Chapter 8: What Binds Us

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"Who's missing?"

"Uzumaki Naruto and Haruno Sakura, ma'm."

"Don't call me ma'm," Tsunade was trying to think about what had just happened. As she spoke with ANBU member another one came up. It was the same young man that had interogated the captive from the raid. He was almost out of breath. Either from running, or excitement.

"Hokage-sama... Misha... Dark User... Ishida."

The sanin made him calm down. When he could finally speak full sentences, she let him go. "I described the scene to him, incase he knew anything. He did! He said the black chakra was Akira Ishida's. He's known as the Dark User for it. But the only reason that Akira Ishida would attack is because of Hatake Kakashi." He drew in a deep breath.

The other ANBU member placed a hand on his shoulder. Now his breathing was back to normal. Then he looked into the other's eyes through the mask. "What are you saying?"

"I'm not saying anything! Misha Toshibu is. He's saying that Hatake Kakashi is alive and here, in Konoha!"

"No any more." The two of them looked at Tsunade. Her eyes wondered into the space in deep thought. "Yes, he is alive. But that dark chakra was to bring him away. But," for this she looked at them, "Sakura and Naruto were in the way."

Naruto stared at the man. His face was fimiliar, "Misha?"

The man chuckled. "Na! Heh heh, 'course I ken understand yourconfusion. I'm dis twin, Kuzu Toshibu," as he said this, his chest puffed out and a gleam was in his eyes. Apparently he was proud of his name. "New, I'll ask agane. What have vee har-e?"

"He's hurt!" Sakura yelled at the stranger. Her finger pointing at her sensei passed out on the floor. "I'm a medical nin, but I can't close the wound properly here." Kuzu was taken back by the girl's voice. He hadn't expected such a small girl to project such a loud and comanding voice.

"Cuse me will ya!" Kuzu stepped into the room. When he tried to walk over to Kakashi, Sakura stood in his way. Her arms out wide. She was refusing him to come closer to her teacher. Naruto stood back. He had expierenced the strength of Misha. His twin looked a little bigger.

"Sakura-chan..." Naruto put his hand on her shoulder and spoke to her softly. "Maybe we should-"

"If your in charge here, then get me something to stich the wound close! I'm afraid whatever that black stuff was, it drained a lot of our chakra. It's too dangerous for me to use chakra to close the wound." Naruto had never seen Sakura take so much control of a situation. It wasn't like her.

Kuzu had enough of her. 'How could Ishida request them alive! I'd rather ring her little neck for the way she's treatin me!' "Move outta da way! I'm takin dim wid me. Der ain't nottin you can do about it!" His large arm easily pushed Sakura aside. It was rather hard though and she fell to the ground. Right into the puddle of blood that had spilled from Kakashi. Naruto skidded over to her side.

The man's arms reached under Kakashi. Kuzu began to lift Kakashi, Sakura lay ther looking at him. The strength of the man was too much for her. Even with her super strength, it would be hard to bring him down. Naruto saw her despair. But if it was true that they had lost a lot of chakra, then he wouldn't be able to use a jutsu with out hurting himself. Plus the jutsu would be weak.

Yet, he had to do something. So he did the first thing that popped into his mind.

Sakura lay there when she noticed Naruto's arms move above her. He was reaching for a kunai. He had some left in his pack. Before she knew it, the blonde had jumped over and charged.

His mind raced with thoughts. The would be short, so he didn't have time to make up his mind. It was a split second before he realized that Kuzu and his body had collided. The man only staggered. Kakashi nearly slipped from his hands.

Naruto fell back into the blood. A yelp of pain escaped his mouth. Then fear and panic over came him as he realized what he had fallen into. The blonde's skin crawled and he felt himself jump up. His hands moved over his arms and legs. But the blood of his teacher only spreaded. 'It's not coming off! It's not coming off!'

Kuzu watched as the boy jumped up and started to bat himself as if spiders had jumped into his cloths. The girl was standing as well, trying to calm him down. Her hands gripped his shoulders firmly.

Naruto stared into Sakura's eyes. Fear glazed over his. The girl felt sorry for her best friend. With a soft look she touched his cheek. Realizing what she had done she pulled away and looked at Kuzu. "Let him go!"

The man mearly smirked and began to walk towards the door, holding Kakashi. His arms now covered with a small trickle of blood. "Wait! The bandages are coming off, the wound is opening even more. Be careful!" Kuzu swung around to look at her, and the jounin's head almost hit the wall. But her cries of dismay and worry were just what was needed.

As Naruto began another charge, thinking it was the least he could do, that's when it all happened.

Several small groups of ANBU members had gathered. Each group had a large brown dog with them. Tsunade paced in front of them. They had all gathered at the gates of Konoha. Then the sanin spoke to her people. "These dogs have been specially trained to sniff out chakra. Now we have a sample of the dark chakra," she paused, for the sample had been extracted from the shinobi that had rushed the hospital. Now he lay dead on a bed. "Each of you will go a different direction. Do not, I repeat, DO NOT use any chakra until you have found Akira Ishida. The dogs will get confused." She looked at them one more time, "Now go!"

Off they went. Each nothing but a blur. The Hokage stood there and watched. Watched and prayed for them. One more thing had to be taken care of. Their captive Misha.

It all happened in a blink of an eye. Two eyes to be exact.

