Finally I finished it, I thought it was about time the plot picked up a little, so here comes thenext step in Kabuto's diabolical plan! Enjoy. Promise the next chapter will be quicker.
Disclaimer: For the extremely unaware, Naruto and all associated characters are not figments of my imagination, but of anothers. I just borrow them from time to time.
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Following the right path!
Little Twin River
Kakashi was busy eating his breakfast when Sasuke arrived at the restuarant. Unfortunately the wiley shinobi had his back to the door and by the time Sasuke arrived at his table, Kakashi's bowl was empty and his mask was back in place. Not letting his irritation show, Sasuke sat down beside him and accepted a bowl of rice. Clicking his chopsticks together Sasuke reached for a salted fish.
"Itadakimasu!" Kakashi called cheerfully.
Sasuke controlled the desire to shove his chopsticks up Kakashi's nose. He wasn't sure he'd succeed anyway, and it'd been a while since he'd eaten in peace.
Damn cat.
Sasuke tried not to show his tiredness, but three days march and a night of restless dreams filled with police badges, his father and Jiro in Superhero costumes, and the occasional confused dream of Kabuto in a tutu, had left him less than glossy. Add that to the fact that he was not a morning person to begin with, and there was a good chance that not everyone who sat down at this table would be getting up again.
Kakashi ran over the Hokage's orders one more time in his head, not letting his frustration show.
Hokage Office, three days ago.
"One more time, this criminal that needs escorting, maybe connected with Kabuto and the new Sound, and you want to assign Sasuke to the guard detail?" Kakashi asked, wondering if he'd survive checking her breath for sake.
Tsunade –sama flicked her eyes up at Kakashi irritated.
What happened to the good old days when people simply obeyed the Hokage? Tsunade wondered. I'm sure grandfather never had to put up with this.
"I have a plan." She informed him shortly.
"And to have me fufill that plan I'll need to know about it." Kakashi argued.
Tsunade leaned back in her chair.
"I've had my best agents scouring the country, and our neighbours for clues as to where Kabuto is hiding. And I'm coming up empty." She tapped a finger on the desk top.
Kakashi couldn't help but remember what just that one finger could accomplish.
"This is a time critical issue Kakashi. I need to get a lead on him, so I'm sending out bait, and I think it's a bait he really wants."
"Sasuke." Kakashi said.
Tsunade shrugged one shoulder.
"If this guy is connected to Kabuto, then there's a chance that Kabuto'll send somebody to kill him before he gets taken to the Fire Capital. And if I sweeten the pot by adding Sasuke, who knows, we might get Kabuto himself. Or someone he trusts enough to try and bring Sasuke in."
Kakashi shook his head.
"In the Rain Country, from what the boys said and what Sakura wrote in her reports, Kabuto was most likely there, and he didn't try to take Sasuke with him then, why would he interest himself now?"
"I'm hoping that he didn't have the chance then. I'm hoping that he was planning on pulling Sasuke out after he'd finished in the village. But things got too hot too fast. Our spies got suspicious, and then you two got there so quickly. I'm betting that he got wind of your arrival before he'd finished what ever it was he was doing, so he cut his losses, slaughtered the town and fled leaving a conscious and therefore troublesome Sasuke behind."
Kakashi felt the familiar sinking feeling he got whenever he was out argued. Standing backhe tried to ignore the way worry was eating its way up his spine.
"Seems alot to risk on a hope." He said finally.
"A shinobi's life rests on the decisions of their commanding officer." Tsunade said tiredly. "And a commanding officer's decisions rely on the information gathered and analysed."
Kakashi snapped a salut.
"What do you need me do?" He asked.
"Keep Sasuke visable and safe, if Kabuto sends someone, intercept them and bring them back, alive. Most importantly keep Sasuke in the dark about this. Good bait is dumb bait."
Tsunade handed him an envelope.
"Your precise mission orders, you leave ahead of the others. I'm counting on you Kakashi."
Kakashi snapped another salut and left.
