The next chapter of Blood is Thicker than Bone. Due to past events Naruto has gotten confident that they can foil whatever it is Orochimaru plans, however he is unaware of what it is that Orochimaru is truly planning.

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto

"Well that was a big waste of time." Naruto said dryly having summed up the incident that had involved Ino posing as a body double for a Princess who was to be wedded to a Fat Prince who dressed like Elvis in eight words.

"You got that right." TenTen mumbled glad she had not have to play the part of The Princess as Ino angrily wiped off the makeup on her face that she had worn for it muttering angry words under her breath over what she had to put up with as it was not Prince Charming she had met like she had expected.

They had gotten back from a non important filler mission that would never be brought back up again or remembered.

Naruto looked around Konoha the blonde examining all that had been going on. The Damage and Chaos from Orochimaru's attack what had seemed ages ago had been nearly repaired with peace having returned to The Leaf Village. Weeks had passed since the incident in Wave.

His Cousin, Tayuya, and Anko weren't around. Apparently Tsunade was pleased with their first performance and so decided to put them on another mission together with how well they did in stopping Orochimaru's disease he was making. He didn't know when he would see him but he shouldn't be gone too long.

"Why the hell are we here again?" The redhead grumbled in irritation as she leaned against the wall on the rooftop of the building. There were in a village far from Konoha. It had taken two days to get here.

Tayuya had not been favorable towards working with Kimimaro and Anko again but had little voice in the matter as she was still on parole due to the clause stating she'd be on a one year parole just to make sure she didn't try anything.

"Argh, for the fifth time. Some business jackass with ties to Yakuza is said to be abducting people and using them as forced labor under threat of killing their families. Using them as little more than slaves." The purple haired Jonin said glaring at her counterpart. "We're suppose to find out if its true or not." Anko told her. "You should be glad that you're here, you like killing people don't you?"

"Not when its boring as hell and there ain't shit to do around." Tayuya cursed as she folded her arms over her chest.

Anko rolled her eyes and was about to make a snappy remark when Kimimaro returned appearing before them. "What is it bones?" She said to him.

"I've found a secret passage." He told them. "It leads to his quarters in his mansion here. We can go in and find out the truth of what he's doing."

"And?" Tayuya said as she felt he was leaving something out.

"Take his life if we have too." Kimimaro told her.

"Damn time we got to do something besides standing around doing nothing." Tayuya said and leapt down. Anko rolled her eyes and leapt as well. She didn't like Tayuya, she reminded her too much of herself of how brash and foul when she was that age. Kimimaro silently followed after them as the three went

The Three went and soon completed the mission. Killing the tycoon after discovering proof of what he had done and slaying him and his men and freeing the people he had abducted.

At Konoha…

Naruto waved goodbye to Teuchi and Ayame as he left Ichiraku's thanking them for the food as he had eaten supper there. A smile on his face he began to walk through the streets of Konoha as the moon was starting to raise.

Naruto walked through the empty streets when he spotted someone seated down on a bench not far from him.

Naruto watched on as Sasuke sat there his hands in front of his face clenched together. The two hadn't interacted much recently. Talking if only for a brief moment and not saying very much. Naruto remembered what had been happening to him and how he had nearly died at Wave when Sasuke's fireball knocked him into the water.

"Are you going to sit there sulking like a puppy that's been kicked all day?" He asked him.

"What do you want?" Sasuke said not raising his head to look at him.

"You know what? Forget it, do whatever the hell it is that floats your damn boat." Naruto said to him. "I've tried to be reasonable with you and see things your way, but you're a stubborn and stupid one." He said to Sasuke who glared at him.

"I actually envied you for a time you know that?"

"Envy?" Sasuke repeated in confusion and he gritted his teeth as his eyes turned red in anger. "Envy? You mean you envied me for coming home and seeing my mother and father dead? You envy me for seeing all my clan and family wiped out? You envy me for seeing my own brother tell me he did it, that he murdered my family on a whim?!" He shouted at Naruto. "You know nothing about me!"

