Chapter 18

"Are we there yet?"

"No."

A moment passes.

"How about now?

"No!"

Brief silence.

"Okay, well how about…"

"TOBI! SHUT THE HELL UP! WE WERENT THERE THE LAST 500 TIMES YOU ASKED AND WE ARENT THERE NOW DAMN IT!" Deidara cut him off.

"Okay! Okay! A simple no would've sufficed!" Tobi muttered.

"THAT'S IT!"

Akari sighed in annoyance as Deidara launched himself at his partner and proceeded to strangle him. She glared at them as they struggled with each other, Tobi still managing to laugh at his predicament. Probably because he knew Deidara wouldn't kill him. For them, this was normal. Rolling her eyes, she sat herself down on the soft grass and waited for the two Akatsuki to finish. She couldn't keep her hand from pulling on the chin-high collar of her new cloak. It was annoying and frankly quite uncomfortable. She felt like the damn thing was trying to eat her!

Akari was tired, hungry and very irritated. They had been traveling for nearly three days! They were already in the Fire country so why was it taking so long to get to the stupid lake! Still tugging on her collar, she stood up and took a look around. She recognized the area. They were about half a day's walk from the village…

"Umm…Deidara Senpai?" She called out.

He didn't answer. He was too busy shoving Tobi's masked face into the dirt.

"Deidara!"

"What!" He finally turned in her direction.

"Ugh…not to undermine your navigation skills or anything but, are we lost?" She asked timidly.

"Lost? What makes you think were lost!" He stood up and glared.

"Well…you told me that this lake was nowhere near the Hidden Village of the Leaf…" She muttered.

"Yeah so?"

"What's up Hisako-chan?" Tobi asked.

The masked man watched her with a slight tilt to his head. She was never certain if he was looking directly at her or not due to the mask. It never bothered her before, but now she felt a chill every time he looked in her direction. She didn't understand why but she was beginning to feel uneasy around Tobi. She looked to Deidara who continued to glare at her impatiently.

"The thing is…the village isn't very far from here. It's about a day's walk to the west. You said that this lake was at least a two days journey from the Hidden Leaf. That's what Zetsu told you right?"

"Huh…are you sure?" Deidara blinked in surprise.

"Yes sir. As you both know, I come from the Hidden leaf. I know this area like the back of my hand." She assured him.

"Deidara Senpai! Did you get us lost!?" Tobi exclaimed.

"Shut up Tobi!"

"Umm…I think I know what lake were trying to reach. I'm not sure what it's called either but if we hurry we can reach it by tomorrow morning." She advised.

"This is going to set us back some…" Deidara muttered.

"We were supposed to be there by today. Pain said that Orochimaru was making a move and we were to make sure he failed." Tobi shook his head.

Akari tensed at the name of the Snake. What did they know about Orochimaru's plan? She had always known that he was a former member of the Akatsuki, but she wasn't aware that they still kept an eye on him. If she were to ask, would they give her information on his whereabouts? Wait…doesn't that mean that Itachi would know where he's hiding? And he chose to keep it from her! Damn him! He had some explaining to do when she got back!

"Yeah…he's gonna be upset if Orochimaru gets his hands on the three-tails first. Okay, Hisako, you're gonna lead us to the lake. We're not stopping for anything. Let's move!"

Akari gave a curt nod and sprinted off. She heard the other two following close behind moments later. She had no choice but to lead them to the tailed-beast. If Akari had to choose between which Evil would catch the three-tails, she rather it be the Akatsuki.

Hinata kept close to the trees. Her Byakugan active, she scoured the area around her. A few feet to her right, she could see Shino's distinct chakra network. Up ahead stood Kakashi Sensei and to her left Kiba along with Akamaru. The four of them were tasked with finding Orochimaru's hideout. She had promised Sakura she would try her hardest.

"Lady Tsunade filled me in. I wish I could go along but she felt like I should rest after the last mission. And Naruto certainly can't go. So were leaving this one to you Hinata." Sakura said.

"I promise that I'll do everything I can. But understand that there's a good chance he's no longer there." She had told her.

"I know. I haven't gotten my hopes up. Still…we haven't had any leads since Tenchi Bridge. I can't help but feel like this might be it. I just, I'm glad Kakashi is going with you. Better chances you know?"

Hinata knew that she didn't mean anything by it, but she couldn't help but feel a little hurt from her words. She couldn't help but feel like Sakura doubted her ability to handle something as important as this. At least not without the guidance of Kakashi.

