Chapter 29: Where the Secrets sleep
Hibiki gave the boys the direction they needed to go before hopping back onto Suigetsu's back. Not wanting to waste any more time, they ran at top speed, the tree's whooshing past as they moved.
"How did you find him?" Suigetsu asked as he propelled himself forward off a tree branch.
"I suddenly had a vision," she told him. Bringing up Itachi might get Suigetsu going, so it would be best not to mention him.
As they grew closer to the battlefield, the energy in the air became more and more charged. Suigetsu took a deep inhale, blood-soaked the area giving it the strong scent of death. Hibiki grimaced at the scent, it was a little too strong for her more sensitive nose.
"It's been a while since I've smelled this much blood. Kinda missed it." Suigetsu smiled remembering the days he spent killing people with his older brother.
"How are you holding up Juugo?" Hibiki asked.
"I'm alright, don't worry about me," he told her, Juugo forced himself to focus on Sasuke. If he let the environment affect him he would go on an uncontrollable rampage for who knows how long. As they moved out of the forest area and into a plain, Hibiki felt a tightness come over her chest.
"Slow down we're close!" she instructed Suigetsu and Juugo. Slowing down and coming to a stop. Hibiki was placed back on her feet. She pulled out her staff and used it as she wandered the area. Her eyes were closed and her brow furrowed. She searched for a few minutes before coming to a stop.
Yep, this is it, she thought.
"Juugo I need you to smash a hole in the ground so we can get into the cave," Hibiki called him. Juugo rushed to her side and set his sight on the place Hibiki was pointing her cane at. He nodded at Suigetsu who picked Hibiki up and moved back. Carefully positioning themselves, Suigetsu had his arm around Hibikis waist for support. She put her cane away and looked toward Juugo's direction. Juugo focused, raised his fist and demolished the ground under him.
"Nice work Juugo!" Suigetsu called over the noise of crumbling earth. The earth rumbled, vibrating under the trio's feet and collapsed in on itself, standing on large boulders as they fell into the dark cave. Suigetsu keeping Hibiki close to him. Once the rubble landed and began to pile a little Suigetsu grinned.
"Found you!" he called out to a startled Sasuke.
The air began to clear and Hibiki pulled away from Suigetsu, she slipped down two boulders and landed on the cave floor. With a fierce glare of anger and annoyance, she quickly approached Sasuke. Seeing her face Sasuke knew she was pissed, and she had good reason to be….
"Sasuke!" she scolded, her voice like a mother's when she confronted a misbehaving child.
"I know." He replied. She punched him in the arm, hard, becoming sore and bruised. Her face settled, getting her anger out in that punch, she sighed and said,
"Did you guys get to talk?"
"Yes," Sasuke said.
"Good." she finishes.
Suigetsu and Juugo hopped down and joined them. Juugo had a soft smile on his face happy to have his cage back, and Suigetsu had a somewhat friendly grin. Hibiki closed her eyes and smiled. She seemed to relax some. It had been so long since Sasuke saw a real smile from her.
"So tell me what's been going on," she said. Sasuke took a seat on one of the boulders while the other three encircled him. He went into a long explanation of the war, Suigetsu grew bored of the tale and looked around the cave, Juugo did the same, not caring about those outside his small circle of friends. As he concluded with his talk with Itachi Hibiki nodded.
"So that's what's been going on. You have no idea how horrible it's been not being able to see anything. And of course, I wouldn't be able to see reanimated dead souls! They don't belong on our plane of existence, I can't see their futures because they don't have them. And I'm guessing there were a lot of them running around." she complained.
"Is your precognition better?" Sasuke asked.
"I haven't looked into it yet."
"So how did you find me?"
"Itachi." She summarized. Sasuke nodded, knowing it was too much trouble to talk about extensively.
"Gross!" Suigetsu exclaimed from where he had wandered over to Kabuto's statue-like state. "This is kabuto eh, um what is coming out of his stomach, looks like a giant.." he panicked.
"You can stop there." Sasuke scolded.
"Don't think too hard on it Suigetsu, you'll give yourself nightmares" Hibiki warns him.
"Just leave him be," Sasuke said. Over in another area of the cave, Juugo investigated Anko's body. Finding her pulse he called to the others.
"She's alive." Hibiki could hear Sasuke taking a deep breath and letting it go in a long sigh,
"What do you want with me after all this time? Going out of your way to find me?" Sasuke asked the group.
"Right yeah yeah, that's the thing we found something incredible in one of the hideouts now where…" Suigetsu started walking to Sasuke, he looked in the pocket of his cloak.