Naruto glared hard at him. "Yeah, I did envy you." He told Sasuke. "I envied you for whenever you woke up scared as a baby your mother was there to comfort you and hold you in her arms letting you know that everything was going to be okay. I envied for whenever you had supper with your family and you talked about your day. I envied you for having a father."

"You cannot talk to me this way!" Sasuke hissed at him.

"All the things you had and taken for granted, I'd gladly give up my Kekkai Genkai for it to have happened to me." Naruto said to him. "Your not the only one who's lost family. My family was wiped out years ago when Whirlpool was destroyed and my mother died giving birth to me, I'm the last of The Uzumaki and I don't know any of them. And Kimimaro's the last of The Kaguya as Mist killed all the rest when he was younger than you. You know his Father beat him when he was a child? I wanted to be your friend you know that? When we graduated from the academy I thought that maybe me and you could possibly become best friends who would die for one another if we had too. But this attitude of yours has ruined any chances we could've had at being friends. You think you're the only one who's ever suffered but there are those who've suffered even more than you could imagine."

"You've done nothing for anyone, where were you when Sakura had been framed and accused of betraying Konoha huh? She needed support more than anything and you didn't do anything. Did you even know that someone tried to kill her?" He asked Sasuke who didn't respond. "Of course not, since it didn't affect you it didn't matter if she had died. It's all about you isn't it? The world can turn to ashes and you wouldn't give a damn so long as you could kill your brother. You just sit there sulking like a dog who's had its bone taken away."

"How dare you talk to me this way! My Clan founded and brought Konoha to greatness while yours is nothing!" Sasuke said to him anger in his eyes stepping forward. "You are talking to an Uchiha!"

SMACK!

Naruto's hand struck across his face faster than he could react leaving a red mark on his face.

"And now I've struck an Uchiha!" Naruto shouted at him. "Did my hand fall from my wrist?" He asked outloud to him holding up the hand he had slapped him with. Giving him a final glare he turned and walked away.

Sasuke watched him go stunned at what just happened and markings from the seal appeared and his eyes suddenly turned red.

"That's enough. Blood is the last thing we need on the streets." A voice said before he could do anything and they turned and saw Jiraiya standing there. "Now's not the time for you to be tearing each other apart." He said to the two.

Sasuke didn't say anything and turned and walked away.

"I don't know Jiraiya, I've tried with him. Honest." Naruto said to him as Sasuke vanished from sight.

"I know Gaki, I know." He told Naruto. "I've tried the same thing when I was your age before everything went south." Jiraiya said to him recalling his own past events in his youth and how things had changed.

"Orochimaru I'm afraid is up to something again." The Toad Sannin said to him. "I got a feeling in my gut that he's got something in mind." He said to Naruto.

"Big deal," Naruto said with a grin. "We can handle anything Snake Lips can throw at us." He said confidently. "We've already beaten his goons numerous times and stopped his plans." He said mentioning past events.

Jiraiya frowned at him and suddenly grabbed Naruto by the wrist and threw him overhead. Naruto not expecting it had no chance to try and counter or resist it as he landed on the ground.

"If I was Orochimaru you'd be dead by now." Jiraiya told him. "You've managed to thwart his plans but I'm afraid a bit of luck has been on our side." Jiraiya said to him as Naruto pulled himself up. "Don't get me wrong Naruto your strong for your age, not many twelve year olds have your power but Luck will eventually run out against you. Orochimaru has decades of planning and experience on his side. He may have suffered defeats as of late but that's never stopped him or his plots and he's still far more dangerous than any foe you'll likely face." He warned him. "You still have a long way to go, there's still much you have to learn. Never let your Ego get the better of you." He told him. "If he had unleashed that plague I'm afraid many lives would've been lost. You cousin and the cursin' cuties saved who knows how many people by destroying it. But remember a Snake is always dangerous at any time."

