was squashed against the ground. Orochimaru was silent, of course; Naruto was the one who screamed like there was no tomorrow – Kabuto was sure the brat was dying finally and they would be rid of a pain in the ass – until he heard Orochimaru scream in turn.
Now what bothered him was that his master screamed as if he had been chased by the Sandaime's ghost. Kabuto wished he could have seen what happened, but then the voice changed into that of a woman's – and Naruto was cackling. And after that...silence. It took forty-eight hours for help to find Kabuto, and when he was back on his feet again, the first thing he found was a huge frog doll that was sneering at him. Naruto and Orochimaru where nowhere to be seen.
It would've been better if Kimimaro and the others were still alive, but Kabuto was alone and weak...the medic cursed long and soundly before kicking the sand. He clenched his hands into fists.
I WILL kill you, Uzumaki Naruto...even if it's the last thing I do!
Naruto looked up expectantly as a knock came on the door, and he leapt up and opened it. Finally the delivery from Ichiraki Ramen House had arrived, and Tsunade stood up to pay for ten bowls of miso ramen just for Naruto. Naruto took the food inside, laid it on the table and started tackling the first bowl he could reach, unmindful of the disbelieving looks that Kakashi, Jiraiya, Shizune and Tsunade gave him.
"You don't seem to be bothered at all." Kakashi commented as he watched Naruto reach for a second bowl.
Naruto shook his head. "I'm sure you will find a way, right?"
Jiraiya and Tsunade exchanged exasperated looks. Kakashi leant forward.
"Thing is, Naruto, nobody has yet performed the Chakra Link technique since Yondaime. And even then he had been inventing it – all we know of the notes he left us is that he realized how hard it is to break a Chakra Link – so he never went on with his experiment. He hasn't found a solution, and what makes you think we'd find one?" said Kakashi.
There was a moan, and everybody's eyes swiveled onto Orochimaru. The woman – Tsunade shuddered at the mere thought – sat up, clutching her head. There were spots of dark red on her bandaged hands, and Tsunade had had to chew the inside of her cheek to prevent herself from throwing up a diatribe. Shizune eyed Orochimaru fearfully, and she even inched closer to Kakashi as if the Serpent would attack her anytime.
"Can I have one?" Orochimaru asked Naruto. "I'm...I'm hungry."
Naruto nodded and pushed a bowl toward her. Orochimaru took a pair of chopsticks and tried to eat, but every time she tried to pinch the sticks together to pick up some noodles, her hand would tremble uncontrollably. The sticks slipped out of her grip and fell to the floor. She sighed in a defeated way.
"You can't help me, can you?" she said, turning to Naruto again.
"Only when I'm done." Naruto answered.
That seemed good enough for Orochimaru, who contented herself by sipping the soup directly from the bowl. Tsunade folded her arms beneath her breasts and glared at other woman.
"And I don't see you worried at all." She said sourly.
Orochimaru ignored her. Jiraiya grinned and sat down beside the raven-haired woman. "You know...I really think you look -!" but he wasn't able to finish whatever remark he wanted to say, because Orochimaru's left fist slammed into his face.
"Don't even think about it." Orochimaru hissed coldly before resuming.
"Can anyone bother to explain how Naruto accomplished this all?" Shizune piped up.
"I don't want to hear the details," Kakashi shrugged. "What I want to know is what the Link does." Tsunade nodded in agreement.
Naruto and Orochimaru looked at each other. Tsunade could not help but feel afraid at the way the two seemed to be cooperating. Could that be an effect of the Link? They start to like each other? Heaven forbid, she can't allow it to come to that. Moreover Kakashi was right – Naruto captured the bastard, and they should all be worrying about severing the link.
"You explain." Orochimaru said bitterly. "Since I don't understand it myself."
Naruto scratched his nose. He looked lost.
"You can begin where you captured me." Orochimaru snapped irritably.
"Well..." said Naruto, choosing his words carefully. "She was about to kill me really. Had me by the neck with her tongue – I didn't have enough Chakra left...I was so desperate – I didn't want to die before I even became Hokage," Orochimaru snorted with disgust and Tsunade glared at her. "Then I remembered something I read from a notebook three days before I was sent on the mission. It didn't require much Chakra, and then I was hard put – I couldn't think clearly with the air being squeezed out of my lungs. I gathered whatever was left in me, and had to rely on memory from then on. Said shape the Chakra as a string...and drive it deep into your target...and that's what I did." He shrugged and drank down some soup. "And then she started screaming. No, she was a he then. He was clutching his own neck, his eyes were bulging and he let go of me."
"You performed the linking...out of despair...?" Tsunade said faintly as her hand flew to her head.
"Err, yeah, I guess." Naruto replied uncertainly.
"You overtly stupid boy!" Jiraiya yelled in frustration. "You make Kakashi and I look like idiots! What have you learned from us!" He made to slam his fist onto Naruto's head again but Orochimaru moved swiftly and kicked him in the face. Tsunade stood up, eyes ablaze.
"I won't let you harm the boy," Orochimaru said icily. "If you so much as threaten him, I will kill you."
"I don't understand." Shizune piped up. "Why is Orochimaru protecting Naruto?"
Orochimaru tossed her head in agitation. "Oh, you want to know what the Link does? Well for your information, whatever happens to Naruto happens to me! Punch him and I get punched – strangle him and I suffocate! Whatever happens to Naruto will happen to me three times in magnitude! And on a happier note, we can't go farther than fifty meters from each other because the link snaps like a rubber band! What a very happy fate we have, don't you think!"