"I have it Suigetsu" Hibiki called handing it to him. Juugo lifted Anko up and over his shoulder, he looked to Sasuke.
"You and Itachi stopped kabuto's endo Tensei jutsu right?" Juugo asked. "So why is Madara still here?" They all turned to Hibiki, who felt the tension she held her hands up in surrender.
"Don't ask me, I may be able to find corpses, but I can't help you if they move on their own," she told them.
"So it hasn't stopped… " Sasuke said to himself.
"Jeez, this conversation is jumping subjects too fast. Anyway, never mind that, here take a look at this". Suigetsu handed Sasuke the papers. He watched as Sasuke read it and the realization came onto his face.
"Right it's a mind-blower, now team taka can take over the entire shinobi world." Suigetsu chuckled darkly.
"This is it!" Sasuke exclaimed, "The one who knows everything." he stood and turned to the gaping hole in the ceiling.
"I'm leaving, I need to get out of here to meet up with someone," he told the three.
"Huh who?" Suigetsu asked,
"Orochimaru"
"What?" Suigetsu panicked at the sound of his name, "You killed Orochimaru, I wanted you to use this to…" he tried.
"Are you surprised that someone as resourceful as Orochimaru would not die so easily? And I'm willing to meet that piece of shit because there's something I need him to do. It's time to talk to the all-knowing." Sasuke said.
"I don't understand how you can talk to Orochimaru, who is this all-knowing person." Suigetsu asked.
"You don't need to know," Sasuke replied.
"Why is everyone so fucking vague in their answers!" he yelled in frustration. He then looked at Sasuke with a serious expression that was rare on his face. "I don't get it but anyway you can't! Orochimaru must never be revived. You plan to ask Orochimaru to help you control the power of the scroll right? You can learn to do it on your own. I know you can that's why I brought it to you." He yelled.
"There are still things only Orochimaru can do," Sasuke said.
"Listen you were Orochimaru's star disciple, correct, so why can't you.." he reasoned.
"Suigetsu you underestimate Orochimaru" Sasuke sneered.
"I do- don't underestimate him at all, you do! The only reason you defeated Orochimaru was because both his hands were rendered useless by the reaper death seal! You have always underestimated him you know even if he is revived he probably won't be able to use his arms still. But he'll still be dangerous he'll still want to take control of you. He'll want to be part of this war. He always wanted to destroy Konoha don't you remember. And that means team taka will get messed up in this war too. Is that what you want? We've now surpassed our masters this is our time, no one wants to see Orochimaru ever again, plus hasn't he caused us enough trouble." Suigetsu ranted. Hibiki hearing his distress takes and squeezes his hand trying to reassure him. Meanwhile, Juugo and Sasuke put Anko on the floor, Sasuke began to work on some signs.
"Suigetsu shut up, instead of talking dig out a piece of kabuto's body and give it to me," Sasuke ordered.
"Huh? You don't listen to me so why should I listen to you." he rebelled
"'I'll do it," Juugo said. Hibiki closed her eyes and furrowed her brows, she stood in Kami's room, watching the river flow. The war was getting serious, a ten tales beast would most likely be revived. Obito stood on its head, his spiteful face assured in his actions. Naruto stood before him.
For once in her life, she wished Naruto all the luck and probability in the world. Nothing good was going to come out of this. While her vision was still blurred around the ten tails, as well as in another area she assumed Madara was, she moved her focus onto Sasuke.
"Eh, so that's how it is? Are you really sure about this Juugo Orochimaru's return?" he tried to reason with him.
"I don't mind, Sasuke's will is Kimimaro's will, and I will abide by it," Juugo said feeling more assured in his actions. It had been a while since he felt confident in his movements.
"Hibiki is this a good idea?" Suigetsu begged. Hibiki frowned.
"Suigetsu, a lot is going on right now. As far as I can tell, having Orochimaru on hand is not the worst. Besides Sasuke needs him." she sighed. Suigetsu's mood worsened. Over by Kabuto, Juugo placed his hand onto Kabuto and took a piece of him in his hand.
"Ewww what is going on with all this?" Suigetsu cringed.
"That gross?" Hibiki asked, glad the subject was being glided by. Although it was sure to come up again.
"Your lucky your blind," he shivered.
"Its called sage transformation in my village, my transformation is also originally of this type, but in all of my clones, it called curse mark transformation" Juugo explained. The two surrounded Anko and worked on the revival. Hibiki could hear the snake, and then the slimy sound of Orochimaru's rebirth. Suigetsu shook slightly as he watched, he hid behind Hibiki, watching from over her shoulder.
"Suigetsu.." Hibiki tries to confront him. But she is interrupted by the familiar voice, making her shiver.