"Yeah I know that already, why you gotta tell me something I've had before?" Naruto asked him

"I'm not explaining it for you," Jiraiya said and then turned and pointed in front. "I was explaining it for them!" He said pointing at the screen and Naruto looked ahead wondering who he was talking too as he didn't see anybody.

"Now then," Jiraiya said turning back to face his confused student. "I've gotten word from my network that a couple of Orochimaru's spies have been seen in The Land of Tea. They've been spotted looking at a museum. What they are looking for I'm not sure, it could be a new base of theirs or he's looking for recruits in Tea to manipulate into joining him. It's not much but something is better than nothing." He told the boy. "It's a place that's open to the public so you don't have to worry about sneaking in as you could just go in and visit it and take a look around and so anything suspicious."

"Ok, want me to talk to Tsunade and ask her about it?" Naruto asked him.

"I already have. She has approved of it and wants to send you there to check it out. If Orochimaru's fingerprints are indeed there we can find out what he's got planning this time." Jiraiya told him.

"Right," Naruto replied with a grin.

The next day Naruto traveled to The Land of Tea with the others. He was with Kakashi and Sakura as well as with Might Gai and TenTen and Neji Hyuga.

The group paid for entry into The Museum which housed several artifacts from Hundreds of years ago.

"Hey, take a look at that." Naruto said with a grin as he saw a Statue of a man reading a horse. The man was large and wore Samurai armor and had piercing eyes. A Helmet with Stag antlers adorned his head. In his hand was a large spear that could skewer multiple men at once.

"Tadakatsu Honda, Fabled Samurai, Leader of the Four Great Generals, and Ieyasu Tokugawa's most prized vassal." Sakura said reading the scripture next to it "Ever at his lords' side and loyalty that could not be matched he competed in numerous battles and emerged from each one unharmed never suffering a wound of any kind. His Tonbo-giri was said to be so sharp it could cut a dragonfly that landed on it in half just by standing still. Many believed that without Tadakatsu's great strength The Tokugawa regime would've never come to fruition."

"Most impressive." Might Gai noted looking on at the sight. "Hundreds of years before The Age of the Ninja."

"Now that was a Warrior," Kakashi said looking on at him. "The Samurai of Samurai he was called. This armor is most likely a replica, the real armor is likely located in The Land of Iron, where he grew up long before it was called that." He said and looked at the picture on the scripture that had him on it cutting down foes with his mighty weapon. "Hmm, for some reason he's got a mask on here but it's not part of the Statue set." He noted looking at it and back to the statue of him. "Let's continue looking around at the sights and remember keep an eye out for anything suspicious."

The group split up and continued looking around The Museum. Taking in the sights and the artifacts. As they looked around Naruto spotted a man out of the corner of his eye who entered the Museum and was glancing around and shifted around on his feet keeping an eye out as he walked around. Naruto watched him looking on as he made his way around The Museum. As he watched him he knew he was up to something.

"Sensei, see that guy behind us?" He asked him. The Jonin glanced at him for a moment and nodded his head.

"Yeah that guy's trying too hard to be unassuming. There's something shifty about him all right."

"Think he's a spy?"

"If I was a betting man I'd wager he was one of Orochimaru's men. Keep an eye on him and don't draw any attention. I'm going to tell the others and let them know." Kakashi said to him.

Naruto nodded his head and began to discreetly follow the man at a distance keeping an eye on him and whenever the man turned around making sure to get out of his line of sight or be doing something else. He looked on and watched as the man walked around doing what he could to not draw suspicion to himself. Naruto watched on as he saw the man enter a room where a Museum guard was posted at. The man entered without saying anything to him.

"He went inside there." Naruto told Kakashi who had joined up with him and the others.

"No doubt something inside of there is hidden." Neji mused looking on as the guard stood there a bored look on his face.

