Disclaimer: Yea, I don't own Naruto.

Hehe……Sorry about slow updating. Thanks to all the reviewers and readers though. I need to explain the plot of the oncoming chapters so please don't be mad that this chapter will contain mostly the minor characters interacting with the story. Please let me know what you think. Let me know about any grammatical errors too. My proof reading didn't seem to go so well in this chapter.

The Way Things Are

Chapter 14

There was an uneasy stillness within Tsunade's office. The Hokage was a bit confused about the lack of sound emanating from the jonin that stood in silent contemplation before her. Tsunade watched a wary hand lay itself comfortingly on Anko's shoulder. Kakshi's composed demeanor was hazy in the Hokage's eyes because of the amount of focus she had on Anko.

"Why didn't you tell me before?" The jonin's head stayed down. Tsunade's eyes were closed calmly; Her fingers interlaced between each other and sat below her chin.

"I expected that you would react on impulse after hearing about his death." Tsunade's eyes opened and narrowed. "Especially after what you did a few days ago."

The Hokage waited for a response; Anko said nothing. All that the younger woman did was close her eyes and grip the mark on her neck tighter.

"What's wrong with the seal Anko? You shouldn't feel much of anything now that he's-" Anko's head rose with a scoff. Her pupils wiggled awkwardly; She couldn't seem to look Tsunade directly in the eye.

"You're right, Hokage-sama. I should be lost in a furious speech right about now." Anko's free hand clenched. "But, in all honesty, I felt him die a few days ago." Tsunade's ears perked intently. "I knew he was dead……but I didn't want to admit it to myself……But now…Now there's something else." Anko's nails dug into her seal, her blood seemed too troubled to emerge.

"Tell her Anko." Kakashi prodded sternly.

"His life force………Orochimaru's life force….it's still not gone." Anko hissed.

"Explain." Tsunade seemed to lean forward. Anko's head stayed in place, but, her eyes drifted toward Kakashi's. The silver haired man nodded.

"I can't really tell if he's completely alive but…….Something tells me that he isn't quite dead yet either." Anko's now limp hand dropped to her side. "His soul is slithering around somewhere………." The jonin's voice trailed off.

"Anything else?" The Hokage's voice was edgy.

"Something is going to happen." Anko murmured to herself. Her eyes cracked open and searched for the Hokage's. "Tell me, Hokage-sama… When you sent out shinobi to Orochimaru's hideout, did they find any of his follower's there? Were there any remains!? Did you find a corpse!?"

Tsunade watched Kakashi eye Anko strangely. "It seems that she hasn't told him everything." Tsunade's mind noted.

"No." The Hokage sighed dejectedly. "His remains were scarce and few." Tsunade and Anko had a sudden revelation. "From what Jiraiya explained…..It seems as though his remains were tampered with." Anko's eyes widened. Tsunade gave Kakashi a dismissive, sharp nod. He left the room promptly.

"I can feel his remains……Most of his spirit is still pretty far away….but some of it…..Some of it is close." Anko's voice was tense. She left the room without a single word from the Hokage. Anko closed the door to Tsunade's office and heard a large crack split through her ears.

Tsunade starred angrily at her pulsing fist and the splintering remains of her desk that lay in a disheveled mess at her feet. "Will that bastard ever die!?" Tsunade's mind returned to the present. She cursed herself silently for letting Anko leave so quickly. "She made it sound as though there were two people with Orochimaru's remains and spirit inside of them." Tsunade reviewed Anko's speech repeatedly in her mind. "She said that one of the two people are close……Could it mean?" Shizune entered the room and interrupted Tsunade's mind as it deciphered the situation.

"Tsunade-sama, you know, Naruto never came to see you last night. Didn't you want to tell him about Orochimaru?" Shizune paused and realized that the Hokage was ignoring her. "I wonder what could have kept him from coming." Shizune muttered to herself.

"What?" Shizune's words sparked something in Tsunade's mind. "What did you say, Shizune?" Shizune grunted nervously.

"I said, I wonder what could have kept him from coming." Shizune reiterated her words slowly. Her speech filled the blanks in Tsunade's mind.

"He's here……..He's back….And that means that Naruto is in danger. Still, if he is one of the people that have parts of Orochimaru's body and spirit within him…..then, who is the second?" Shizune flinched at the sight of the Hokage's powerful fist rising. "Anko has probably already gone after him. I just hope that her only goal isn't to kill him. He shouldn't die…..Yet."