Tsunade could feel her jaw dropping yet again. She clutched her head again – thinking was hard because her head wanted to burst open. "A reflection...this link reflects whatever happens to the doer..." she looked at Naruto and Orochimaru. "What else do you share through this link? Naruto, can you in turn feel whatever happens to Orochimaru? How about thoughts and emotions?"
"The link is one-sided, I think." Naruto shrugged. "I don't feel anything. But I don't agree with the execution idea. I might still die." He added fearfully.
"True, we cannot take that risk." Kakashi agreed.
Jiraiya got up from the floor, clutching his swollen nose. "But this gives us a new set of problems. I am sure the Sound is searching for their master. We cannot let the Sound have both Naruto and Orochimaru. We must research and find a way to sever the link while keeping their whereabouts secret. And we cannot simply allow the news of their link to leak out. The other countries will see this as treachery, Tsunade." He shot the Godaime a meaningful look.
Orochimaru was struck with a thought. Kabuto must know of my present condition. It will be a race to whoever severs the link first – Tsunade or him. If Konoha wins this race, then I'm...
"We need a place only the four of us knows." Shizune suggested.
Tsunade stood up and started pacing around the room. "I will try find a way to break this link of yours. But I cannot say how long it will take. But I have decided that for everybody's welfare as well as yourselves, you, Naruto and Orochimaru, must stay in hiding until we finally find a solution. This is my decision."
"But to where?" Kakashi asked. "Might I remind Godaime that Neji and the others are itching for news of Naruto."
Tsunade waved a hand. "I know, I know. We can keep them distracted enough to go on with the research undisturbed. That will be your job, Hatake Kakashi." Kakashi blinked. "Shizune, you will help me with the task of finding a solution. Do not let Haruno Sakura know anything whatsoever. I will take care of her." Shizune nodded slowly. "Jiraiya, you will take Naruto and Orochimaru to my estate far southwest, deep in the jungles. That will be the perfect place for them – nobody knows that place except us four, and the villagers are blissfully ignorant of the happenings in greater Konoha."
Jiraiya grinned. "I like the arrangement. Might I also volunteer to remain with them until the research is over? They'll need my protection, and ah...writing my new novel will be very good in such a...ahm...peaceful place."
"I object!" Orochimaru snapped as she hugged her kimono tighter over her body. "You can't seriously let this idiot do that job!"
"We could do better with Kakashi-sensei, I think." Naruto added with a very annoying cackle.
Jiraiya frowned. "I am higher ranking than Kakashi, am older and wiser. Do you two honestly think he alone can defend you if some unwanted people find out about your whereabouts? Some people like...let's see...Uchiha Itachi?"
Orochimaru's knuckles went whiter, if possible. Naruto choked on a piece of barbecue.
"He's right." Kakashi nodded. "You two won't be able to defend yourselves properly. Jiraiya is the best person for this."
"Ahh...I am glad you realize that, Kakashi!" Jiraiya declared triumphantly. "The first autographed copy of my new novel for you!" Kakashi beamed, and Naruto shook his head in disbelief.
"So that is settled." Tsunade said in a final sort of voice. She frowned at Orochimaru. "Before we all forget, how did you end up like that anyway?"
But Orochimaru only rolled her eyes and refused to answer. Naruto laughed. "Well, when I managed to link with her, I had to think of a nice way to sneak out of the Sound unhampered. Since she couldn't do the hand seals for the jutsu herself, I did it for her. She did pummel me a lot, but thanks to the link, she desisted." There was a flash of teeth.
"I just have to say that you look beautiful, Orochimaru." Jiraiya smirked, and he had to dodge a flying kunai for that comment. "I wonder how pretty the rest of you are under that dress." This time he did not manage to evade a bandage fist that slammed straight into his nose.
Tsunade sighed. "Naruto, I can never understand how you made it into Jounin rank with that kind of thinking. Be more careful in the future, though I know this warning just tends to bounce off your skull. Jiraiya, I want the three of you eight miles out of this city first thing in the morning. Do you understand me?" Jiraiya nodded confidently, and Orochimaru spared him a glare. "I might drop a visit every now and then to give you details on our research."
Naruto nodded resolutely. "Right." And then he felt a tug on his sleeve, and he turned to see Orochimaru looking at him with a raised eyebrow. "Oh, yeah, I forgot..." He picked up his chopsticks and started to help Orochimaru with the noodles. "Open wide!"
"You know," said Shizune. "That just looks so wrong."
Hyuuga Neji lifted his gaze from his empty udon bowl and looked around the isolated village Sasuke had sent him to. Neji frowned – no, glared at the tiny piece of celery that remained of his meal. There was practically nothing in this village. Why on earth would Sasuke send him here when he could be searching through other worthy places? The white-eyed Jounin gave an annoyed huff as he pulled a bill from his purse and left the food stall, shoving his hands into his pockets.
"Like Naruto would be strolling around here, really." Neji muttered to himself as he walked down the street, his Byakugan working, giving him all around vision without the need to turn his head this way and that. "He'd likely be hopping around in the Mist country or whatever godforsaken place it is...heck, you can't even buy a kunai in these parts..." he gave another frustrated sigh.
It had been a month since Naruto vanished. It could have been another special training, but then, why would he fail to give news to his friends? They tried asking Godaime for help, she also said she would, but every time Sasuke went to ask for details, all they got was nonsensical answers. And then Shikamaru decided that they should take the matter into their own hands. It was hard, especially with Shikamaru and Sasuke having their own teams to teach now, so Neji, Kiba and Chouji had to take turns going to places around Konoha.
Neji found a bench and sat down moodily. "Blasted piece of godforsaken land with nothing in it except mushrooms." He grunted in annoyance as he messed up his hair with his hand.