"Let's find out." Kakashi said and walked forward.

"No one is allowed entry past here." The guard said to the group. "This is for items that we have yet to put up and place in The Museum."

"Oh, I was under the belief that all parts of this place were open to the Public." Kakashi said to him.

"Only those who work here are allowed past this point. Move along." The man said to them. Naruto frowned in irritation. He thought of a plan to create a Clone and have it cause a distraction and lure the guy away from the spot so they could sneak in.

But before he could decide how to do it Kakashi walked up to the man and said something they couldn't hear and press something into the man's hand. The man's eyes lit up and he smiled and waved them in allowing them entry. A bit confused Naruto entered the room with the others.

"What'd you say?" He asked his sensei who shrugged.

"Not a whole lot, but that five hundred Ryo bill I put in his hand said 'Hey, their nice folks, why not let them inside?'"

"You bribed him?!" Sakura said in surprise.

"Never underestimate the power of Money." Kakashi told them. "A weak man can be bought. We're inside, we're happy. He can go buy him or his spouse a gift he's happy. Now then, let's go." Kakashi said and the group entered the room.

As they went in Might Gai mentioned for them to stop. "I hear voices." He said to them. "Neji, activate your eyes." He told his student who nodded and veins appeared on his face as he did. "What do you see?" He asked him as he peered ahead

"Hmm, I see a couple men moving things around. Hold on, a see a Silver haired man with a Sound Hitai-ate ordering them around." Neji confirmed for them. "Going by his actions he's instructing the one we saw go in that he needs to take something out of here."

"Kabuto." Naruto hissed in anger at hearing that as he knew who that was.

"So Orochimaru's men truly are here." Kakashi murmured. "What's he got planning this time?"

"We had best put a stop to it whatever it is." Gai told him and turned to the others. "Everyone, get ready for a fight." He told them and Naruto readied himself while Sakura reached out and got herself a Kunai while TenTen armed herself.

The group came to a large room filled with several pieces of art including a giant statue in the back of the room of an Oni.

"Neji, scout out any places where they could be hiding or where we could get into." Kakashi said to him.

Before he could, a shuriken flew by suddenly narrowly missing hitting TenTen in the head.

"I think we got company," Naruto said.

"Did the Shuriken nearly hitting my skull give you a clue?" TenTen asked dryly.

"Kill them." A voice said as numerous armed Sound Ninjas appeared.

"Saw this coming." Naruto noted as he pulled out two bone swords preparing for battle. Two Sound Nins charged at him swords raised overhead attacking him. Naruto dodged and parried expertly with his swords before disarming them and knocking them down. Naruto combined both his bone swords into one as he saw them coming.

Kabuto in the room gave commands to his men, ordering them to cut down the Leaf. He had known they were here the moment they had set foot inside the Museum. He could not let them interfere with his master's plans.

A Sound Ninja with a Tessen in hand threw it at them. The razor sharp fan spun at them and cleaved a wooden statue's head right off. The weapon spun around picking up even more speed coming at them at full force.

"Kaiten!" Neji shouted and spun and reflected the Tessen right back at The Sound Ninja who scrambled out of its way.

A Sound Ninja with claws strapped to his hands ran at Might Gai and lashed at him. The Sensei dodged and avoided it and kicked him up overhead and then reappeared behind him and grabbing him spun and dove down to the ground knocking ninjas away from the impact of the crater.

"Soshoryu!" TenTen shouted as she summoned scrolls and unleashed dozens of shurikens and kunai onto them. She then redirected them using chakra strings and sent them up into the lights shattering them and darkening the room. Sakura seeing that opening ran and using what Tsunade had taught her charged her fists with chakra and knocked out several Oto Ninjas with blows to the head before they could react.

Neji his Byakugan activated saw them easily enough in the dark and went to town on them using his Juken to disable their chakra and muscles The Hyuga prodigy going through them with ease.