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Naruto's eyes blinked open and shut groggily. He tried to stretch his arms but felt something holding them at his sides. Startled, the blonde's eyes shot open. He took in the strange sight of peaceful slumber on Sasuke's sleeping face. The purr of the Uchiha's rhythmic breathing sent a surreal, almost unknown feeling of contentment through Naruto's mind. Naruto let out a husky gasp in response.

"Much as I'd hate to interrupt a mushy moment like this….." Naruto's eyes narrowed into fox-like slits. A mischievous smirk took over his entire face. The blonde placed one finger from each of his hands into his mouth and wet them slowly. He removed his fingers and inched his face closer and closer to Sasuke's.

"WAKE UP BASTARD!" A piercing shriek erupted from Naruto's mouth. He slammed his wet fingers into Sasuke's ears and wiggled them about teasingly. Naruto laughed hysterically and waited to hear Sasuke's angry response. Instead, Naruto heard an irritated groan shake in Sasuke's throat. The Uchiha's eyes stayed closed as he stretched his entire palm on top of Naruto's face. He pushed the blonde off the bed tiredly. Naruto hit the floor loudly.

"Dobe." Sasuke mumbled while he readjusted himself against the bed. Naruto stood up and whined to himself in frustration. He rubbed at his sore bottom tenderly.

"If you think your ass hurts now, then you're in for a big surprise later." Sasuke murmured smugly. He took delight at the gaping expression of shock on the blonde's bright red face.

"WHA-…Who said that we…You…Teme!" Naruto stammered and eventually crossed his arms and looked away from Sasuke. "Who said anything about you being on top….." Naruto whispered under his breath.

Naruto walked toward the bed and sat on its edge warily. He felt Sasuke's hands grab his shoulders and pull him down on top of the soft mattress. The boys sat in silence as they both remembered their slight quarrel from the night before. "He's here…..He didn't leave." Naruto mused.

"So…….." Naruto mentally decided to test Sasuke again. "Are you uhhhh…. Hungry or anything?"

"Hn." Sasuke replied. Naruto realized that it was "yes hn" and not a "No hn."

Naruto walked over to his dresser and pulled a black shirt over his bare chest. He glanced at Sasuke from the corner of his eye and moved toward the destroyed entrance of his apartment.

"Well, I guess I'll run out and get us some food or something…." Naruto scratched the back of his neck and waited to hear Sasuke's voice. "I'll be back soon." Naruto's gaze faltered dismally away from Sasuke.

"And I'll be waiting." Sasuke spoke with a tease of arrogance in his voice. He watched Naruto's lips curve with success and excitement.

"Ok, bastard. Just make sure that nobody sees you. Stay out of trouble, teme." Naruto retorted back competitively and leapt outside.

Sasuke released an amused scoff and watched Naruto leave the room completely. The Uchiha felt his muscles squirm inside him as he stretched his limbs. He prepared to rub his sore wrists from the night before but quickly realized that they were no longer sore. Sasuke creased his brow in confusion. He ran a hand down his body and along his abdomen. His hand slid across smooth flesh. Sasuke gasped at the feeling.

"That bruise…..The one Naruto gave me last night….its gone." Sasuke searched his torso frantically for the charred mark. Still, his skin was perfectly intact. "That should have taken more than a single night to heal……What the hell is goin-"

"Swish!" Sasuke's ears picked up the whizzing sound of a weapon. His legs spread in an involuntary defense. A long needle landed swiftly between the limbs.

"Hey, you're pretty flexible." A playfully stern voice teased. "I can see why that kid has a thing for you." The voice began to laugh mischievously. Anko entered the room slowly and stood before Sasuke. The Uchiha's eyes narrowed.

"Why are you here-" Sasuke was interrupted.

"Ha! That's really funny! I was about to ask you the same question." Anko moved forward. Sasuke stood and moved his body slightly into a fighting stance.

"I guess you've found out about Orochimaru." Sasuke said tensely. "He was a nuisance. Whether or not you wanted to be the one to kill him, he had to go. I didn't have a choice." Sasuke tensed his body. "Don't tell me that you want to kill me because I killed him instead of you."

"Relax Uchiha." Anko smiled wider and chuckled. "I didn't come here to fight." Sasuke released his body from its stance. "I only came to find something out." Anko hurled a needle into Sasuke's shoulder as soon as the Uchiha dropped his defenses. Sasuke ripped the needle from his shoulder and watched his blood weave hypnotically down his arm.

"I won't fight." Sasuke clenched his teeth. "I'm not here to hurt anyone. I'm here for Naru-…." Sasuke's eyes widened on his shoulder. He watched the deep puncture wound close up. His skin morphed and formed freshly along the stabbed area. The bleeding stopped immediately. Anko had flashed out of sight and appeared behind Sasuke while he had been distracted. Her fingertip skimmed across his arms and scooped up a bit of his fresh blood. The jonin placed her crimson finger into her mouth.

