Part XIV: Don't Come After Me
"WHAT?" Naruto shouted in shock.
"Geez, calm down, Naruto," Shikamaru said wiping some spit off of his face that had come from the gaping boy in front of him.
"I can't believe-"
"Don't make such a big deal out of it."
"No, it's just…" Naruto trailed off trying to think before he said anything. "It's just awesome that you're an official Chuunin now!" He gave a thumbs-up sign.
Shikamaru rolled his eyes.
"Congrats, man! I mean, no one else passed. You should be proud, right?" Naruto said trying to make Shikamaru at least seem happy about his promotion.
"Thanks, I guess," Shikamaru said with a small nod. But it's not like I had my heart set on being a Chuunin. I thought that by quitting it would all be over and done with, he thought inwardly. "But anyway, that's not the reason I came here-"
"That's so cool though! I mean, you can lead a squad now and do more missions. You're a real shinobi now! Wow! We should go out and celebrate or something-oh, that is if you don't have anything scheduled now that you're a Chuunin-"
"Naruto, will you-"
"But yeah, I was trying to find Sora-chan or Sasuke earlier today and I couldn't find them at all so I had to do my morning training by myself. You haven't seen them, have you?" Naruto finally stopped talking and waited for a reply. He had thought it strange that neither Sora nor Sasuke were anywhere to be found in the village. Numerous possibilities had run through his head of what they might be doing alone or together.
Shikamaru sighed in exasperation. "That's what I came to talk to you about in the first place before you started going on about this stupid vest," he said smacking a hand to his forehead. "Hokage-sama gave me a mission that I need to carry out with a team of Genins since all the Jounins and other Chuunins are busy."
"Mission?" Naruto asked getting excited but also confused at why this had to do with Sasuke or Sora.
Shikamaru nodded gravely. "This morning, Sasuke was found missing."
"WHAT?" Naruto really shouted this time. "Missing? But-but where did he g-"
"We don't know!" Shikamaru interrupted getting more annoyed. "That's why he's missing!"
Naruto's heart raced a mile a minute. "Then we've got to find him!"
"That's what the mission is!" Shikamaru said quickly before Naruto could run off. "I'm supposed to lead a team of Genins outside of the village towards where they've said he's gone."
"How do they know which way he went?"
Shikamaru shrugged. "I guess they have their ways."
"Was he kidnapped or something? Tell me what happened!" Naruto demanded clenching his fists.
"Sasuke left willingly, it seems, during the night. They checked his house and a lot of his things were gone, probably because he packed them. Kakashi-sensei testified that Sasuke might have gone with the Sound ninjas to Orochimaru."
"Orochimaru?"
Shikamaru nodded. "But anyway, get ready to leave as soon as possible and go to the gate. I have to get the other guys, ok?"
Naruto nodded his head unable to speak. It all happened so suddenly. He watched in a dazed stare as Shikamaru sprinted off to find other Genins for the mission. How is this happening? he asked himself. Sasuke left…by himself? I don't understand…but wait! What about Sora? I haven't seen her all day! She couldn't have gone with him to Orochimaru. She would have tried to stop him, wouldn't she? Or maybe she just doesn't know yet. Naruto shook his head. But there's no time to tell her. I've gotta get my stuff! He ran back inside his apartment to get his necessities.
A few minutes later, the team was assembled at Konoha's main gates. Shikamaru had gathered Chouji, Kiba and Akamaru, and Neji as the rest of the team. Lee had wanted to come too but was still recovering from his surgery. The four Genins stood in a line facing Shikamaru as he got ready to explain his plan.
"All right now everyone listen up cause we're short on time," Shikamaru said to the group. "This is an A-class mission and we're without a Jounin so we've got to be extra careful. I don't want anyone in my team screwing around. This is serious."
The others nodded respectfully.
"We'll go in a single-file line with Kiba and Akamaru in front because they know the territory best and they can sniff out Sasuke's trail and any danger that might be ahead."
"Got it," Kiba said in confirmation. Akamaru yipped and nodded his head.
"I'll be next in line so I can communicate with Kiba easily and signal the rest of you guys with just my hands. Then comes Naruto. You're quick with your reactions so you'll be able to help out in either the front or back if needed."
Naruto nodded but said nothing to everyone's surprise.
"Ok, then Chouji is after Naruto. You pack the biggest punch in our group so you'll be good as a surprise attack in the front or a wall of defense in the back."
"Hm," Chouji said in agreement. He wasn't eating potato chips this time, also to everyone's surprise.
