Chapter 7
The bridge of reunions
„Sometimes the bonds are the only reason we need to save those who chose the dark path"- Jiraiya, the Toad Sage
As Team 7 was traveling along the road in the fields, Yamato and Sakura just couldn't help but shiver. The tension was growing between two other members of the team. Sometimes she would look back at them. But she would always find the same. Naruto was glaring at the pale man, who kept his fake smile on, as if he's done nothing. Whenever he would try to say something, the tall blonde would reach for a kunai, letting him know he would use it.
The kunoichi of the team was growing weary of this. She could understand Naruto's dislike for the man, as he was, for some reason, starting to annoy her as well. Especially when he commented on Sakura appearing more like a guy than a woman, due to being more muscular than curvy. It was an exaggeration, of course. But she wouldn't take it when someone said she has no famine charm. She did hit him earlier and wanted to beat him up some more. However, Yamato separated them.
And that's what got her wondering about the current team leader. That man, Yamato, was able to use Wood Style- the form of nature manipulation that no shinobi. Save for one and only one- the First Hokage. How could it be he could use that power? Who was he exactly? Is this why Lady Tsunade assigned him as their captain?
"We'll rest here for today." The brown-haired leader said, pointing at the hot-spring resort. "You're not going to have a problem with that- are you?" he asked them, giving them a scary face.
"No!" Sakura answered quickly.
"Not at all." Naruto answered a bit freaked out.
"…" Sai answered.
"Good. Now let's move." Yamato ordered.
Night time
The team was finally after dinner. Naruto was sitting in the garden, in deep thought. He looked at the stars, as if hypnotized by their beauty. Then he sensed someone approach him. He looked to find Sakura. He was expecting her to start making lectures about his annoyance with Sai in the hot spring, after the guy made a comment about his manhood and… well, you know. He made quite a ruckus. He was expecting her to deliver him a punch. He knew she would.
Surprisingly, she only sat next to him and joined him in star-gazing.
"If I remember correctly, you never bothered watching the stars." She recalled to when they were younger. "You would always say the stars have nothing to offer."
Naruto looked back at the sky. "When I left the village, watching them was the only way I would fall asleep, when I grew tired of crying myself to bed."
"Is that so?" she asked. Then the two were silent for a long while. None said anything. She looked at him. She was surprised. This Naruto was so mature. He was so quiet. She blushed. But quickly shook the thought off. Then she remembered him. "What do you think he's doing?"
"You mean Sasuke?" Naruto asked, receiving a nod for an answer. "Who knows? He's no longer like what I remember. He's probably even more different than when I met him…"
Flashback
Naruto- age 6- fell on his knees, coughing a small bit of blood. The three other boys around him were laughing at him.
"You want to become a powerful ninja?" one of the boys, likely the leader of the group, mocked him. "You're stupid."
"That's right." The other boy laughed. "He must be real stupid." Then he kicked the blond in the gut. The three were about to beat him up, when someone showed up.
"Three against one, weakened kid?" the new-comer commented, getting the gangs attention. "That's hardly fair. Are you three too pathetic to pick a fair fight?"
The three, and Naruto, turned to see a boy with raven black hair, looking at them with a confident look in his eyes. The bullies surrounded him, eyeing him arrogantly.
"And who are you, idiot?" the boss asked, not really caring for who the new guy was.
"I'm Sasuke of the Uchiha clan." He answered, ready to fight. "Though I doubt you have the brain to understand that."
Two of the group seemed to freeze. They knew very well who the Uchiha were- one of if not the strongest clans in the Leaf Village. They took a step back, while their leader just folded his arms. Whether he was confident or foolish- even the wisest could only guess.
"So what if you're an Uchiha?" the boy asked arrogantly.
"You think you can take me on, idiot?" Sasuke asked.
After a few minutes, Sasuke help the blond get up. He eyed the boy to see if he was alright. Aside from some bruises, he couldn't find any signs of any more serious injuries- not that he knew what to look for. "Are you alright?" he asked. When he received a nod, he continued with a smile. "Good to hear. I'm Sa…"
"I heard you the first time!" Naruto answered with a hostile tone, pushing the Uchiha kid away from himself. He felt somewhat uncomfortable with what he was about to say. "Th-thanks, I guess." It was the first time someone, aside from the masked-men, came to help him. Someone who wouldn't look down at him.
"Why are you so unfriendly?" the brunette asked. Naruto glared at him.
"Because you're probably just pretending to like me. Everyone's like this. You're…" the Uzumaki kid never had the chance to finish. He started coughing again. This time there was a huge amount of blood running down to the ground, as he collapsed to his knees. Sasuke ran over to him. The boy got terrified when he saw the blond just wouldn't stop.
