Konoha, 6 days earlier…
The Gondaime Hokage was used to things not going her way (being a perpetual gambler and notorious loser had already prepped her for a life of hardship), but this was beyond the pale. Being browbeaten by Konoha elders and betrayed by her most trusted attendant in the space of four minutes was enough to turn the hot-tempered Tsunade into a multi-murderer. The idea that the aged counselors (and former teammates of the Third Lord) could move in and tell her, the Hokage, how to determine missions and assign teams was enough to make the princess of the Hidden Leaf test just how capable the elders Homura and Koharu were at defending their high titles. Wrinkled with sharp eyes, a cooler head might have seen the wisdom of the ages present in their appearance; wisdom that could only have been instilled by the experience of youth (also, historically speaking, survival rate for a ninja was not exceptionally high-for one to attain this age was something of a feat most recognized was not do to luck alone). What Tsunade saw however was arrogance instilled by a sense of entitlement. How dare they?! she had fumed inwardly as her foot slammed down with the force of rage mixed with just a hint of challenge. "Your not the only one making concessions!" she had retorted to the stupid old man who had suggested that she didn't have one damn clue as to what she was talking about. She had wanted to send Sakura and Naruto out on this mission. She knew that their dedication and hope in Sasuke would lead to his retrieval. The mission statement was actually quite simple and straight forward: Capture the Akustki spy within Orochimaru's organization and interrogate him for further information on the current strength and arrangement of the rogue Sannin's forces as well as discover his future plans. Sasuke's name was nowhere in it. However, a great deal was left unspoken from just those simple orders.
The Uchia. The recovery of that individual might mean more to the security of Konoha and the Land of Fire than a host of S-rank missions put together. To be lectured by the elders about the dangers of placing Naruto on missions, and then- to discover that Danzo (that ancient bastard! Some people would just not die!) was also pulling strings to place his own men on the team… No, things could not stand as they were.
Tsunade had not thought long about what she was about to do. Perhaps she was being too drastic. Or perhaps she was playing it safe, ignoring that gambling instinct that said to bet everything on Naruto's team. But that other part of her… Danzo and the elders had played her too well in the meeting, steering her around like a novice genin in a jonin genjitsu. She didn't have to be a mind reader to know that the old cohorts were planning something for their own ends. What those ends were, Tsunade had only the vaguest of inklings, yet they were enough to give her pause. Naruto was as close to a sure bet she had ever come across- so her final decision continued to gnaw at the gondaime hokage. Things very simply could not go forward as originally planned. She sighed. Explaining the situation to the replacement team leader had been tiresome (perhaps the Nara chunnin's lackadaisical attitude was wearing off on her) and his eventual response was almost sure to be annoying (if past history was anything to go by).
"And that's the situation, I'm going to have to ask you to act as a temporary replacement for Team Kakashi." That'll sure get a huge response, the hokage contemplated glumly. The reaction from Might Gai, one of the most elite shinobi in the village (and completely one-sided arch rival to the Leaf's copy-nin) was actually quite surprising. A sharp guttural gasp, a mix of surprise and elation, a brief fire in his eyes shaded by massive caterpillar eyebrows, and then a pondering question accentuated by honest concern: "Are you sure Lady Hokage that a team with Uzumaki and the Haruno girl would not be more appropriate? All things considered about this mission…" Gai left the Uchia matter hanging in the air.
Tsunade grunted and leaned back in her chair, "Honestly Gai, I thought you would be more enthused- you replacing your number one rival's team as the main effort." Her reply had been soft and amused. Now her voice hardened and she leaned forward again. "Gai, I'm in a serious bind here with the elders. I can't, or rather shouldn't conduct clandestine action behind the council's back,"(even if that is what they seem to be doing to me she thought inwardly). "This operation needs to go flawlessly, and if an unstable element is introduced such as a former agent of Root, who- God forbid- is operating under some other directive…" now it was the Hokage who left words unspoken. Everyone knew the recovery of Sasuke was of paramount importance to the village, yet they had little actual hope of recovery without hard information on the current state of Orochimaru's Sound organization. Assuming of course this still wasn't an Akatsuki trap.