"If the rapid healing wasn't proof enough, your blood just confirmed what I needed to know." Anko laughed and leaned down toward Sasuke's ear. "You taste just like him." Anko continued as though she knew what Sasuke was about to ask. "And don't ask me how I know what his blood tastes like. I just do. Trust me." Anko sneered. A grunt shot from Sasuke. He slid on the balls of his feet and grabbed Anko's lapel, pinning the jonin to the wall.

"What the hell are you talking about!? What does this mean!?" Sasuke stared at his shoulder and demanded an answer.

"Tell me, Uchiha." Anko smiled viciously. "How did you kill him?"

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Rough leaves scraped at Kabuto's body as he tore through the foliage of the trees and brush. Only half of his face could seem to feel the strong gusts of wind that battled with his figure. His nerves had not completely reconnected themselves yet. The affect that Orochimaru's remains were having on the medical ninja's mind and body almost made him regret fusing with his former master. "But this power……This blood lust…..Its insatiable…And addictive."

Kabuto doubted the amount of trust he could place in the Akatsuki. He began to wish that he had never gotten them involved in his plot for power and revenge. "No…. I'll need their help to gain what I truly want." Kabuto had tried his hardest to mislead the Akatsuki. Still, he knew that they were probably clever enough to see past his guise.

He had been traveling toward Konoha for a few hours now. His first goal was to capture and detain Naruto. Once he had Naruto, he could lure Sasuke into a trap. Then, for his own delight, he could proceed to torture Sasuke by torturing Naruto. He had his own specific goals to carry out with both Naruto and Sasuke. "Especially Sasuke."

Kabuto knew for a while that he did not contain all of Orocimaru's remains. "When Sasuke defeated Orochimaru, not only did he absorb most of Orochimaru's spirit and soul, but, he also gained something else." Kabuto needed to extract anything that belonged to Orochimaru from Sasuke. The trouble was that Kabuto didn't have the information he needed to perform an extraction jutsu like that. However, the Akatsuki did.

That is why Kabuto needed Naruto. Yes, he needed the jinchuriki to carry out his sick plans for revenge, but, he also needed to hand Naruto over to the Akatsuki. Once the Akatsuki had Naruto, they would give Kabuto the information he needed for his master plan. "And then, when everything is complete……When my plan is finished and Orochimaru's spirit and remains are mine….I'll take back Naruto and kill him. And I'll make Sasuke watch everything. Then, I'll kill Sasuke."

Kabuto chuckled at the flawless way he planned on executing his strategy. His genius amazed him at times. He began laughing uncontrollably. He realized that his mind had already become lost to him. He was more than just insane. He heard more than just voices in his head. His body seemed to have a mind of itself at times as well.

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"So you reversed his immortality jutsu?" Anko looked up in disbelief at the Uchiha. "You mean to tell me that after he swallowed you whole, you reversed the process?" Anko scoffed. "How the hell-"

"I simply retained control of my body." Sasuke crossed his arms and closed his eyes. "Is that enough information for you? Are we done here?" Anko rolled her eyes and moaned irritably.

"Geez, you don't have to be so smug about it." Anko stood and walked toward Sasuke. "Tell me what you did." Sasuke sighed at the jonin's stern voice.

"When I was inside him……He messed with my mind. He showed me some things that were worse than the tsukuyomi technique. Still, I was able to use my sharingan to turn the process Orochimaru started on me against him." Sasuke walked over to a small window in the room. He turned his back on the jonin and stared outside.

"You see, when Orochimaru attempts to take over another's body, he sends that person's soul to a dimension within himself. Once that step is complete, he absorbs them, thus allowing him to use their body." Sasuke continued. "After a while, I was able to tap into that dimension inside Orochimaru and take control of it."

"I understand. You used that bastard's own medicine against him. You absorbed him by sending him inside that dimension." Anko smiled. "Trouble is, in order to do that, you had to take possesion of Orochimaru's soul in a dimension within yourself. You retained some of his abilities and spirit." Anko finished.

"I guess that explains my rapid healing. Orochimaru had that ability when he revealed his true form to me. Still, that bastard is sealed inside me. But, I'll make sure that he will never surface from where I have him contained." Sasuke turned to face the jonin. His mind raced back to the original question he had for the jonin that had never been answered. "Why are you here?"

"I had to make sure what I had sensed was true. I knew that Orochimaru wasn't gone completely." Anko kept a firm gaze on Sasuke.