"Then I'm last," Neji said quietly nodding.
"Yes," Shikamaru confirmed. "Your Byakugan enables you to see in all directions and we definitely need that safeguard behind us." Then Shikamaru turned around so that his back was towards his team. He sighed heavily before speaking again. "This is a mission where there is the chance of dying. But since we are Konoha ninjas, we have a duty to our village. It's not about whether or not we like the mission or not. Heck, I don't even like Sasuke that much, but he is a fellow Konoha ninja and we must be willing to risk our lives to save his." He turned back around. "Agreed?"
"Agreed."
Shikamaru nodded. I hope I can do this, he thought nervously. He had tried to act calm and collected on the outside to hopefully give his team and himself a mental boost, but he was a complete wreck on the inside. I need to balance the input and the output. I won't let this become a suicide mission. "Let's go."
The boys ran through the gates in their formation without another word. Each was filled with his own thoughts as they entered the forest and began jumping from branch to branch to go more quickly.
So Sasuke went with Orochimaru, Naruto thought with clenched teeth. We'll get him back, no problem.
The dawn was breaking in the autumn sky and Sora hadn't even gotten out of the Fire country yet even though she had been running nonstop and as fast as she could keep up. She was still in the midst of the gigantic forest that surrounded the hidden village.
After a few more hours, she finally had to stop and rest. She measured that she was a bit less than 200 miles away from the village and figured that if she kept up this rate, she could make it to her village in maybe a few days. She landed near a small stream completely breathless from her intense run. She took the black cloth covering her face off and decided that she didn't really need the mask anymore. She got some food out of her pack and a small container for water, and then sat down on a rock next to the sparkling stream.
The trees were in the process of losing the leaves that clothed them three-fourths of the year. Sora sighed as she looked around. The thought that winter would soon come raised her spirits, but only slightly. She knew that her favorite season wouldn't be the same to her since she didn't have her Chakra. Everything would be different.
All of a sudden, Sora felt the effects of not sleeping come upon her in a rush. Her eyelids began drooping down and the hold that she had on her water container loosened. It soon fell to the ground spilling the water over the dying grass. She woke with a start at the soft thump the container created when it hit. I must be really tired… she thought. But no matter how much she wanted to rest, she knew that she couldn't stop until she reached the border of the Country of Fire at least. There must be only a few more miles, she thought to boost her energy. After I get out of this place, I promise I'll rest. She quickly got off of the rock and picked up the fallen object. She pulled out the black cloth that she had taken off earlier and wiped the container dry. After putting her things away, she stretched a bit and then began running again.
The boys ran through the forest as quickly and quietly as they could. It had already been a few hours and they didn't seem to be getting anywhere. They could only rely on Akamaru's nose.
"Are we getting closer?" Shikamaru whispered to Kiba.
"I think so," Kiba replied just as quietly. "Luckily Sasuke's group didn't cover much distance during the night so we're gaining on them."
"Good." Shikamaru signaled to the others to pick up the pace.
The forest was beginning to thin and Sora could see the border off in the distance. She was almost spent but she kept herself going. Just until the border…just until the border… she repeatedly said to herself for motivation. She still had a few more miles to go. It was sometime in the afternoon and although it was autumn, it was clear day and the sun beat down on her mercilessly. It also didn't help that she was wearing long sleeves and pants that were all black.
Sora finally made it to the end of the forest and now there was only a vast plain to cover and then she would be out of the Fire country…but no matter how hard she tried to keep running, she had to stop. She slowed down to a walk and went on for a few minutes to slow her heart beat down. Then she collapsed to the ground panting. Dammit… she thought and put a hand over her chest. The tall grass around her swayed peacefully in the wind seeming to ignore the pains and frustrations the red-haired girl held inside.
You're going to kill yourself.
But if I don't get out of here, I might change my mind, Sora thought. I can't take that chance! I've got to make it to the border!
She pulled herself up from the ground and felt her muscles scream out in protest, but she ignored them. "I've got to make it…"
"I won't let you go any further than this," the big Sound ninja said coolly as he faced off with the five boys. "Sasuke-sama has chosen to come with us so you can leave quietly or I'll be forced to destroy you."
"You liar!" Naruto spat immediately. "Sasuke would never go with you guys willingly!"
"Naruto," Shikamaru said sternly and grabbed Naruto's arm before he did anything drastic.
"Jiroubou," one of the other Sound ninjas with multiple arms said as he picked up a barrel that had strange seals on it that held the top closed. "You'd better make sure they can't follow us."