Tsunade closed her eyes playing with another possibility in her mind . In all honesty, perhaps this was what the elders actually wanted. After all, Naruto's isolation from missions had been the initial complaint. Perhaps bringing in Danzo was their way of making her doubt team Kakashi's reliability after all. And if she doubted the team's reliability she would hold the team back, and if she did that she would keep Naruto and his biiju out of reach of Akatsuki and then she was just playing back into their hands-No! Her eyes snapped open, startling Gai. I will not second guess myself any longer. Something else is in the works and Danzo wants to be close to the action for some reason. Best to keep his men at arms length from it. "Lady Hokage?" Might Gai hesitantly questioned. "Might Guy," the Hokage commanded, "you are to gather your platoon and move with all haste to the Bridge between Heaven and Earth in the Land of Grass. There, you will intercept and capture the spy the Akatsuki organization has planted within the Sound Country and return him to the village as quickly as possible for interrogation! Any questions?"
Might Gai's response was pure instinct, a radiation of confidence that bordered on obscenity. A glint of pearly white teeth, a thumb jammed up and out into the air, and a Cheshire grin. "My lady, my team will be in position in half the travel time, and return the target in one third of that time!" Gai, Tsunade silently thought, sometimes you really are too much. It was quite reassuring. "Oh Gai, there is one other thing," began Tsunade…
Bridge between Heaven and Earth-ten seconds after Konoha ambush
"Lee-" Gai didn't even need to finish his sentence. As Kabuto's head smacked off the railing the young nin had already positioned himself for the rebound, catching the Leaf-traitor's inert form before it even had time to begin falling vertically. Good, thought Guy, we may just pull this off yet. He saw the gleam of youth and pride in Lee's eyes then, the need to prove himself. He also noticed to the caged energy of his most advanced pupil. Neji, calm, but clearly on edge, his Byakugan making him acutely aware of the danger they were now in, yet supremely poised to make use of every skill he possessed. Gai gave the order, "Konoha, fall back! Tenten, move out!" The three shinobi, sprang away back toward the south, becoming blurs. There prisoner firmly in their possession. Several hundred meters back, the serpent watched and chuckled.
Orochimaru slowly made his way down the slope. His stride was paradoxical; it was lackadaisical yet full of purpose. His eyes burned with a madness that suggested great rage- but stopped at the suggestion. He had quite enjoyed watching the fight. He never tired of the chaos of utter surprise. So hard to be bored when you can find so many things entertaining, he snickered inwardly. In truth it was only when nothing was going on that he was truly bored. When there was no chaos, no sacrifice, no real work being done, that was when he just couldn't stand it. Things didn't even need to really go according to his plan- assuming of course that it didn't affect the outcome of his plans. A little scenery beyond your control on the road of eternal life was always appreciated, especially when he had a chance to interact with it and mold it into his image. Oh Kabuto, the snake jokingly patronized, taken down by those ninja? So quickly? It was safe to consider Might Gai and his little band of chortles were the biggest joke there was in the shinobi world. Loud, over-the-top, next to no talent in ninjitsu? Assassination and stealth were definitely not their forte. And yet, Orochimaru began to snicker aloud. Then he began to laugh. He was now walking across the center of the bridge, his tan cammono flapping in the breeze. His eye caught the spot where Kabuto's head had connected with the railing, marked in spattered blood. And Orochimaru lost it. He cackled as he hadn't since he revealed to the Third Lord that he had perfected the immortality jutsu.