"So do you have a grudge with me now? Do you want to kill me?" Sasuke asked curiously. He could almost identify with Anko's revenge plot. It intrigued him.

"No." Anko chuckled. "There's someone else with my former master's remains." Anko turned to leave the apartment. "I am much more interested in killing that person. I think you know who it is." Anko turned her head and winked. "That's the other reason I came. I wanted to warn you of two things." Anko held up a single finger.

"One: I don't know how long your planning on staying here, but, be wary of what's going on. I won't tell anyone that you're here. If people knew about your presence, it would only get in the way of my plans. Still, if you're seen by anyone, it could mean serious trouble for both you and Naruto. Watch over you little boyfriend." Anko teased sternly and caused Sasuke to clench his fist.

"Things are gonna get pretty heated soon. So be careful." Anko walked further away from the Uchiha. Sasuke watched her leg tense, indicating that she was about to leap.

"What about number two?" Sasuke stopped the jonin. Anko grunted as though she was embarrassed. She scratched her bright red cheek and chuckled apprehensively.

"Haha. Right, I forgot that I had two reasons." Sasuke felt his face drain at the jonin's answer. He rolled his eyes when he realized how similar Naruto and Anko were.

"Number two is: Stay out of my way." Anko's demeanor changed. The jonin became stern as quickly as she had become silly. "I'm sure that you'll be able to sense him coming soon. When you do sense him, make sure you and the kid stay away from him. He's mine to deal with. Plus, I'm sure its in both your best interest and Naruto's to stay hidden from him. He's probably got some grudge against you two."

"Who is this guy?" Sasuke commanded.

"I'm sure you can figure it out, Uchiha. See you around." Anko leapt onto a roof outside. She turned and faced the Uchiha froma distance.

"ON SECOND THOUGHT, I WON'T SEE YOU AROUND!" The jonin screamed from outside toward Naruto's apartment. Her stentorain voice made Sasuke duck for cover in fear of being seen. He grimaced as he heard the wicked woman's laughter rumbling off Konoha's buildings.

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Naruto tried ignoring the voice that rumbled within his mind as he walked through the streets of Konoha. "You should have killed him." Naruto quickened his pace as though he was trying to run away from the voice. He maneuvered through the groups of bustling villagers rudely. "Fine. Since you can't seem to hurt him…….If he ever becomes a threat to me, I'll take over and kill him."

"You can't do that." Naruto muttered as his feet kicked up dirt. "You can't take over me." A maniacal laugh resonated in the walls of Naruto's subconscious. "You don't know what I can and can't do. Even after all these years, you don't know an inkling of what I'm capable of.

"Shut up!" Naruto's hands gripped at his skull furiously trying to quiet the beast. "You better calm down, brat. You're making quite a spectacle of yourself." Naruto opened his eyes and met the gaze of countless villagers. They all seemed to be staring at him. He heard discouraging murmurs and spiteful whispers throughout the mob. "No wonder everyone thinks you're a freak." Naruto pushed passed the throng of people around him.

"Stop, Damn it!" Naruto yelled to himself when he had finally escaped some of the people. He shook his head frantically, hoping that the demon would fall from one of his ears. The rumbling of the voice subsided vengefully. Naruto took a breath and cleared his head. A small grin of success crossed his face when he heard his own voice inside his mind. "Ok….. Now, if I were Sasuke……What would I eat for breakfast?" Naruto peered around at the various markets and food stands. The blonde smacked himself when his eyes met with the sight of an all too familiar restaurant.

"Well, duh! What else is there to eat for breakfast except ramen!?" Naruto ran forward. "Ramen! Sasuke will love ramen!" The Ichiraku Ramen Bar came closer and closer. Naruto bounded forward like a mindless zombie, saliva dripped from his mouth and landed on the soft ground in pools. Just as one of his outstretched arms was about to touch the restaurant, Naruto felt strong arms surround his body. He was pulled away into the air by a very fast moving, strong ninja.

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Yep, the plot is thickening. There is a lot going on betweeen Naruto, Sasuke, the kyuubi, Anko, Kabuto, Orochimaru, Tsunade, the Akatsuki and more. It's only gonna get more interesting from here on out. By the way, I am making my portrayal of the kyuubi different from most of the stories I have read. I hope no one minds. We'll learn more about him later though. Between this chapter and the last, I'm sure most of you can guess what he's gonna be like.

And if anyone is confused, do not fret. I purposely left some things out in this chapter. (Like Kabuto's plan.) But I also did explain other things. Still, more will be revealed in later chapters. Review and let me know what you think.