At the sound of his students in trouble, Kakashi had fought against the darkness that was now overtaking his body. He forced his blood to move again. Fast it ran through his veins. Then his eyes shot open. Kuzu looked down at him, just in time to see Kakashi jump out of his arms. Next thing he knew was that his face was pressed against the floor. The jounin had dropped to floor and kicked away his legs.

The blonde that had been charging was surprised and stunned. Well, his legs weren't. He kept going. But his teacher quickly stood up and clothes lined him. "Ugh!" was all that Naruto said as he fell to the floor.

"Sorry about that. I needed something to knock him out." Kakashi extended his hand to the fallen boy. Naruto grabbed and was pulled up. Catching his sensei off guard, he grabbed his waist and hugged him. Kakashi's eyes grew wide with surprise. 'What's with hugging me lately!' Naruto let go and stood back, a smile on his face.

Sakura raced over next to her friend. She smiled as well. "Why do you have blood on you?"

The two genins looked at themselves. Both of them had dried and wet blood on them from when Kakashi had bled. "This isn't ours," this made Kakashi feel better at Sakura's words.

But Naruto took that feeling away and placed it with curiosity and worry. "It's yours."

Sakura walked over to her sensei and showed him where the bandages had been coming apart.Then she went ahead and explained everything. "Honestly, I'm just glad that your alive. Techniquilly your not even expose to be awake."

"Oh well, it doesn't matter now. We have to get out of here before-"

"Before what?" the voice came from the door. Kakashi needn't turn around, for he knew who it was. It could only be one person with the calmness and evil tone to the voice.

Ishida stood there. Awaiting his friend's answer. But the jounin was silent. So he spoke for him, "Before I find out right." Kakashi could hear him smile. "Tell you the truth, I think it's very important that you survive. Don't take your injury so lightly," the red head walked around until he was beside Kakashi.

Sakura set her eyes on Akira Ishida for the first time. When he had attacked her in the woods, he had come up from behind. 'So this is Akira Ishida. He's kind of cute. No! What am I thinking. Yet, there's no evil in his eyes. Just... well, I really don't know. But he wouldn't harm Kakashi-sensei.' Ishida noticed the girl staring at him.

Slowly and calmly, he moved over behind her. Kakashi didn't dare to move. Fearing for his students safety, he kept his place. Naruto, however, wouldn't have anything to do with it.

The blonde's feet moved and he found himself inbetween Sakura and the Dark User. "Don't touch her!"

"You sound just like the girl," then he mocked, "'Stay away from him!'" His cold, chilling laugh eminated from his throat.

"That's enough Naruto," Kakashi spoke. He was keeping an eye on Ishida. Naruto didn't back down. Sakura just stood there. Neither wanting to get Naruto in trouble, and not wanting to have to stare into the eyes of evil. But her feelings for her fellow genin got the best of her when she heard a loud thud.

Kakashi lurched forward. Then his legs gave a final push and he caught Naruto before he could hit the floor. The pink headed girl spun around on her heels. She almost fell over, only to be caught in the arms of Ishida. "Be careful," he whispered and stood her back up. Leaving her confused on his actions.

Apparently Naruto wouldn't move so Ishida threw him aside. Kakashi was not at all pleased with this. And it pained him to have to move so quickly. For now the wound was getting worse. The loss of blood was making him dizzy, as his body frantically tried to resuply itself with the red cells.

Naruto jumped out of his sensei's arms sensing his pain. soon he was on his feet. But the jounin stayed crouched on the ground and rested his arms on his knees.

Akira Ishida began to walk around the three, that's when he finally paid attention to the passed out Kuzu. "You really did a number on my friend here. What am I to do with him?" The two genins watched in surprise as Kakashi stood up and kicked Kuzu in the head.

A low moan came from the still body. Ishida smiled at the jounin's part take on the situation. "I thought all your humor had left you!" he laughed. Kakashi couldn't help but smile at his former friend.

Even now as they were enemies side by side, a friendship was still lingering in their hearts. It had not completely eroded away with the passage of time. "Much of it has," Kakashi replied to Ishida's earlier comment.

Sakura and Naruto looked at the two. Completely caught of guard. Even though the girl was blind to how they could be friends, Naruto remebered all that his sensei had told him of Ishida. He remebered the story of how the two were seperated for fifteen years. How Akira Ishida had reacted to when he accidently stabbed Kakashi with the kunai. And now as he smiled at the jounin, Naruto saw the care he had for his teacher. But his actions made him an enemy, therefore, he could never be a friend in the open again.

Bark! Bark! the dogs were going crazy. All the search parties had been led to one place with their dogs. This was good, for no one team would have to by themselves. The five teams settled their dogs down and held on to them tight. The leader of each group met with each other. The descion did not need to be discussed. They all knew what they would have to do. Everyone prepared and got ready. Then one of the more expierenced ANBU members went to each group to make sure they were absolutely ready.

"Remeber, there is no turning back. Once we get in, that's it." But all of them had come so far to get rid of a threat, and to find the truth about a fellow shinobi, that no one backed down. "Alright. MOVE OUT!"

Remeber: More reviews, means more chapters. It also means more readers. So if I don't have a lot of readers out there, than what's the point of keeping the story. Besides, I don't know what you want, then how can I satisfie you.

Tell me what you want in this story, you just see it. By that I mean: longer chapters, shorter chapters, more action, a colorful vocabluary for one member, death, despair, happiness, more gut wrenching situations, etc., etc...

Read on...