Chapter 12: Weird Love Triangle

As Sasuke looked over at his teammates, he felt a deep shame on not being able to save them. He kept recalling in his mind over and over how (Mikado/Naruto) came to their rescue and defeated that Sand ninja Gaara with skills that was way beyond his own. As he looked at Sakura attending to Hinata's injuries, he wondered how one Genin can be that strong at his age. Sasuke already thought that Mikado was already comparable to Kakashi level in every form and fashion. As Sasuke walked over to check on his squad, Sakura looked at Sasuke and could tell that he was still upset about what happened at the camp yesterday involving Gaara.

Sakura knew she had to cheer up Sasuke.

"Sasuke, don't beat yourself up about it, were all fine and safe now. We know what to expect from that Sand ninja, when we get back we'll tell Kakashi-sensei about Gaara's technique so he can train us for the next time." As Sakura tried to smile to let him know it's alright.

"That Mikado didn't need any help fighting Gaara or assistance, hell he actually defeated him something I couldn't do." Said Sasuke as his face showed depression.

"Well he's a different story; we don't know who trained him and how long he's been studying." Sakura gently tried to comfort her friend as she rubbed his back.

"It doesn't matter he's already has me beat by so much that I won't be able to make my ambition come true to kill.." He stopped himself from letting to much information slip to Sakura's attention.

"You never said who you wanted to kill? Is your vengeance that strong to kill this person? Is that all you think about Sasuke? Who is it you're trying to kill and what did he do to deserve death?" As Sakura sat up straight to get his answer with her bombardments of questions.

"It's my business and not yours, when I kill him you will know but for now just stay the hell away from me Sakura!" He stormed off in such anger that it actually scared Sakura.

As Hinata heard part of the conversation, she wondered if she should console her friend since Sasuke attitude shattered Sakura's heart.

As Sakura looked up at Hinata she smiled at her friend so she wouldn't see the hurt on her face." Are you okay you slept pretty well last night, dream of Mikado by chance?" As Sakura teased her by making kissing faces.

Hinata blushed hard." It wasn't everyday that a man came and saved a damsel in the distress." She thought.

"So was he the first guy to ever protect you from a big bully?" Sakura continued to make fun of her by making smooching sounds at her.

"Well actually he's the second man to come to my defense, the first one was Naruto Uzumaki." As she blushed and stuttered while looking at Sakura while connecting her index fingers together.

"Naruto Uzumaki? Is that why you can't get him out of your mind? How can he compare to Mikado, Naruto isn't around and Mikado definitely got it sooo bad for you don't you think he deserves a chance to get to know you? He actually gave us a scroll to help us out, he stayed with you until you fell asleep and left and didn't ask for anything in return now that's a real man." As Sakura continued to berate Naruto and praise Mikado not realizing they were one and the same.

"You're wrong Sakura! Naruto wasn't even a ninja and he stood up to four boys that were bullying me. He didn't hesitate one second to help me. He fought them hard and he didn't ask for praise or anything, he just wanted me safe and I'll never forget his bravery from a seven year old" as Hinata reminisced on that day.

"It's funny you got it bad for Naruto and Mikado has it bad for you, too bad you can't combine the two?" Sakura went to get some provision from their back packs to fix them something to eat.

As Sasuke came back to camp he told everyone that they should hide for the rest of the day and on the third day they would head to their destination and give the heaven and earth scrolls to their proctor.

"Maybe we should look for help? I mean there are other large groups waiting for inexperienced ninjas to steal other ninja's scrolls. Maybe we should ask…

As Sasuke cut Hinata off and started yelling.

"We don't need that damn Mikado! He's a nuisance to our squad and he's not a better ninja than us. He's not on our squad and if he was he would follow my order like you two dumb bitches do!" As he picked up his back pack and left his squad confused and hurt.


As Sasuke stood in the trees shade thinking how he just yelled at his two teammates for nothing, he could not come up with a good excuse except that he was truly jealous of Mikado abilities. As he stood there he prayed to have more power and better skills to kill his older brother.

"Are you good as Itachi? Do you have his eyes of hatred?" Said an unnatural sounding voice that seem to be coming from everywhere in the forest.

Sasuke could not tell where the voice was coming from as he took out a pair of shuirikens out and prepared to attack.