Little Twin River, presentKakashi turned the problem over in his head until Sasuke had finished his breakfast. Waiting for Sasuke to follow Kakashi sauntered out of the restaurant.
They crossed Jiro and Keji on the way out, Kakashi taking a moment to say something to Keji which Sasuke duly ignored by staring out of the door at the busy town street. Continuing on his way Kakashi wandered this way and that in the town, his head in his copy of Icha Icha Paradise.
Eventually Sasuke grew tired of following the Jounin randomly down the streets. He considered calling a stop, but couldn't work up the enthusiasm to call out. Not to mention the fact that he couldn't bear the thought of admitting the Jounin's behaviour was getting to him. It was Sakura and Naruto's job to tell Kakashi off when he got like this. Sasuke settled for wandering after him with a bored look on his face.
Much later Kakashi gave a start and turned his head to face Sasuke.
"Ah, Sasuke, what are you doing there?" Kakashi asked.
Sasuke stopped where he was.
"You signaled me to follow you, so I followed you, all morning I've followed you." Sasuke said steadily, counting to ten in his head.
"Ah? I must have had a muscle twitch that's all." Kakashi said blinking slowly.
"WHAT THE HELL!" Sasuke yelled in a very good imitation of Naruto. "You mean I've been following you around all morning because you had a muscle spasm?"
Sasuke's face was priceless. Without missing a beat Kakashi whipped out his pocket recon camera and snapped a picture. Sasuke's face turned purple with anger and he took a threatening step forward.
"Free time until 6 Sasuke, meet you at the hotel!" Kakashi said dissapearing in a puff of smoke.
Sasuke ground his teeth together, trying to regain his self control. Eventually he turned and stalked off towards the town centre. From his viewpoint Kakashi let out a sigh. By now Jiro and Keji ought to have finished the preliminary meeting with the local officials and collected all the dossiers. As long as Keji hid the dossiers well there was no more risk of Sasuke finding out about the connection between Kabuto and the killer. Leaning back the Jounin regarded the sky, it had been days since he'd slept properly he could feel the need to sleep pulling at him.
Kakashi figured it had to be old age. If he lived any longer he'd start having grey hair with all the worry these kids of his put him through.
Not really kids anymore. He thought, considering.
They'd been treated as full blown ninja since the ages of 13, since that age they'd fought in a war on both sides, they'd suffered betrayal, loss, injury, they'd killed, and escaped death narrowly too many times to be still called children. How many shinobi did he know who regretted not having stayed children longer? During the wars there was no choice, he could only guess at what'd it cost the older shinobi jounin, taking 10 year old genins on potentially deadly missions.
Still it wasn't any safer now, there were still deaths, still Jounins who drank late into the night thinking over fallen subordinates, fallen teammates. Still too many names on the shrine stone.
He sighed, standing up he scanned the town. Time to take one or two more turns through the forest, see if Tsunade-sama's plan had borne any fruit yet.
Little Twin River Town Centre"Hey mister."
Mister? Sasuke asked himself feeling old.
"You with the others?" A snotty nosed kid grabbed Sasuke's forehead protector tugging on it.
Sasuke restrained the urge to just keep walking. Turning her fixed the kid with a cold look The kid stared back unaffected. Another smaller one, with an enormous pot belly ran up holding a threadbare teddy under one arm. Before he could blink he was encircled by a ring of brats each weirder looking than the one before.
See, a moment of weakness and this is where it leads. Sasuke thought kicking himself.
"Mister." The first one said. "Are you a policeman too?"
Trying to beat back his natural revulsion of children or any small clingy thing, Sasuke gave what he thought was a natural smile.
"No." He said through gritted teeth still holding his lips in a smile.
"Are you a criminal?" Another smaller one asked.
One of the other ones wapped the speaker over the head, hissing at him. The others joined in a chorus of 'idiot', 'blockhead', 'loser'.
"If 'e were a crimimil, the policymen woulda locked 'im up wit the otha." One said showing alot of missing teeth.
Sasuke had a stab of pity for the small idiot. He stood there a petulant look on his face, just like another 'idiot' Sasuke knew of. Kneeling before the small child Sasuke looked at him seriously.