"Who would have imagined it would be you guys who facilitated my return!" Orochimaru smiled.
"Hi, long time no see… " Suigetsu greeted him. Orochimaru raises his eyebrow at the two, Not what he would have imagined happening.
"Orochimaru there is something I need you to do for me." Sasuke began to say.
"No need for details, I've been watching from inside Anko this whole time," he said to Sasuke.
"Then you know about the war too."
"Of course, and I have something to tell you Suigetsu," Orochimaru called. Suigetsu stiffened behind Hibiki. "I have no interest in this war. "
"Ha?" Suigetsu said surprised.
"Its someone else's war, the only thing I'm interested in right now is your body Sasuke."
"Well, that's nothing new," Hibiki grumbled.
"Hibiki, It's good to see you in such good health, although I'm hurt you didn't tell me about Sasuke's uprising." he pouted.
"Well you're fine so it doesn't matter now." she snapped.
"What is your intent meeting them?" Orochimaru turned back to Sasuke.
"There is too much I do not know, I want to hear about everything from them," Sasuke told him.
"Everything? There's no need to know it all, your still a child." Orochimaru said.
"Your wrong. I'm not a child anymore, I can't stay a child." Sasuke yelled.
"We may have had a child-like view of the world before Orochimaru, but you fixed that. While I can't say Sasuke or any of us for that matter are adults yet, we are not children." Hibiki sternly told Orochimaru. He eyed Hibiki with curious eyes.
"I want to know what started it all, what I'm supposed to be, what I'm supposed to do." Sasuke continued,
"Are you questioning your vengeance?" Orochimaru asked. Sasuke looked over at Hibiki, thinking over everything. Her voice of reason in his somewhat psychotic thoughts. "Not my quest for vengeance itself, after reuniting with Itachi my hatred to Konoha has grown even stronger, it's just I want to understand how even in death Itachi still considered himself a Konoha shinobi and care about and try to protect the village the dishonored his name… I want to know everything so I can finally have an answer. I need to see with my own eyes and decide with my mind what to do."
Hibiki smiled, Sasuke had grown up quite a lot. She felt proud of his changing perspective. Sasuke seeing it smiles slightly to himself, while Suigetsu frowns from behind Hibiki. Taking this answer Orochimaru turned and approached Kabuto, As the two stood near him Suigetsu panicked, picked up Hibiki and relocated to Sasuke's side.
"He's going to siphon kabuto's power and kill him." Suigetsu yelled.
"It's alright Suigetsu. He isn't going to hurt Kabuto. He's simply taking his chakra from Kabuto's body. Kabuto himself is left alone." Juugo explained.
"How are you sure?" Suigetsu questioned.
"Orochimaru is a lot of things, cruel, paranoid, sadistic," Hibiki began,
"I would stop there Hibiki" Orochimaru warned.
"Fine, but he does not kill those he finds useful. Besides, Kabuto- san's years of loyalty have earned him at least a little respect, Unless necessary he won't kill Kabuto-san." Hibiki finished.
"You're running your mouth much more than before, it seems your teammates rubbed off on you," Orochimaru observed.
"All right I'll help you out, come along, shall we be on our way." Orochimaru agreed as he finished regaining his chakra from Kabuto. The group walked back out to the real entrance of the cave and into the night. Suigetsu grabbed Hibiki as they began moving faster, rushing through the surrounding forests.
Then they all stop.
Wow, I'm not a sensory type and I can feel this Chakra, Hibiki thinks, Naruto.
"This chakra is…" Hibiki gasped.
"Let's go." Sasuke cut her off, "Hurry and lead the way, Orochimaru."
Turning away from the radiating chakra, they move on. Running until they come to a crumbling building,
"It doesn't look like anyone is using it," Juugo muttered.
"It's in shambles" Suigetsu said, putting Hibiki back on her feet.
"Well I suppose this is way outside the village." he thinks aloud
The group carefully ducked into the building, coming before a wall of masks. A few were askew, but most of them remained untouched.
"Which one," Sasuke wondered, taking in each masks detail.
"Hmm, let's see..." Orochimaru pondered, trying to remember.
"Middle row 6 from the left," Hibiki instructs. Orochimaru grabbed the mask Hibiki had referred them to.
"Always such a convenience," He smiled.
"This place gives me the creeps if you found it can we please get out of here?" Suigetsu asked. The building oozed an unwelcome atmosphere.
"Scared of ghosts?" Hibiki elbowed him.
"Well there were reanimated corpses not too long ago…" he pointed out.
"Good point." Hibiki nodded.
"Yes let's go, to where all the secrets sleep." Orochimaru agreed.