"I will." Jiroubou said nodding his head. "You three go ahead with Sasuke-sama."
"We'll be expecting you to catch up soon," the female ninja said somewhat mockingly.
The final Sound ninja with two heads said nothing but leaped out of the clearing and the other two followed leaving the one called Jiroubou behind.
"What?" Naruto shouted. "We can't just let them go!" He pulled free from Shikamaru and began running after the escaping Nins.
But with amazing speed, Jiroubou made a simple earth seal with his hands and struck the ground. A trail of rocks came shooting up from the earth and blocked Naruto's path causing him to stop before he hit a wall.
"What?"
"I told you, I won't let you go any further than this," Jiroubou said.
"It's five against one," Shikamaru said. "What makes you so sure that you'll be able to hold us off?"
Jiroubou was unfazed. "Because you've already fallen into my trap."
"Huh?" The boys felt the ground shudder from under them. Then the wall of rock that had impeded Naruto's path began to extend around the boys. They had no time to react and were soon trapped inside a small rock barrier.
"This is wasting our time!" Kiba yelled impatiently not really thinking much of the barrier. "Let's get outta here! Tsuuga: Piercing Fang!" He became a spinning torpedo and hit the wall with what would have been an earth-shattering force except when he stopped, he hadn't broken through and the wall seemed to be regenerating itself. "What the hell is this?" Kiba shouted angrily and slammed his fist into the wall.
"Byakugan!" Neji's eyes scanned the wall. "This isn't an ordinary earth technique, Shikamaru," he said calmly as his eyes went back to normal. "It's absorbing our Chakra."
"Hm," Shikamaru said scanning the Chakra-eating wall with his own eyes. This might prove to be more troublesome than I thought.
"Forget this! We can still bust this thing open!" Kiba growled and gave Akamaru a soldier pill. "Gijyu Ninpo: Beast Morph!" Akamaru transformed into Kiba's clone and the two spun themselves and began their brutal attack on the wall. The dome shook with the hits it received from the attacks but held together. Once Kiba and Akamaru had to stop their attack, they still hadn't broken through and the wall was once again regenerating.
"Dammit!" Kiba shouted but was panting heavily from the attack. He was beginning to feel the effects of the Chakra-eating wall on him especially since he was also using his Chakra as well as just losing it.
"We're wasting time!" Naruto said angrily. "We've got to get out of here now! Kage Buushin No Jutsu!" Two Narutos appeared and one immediately got to work on making a Rasengan attack in the other's hand but nothing seemed to be happening. "Huh?" both Narutos said at the same time. Then the clone disappeared. "Dammit, this wall's eating up all my Chakra!"
Shikamaru finally spoke but not to his group. "Hey," he called to Jiroubou. "If we promise not to go after Sasuke, will you let us go?"
"What?" Naruto and Kiba immediately shouted at Shikamaru.
"Are you crazy?" Naruto said catching Shikamaru by his shirt.
"I don't think you'd betray Konoha so easily," Jiroubou's voice came floating through the dome.
"That's right!" Naruto agreed with their enemy.
"Naruto, shut up!" Chouji said quietly and took out a bag of potato chips and began eating.
Naruto dropped Shikamaru and glared at Chouji. "How can you tell me to shut up when our leader's just given up on the mission?"
Chouji didn't respond and kept eating furiously.
"If we don't get out of here soon, this wall will eat up all our Chakra!" Kiba said to Shikamaru. "Now's not the time for negotiating!"
"Can you do another Tsuuga, Kiba?" Shikamaru asked ignoring both Kiba's and Naruto's comments.
"Wha? Uh, yeah," Kiba said a little taken aback by Shikamaru's calm manner. "Tsuuga!" Kiba and Akamaru once again went torpedoing through the air hitting the sides of the dome with all their might.
"Neji, find a weak spot quickly!" Shikamaru ordered.
Neji nodded catching on to what Shikamaru was planning. "Byakugan!" Neji scanned as quickly as he could at the damage that Kiba and Akamaru had done. He noted that some spots were regenerating much more slowly than others. He soon spotted the slowest one. "There!" He threw a kunai at the spot.
"Just where I thought," Shikamaru said nodding as Kiba and Akamaru stopped attacking. Both were panting hard. "Good job, guys, I think I have a way out."
Naruto and Kiba both looked completely clueless while Neji was slowly figuring out Shikamaru's strategy, but Chouji had known from the beginning. "I'm ready, Shikamaru!" Chouji announced as he threw down what seemed like his twentieth empty potato chip bag.