"How do you know Itachi? Show yourself now if you have the courage?" Roared Sasuke as he looked around.

"You have bravery but does it match your skill? Show me the skills of your Uchiha bloodline! "As the voice came closer.

As Sasuke looked around to see where his stalker was located. He circled around the tree to see if someone was lurking around.

"Fight me young Uchiha show me the legendary bloodline that makes your clan so great!" As Orochimaru finally came out of hiding and appeared directly behind Sasuke.

"Some Grass ninja thinks she can kick my ass?" Sasuke jumped back from the Grass ninja's range. "Girlie you picked the wrong guy and day to play with me, you might end up dead if I don't control my anger." Said Sasuke looking ready to kill anyone or thing that approached him or looked at him in the wrong way.

As the Grass ninja step out onto the branch, Sasuke looked at her to make sure she hadn't any weapons. Sasuke quickly threw the shuirikens at her to make her think twice about taking another step. As she easily dodged the shuirikens, she punched Sasuke in the jaw and a series of times to his chest and stomach. As Sasuke looked at her he could tell that she wasn't any Genin in fact she was something totally different, the look in her eyes it was like death.

"You are the prodigy that everyone talks about non-stop of being so great ? My number two was correct you're weak, slow and unskillful but most of all but a full fledge coward. Your Uchiha clansman are rolling over in their graves in embarrassment for producing someone like you to leave their legacy of greatness to. I should just kill you and the Uchiha ancestor would praise me for destroying Sasuke Uchiha for sullying their great name with inferiority and cowardice you display." Said Orochimaru as he frown at the boy in front of him.

Sasuke wanted to run but fear took over as his whole body froze, all he could think about was he would never be able to avenge his clan because his destiny would end this day. As he tried to pull out a weapon his hands shook so bad that he actually dropped it. Orochimaru looked at Sasuke and could not believe this was the best the Uchiha had to offer. As Orochimaru attacked he held nothing back to make the young Uchiha's blood boil. Sasuke looked up battered and bruised just hoping that the Grass ninja just make it quick.

"You're so useless and weak maybe I should just go and kill your teammates? Maybe they will give me a challenge instead of this weak child that stands in front of me!" Orochimaru slithered off to find new prey.

Sasuke heard that statement and he started to rise up with anger, his heart started to beat faster, his blood finally began to boil Uchiha strength and hatred. As Orochimaru had his back turned slithering away in disgust of the weak ninja he had high hopes for; four kunai came and whisked by his head. Orochimaru turned around to see that Sasuke finally showed he was a true master of the Sharingan and was ready to prove it to save his teammates.

"Finally" Orochimaru thought.

Sasuke quickly charged his target and tried many combos to take down this skillful ninja and to show him why the Uchiha's are known by all and feared by all. As they exchanged blows Orochimaru finally realized that Sasuke eyes were even more acute that Itachi's. He finally had a prize worth having. As he backed up to look at this new shinobi in front of him, he quickly extended his neck and bit down on the neck of Sasuke leaving a curse mark on his neck. As Hinata and Sakura came looking for Sasuke to come up with a plan for tomorrow to attempt to get to the tower. When they heard him scream they darted in his direction at top speed. As they approached Sasuke they could tell that he was in excruciating pain as he crashed into the arms of Sakura. He looked as though he was about to die from the injuries he received from his assailant.

"What the hell did you do to Sasuke?" As Sakura grabbed hold of Sasuke, she could feel his temperature on his body rise." Who are you and will Sasuke die from this injury." As she looked at the Grass ninja with hatred for doing this to her love.

"Sasuke has been given a great gift this day, he will one day be my number three who will stand by my side and crush all that oppose me. Sasuke will come looking for me and when he does the world will know of us through the destruction of nations, he will call forth the name Orochimaru- sensei like all those before him I trained." Said Orochimaru as his body now started to look more like a snake's.

"Wait you're Orochimaru? Do you have Naruto Uzumaki? Have you hurt Naruto in any way like you done Sasuke? Tell me or you will make an enemy this day that will hunt you down! "As Hinata did not stutter not once but looked directly at her adversary.