"Listen Sakura, I know that I don't look like much of a fighter. It certainly took me a while to stop stuttering, let alone speak my mind. But please don't doubt me. Even if we don't manage to bring him back, please believe that I gave it my all. I promise that I won't hold back.

"I know you won't. Naruto told me you were very strong and I believe him. I just meant that Kakashi might be able to talk to him. Maybe he'll have better luck than we did."

"Oh. Well I certainly hope so."

"Yeah...I'm sorry. I feel like I'm burdening you with all this. Sasuke is Team 7's responsibility."

"It's no burden. Sasuke was rough around the edges but he was still a friend. All of us will do everything we can to bring him home."

"Thank you."

Hinata gave the girl a small smile. She herself was hoping that they would finally find Sasuke. Naruto needed his best friend back. Just like she did. Not that she lost hers or anything. Akari was still around but only occasionally. And Hinata missed her terribly. Maybe she was back from her mission!

"I should go and see if Akari has returned. She would want to know about this."

"Oh…yeah go ahead."

Hinata waved goodbye and headed to the Hokages office. She looked back after a moment and frowned at Sakura's receding figure. She hadn't missed the look on the girls face when she mentioned Akari. She felt a pang of sympathy for Sakura in that moment. Hinata understood how it felt to love someone and not be able to be with him. Luckily she had gotten past it. That wasn't the case with Sakura though. Or Akari for that matter. But still, Akari had told her of the conversation the two had had about the lost Uchiha. She had told her that she shouldn't concern herself with the issue. It was their burden to bare. All Hinata could do was stand back and watch it all unfold.

She continued on to find Lady Tsunade. It was for nothing though. Akari had yet to return.

"Hinata." A voice called her back to the present.

She pulled herself out of her thoughts and looked up at the man standing in front of her.

"Yes, Kakashi Sensei?"

"Have you spotted anything?"

"Yes actually."

Hinata stood and led him towards a spot she had noticed. At the base of a tree, there was a large patch of burned grass. As if something had caught fire.

"You noticed it too huh?"

Kiba and Shino approached them, Akamaru trailing behind. Hinata nodded. Kakashi had yet to take his eyes of the dark patch.

"This is where he died." He muttered.

"The A.N.B.U who sent the message?" Kiba asked.

"Yes. A.N.B.U members are trained to take their own lives and make sure there is nothing left of themselves if there was no chance of survival." The older ninja explained.

"That's…that's awful." Hinata frowned.

"Yes. But necessary. Our enemies could use their bodies to gather Intel on us. We can't take that chance."

"So…Akari? She was trained to do the same?" Hinata asked.

"Yes. It's for the good of the village. And I know for a fact that Akari is willing to do anything to keep our home safe."

Hinata felt like there was more to his words. Like he knew more than he let on. She suddenly felt very worried for her best friend. She wished that Akari had never become an A.N.B.U.

"The river." Shino spoke.

They all turned to where he was pointing. Sure enough there was a river a few feet ahead. The four of them made their way towards it. Kakashi left the three of them to take in the scene. They were the best tracker team the village had after all.

"He crossed through the water. My bugs lose his trail on the shore and then pick it back up on the other side." Shino explained.

"His trail…I'm surprised he left one. He was an A.N.B.U after all." Kakashi muttered.

"He left if for us. You can tell that he marked his path intentionally." Hinata glanced around with her Byakugan.

"The crushed leaves, broken twigs, and I can smell a few traces of blood on the trees. All placed strategically to lead us in the right direction." Kiba elaborated.

"And to lead whoever was chasing him to the spot he died. So that they believe he lost his life before he could get the information to the village. He was a smart man."

"He was chased?" Kakashi rose an eyebrow.

"Yes. Two of them it seems. They followed from the trees. Whoever they were must have headed back after they saw him die." Hinata told him.

"How can you tell?" The older ninja asked.

"They weren't all that stealthy with their trail either. Following it will be a piece of cake. But you already knew all this didn't you Kakashi Sensei." Kiba grinned.

"You caught me. I just wanted to see for myself what Kurenai is always bragging about. And I can see now that Lady Tsunade was right in choosing you for this mission. You three are very impressive in your tracking abilities." Kakashi chuckled.

"Is that what you were doing? And here I was beginning to think that the great Copy Ninja of the Leaf wasn't all he was cracked up to be." Hinata teased.

"So little faith Lady Hinata. I'm hurt." Kakashi sighed.

