Kabuto looked up from what he was doing, sensing Naruto approaching. "What did you want me for?" he asked. Kabuto looked at the blonde.
"I wanted to check that you're at full strength for tomorrow." Naruto frowned at this comment. "Why? What's so special about tomorrow?" he asked. Kabuto smiled widely and picked up a vial. Checking the contents, he wrote on a small label and stuck it on the glass bottle. "Orochimaru-sama hasn't told you what's happening tomorrow?" kabuto asked. Then Orochimaru walked into the room, glaring at the medic-nin. "I don't want him to worry. That's why I didn't mention it." he hissed. Kabuto and Orochimaru had their timing perfect; the had rehearsed this several times in order to get a certain reaction from the blonde.
Orochimaru was now in the final stages of his plan. "Whatever it is, you have to tell me!" the blonde said. Orochimaru threw another glare at kabuto. "I don't want you to get hurt."
"Please tell me!" he begged. Orochimaru sighed and motioned for kabuto to tell Naruto. "Tomorrow I will be helping Orochimaru-sama complete his dream! It's going to be dangerous however and we probably wont come back alive without your help-"
"Kabuto! That is enough." Naruto's eyes clouded over.
"Your going to destroy another village aren't you…" he said quietly. Kabuto shot a look at Orochimaru; this was going off track, quickly. "Yes, I am. However…" Naruto stared at Orochimaru, waiting for the sentence to finish. "However?"
"It's going to be more dangerous before as this is the last attack I am going to launch on a village. If I survive this, I promise to you it will be the last time I ever hurt anyone ever again." Naruto looked up hopefully. Could he really mean this?
"So, if you manage to destroy this village you will never hurt anyone again?" he repeated. Orochimaru smiled kindly and kissed Naruto lightly.
"Yes, because I know how much you don't like me fighting." Naruto hugged him tightly. "I'm coming with you, because if you die out there…we can't carry on our life afterwards, without me being worried about you all the time." Orochimaru pulled away. "I can't have you coming with me, Naruto-kun. I don't want you to get hurt." He said. "You have seen my power. What I used before wasn't all my power either, so I can handle anything to protect you." He said quietly. Orochimaru acted like he still wasn't convinced. "Don't look like that, it's your dream isn't it? One last attack. I think I can handle that."
"You can change your mind at any time." He said. Naruto shook his head.
"I promise I'm going to take you there and bring you back alive no matter what it takes. I…I promise." Orochimaru smiled and kissed the blonde fully on the lips. "I love you, Naruto-kun." He whispered. Naruto gave him a weak smile.
"I love you too." He replied. Orochimaru told Naruto he needed to speak with kabuto and the blonde willingly left the room. "Are you sure he will fulfil his promise? I don't believe he is mentally capable of more killing, his heart is not cold enough yet." Kabuto said. Orochimaru simply smirked. "Ah, kabuto-kun. I thought you knew Naruto better than that! He has his 'ninja way' where he never goes back on his word. In the past he has regarded that highly and I doubt now shall be any different." Kabuto nodded. "Your plan was brilliantly thought out Orochimaru-sama."
"This is ridiculous…" Sasuke muttered. The hokage looked up from her desk.
"Is there something you find wrong with my orders, Sasuke?" she asked, her eyes glinting dangerously. Sasuke didn't feel the waves of anger radiating from her and answered quickly. "Yes, I do! Why can't I go after Naruto myself?" he shouted.
"Because I don't want to lose one of my best shinobi!" she shouted back. Sasuke clenched his fists. She took a claming breath and turned to Shikamaru. "From these reports, what is your overall thoughts?" she asked. Shikamaru put the papers back on the desk. "From what I can see…the force that hit that village would be the equal power of about three Akatsuki members." The hokage paled.
"The Akatsuki? They attacked the village?" she asked. Shikamaru sighed boredly.
"I didn't say that." He said. "I would say…there is about a twenty percent chance they were the attackers." He concluded. Tsuande nodded and shuffled the papers that were lying on her desk. "Then…who did?"
"I couldn't say, but attacking that village, one allied with kohona, seemed to me to be a warning. I believe they will be coming here next." A murumer of agreement echoed throughout the room. "We believed that would be so. Kakashi, I want you to take shikamaru and as many shinobi and form a squad that would defend Kohona. I will prepare a secondary defence to step in if we have a breakthrough of the first. Sasuke, you and I will be at the front to strike powerfully at the enemy." Sasuke's eyes narrowed. The hokage hadn't been trusting him much since he left for Orochimaru and he couldn't understand why he would be at the front with the hokage, probably to protect her. He sighed and agreed anyway, knowing the quicker he protected Kohona from the predicted threat, the faster he would be allowed to look for Naruto again.