Thanks to a PM from RedCide47 I was motivated to write this chapter! I kinda lost interest as school rolled around and with a bunch of stuff happening and just didn't make time to write chapters. Please forgive me :) and enjoy! (PS: I RECOMMEND READING THE PREVIOUS FEW CHAPTERS IF YOU FORGET WHAT HAPPENED!)
Chapter 19: A Bad Encounter
The next morning rolled around quickly, everybody had a surprisingly good sleep. Even Naruto and Hinata slept soundly at night.
Kakashi and Itachi were already awake, sitting outside the tent area making their breakfast.
"So nothing happened last night, Itachi?" Kakashi glanced over at him.
"Even with using my Sharingan I didn't see anybody spying on us. Either they have planned something big or they gave up and went home, which I doubt." Itachi had a serious look on his face.
"I see..." Kakashi went silent for a bit as he heated his food over the fire.
"I may have an idea of who might be following us." Itachi said softly.
"It's a hunch but I'm almost positive."
"Who could it be then?" Kakashi look over at Itachi.
"I'm pretty sure it's some of the members from the Akatsuki. The leader Pain said our goal was to capture both the remaining tailed beasts, the eight and nine tails. This might be there chance where they strike and try to snatch Naruto." Itachi glanced at Naruto's tent, instantly getting bad thoughts.
"So you think they're coming for him. It'll be pretty hard to fight off four Akatsuki members even with the both of us. If anything you know their abilities more than anyone, but the rest of us have almost no information on why they're capable of." Kakashi started eating his warmed food.
"As long as we move quickly it'll be harder for them to find us. We'll pack up as soon as we can and start heading off for Orochimaru's hideout, it should be close by." Itachi's focus turned to the tents.
"Ahh good morning everyone!" Naruto stretched and yawned. "What are we talking about?" Naruto looked at Kakashi.
"Oh, just..." Kakashi hesitated.
"That we're getting closer to the hideout." Itachi finished. "We should get going soon so hurry up and eat. I'll wake the girls." Itachi stood up and walked over to the tents.
"Hinata, Sakura, time to get up. We're heading off soon." He calmly spoke through the zipped up door of the tent.
"Ughh I'm getting up!" Sakura grumbled.
Hinata came out of the tent sleepy eyed. "Good morning everyone..." She walked over to the fire and sat down.
"G-good morning Naruto.." She blushed and turned her gaze a bit.
"Morning Hinata." Naruto smiled. "Sleep well?"
"Y-yes, the best I've had in a while." She pulled out her food from her bag to heat it up.
"Haha.. that's good." Naruto grinned his usual smile as he began eating his food.
Sakura walked out of the tent still sleepy.
"Mm... good morning everyone.." Sakura rubbed her eyes.
"Didn't sleep well Sakura?" Kakashi asked.
"Not at all, I keep thinking about how close we're getting to bringing back Sasuke... I hope he'll come back when he sees all of us there for him." Sakura walked over to the fire and sat down to eat her food.
"Speaking of the mission," Itachi started. "We're expected to reach the hideout today, although we don't know the exact location it is somewhere close to the Sand Village, apparently just before we reach it."
"We need to get going as soon as possible in order to reach it by this afternoon." Kakashi chimed in. "Let's all eat our food and get going."
With that being said Naruto, Sakura and Hinata all finished their food and packed up their belongings. Itachi and Kakashi packed up their bags and were ready to head off.
"Alright everyone, get in formation. I'm in front, Naruto and Hinata your behind me followed by Sakura, then Itachi." Kakashi ordered. "Everyone's good to go?"
"Yep!" Naruto, Sakura and Hinata replied.
...
An hour or so passed since they left the camp site. It was around noon now.
Kakashi was in front, looking for signs of any hideouts or unwanted people interfering with them. The rest were following behind, with Itachi in the back.
Itachi glanced back.
"Is everything okay Itachi?" Sakura looked back at him as they were keeping up with the rest.
"Yes everything's fine. I'm just looking for signs of other ninja or hideouts around us." Itachi replied. I'm the back of his mind he couldn't help but feel they were still being followed, although he couldn't feel anyone there for miles.
"Hey everyone! Hold on!" Kakashi yelled as he stopped and hopped down from the trees.
Everyone followed him and hopped down too.
"Look up ahead." Kakashi pointed. There was a huge desert, with a big sandstorm raging across. "It looks like we're near the Sand Village. Orochimaru's hideout is somewhere in the desert up ahead."
"Lady Tsunade told us that the hideout was close to the Sand Village, so be on the lookout for big caves or mountains where the hideout can possibly be." Itachi calmly added.
"From now on everybody stick in pairs. The sand storm could be dangerous and we can easily get lost." Kakashi said. "Let's go, we shouldn't be too far."
The group continued on their way.
...
Multiple shadowy figures stood in a circle.
"It appears the Nine Tails brat has some company with him." A growling voice said. "Also, it seems our own Itachi is part of that group. My stupid old partner betrayed us!" He slammed his sword on the ground.
"Relax, Kisame." A hunched over puppet man said in his gravely voice. "They're headed for the desert just before the Sand Village, it'll be easy to trap them there."
"Be that as it may Sasori, we don't know how much that Nine Tailed kid is capable of." A younger member spoke.
"With your explosion art Deidara, and my Puppet Mastery it'll be easy to take down those fools and steal the Nine Tails." Sasori responded.
"That being said there's five of them." A man with red and green eyes spoke. His voice was deep and scratchy.
"I think at least four of us could take them on. Itachi would be our only major problem." Sasori replied.
"Hey Hidan, are you in on this? Or are you chickening out like usual." The red and green eyes man chirped.
"Oh shut up Kakuzu, I'm in." Hidan replied.
"Watch your mouth or I'll kill you." Kakuzu said coldly.
"Too bad I'm immortal!" Hidan started laughing at him.
"Both of you shut up." Sasori silenced them. "Hidan and Kakuzu, start following them, Deidara and I will cut them off in the desert."
"Got it." Hidan said. "Let's go Kakuzu."
"Yeah yeah." Kakuzu replied lazily.
The two shadowy figures vanished.
"Is that all, Konan?" Deodars asked.
"Yes, that's it. This meeting is over now, go ahead with your individual missions everyone. The four assigned will get the Nine Tails in the mean time. The ones I have on the Eight Tails keep searching." The girl with orange eyes replied.
Deidara and Sasori vanished, as did the rest of the Akatsuki members.
...
The group of five started wandering through the desert. The winds were high and sand was flying everywhere.
Itachi walked briskly up to Kakashi's side.
"We're being followed, this time by two people. They're pretty close." Itachi whispered in his left ear.
"Watch our backs for now, we need to keep going." Kakashi whispered back.
As he said that a big white bird flew high across the sky. It seemed to be made of clay.
"Hey what's that up there?" Naruto pointed up to the bird.
A big sized ball fell from the bird right near them.
"Everyone down!" Itachi yelled. He threw multiple explosive tagged kunai at the ball. The ball exploded on impact not too far up in the sky causing a huge sand storm around them.
"What the hell was that?!" Naruto yelled.
"This is bad..." Kakashi whispered to himself.
The four ducked down in the sand as Itachi stood there. Through the sand storm he could see a hunched over figure.
"Itachi, how nice of you to bring him to us..." Sasori's deep gravely voice spoke through the storm.
"Sasori... I knew I would find you here of all places." He stared directly at him, his red Sharingan already activated.
"Hand over the Nine Tails and we won't have to kill you." Sasori started walking towards them.
"Everyone up to your feet." Itachi ordered. Everyone stood up.
"Let's finish what they started."