Hinata gave a small laugh at the older ninja's expense. His eye crinkled in what could only be a smile before leaping to the other side of the river.

"Shall we continue?" He called back to them.

Each nodded in turn and followed after him.

"Hey! Hey! Hey! Deidara, look at that! A dumpling shop! Let's take a breather, can we? Can we? We've been walking all day! I'm totally exhausted." Tobi cried out.

Akari shook her head as the masked man ran ahead full sprint towards the small building up ahead. Deidara merely gave her an annoyed look and followed after him.

"You don't look all that exhausted." She heard him mutter.

"Well. I am pretty hunger." She said to herself while approaching the shop.

"You're like a four year old sometimes you know that." Deidara said as he took a seat beside Tobi.

"I thought we agreed on no stops?" Akari sat down.

"We've been traveling for hours! There's no point in finding the tailed-beast if were too weak from hunger to catch it! Besides, I'm sure Orochimaru hasn't gotten close to capturing it yet! As if he could with those useless arms of his anyways. Just eat up okay Hisako-chan!"

"Yeah whatever." She muttered.

She felt a pang of anger again at the mention of the Snake. They certainly knew a lot about his current state. A lot more than she did anyways.

"Here you go. Dumplings for three." The old lady from the shop sat down the plates.

"Whoa ha ho! These look tasty! Let's see. Let's see! Down the hatch." Tobi exclaimed.

Akari blinked as Tobi reached up to remove his mask. Deidara's eyebrow twitched giving her the impression that he was just as curious as she was. They leaned in a little closer…only for Tobi to turn away at the last moment.

"Whoo hoo! That is good! The sauce is out of this world! Ha Ha! Not too sweet, not too salty. Mmmm what a masterpiece."

Resigned, the two of them picked up there dumplings. Then Deidara turned to stare at her. She stared back. Then promptly turned her back to him and removed her mask away from his prying eyes. She could feel him glaring at the back of her head as she ate her food.

"That hit the spot huh?" She heard Tobi Say, "Wait! Deidara get a load of this!"

"Hmm?" Deidara glared.

Akari popped a dumpling in her mouth before lifting the cloth back onto her face, and looked to where Tobi was pointing. Behind them sat a clay pig of some sort. She wasn't entirely sure of its use but it looked pretty old and beat up.

"That looks exactly like your work. Doesn't it?" Tobi said.

Deidara stared at the pig. Akari picked up her plate and scooted away.

"Could it be that your art style…is a rip-off?"

She opted to stand up and take very large steps away from the two men, dumplings still in hand.

"Tobieeee!" Diedara growled.

Tobi, taking the dangerous hint, yelled in horror before sprinting away as fast as he could.

"YOU'RE DEAD!" Diedara yelled after him.

It wasn't long before Akari lost sight of them. She stared in the direction they ran for a moment before proceeding to pull her mask down and finished the last of her dumplings. She then returned the plates to the nice old lady and thanked her for the food. Akari paid and gave a polite bow before leaving. Up ahead she heard a large explosion and a cry of pain. She took a deep breath before running to catch up with the two idiots.

Hinata leapt from tree to tree, the rest of her team surrounding her. Up ahead, Kiba rode on top of Akamaru with a pensive look on his face. She grew curious and caught up to him.

"Kiba-kun, what are you thinking?" She asked.

"I was just thinking about our mission to retrieve Sasuke. If we're really going to Orochimaru's hideout, then guys like from that mission might appear."

"What? Are you getting scared?" Kakashi asked.

"It's the opposite, Kakashi-Sensei! Not just Shikamaru, but I heard Naruto defeated an Akatsuki Member too. If they didn't lose, I can't either."

Akamaru let out a bark in agreement and Hinata smiled.

"If that is the case, I'll have to display the results of my training too. After all, unlike you, I wasn't on the mission with those members." Shino muttered.

"You're still upset about not participating in the mission back then?" Kiba asked.

"Not to mention…Naruto had forgotten the face of his comrade." Shino continued.

"That's not Naruto's fault, you just can't tell. With that kind of outfit, no one can see your face." Kiba defended.

Shino got uncomfortably close to Kiba.

"It shouldn't be like that….since we're comrades." He muttered.

"Guys let's just do our best together okay. For Naruto's sake yeah?" Hinata called out.

This was going to be a tough fight. She wasn't sure how she knew this but she would be ready. Together with her team, she would attempt to bring Sasuke home.

"Up ahead! There's a stench of dead bodies!" Kiba called out.