"They're right, if I was the criminal, the policemen would catch me, like they did the other. You should think a little longer before you speak. I'm a shinobi."
"They didn't catch him fast enough." The smaller one said his dark eyes glaring up at Sasuke.
"What do you mean?"
"They shoulda caught him sooner." The kid spat, an anger much to big for him seemed to rise up in his eyes.
"They caught him now. And now he won't hurt anyone else." Sasuke said.
"They shoulda caught him sooner." The kid repeated stubbornly.
"Maybe they did the best they could." Sasuke said anger making him raise his voice.
The kid glared at him, Sasuke knew that glare too well. It had stared out at him from his mirror most of his life. Just until three years ago, when even that look had died out of his eyes.
"Leave it alone kid, he's caught now. Just get on with life." Sasuke said tiredly, more to shut the kid up than because he believed it.
The kid pulled a face and poked his tongue out before running off down a dusty street that looked just like the others. The other kids lost interest one by one as Sasuke refused to answer their questions or let them touch his kunai and throwing stars. Finally left alone, Sasuke wandered aimlessly in the town trying to find somewhere to start searching for information. It didn't take long for him to realise that everywhere he went, he stood out. And noone wanted to talk to the strange shinobi police excort.
By chance he saw Goro leaning on a fence looking intently at something on the other side. Idly joining him, Sasuke leaned on the same fence and gazed in the same direction. He found himself looking at a normal house, small, plain, certainly not worth the rapt attention that Goro was giving it. Goro flicked his eyes to Sasuke, Sasuke ignored the look except to note that for the first time Goro seemed calm. At least he was no longer jumping or twitching around like he normally did.
"Doesn't look like a murder scene does it?" Goro said suddenly.
Sasuke looked at him sideways. Goro let out a low whistle seeing the look.
"They really are keeping you out of the loop huh?"
Sasuke tried to keep an irritated look off his face.
"I know what I need to know." Sasuke said gruffly.
"Huh." Goro said, he pulled out a long strand of grass from the fence and twisted it around his fingers.
Noticing that Goro wasn't about to go into further details, Sasuke swallowed a few swear words and tried to keep his voice casual.
"So about this guy..." Sasuke started reluctantly.
"The serial nut." Goro supplied.
"Yeah, what was his deal?"
Goro huffed out a breath, shifting his feet restlessly.
"Pretty youngish women, not that uncommon, but..." Goro hesitated.
Sasuke waited patiently, usually people loved to hear the sound of their own voices. If given the right most people will blurt out their entire lives to a silent listener. So Sasuke waited. Goro shuffled on the spot a little then frowning deeply he stilled and said in a more serious voice.
"It was the way he killed them. When a serial uses a single method or repeats something, it's because it means something to them. But, we can't find anything in his past that would connect him to..." Goro paused again.
"Burning his victims alive, or poisoning them?" Sasuke asked.
"Both, no history of poison or fire starting, no burns suffered in his childhood, no access to high level medicines. Nothing. Just paff, one day serial looney with a poisoning skill the equal to a shinobi and a fetish for fire."
"Odd." Sasuke agreed keeping his face clear of his racing thoughts.
Against his will he felt himself becoming more drawn into the puzzle. Leaning his chin on his hand he tried to organise the information he had.
"How was he getting the poison if he had no training?" Sasuke asked.
"Don't know, it's one of the mysteries of the case. Seems it was one hell of a poison as well. Bah, anyway we're taking a report back to Konoha, for some reason they've asked Tsunade-sama to help analyse the poison he used. Everyone really wants to get their hands on the supplier." Goro said shrugging.
"I guess he's the really interesting one." Sasuke said straightening up. "What report were you talking about?"
"The one Jiro-san and Keji-san picked up today, packed full of juicy details." Goro said leaning back onto the fence.
Sasuke turned his head to hide the gleam in his eye. If he couldn't find out anything about Kabuto this time around, he could at least satifisy his curiousity about this nut case. After all he had nothing better to do.