Naruto seeing himself surrounded on all sides planted his bone sword into the ground and jumping up grabbed it like a pole and spun on it. Picking up speed with each spin and each hit he landed on them until he was a blur in the room as his feet connected with them knocking them away.

Kabuto looked on as his men were losing the battle when Kakashi appeared in front of him.

"Fight us Kabuto."

"If I must fight, I chose to fight dirty." Kabuto said and pulled a loaded Crossbow out from behind him and fired it aiming for his eye. Kakashi narrowly avoided it in time as Kabuto reloaded it and fired it again forcing him on the run.

A group of Sound Ninjas with generators strapped onto their backs entered the room and holding up a trigger attached to their packs let loose with a loud burst of sound from it. Amplifying the noise stunning The Leaf Ninjas and disorienting them as their was no way for them to defend against something they couldn't see or fight back against.

"Pull back!" Gai ordered them as they fell back. Continuing to let loose with The Sound, The Oto Nins advanced upon them.

Naruto and the others hid behind the giant statue of an Oni hiding behind it for protection. The Sound Ninjas fired at it chipping away at it breaking through the stone to get at them behind it.

"They keep this up we're dead." Might Gai grumbled as it wouldn't protect them forever.

"Hey sensei is this worth a lot?" Naruto asked pointing at the statue.

"It's a replica." Kakashi noted. "Not the real deal."

"Oh well in that case…" Naruto then created dozens of clones and as one they shoved and tipped the statue over onto The Sound Ninjas who scrambled out of its way. The statue fell to the floor and broke into many pieces shattering upon impact.

Kabuto coughed as dust covered the room. "Get that out of here!" He ordered the man who took a chest and turned and ran out of the room escaping.

"Oh no you don't!" Kakashi shouted chasing after him. Kabuto growled and got his crossbow out and had Kakashi in his sights looking to pierce his heart.

A bone shot into the weapon jamming and destroying it much to his surprise. Naruto then rushed him and dropkicked him knocking him into the wall. "Kakashi wait up!" He shouted and chased after him.

The man had fled The Village and was running as fast as his feet could carry him. Sweat poured down his face as he ran for his life.

A bone flew and embedded itself in the back of his leg and he cried out and tripped and fell to the ground dropping the box. He struggled to reach for the chest when Kimimaro suddenly appeared in front of him having thrown it.

"What are you doing here?" He asked him with a scowl. He recognized him as one of Orochimaru's men.

"What the hell are you getting into this time?" Tayuya shouted as she and Anko joined up with him a scowl on her face. She looked and recognized the man as well.

"Hmph, looks like we got someone for Ibiki to interrogate." Anko mentioned. The three having returned from the mission when Kimimaro saw him running and cut him off. "Now then you can answer to me or we can take you back to Konoha and have Ibiki question you instead." She said with a pleasant smile that hid cruel intentions

"We do not wish to harm you," Kakashi said to him as the man cowered in fear as he caught up to them. "Just give us the box and we shall let you leave unharmed. You have my word if you cooperate." He said as Naruto caught up with and joined him and was surprised to see the others.

"Y-You promise?" The man said to him.

"Yes, I mean you no harm." Kakashi said to him.

The man looked like he was considering it when a Snake suddenly slithered out of his shirt to everyone's surprise and bit him on the neck sinking its fangs into him. The man cried out in pain as he died as the reptile vanished.

"What the?!" Naruto yelled in surprise at what happened.

"Why is it that everyone I go I always seem to find you?" A voice said from behind them. The group whipped around and their eyes widened at who they saw standing before them.

"Orochimaru!" Naruto shouted shock at seeing him. The Snake Sannin himself was in front of them his arms hanging limply by his side.

"It's as if some rope is bound between us so we'll always meet one another no matter where we go. I had been coming here on important matters when I find you trying to make off with something I want." Orochimaru said to him. "Frankly I'm quite ready to cut that rope apart so I don't have to see you ever again." He told them.