Orochimaru just looked at Hinata and wondered if she loved Naruto or was she informed that Naruto had sought him out through Mizuki? He decided to see what the young woman knew. "You will meet Naruto sooner than you think but he won't be the same little boy you remember so fondly, he will be that of nightmares are made of when he returns and destroys your love ones and village. He may even make you watch as he kill your family in front of you one by one. Naruto is my weapon of destruction the sword of my hate that I will aim at Konoha heart, he will be a worse monster than the people ever portrayed him to be!" Orochimaru smiled and vanished from sight.

"Naruto would never do anything as vile or evil as to kill anyone from this village!" Screamed Hinata so loud Sakura jerked her head up.

Hinata could not believe it Naruto was alive but had he truly allied himself with Orochimaru? As she stared in the distance looking for Orochimaru to see if he really left she knelt down and attended to Sasuke's injuries. Sakura looked at Hinata and wondered if she believed that Naruto was alive? She knew if he was still alive, Naruto would not hesitate to kill everyone who stood in the way of his master.

"Let's head back to camp and wait till morning and head for the tower maybe Sasuke will be better by then." Said Sakura trying to look brave as possible for Hinata sake.


That night Sasuke squirmed and kept passing out as his body adjusted to the curse seal. As Sakura looked at Hinata she knew that they would not make it if Sasuke could not fight tomorrow morning.

"Hinata I hate to ask you this but do you think Mikado will lend us a hand? I mean he seems to really care about you and the way Sasuke is now we definitely won't make it to the tower. "As she steady wiped Sasuke's brow with a cool rag to bring his body temperature down.

"You heard Sasuke he hates Mikado and plus I don't know where he is. This is something we will have to figure out by ourselves." As Hinata looked down at Sasuke to see if he was getting worse from that bite.

After a back and forth debate Hinata gave up and decided that night to try and find Mikado. As she left, she searched very quietly and cautiously for Mikado. As she stopped at a tent she thought she recognized one of his teammates Cree. As she called to Cree to get her attention, Kazuki quickly tried to slice Hinata with his sword. As Hinata ducked and jumped down next to Cree she attacked her from the front and Kazuki from the back. As Hinata seen there was no way to counter, Naruto caught both Cree and Kazuki by their wrist and flung both of them against a tree.

As Hinata looked at (Mikado/Naruto) she gasp a deep breath of relief glad that he showed up to save her once again.

"What the hell are you two doing? She's an ally and you attack her? Who was the first one to attack speak now or suffer later!" Said Naruto as he pulled out his kunai ready to punish his teammates.

Neither one said a word. They just stared at the ground hoping Naruto would have forgiveness and to forget this situation completely.

"No it's my fault Mikado they thought I was an enemy I should have spoken louder and said my name." While she looked at him sincerely hoping to calm him down.

"Why are you here Hinata? Is there something wrong?" At the same time Naruto stared at his teammates viciously ready to strike them dead as soon as Hinata left the camp.

"Sasuke he was bitten on the neck and left a strange mark by this strange Grass ninja. He seems to be in great pain and we was wondering if you could help us get to the tower tomorrow?" As she continued to stare at Naruto.

"Damn he saved her from the Sand ninjas now he has to be a personal body guard too?" Cree couldn't help but be smug and rude to Hinata, she felt that her squad shouldn't even been considered for the Chunin exam.

Naruto quickly pulled out a kunai and threw it at Cree without even looking at her, as the kunai came flying toward her it grabbed her hair and attached her to the tree leaving her head stuck against the tree. Kazuki could not believe it Cree had short hair and Naruto with pin point accuracy at night time and not looking at her manage to snag her to a tree by her hair.

Naruto knew that it was Orochimaru who was the Grass ninja and thought to himself that Sasuke must have finally showed his sensei some great skills to give him his curse mark. Naruto looked at Hinata and knew he could not resist her request.

"Cree, Kazuki were moving out to help them, six ninjas are better than three to survive this, so we will assist them. Take all of the provisions to their camp and we will rest there." Naruto looked at Hinata and gave her a nod.

As they reached Hinata's camp Sakura was so glad that Naruto and his squad showed. She thought that now they can rest a whole lot better and concentrate on Sasuke. As everyone ate, Naruto went to eat by himself to think about Orochimaru's plans with the Uchiha boy. As he sat down Hinata came by and sat with him.

"Mikado why go out of your way like this for me? I mean I appreciate it and all but I need you to be totally honest with me." As she kept stuttering as if every word that came out made her nervous. "Why me?" She looked at him attentively waiting for his answer.