Shikamaru nodded to signal Chouji to do his thing.
"Meatball Dance!" Chouji cried and his body inflated into a massive, round bulk. Then he rolled into a spinning ball of force and crashed through the back of the rock dome.
The team of Konoha Genins appeared through the dust as Jiroubou squinted his eyes to see. They might be more annoying than I thought…
"All right!" Naruto shouted and punched a fist into his other hand. "Let's defeat this guy quickly and move on!"
Neji nodded. "The others are pretty far away now."
"Then what are we waiting for?" Kiba snarled. Then he and Naruto attacked head on.
Jiroubou stood up and slammed his fists into the earth causing a tidal wave of rocks and dirt to come between him and his attackers.
"What-AHH!" Naruto and Kiba were thrown back from the Sound ninja's defensive move.
"Stay back, everyone!" Chouji announced as he whipped out his arm to keep the others from advancing. "This one's mine. You go on ahead."
"What?" Shikamaru said in surprise.
Chouji nodded. "I can defeat him."
Jiroubou narrowed his eyes. "I can't let any of you pass." He ran towards the Genins forming seals.
The boys all immediately tried to leap out of reach, but Chouji remained in his place and met Jiroubou stopping his attack with amazing strength. "GO!" he shouted at the others as he grappled with the Sound Nin.
"But, Chouji!" Naruto said.
"No, I can handle this!" Chouji shouted again. He pushed with all his strength and was able to slide his opponent back a bit.
This kid's strong, Jiroubou thought to himself.
"Shikamaru!" Naruto shouted. "Do something!"
Shikamaru took one look at his teammate and his mind was made up. "We don't have a choice. Let's go." He leaped off into the trees after the other Sound ninjas and Sasuke.
"Ah, dammit," Kiba snarled at Jiroubou and then leaped off after his leader. Akamaru followed with a whimper.
"Come on, Naruto," Neji said and grabbed his arm.
Naruto clenched his teeth. He stared once more at Chouji and Jiroubou and then with a grunt of disapproval, he turned his back. "You'd better catch up, Chouji! All right?" Then he and Neji went after their other teammates.
Chouji heard their footsteps fade in the distance, then he smiled. The two fighters threw each other back and were now a more comfortable distance apart.
"I'll take care of you quickly," Jiroubou said with confidence.
"We'll see who takes care of who," Chouji said back with just as much confidence.
Step after step after step…each one seemed to be more tiring and more difficult to take. But Sora's stubbornness kept her on her feet and moving forward no matter how slow her progress was. She lifted her head wearily and saw the border in the wavering distance. "Thank God," she whispered through chapped lips. She needed water, she needed food, she needed rest. The sun beat down relentlessly on her back. Sora shifted the pack on her shoulders and straightened her back. "Just a few more…" She continued walking in silence with her head down to keep the sun out of her eyes and also because she was too tired to lift her head.
"Finally you caught up!" Tayuya the female Sound Nin scoffed as she saw Jiroubou land in front of their group. They had stopped to rest a bit since they were pretty sure that Jiroubou would win the battle and it seems like he did.
"Sorry," Jiroubou said quietly.
"You really are a worthless piece of shit if it took you that long to get rid of those pathetic kids," Tayuya spat. "You carry the barrel."
Jiroubou nodded.
Kidoumaru, the spider-like Nin slowly took off the barrel, but instead of throwing it to Jiroubou, he threw it to Tayuya.
"What the f-"
"Since when did you become so obedient, Jiroubou?" Kidoumaru asked and then leaped to attack him.
Shoot. Shikamaru transformed back into himself and was able to dodge the spider's brutal attack. "Now, Neji!" he shouted.
Neji appeared suddenly from behind Kidoumaru and attacked but Kidoumaru was too quick.
"Get the hell out of here!" Kidoumaru shouted at the two remaining Sound Nins. "I can handle these guys." He quickly spun a web and caught Neji in it.
"Dammit," Neji muttered as he struggled to get free, but he couldn't break the sticky strands.
"Neji!" Naruto shouted and landed next to Neji. He pulled out a kunai and began trying to cut through the web.
"It's no use," Neji said calmly. "The web's made of Chakra."
"But-"
"Just go after the other two. I can fight him."
Shikamaru and Kiba, meanwhile, were trying to keep Kidoumaru away from their teammates, but Kidoumaru was incredibly strong. "Shoot," Kiba hissed as he barely dodged another web attack. "What's the plan?"