Kakashi looked on, noticing Orochimaru's damaged arms which was a sign of relief. He if he worked with Anko and the otehrs might be able to kill him in this weakened state. But even with The Handicap Orochimaru was a dangerous foe and one mistake would be the end of him.

"Just what is it your up to this time Orochimaru?" He asked The Snake Sannin. "Your plague has been destroyed, what do you have up your sleeve this time?" He said to Orochimaru. He wouldn't have come here if it wasn't something important.

"KuKuKu, instead of telling you. I'll show you. I was on my way to get that chest before you decided to steal from me." He said and the group looked on at him

Naruto growled at The Sannin hatred in his blue eyes. "Shut your trap you lunatic, your outnumbered and you're dealing with a handicap!"

The chest suddenly began to shake surprising them. They looked on as it something was stirring inside of it. It burst open and they saw a broken half of a mask floating up out of the chest and in the air towards Orochimaru.

"It wants to be reunited." Orochimaru said with a smirk as he opened his mouth and his tongue slithered out and reached into his clothes and produced another Half of a Mask that was similar to the other. It floated up as well and joined up with its other Half as the two pieces hovered before one another. "It seeks to be whole again!" He said wicked glee in his voice.

The group could only watch on as The two halves of the mask floated in midair and then came together and unified joining up with each other. Becoming one it floated in the air and Orochimaru took a hold of the Mask.

"Now then, let us see if The Legends are really true and it can undo what has been done." Orochimaru said as he held the whole mask in his hands.

"Stop him!" Kakashi shouted but it was too late as Orochimaru brought it up and put on the Mask of Honda. Slipping it on over his face covering it. "Raikiri!" Kakashi shouted and fired it at him in a desperate attempt to stop him. Whatever it was it couldn't be good if it involved him. The attack hit Orochimaru right in the chest and exploded.

"You got him!" Naruto exclaimed thinking he had killed him as that was a direct hit he had gotten him with his Jutsu.

Suddenly a low cackling laughter was heard surprising them all. The laughter was quiet at first but began to louder and louder. A cruel horrifying and mocking laughter that sent shiver and dread down their spines of even the most battle hardy. Kimimaro gritted his teeth at what was happening. An attack that would've killed anyone at full force had no effect on him.

"No w-way!" Naruto shouted in horror as the smoke and dust parted and it showed Orochimaru standing there and despite having taken the full force of Kakashi's attack he showed no signs of damage at all.

What was more alarming was his arms, they were no longer purple and lifeless. They had returned to their original state and Orochimaru was moving them and feeling them as he clutched a hand into a fist as a evil grin spread across his face.

"It can't be." Kakashi said shock in his eye. Orochimaru had regained the use of his arms. The Snake Sannin was once again as dangerous as he had been before.

Orochimaru laughed his horrifying laugh and looked over at the others and did hand symbols. Several stalagmites rose up out of the ground and fired at them and they just barely avoided being skewered by them in the nick of time. His Jutsus had returned to him.

"I feel my power returning to me, that which Sarutobi had stolen from me has been restored!" He said with a cackle to them all as with each second all his lost Jutsus from when Sarutobi sealed his arms were returning to him. "The Mask of Honda, worn by the famed Samurai Tadakatsu himself! Able to restore any previous wounds suffered upon a person and prevent whoever wears it from being hurt or damaged!" He said with glee in his voice. "More powerful than even the legends said. With this I am invincible!" He shouted as he felt the masks' power coursing throughout his body and his Jutsus returning to him. He turned an evil eye over to Naruto and the others who stood there petrified at what they saw.

"Don't worry, you shall not have to be afraid for so long." He said mockingly comforting them. "After all, there is one thing I've became an expert and made my specialty in in all my years." He said and hissed out the next word with Venom in his voice.

"Death."

A/N: That's it for this chapter. Read and Review please.