"Help! Somebody, please, help!" Sasuke started to call, before dragging him. After a few seconds, an ANBU wearing a weasel mask appeared before him. Sasuke seemed relieved. "Big brother! Help! This kid… he won't stop bleeding! Help him!"
Sasuke's brother nodded and picked the blond kid up, ready to run. Before Naruto lost conscience, he looked at Sasuke. This boy was different.
Flashback end
"That's how we first met." Naruto sighed. "I haven't seen him again until the academy."
"You make it sound as if you were an ass, and he was the friend-maker." Sakura commented. "What happened to change you guys so much?"
Naruto's smile disappeared as his head dropped. "Sasuke had me see the world in a bit brighter colors. I stopped looking into becoming a legendary ninja for power. I wanted acknowledgement since then. As for Sasuke, well- the Uchiha Massacre." He looked at his teammate. And he saw what he expected to see- she was shocked. "Sasuke was bitter after that night. He may have turned into an ass, but was still one of the first true friends. We still would look after one another. Therefore I believe he just needs someone there to open his eyes."
Sakura stared at him. Then she smiled. That man had hope for their teammate. It made her happy to hear that. But also sad. He wouldn't try and save Sasuke for her sake. No. He was doing it because Sasuke saved him.
Naruto stood up and made his way to his room. Sakura looked at him walking away. Something felt strange about him. Uneasy. Heavy.
The Bridge of Heaven and Earth
The team finally arrived at the spot. The bridge looked so simple, like any bridge. However, it had some sort of decorations. There were far more robes in the structure. The wood had some writings carved in it. And the pillars to which the robes were tied looked more like statues of some heavenly beings. Since it was in their sight, the team hid in the bushes.
"So we finally made." Yamato commented. Then he reached for his pocket and pulled out a photo of Sasori's puppet. "Sakura. Hold it." He instructed the girl. The kunoichi did as told and Yamato made a hand seal before performing a transformation. When the smoke cleared, he looked just like the Akatsuki member in his puppet. "Well, how do I look?"
"Not bad…" Sakura commented, analyzing transformed jonin. "But the face… should be more menacing."
"Right." Yamato corrected it. "Now for the voice. Let me know when I speak with the proper tone." Then he started to talk. Yamato was talking some meaningless stuff, like how to make an onigiri, a duck soup and so on. But that wasn't the point. It was the voice that mattered. He kept changing it, until…
"Yes. That's it. You've got it." Sakura said.
"Why thank you, Sakura. I'm glad you appreciate it." The team captain, pretending the puppeteer thanked. Then Naruto joined.
"No, that's not it." He said. "From what I caught, the Doll man speaks like an impatient, ever-annoyed man."
"Oh, you're right, of course." 'Sasori' corrected himself at the last word. "I forgot to consider the voice pattern of the man and habits."
Sakura clapped for the captain. "That's it. Now it's perfect."
"Just the man the spy is to meet." Naruto nodded with his famous grin.
"Now then, wait in the hiding for my signal. Then, and only then, jump out and get the spy." Yamato instructed. "Now if you'll excuse me, I must meet with my agent." He turned and made his way towards the bridge.
After 'Sasori' arrived, it took twenty more minutes before someone arrived. A hooded figure it was, wearing a dark cloak. The person looked around, obviously cautious. The spies were always paranoid about being tailed. The person got on the bridge and approached the Akatsuki member.
"You're late." The puppeteer said annoyed. "You know I hate it when people make me wait."
The spy smiled. "I'm sorry, Master Sasori. Still… I'm happy to see you haven't changed." The spy commented, taking off the hood. To Naruto and Sakura's shock, it was a familiar face. A cold shiver ran down their spine. The blond jinchuriki was having a hard time suppressing his lust for blood. He could feel his anger building. If there was one person he did not want to see, it was him- Kabuto Yakushi.
"So, what do you have to report?" 'Sasori asked.
"Straight to the point I see." Kabuto commented, making a serious face. "Orochimaru is preparing Sasuke. Considering the damage the Uchiha took six years ago, while defecting from the Leaf, I guess he'll be ready as Orochimaru's new body in about three months, at most."
"So, where is he now?"
"Which? Orochimaru? Or Sasuke Uchiha?"
"Both!" 'Sasori asked with his voice on edge. "Tell me where are they right now!" 'This is getting dangerous.' Yamato thought. 'I don't really know how well the two know each other really. I can't let him have the time to see through me.'
"Orochimaru always has Sasuke by his side." Kabuto answered. "He rarely ever leaves him. It seems as if he wasn't taking the chance that someone would try to kill him behind his back."