Hotel Little Twin RiverSasuke shuffled the papers carefully. He only had to search a few minutes before he'd found the folder. Now resting easily in a tree fork Sasuke guarded one eye on the main entrance of the hotel and the other scanned the borrowed papers avidly.
The good thing about working with regular cops, Sasuke decided, is that they were as straight as a die. If they'd been shinobi he'd have to keep both eyes on every entrance into the hotel.
He skipped through most of the childhood information, the early records mentioned that he'd run with a group of rogue shinobi for a while but had been kicked out for lack of skills. Later records were mostly small crimes, a little theft, a little property damage, a little public disorder, mostly drunken behaviour. He'd been unusally quiet for almost a year, dissapearing from the scene, and then the interesting stuff, the murders.
Sasuke sat a long time in the tree, forgetting to keep an eye on the hotel in his growing absorbtion and germinating suspicions.
Reaching the end he slowly closed the folder. Sasuke closed his eyes and leaned back against the tree trunk. Everything was swimming in his head, all the information, the details, the possible implications. There were things there, details that perphaps only he would recognise for what they were. Things that wouldn't mean anything to anyone else. Things that pointed to Kabuto, to the Sound, to Orochimaru.
Sliding out of the tree he padded across the roof top and slipped back into the room he shared with Keji. Rehiding the folder and lying down on his futon, he stared at the ceiling one detail about the murders turning over and over in his mind.
Green eyes, all the young women had green eyes.
He had to see this nut case tonight, he had to know.
Jail, Little Twin RiverSasuke fitted like a shadow into the shadows of the Police Station. For the fifth time that night he smirked at the ease of outmaneuvering the normal cops. For the tenth time he was grateful that Kakashi had been around so little.
Geez, so this is why shinobi cops were so popular. Sasuke thought, barely holding back a snort of derision as he slipped through an open door and into the cell area. Silently he closed the door behind him.
This town was small, there were only two holding cells and only one of them was occupied.
Guess he's my serial killer. Sasuke thought eyeing the shivering, twitching man lit by the pale moonlight from the little barred window at the side of the cell.
He lay under a grey blanket on an uncomfortable looking floor. Every now and then he'd give a particulary big twitch and knock a body part against the ground. Sasuke approached slowly trying to make as little noise as possible. The man woke anyway, he reguarded the shadows with feverish eyes his hands twitching violently now.
"Are you there? Master?" The man whispered hoarsely.
Sasuke stayed silent.
"I'm sorry master, I didn't find her. But I found others like her. You saw them, I felt that you saw them. All the green eyed bitches." His face twisted in rage or pain, Sasuke controlled the urge to choke what he wanted out of the man.
"You were pleased, I felt it, my medicines let me feel. Please I need more, Master, the pain." His voice trailed off to a whisper.
Tears dripped down his hollowed cheeks, his teeth clattered together. Before Sasuke could do anything, the man straightened suddenly his body stiffening until only his feet and his head touched the ground. Sasuke took a step forward, but the man relaxed just as suddenly, gasping.
"Please Master, I'm sorry I didn't find her, I tried but I couldn't get in, they wouldn't let me in, I couldn't get to her, and when she came out she was always with the others. Never alone, never weak. Always with them. But they didn't see me, the fox, the red eyes, they never saw me watching them." The man babbled.
Sasuke felt things harden in him at the words, fox, red eyes. That had to be Naruto and then either him or Kakashi-sensei.
"So you came home." Sasuke hissed.
The man shivered at the hissing sound.
"Yes, you wanted the green eyed girl, so I got you green eyed girls, but you were never happy. You liked it at first, their screaming, but after, always after, you wanted her. But I couldn't get her. I'm sorry, I'm sorry, please, my medicine, I need it." The man crawled forward his hand outstretched.
Sasuke drew back digusted. This was the tool Kabuto used? This useless scrap of flesh? The dry crying sound, the shuffling sound as the man pulled himself across the floor towards Sasuke's shadows made Sasuke's stomach roll. Had Kabuto really thought such a weakling could get to Sakura, could get past him, past Naruto?