He led them to a cave just a few feet ahead. They crouched low in the bushes and surveyed the area. Shino sent a bug to investigate and gave the go ahead with its return.

"Okay. Stay on your guard." Kakashi whispered.

The four of them approached the caves entrance.

"Ow! Hisako-chan! That hurts!" Tobi complained.

"Oh shush! You should know better than to aggravate him. I'm running out of medical supplies to patch you up with."

Akari healed the burns on his arm the best that she could before rubbing ointment on them and wrapping his arm in gauze. She heard footsteps behind her and turned to them. The sky had grown dark but she had no problem recognizing the figure.

"Well? You done yet?" Deidara asked.

"Yeah. You should really stop attacking him like that. You won't have a partner for much longer if you don't." She muttered.

"Can't help it. Besides, he's resilient enough. He handles it just fine. Right Tobi?" The blonde said.

"You betcha! It's all good fun Hisako-chan, don't worry. So! How close are we? Pretty close I hope!" Tobi asked.

"Ummm. I'd say were only a few hours away. Three maybe four." She told them.

"We made good time then, you said we'd be there by morning. If we keep up the pace we should arrive even sooner." Deidara said.

"Deidara Senpai! Look!" Tobi whispered.

They stood high on a cliff overlooking a large range of forest down below. From where they stood they could make out a rock face with an opening carved into its side.

"A cave?" Akari muttered.

"Mmmhmmm. But look in those bushes a few feet in front of it."

"Oh…" She whispered.

Akari could just make out Kakashi Sensei and Team 8. A sense of dread coursed through her at the sight of her friends. What were they doing out here? She watched as they made their way into the cave.

"Leaf Ninja? Shit! It's that bastard Kakashi!" Deidara growled.

"The one who left you armless right? I remember that! It was hilarious!" Tobi laughed.

"Tobi. I don't have any more gauze." Akari warned.

"Right…anyways! What do you suppose they're doing down there." He asked.

"This is one of Orochimaru's hideouts." Deidara muttered.

"What? So he's in there?" Akari gasped.

"I said one of them. This one has been occupied by a few of his nasty experiments. But from what Zetsu told us, it's already been cleared out."

"Cleared out? Why?" She asked.

"We don't know. We just know that he's making a move on the Three-tails. Which is why we were sent to retrieve it first."

"You think he actually has a chance of catching it? Tobi said his arms were useless.

"Orochimaru has a bad habit of sending others to do his dirty work. We wouldn't consider him much of a threat if he didn't have that damn kid."

Kid? Is he the one Sasuke had mentioned to her?

"So you think that those ninja down there are after Orochimaru then?" Tobi asked.

"Looks that way."

Suddenly a large rumbling could be heard. The whole area where the cave once stood seemed to be washed away in a large whirlpool of churning water. Akari's breathe caught. Her body trembled. Her hands fisted together and her nails dug into her palms. Akari's eyes searched helplessly for a sign of life. She failed to notice Tobi watching her closely.

"Well what do you know? They made it out." Deidara scoffed.

Sure enough in the center of it all, stood her friends. They were perched carefully on a boulder staring at the destruction around them.

"Orochimaru sure is good at getting rid of his tracks huh?" Tobi wondered.

"Yeah. We don't have to time for this. We need to move." Deidara muttered. "Another time Kakashi!"

With that final statement, he turned to leave. Akari made to go as well but noticed that Tobi had yet to move. She looked at him and from what she could tell, he was still staring down at the Leaf Ninja. She couldn't be sure because of the mask, but it seemed as if he was looking directly at Kakashi.

"Yes, another time…Kakashi."

It was barely a whisper but she heard it. And the tone of voice sent a chill down her spine.

"Ummm, Tobi? We need to go." She managed.

"Of course. We have a mission to complete don't we?" He turned to her.

She couldn't help but take a step back. Biting her lip, she nodded. Then he passed her to find his teammate. She began to follow only for him to turn around once more. She stopped in her tracks.

"Oh, and Hisako? Your palms are bleeding. You should be more careful. You're out of gauze remember?"

Tobi turned away and disappeared into the trees. Akari stared down at her palms and sure enough, her nails had pierced her skin leaving four bleeding grooves in each hand. She also noticed that they were trembling and beads of sweat began to drip from her forehead. She was scared. And she didn't know why.

Okay so I kinda rushed through this chapter. I'm not sure if I could've done better. Let me know what you guys think okay? Don't be too hard on me now