"So they're in the same hideout right now?" 'Sasori' asked.
"Yes."
"Where exactly?"
"Before I tell you, Master Sasori, I must ask of you…" Kabuto reached out his hand. "Do you have what I asked of you?"
'This is bad. Sakura didn't mention anything about a delivery.' Yamato tried to stay calm, trying to figure out how get out of this mess.
"Sakura? Didn't Sasori mention anything about delivering something to his spy?" Naruto asked his teammate.
"No. He didn't say anything." She answered.
Naruto cursed under his breath. "He either set us up or…" his eyes widened in consideration. Sakura noticed that. And while she wanted to ask about the alternative, she realized what he wondered about.
"Kabuto must've figured something's not right." she whispered. "This might be a trap."
"Yes, I've got it… right… here…" 'Sasori' reached for a kunai. He had no choice. He had to take Kabuto and bring him to the Hidden Leaf for interrogation.
But when he was about to strike, there were snakes all around him. The wood style user jumped out of the disguise just in time before the limbless reptilians could devour him. As he landed a few feet away, he saw someone approaching. Someone he hoped not to see. The most dangerous man to appear.
Orochimaru smiled at him.
"So, Tsunade send you, my former experimental subject, here." He commented with his infamous, sadistic grin. After he licked his lips, he continued. "I must congratulate you. Since you're here, disguised as my former partner, I take it you killed him. Or is it the handiwork of one of your teammates hiding in the bushes?"
'So he figured us out.' Yamato growled mentally. Their plan has been seen through. The captain gave out the signal. The team, like rain drops, appeared on the bridge, between Yamato and Orochimaru and his right-hand-man. The two of the ladder just smiled.
"Here are some familiar faces…" Orochimaru seized his commentary when he saw a mass of blond, spiky hair. He looked more closely at the young man, until he recognized him. "Oh my… If it isn't the Leaf's jinchuriki. My how you've grown." He mocked. He saw Naruto glared back at him, the serpent-like sage continued. "I wonder, however, how you sport in comparison to my Sasuke."
Naruto felt cold in his blood. He felt like hurting someone. "What did you say?" he asked from between his teeth. "Did you just…?"
"Don't get me wrong, little Naruto. I know you were training under my failure of a teammate, Jiraiya, and travelled the world. I have no doubts you must've grown strong. But I was training Sasuke for all the six passed years. And he's nothing like Anko, who, even though is the only living breed of my super soldier army, is still trash. He is my greatest creation."
Now Naruto was really seeing red. He could somehow tolerate what Orochimaru was thinking about Sasuke. But Anko, who was like a sister to him- that pushed it.
"Didn't Sasuke come to you injured?" Naruto asked growling. As he was about to continue, his voice seemed to be changing. "Who do you think got your precious little Uchiha into such a pathetic state, huh? Tell me where he is, and I'll gladly show you how much worse I can get him."
"If you wish to know where Sasuke is, why don't you force it out of me?" Orochimaru mocked him. "That is… IF you can."
Like on cue, Naruto disappeared, creating a strong wind that blinded his teammates. A loud thunder was all Kabuto could catch. As for Orochimaru- there was only a red blur just before he got hit in the face. And the blow was powerful, sending him across the forest, as if he was nothing more than an insect facing a hurricane. When the ones remaining in the bridge returned to their senses, they found Naruto standing where Orochimaru was before. The thing is he seemed to be on fire. His stripes were glowing red. A tail formed. No one dared to say a thing. The air felt different. There was great power radiating from the blond. Power and malice. The air felt like fire itself. Every breath felt as if the lungs were filling with ice. The wind felt like the roughest sandstorm ever. And every part of their body felt as heavy as the body itself.
"My, my. You've grown quite nicely as a jinchuriki, Naruto." Kabuto commented mockingly.
However, the answered seemed to rather disturb him more. "Oh, you're right, you fraud." Naruto said with a deeper, more malicious voice. "We've grown just fine with this power. AND WE LOVE IT!" He turned towards him and the team from the Hidden Leaf Village. And the face they all saw terrified them. His eyes were blazing bloody red. His whisker-marks were thicker. And his smile- was that of a psychopath. His face… demanded blood. "You have no idea what's it like. You seek aimlessly for power of gods, while the power to rival them is in our hands ever since we were born!"
Kabuto seemed able to collect himself. He recognized that face, that persona. That was the Naruto who beat him years ago. "You really are a monster, Naruto."
"Do not call us by that name, Fraud. We are not the Idiot. We prefer a different name if you have to address us with one. We are… Menma." The mad blond said, preparing the rasengan as well as projecting the second tail. "And you will address us as such… because we demand it."
To be continued…