No, he realised coldly, this man was nothing but a test subject for something else. Someone else. A test subject who'd either escaped or been let loose for a field test. But that still didn't answer the question of why Sakura, why was he fixated on Sakura? Fully rehidden in the shadows Sasuke thought hard.
A low whistle came from the little window. Sasuke stiffened resisting the urge to rush to the window and look out. The effect on the man in the cell was instantaneous. He stopped crawling, stopped his pleading, stopped shivering and twitching. He stilled and waited. Sasuke couldn't help thinking about a rabbit being watched by a snake.
"Master." He whispered.
"No," came the soft voice. "Just a faithful servant, like you. Master sends a gift."
At this a small object was tossed between the bars, it landed on the floor and rolled towards the man. The man scrabbled towards it delighted, making little gurgling sounds of happiness. Sasuke almost screamed in frustration as the shadow at the window dissapeared. Turning his attention to the giggling man, Sasuke felt the cold lump of realisation hit him. Even as the man lifted the small pill towards his lips Sasuke felt his throat form the yell. Against his better judgement Sasuke threw himself against the bars yelling for help.
He stretched his arms into the cell, but the man had scrambled back out of reach. He looked at Sasuke, his mad eyes greedy. He popped the pill into his mouth even as the first police burst through the door.
Everything happened so quick after that, strangely none of the police questioned his being there. They only needed to see the Uchiha fan on his back and he was as good as one of them. They assumed he was taking over his family's work, and Sasuke saw no reason to put them wrong.
Kakashi-sensei was harder to put off. Eventually he withdrew unconvinced by Sasuke's protesting only curiousity about who they would escorting. Keji-san and Jiro-san seemed proud that he'd taken an interest. Goro was agitated.
But then their prisoner had nearly died of quick poisoning. Only the alert given by Sasuke and the preparation of the local officers had saved him. Some smart person had been keeping an anti-poison kit on hand, and even better had thought to train in using it. The man still lay on the ground more dead than alive, but alive enough that a good medic would pull him through enough to talk. Sasuke had to work hard to put off the offers of congratulatory drinks.
In the end it was Kakashi-sensei and Keji-san who saved him. They decided to move out that night. Little Twin River had no hospital, and the closest was two days walk. It was decided to move the prisoner back to Konoha for two reasons, one it was a hidden village of shinobi, two it had Tsunade-sama, Shizune-san, and Sakura. Sasuke worried his bottom lip with his teeth over taking the killer into Konoha, closer to Sakura, but resolved to put himself on guard over either him or Sakura.
When the local captain complained that he'd be better off in the main hospital of the capital. Kakashi-sensei pointed out that Konoha was only two days of forced march for them, while the capital was a good four days away.
Sasuke and Goro were given the job of taking care of the hotel and the gear. Together they made short work of the job and met the already moving group outside of town. Goro took an end of the stretcher from Jiro who fell into a guard position. Sasuke joined Kakashi-sensei in the surrounding trees. Nervousness pushed them to move quickly, sacrificing silence for speed.
As Kakashi-sensei had said, clearly the poison supplier knew he was in danger of being uncovered and would stop at nothing to cover his tracks. Their best hope was to get to Konoha as quickly as possible.
Forest, Fire Country.
The three police men had been taking turns carrying an end of the stretcher but they were tiring. Finally Kakashi-sensei called a halt. Lying the stretcher gratefully on the ground, the two carriers rubbed their arms and drank tiredly from the little water they carried. Everyone moved as quickly as possible, while they were resting they were too vunerable to attack. Sasuke used the pause to set up a few more traps for anyone following them through the trees.
Landing back next to the group Sasuke saw Kakashi started his preparations for summoning.
Sasuke gratefully took the drink Goro offered, not minding the warm slightly off taste of the water. Calling forth his jutsu dogs, Kakashi sent the fastest back towards Konoha to ask for reinforcements, the others spread out. One particulary ugly one with a squashed in face sniffed the ground next to the prisoner.
"What is it Pakkun?" Kakashi asked accepting a drink from Goro aswell.