"So Jiroubou really is worthless," Tayuya said and strapped the barrel to her back.
"Let's go," Sakon, the Nin with two heads, said stoically. The two left.
Kidoumaru shot his web out in all directions trapping all of the Konoha Genins. "Finally," he said with a mocking sigh. "Now I can dispose of you nice and easy."
"Dammit!" Naruto cursed under his breath.
"Ninpou Kumo Nenkin (Spider Web Adhesive Hypha)!" Kidoumaru said and spiked cane-weapons with a special brown webbing melded together in each of his hands. "Now which one of you should I kill first?"
Then Neji suddenly flashed an amazing blue, blinding everyone around him for a second. When the others looked back over at him, he was standing on his feet completely free of any webbing. "You should go after Sasuke," he said quietly to his teammates.
As he spoke, the webbing on the other Genins suddenly cracked and split into pieces. The boys were completely shocked.
"What?" Kidoumaru said. He stared hard at the clear-eyed boy below him. "A Hyuuga," he said to himself. "Hm. I guess he'll be the first to go."
Neji readied himself. "Go!" he commanded the other boys.
Naruto was stunned. "But we've already left Chouji and now-"
"I'm telling you to leave," Neji said sternly.
Shikamaru felt his guilt rise within him. This would be the second one on his team that he would leave behind. But there wasn't any other way to save Sasuke. "He's right, Naruto," he said. "There's no other option."
"What?"
"Let's go." Shikamaru leaped into the trees and began going after the other two Sound Nins.
Kiba said nothing but narrowed his eyes and followed Shikamaru.
"Don't lose to this guy, all right, Neji?" Naruto said and then took off. He hated the fact that they had to leave their teammates behind but there was nothing he could do.
Neji quickly sent out a wave of Chakra towards his opponent to keep his attention on him. "You'll fight me," he said firmly.
"Don't get so cocky," Kidoumaru spat and leaped down towards Neji with another attack.
"This is taking way too long," Kiba commented as the now three boys ran after the two Sound ninjas.
"Indeed," Shikamaru replied somewhat annoyed.
"Well, we should finish the last two off now," Naruto said angrily.
"Yeah," Kiba agreed.
"Yes," Shikamaru said. "Before it gets dark. Listen up, I have a plan."
The border. It was such a relief to the weary girl. Sora saw a few guard houses but since it was nearing dinner time, only a few guards were out. She kept herself hidden as well as she could and tied the black cloth around her head again. She needed to sneak past the guards because she didn't have an official passport that allowed her to leave legally. It wasn't too hard to get in and out since the border to Konoha covered so much land, but this was the fastest way to get to her village. Ok, Sora thought to herself. This won't be too bad. As long as I keep my strength up, I should be able to get past here and to the foot of the mountains tonight. She knew that she couldn't rest until she was far enough away, so she decided to take her time in the safety of her hiding spot to form a plan.
"Haha, suckers!" Kiba shouted as he reached the barrel. He picked it up and ran off back towards the village.
"Yes!" Naruto shouted and went after him closely followed by Shikamaru.
"DAMMIT!" Tayuya yelled and immediately went after them.
"This is getting annoying!" Sakon hissed and joined Tayuya in her pursuit.
"Akamaru," Kiba said to his dog.
He yipped in response and fell behind.
"What's he doing?" Naruto asked.
"Setting traps to slow them down," Kiba explained. "He'll be able to catch up."
"Oh, right," Naruto said nodding.
"They're gaining on us though," Shikamaru said. "I can feel their Chakra."
Suddenly a high pitched wail sounded through the air. "What?" Kiba said and suddenly stopped. He threw the barrel over to Naruto. "You guys go! Akamaru's in trouble!" He sprinted back to save his dog.
Naruto stood for a second holding the barrel, unsure of what to do.
"Let's get out of here!" Shikamaru yelled and started running again pulling Naruto along with him.
A few seconds later, the two boys heard an enormous explosion behind them. "What? Kiba!" Naruto yelled and stopped running again.
"Dammit," Shikamaru said and stopped beside Naruto. I have to decide. We've got Sasuke, but Kiba's in trouble… The thoughts swam relentlessly in his head. Dammit, dammit, dammit!
"Hah! I caught up," Tayuya laughed as she landed on a branch above the Konoha Genins.
"What happened to Kiba and Akamaru?" Naruto demanded.
"Oh?" Tayuya said mockingly. "They took a tumble over the cliff."
"What?" Shikamaru said.