This is just too much, Orochimaru thought when he regained the ability for coherent thought. Wiping a few tears from his twisted eyes, the Sannin looked south. Guy? He supposed in retrospect it made some sense. If Konoha had somehow learned of the meeting and incapacitated Sasori, then it was likely they wanted to capture the spy to extract information. Had Tsunade learned it was to be Kabuto? The snake lord's mood turned foul thinking about his former teammate. If that was the case she might have calculated that an ambush from ninja who completely dwarfed the medic-nin's ability in one area was what the doctor prescribed. Orochimaru sneered at his own joke. They shouldn't have been caught off guard like this, Kabuto shouldn't have been caught off guard by this. Now he would have to pick up the pieces, assuming that Kabuto didn't pull off a recovery before he arrived. That would be disappointing; he was looking forward to toying with these Leaf nin before crushing them like insects. He was at the southern edge of the bridge when it exploded.
What!? The serpent's eyes weren't sure what they were witnessing, nor his body quite what he was experiencing. Kunai knives, hundreds of them, were ripping through his host's body, along with the splinters of the shattering bridge which even now was collapsing. The Bridge between Heaven and Earth was far from a shoddy piece of construction. Made of solid oak boards and reinforced with metal supports and suspension lines, it would take tremendous force just to blast a few of the planks apart. Yet if someone had been able to detect the subtle flaws and stresses in the bridge, for instance with a doujutsu, explosive weaponry set at key points could inflict critical damage to the superstructure- which it seemed, was now exactly what was occurring. As the section of bridge Orochimaru was standing on gave way under his feet, one thought struck the Sannin. It remained with him as he instinctively vomited a new form forth from the mouth out of his pin cushioned replacement skin. It was foremost on his mind as he shot like an arrow across the other side of the ravine in hot pursuit. He was going to enjoy ripping these shinobi apart. Oh yes, this will be fun.
Team Gai was too far away to hear the explosion, but Neji figured that if Orochimaru had not disarmed them in some way (which was not outside the realm of possibility for a ninja talented enough to earn the title Sannin) Tenten's explosive kunai bombs had detonated. The Hyuga was positive he had set them correctly, tearing the tags the appropriate length to burn for 30 minutes, just enough time to set up and complete the ambush and ensure proper getaway. His and Gai's plan had been flawless, up to this point, he reminded himself cautiously. He knew, far better than the rest in fact, just what might be following quickly on their heels. In fact, if the plan were still being followed they should be stopping right about…
Might Gai's hand went up, and Tenten immediately bounded to a branch some 30 feet ahead and above the group, Lee halted expertly, bracing his feet in mid leap, chakra flow in his feet quickly reversing in order to hold himself firmly on branch instead of catapulting him onward. Neji also altered his spring, landing on his next branch and somersaulting backward to the limb nine meters behind, eyes forward, yet looking back. 360 vision was near impossible for a normal human to imagine. The ability to not just look behind, but to see in all directions at once and process the information was a feat few could hope to master even if they gained the ability. What's more, with the Byakugan's penetrating and telescopic power added still even more data to the already overwhelming sphere of knowledge one was deluged with. Processing this incredible amount of information from all sides in the literal blink of an eye was, again, no easy feat even for one born with the ability. Hyugga were not just masters of meditation merely because they were an over pampered, elite clan with more time on their hands then they knew what to do with. To utilize the blood line limit to its full potential, one needed to perfect the art of inner tranquility, to focus on everything and nothing all at once. And Neji Hyugga, member of the cadet branch, was the best. At the moment they halted Neji was acutely aware of Tenten's exact position, the exact angle of her gaze, and the entire range of her field of fire. He knew that Gai sensei was presently binding Kabuto's hands and feet with a great length of chain, and that there was 247 links which wrapped around the prisoner's body four times. Also there was a robin's nest with three eggs in it 4 meters to the right of Guy sensi's head. But the young jonin's main focus was directly 800 meters behind him. So far, the extent of his vision showed no pursuit. That was perfect, but Neji knew better than to hope. He had scouted the bridge ahead of time, he knew who had been waiting in the shadows for an ambush. Guy gave the signal, one sharp whistle, and they were moving again, jumping pell mell through the branches at incredible speed. Neji knew his teammates were some of the fastest, strongest ninja on the planet. He knew that without a doubt. He prayed it would be good enough to escape that thing behind them. He however knew that it probably wouldn't be. No, it probably won't be near enough at all.