"Kakashi!" Pakkun howled suddenly.
But it was too late, even as a suspicious look crossed Kakashi's face and he stared at the water he'd been given, his body was falling to the ground. Sasuke felt a pain in his stomach and he remembered the strange taste of the water. Looking at Goro in confusion he saw the careful way Goro was watching him.
"You..." Sasuke started before falling to the ground clutching his stomach in pain.
Jiro, Keji and the dogs reacted immediately. But it was too late, the little clearing was suddenly filled with shinobi. Sasuke watched in horror as the two police men were subdued brutally. Moving as quickly as possible around the incrediable pain creeping from his stomach throughout his body, Sasuke took out the little pack Sakura always made him carry with him. Taking out the all round poison counter he swallowed it hoping it would work quickly. Crawling, hissing at the pain, Sasuke made his way towards Goro where he crouched over the prisoner. Arriving too late he saw Goro stand up with a bloody knife in his hand.
"It really is better like this, Sasuke-kun." Goro said. "I can remove this mistake and bring you back all at once. The doctor will be so happy."
Sasuke grimaced at him as the pain left the other parts of his body and concentrated itself on his curse seal. Forcing himself into a crouching position, Sasuke slipped a kunai out and held it ready. Goro looked at him surprised, his face twitched.
"You can move? The doctor will not be pleased his medicines are not working as he planned." Goro's bloodied hand started jiggling.
"Anti-poison, every well prepared shinobi carrys them." Sasuke spat.
Sasuke clapped one hand to his curse seal as a burst of pain shot through it. Goro looked at him puzzled his whole body starting to jerk.
"You're going to fight? That wasn't in the plan." Goro's face took on a worried look. "This will slow us down. The doctor is waiting."
Sasuke's brain raced, he had to decide quickly.
"Fine let's go see your doctor, I got a couple of questions for him." Sasuke held down another muscle spasm. "But you leave the cops and Kakashi-sensei out of this. They live I come quietly."
Goro frowned, noticing how badly he was shaking Goro slipped out a bottle of pills and swallowed one. He closed his eyes and seemed to relax almost instantly.
"See you got me so nervous I had to take more medicine." Goro complained. "I have to be careful not to run out before I'm allowed more."
Signaling the shinobi to come forward with the unconcious prisoners, Goro looked appraisingly at Sasuke.
"If we kill them you can't stop us."
"No but I can slow you all down long enough for this stuff to kill me." Sasuke gasped as the pain from his seal clawed its way up his spine and into his brain.
A small stream of blood leaked from Sasuke's nose as if to emphasis his point. Goro frowned again.
"Besides if you kill them, those idiots Naruto and Sakura will never stop hunting us. This way they'll have to accept that I chose to go with you." Sasuke said wiping at his nose.
"Why did you take the anti-poison? The doctor doesn't want you dead, it wasn't poison. You shouldn't mix his medicines with other things." Goro bit his finger as he thought.
"Decide!" Sasuke yelled. "Me alive, or me dead. What does your doctor want?"
"Alive." Goro said.
He signalled to the others and they dropped the prisoners. Sasuke grimaced as his head felt like it was being forced open. There was a poofing sound and all but two of the shinobi's dissapeared.
Clones. Sasuke thought as darkness came up fast.
Fighting it back he looked at the blood now pouring from his nose, he could taste it heavy and metal in the back of his throat. Goro quickly gave orders to the two real shinobi who caught Sasuke under his arms and prepared to leave with him.
"It's a good thing Sakura gave anti-poison kits to the whole team." Sasuke called out suddenly.
Goro looked at him suspiciously, but signalled the shinobi to take him ahead. Before he blacked out Sasuke saw Goro move off through the undergrowth even as they took to the trees.
Behind them, Pakkun crept out of the bushes and ran towards Kakashi's limp form. Sniffing through his pouch pack he found the anti-poison from the faint trace of Sakura's scent, and worked the cork out. Using his own mouth he pushed the pill between Kakashi's lips. Then he settled back to wait for the pill to melt and hopefully, hopefully work.