"You remind me of someone that I use to know, always friendly and never thought bad about anyone. Sometimes when I see you I remember who I use to be and it doesn't feel that bad anymore about my past. The more I see you the more I want to get to know you Hinata." Naruto couldn't believe that those words left his mouth.

Hinata blushed really hard and looked at Mikado." I can't get to know you right now, I do feel some kind of attraction but I must find Naruto. I think that he needs me especially if this Orochimaru is involved, look at what he did to Sasuke" as she pointed to her friend who laid on the ground. "He left this village and never said why, but I think it's up to me to bring him back because it been over two years and I made a promise to myself to save him because this village needs someone like him.

"You said that name before when I saved you from Gaara, what kind of hold does he have on you?" Naruto's voice started to raise which startled Hinata just a little." I mean why do you care so much for him if he abandoned the village obviously he wasn't happy so why do you think he would want to come back?" Naruto could not believe it he was competing against his former self and losing the battle badly.

"Naruto saved me twice and never ask for anything except friendship, he saved me from four boys who were bullying me and he gave me courage to stand tall. My father thought I was a complete failure and disown me from the clan. I was ready to give up and then I saw Naruto practicing every day to be better ninja, no matter what people thought of him or what was thrown he endured and continued to move forward. Whatever happened to Naruto had to be really bad to ally himself with someone like that Orochimaru to make him turn against the village. So now it's my turn to return the favor that's why I need to be a Chunin to search for him more freely. "As she stared at Mikado as she kept looking into his eyes.

"I see" said Naruto with hurt in his voice," he was a fool to leave you. As he looked into Hinata's eyes he gained more courage to speak how he felt. "He probably regrets all the heartache and pain he caused you. If Naruto is alive he is thinking of you as well and he's definitely begging your forgiveness from you. Don't judge him harshly sometimes things seems to crush you from every angle but you endure, thank you Hinata from now on I will have that same determination and I will endure no matter what. One more thing Hinata, Naruto isn't the strong one… you are, he doesn't deserve that kind of loyalty or love" as Naruto never felt so ashamed in his life. He wished that he could go back in time and stay in the village with Hinata, even if he was surrounded by hatred he would be shielded by Hinata's love.

Hinata could not make out what Mikado was thinking; he looked as though he had died inside when talking to her. Hinata figured it was maybe he thought she was not into him, even though she cared for Naruto she had to admit that Mikado was something of an enigma and a bad guy with a streak of love just for her and she liked that. But she knew those eyes they were Naruto's eyes but she figured that's why he had that sadness and strength just like her long lost friend. As they talked she told stories of how he use to act and how he brighten her day with his pranks. Naruto started to laugh real hard because he had forgotten the fun things he use to do to get attention, but mostly he could not believe Hinata remember every single event in his childhood. As they called it a night they said they would get up in the morning and hopefully Sasuke would be able to travel. Naruto sat next to Hinata as she slept, she accidentally placed her head on Naruto's lap and began to snore lightly.

"Boy fate is really hilarious on my part, my alter ego likes Hinata but she likes Naruto yet she wants Mikado only as a friend, when I'm really Naruto in disguise of Mikado. I guess I really am an idiot what other person in the world that could have this kind of weird love triangle with only two people? "As he chuckled to himself on the predicament he was in. "Well Hinata we have a dilemma I am Naruto but I have a destiny to fulfill, so why do I feel that I'm dying inside if I fully embrace my destiny by destroying my former village?" As he stroked her hair as she slept next to him feeling safe and secure, he heard Hinata call out Naruto's name. As he watched her and smiled he moved her to a sleeping bag, as he moved next to her, he sat Indian style and lean his back up against a tree to make sure no one would hurt Hinata ever while he was in her presence.

As Sasuke awoke his temperature finally broke, as he sat up his rage grew as he saw (Naruto/Mikado) protecting Hinata in his camp. Sasuke neck began to hurt as part of the curse mark took effect, he was ready to attack Mikado for being in his camp. As he saw Sakura lying next to him keeping him safe he calmed down." Mikado I hope that one day you and I fight because you will fall down like all of the rest of the Uchiha rivals, we will see who is better!" As he gave a hatred stare at Naruto.