Tayuya nodded with a sick smile on her face. "Don't worry, he probably survived the fall, but Sakon's sure to kill him."
"Damn you!" Naruto shouted but didn't dare attack since he was holding the barrel.
"Naruto get back to the village," Shikamaru ordered.
"What? Not again! This is ridiculous!" Naruto said incredulously.
"Go now while we still have a chance of saving Sasuke!" Shikamaru yelled.
"Oh no you don't!" Tayuya shouted.
Then suddenly a shadow passed over Naruto and the barrel was taken from him. "What the hell?" Naruto said and quickly looked around to locate who it was.
A man with long white hair pulled into two parts landed next to Tayuya. His skin was pale and his eyes were lined with red. "Keep them here while I take him," he said. His voice was soft and powerful.
"K-kimimaru?" Tayuya asked fear striking her eyes. "How are you moving? Your body's-"
"There's no time," Kimimaru said calmly. "You were too slow."
Tayuya clenched her teeth.
"Orochimaru-sama's time is almost up."
"Fine!" Tayuya said and turned back to face the boys.
Kimimaru leaped out of sight.
"What?" Naruto shouted angrily. "No, we've got to get Sasuke back!" He started after Kimimaru but was stopped by Tayuya punching him in the face back towards Shikamaru.
"I will not fail him again!" Tayuya said as black markings began to spread across her face and arms. "This time, you won't escape."
"Shoot," Shikamaru said. "At this rate, the pale guy's going to get away."
"Then let's get going!" Naruto shouted.
"Wait," Shikamaru commanded. Then he whispered so that only Naruto could hear him.
"It doesn't matter what shitty strategy you think up," Tayuya spat. "There's no way I'm letting you pass."
"We'll see about that," Shikamaru said. "Now!" The two boys ran straight for Tayuya.
"Stupid," Tayuya said to herself.
As the two boys reached Tayuya, instead of attacking, Naruto leaped right over her head and off in the direction that Kimimaru went.
"What?" Tayuya gasped in surprise.
"Gotcha," Shikamaru's voice said to her left.
She tried to look but was trapped. "Shit!"
"You're battle ends here," Shikamaru said as he held her in his Shadow Bind.
There was some light left but not much since it looked like a storm was coming. It's time. Staying low to the ground and in the shadows of the sparse trees and bushes, Sora stole her way towards the border. There were two guards walking back and forth making it a little more difficult for Sora not to be spotted, but this was the least guarded area as far as Sora could see. So with a deep breath, she sprinted silently out of her hiding place and ran towards the border.
"Huh?" one of the guards said. "Did you hear something?"
"I'm not sure," the other said. They looked around scanning the area.
Sora was forced to hide behind a small bush that was just on the border. She didn't dare move while the guards were on alert.
"Hm," the guard who spoke first said after a few excruciating seconds for Sora. "I guess not."
"Yeah, nothing ever comes out here," the other said with a yawn.
Sora breathed a small sigh of relief and peeked over the bush. She saw the two guards begin walking back and forth again. Then she located another bush across the border and sprinted for it.
"Wait, I definitely heard something," the second guard said looking in the direction that Sora had run. "Let's check it out."
"Ok." The two guards were coming.
Oh crap, crap, crap, Sora thought. I need to knock them out somehow or outrun them! But I can't outrun them. They're ninjas, right? She heard their footsteps stop a few feet in front of her bush.
"I don't see anything."
"Me neither."
Or not… Sora held her breath when she heard their footsteps start up again.
"Probably an animal?"
"Yeah."
Then one of them yawned loudly and stopped walking. "It's almost dinner time," he said. "Let's get back so we can switch posts."
"Good idea." The footsteps faded.
Sora finally let her breath out. Then when she was sure that they were far enough away, she stole silently from behind the bush and out of the Country of Fire.
"Kage Buushin No Jutsu!" A huge number of Narutos appeared surround Kimimaru. They were out of the forest now in a small opening covered in tall grass. The Naruto gang attacked full force.
"Yangi no mai (Dance of the Willow)," Kimimaru said and two pointed spikes grew out of the palms of his hands. He began attacking the Narutos in a fluid, flawless motion. The Narutos began to disappear in poofs of smoke.
Finally after almost half of the Narutos were gone, the two stopped their attacks. Purple smoke was beginning to leak out of the barrel that held Sasuke. Naruto noticed. "Why does Orochimaru want Sasuke anyway?" he demanded.
Kimimaru calmly stood up straight with his hands at his sides, the spikes still sticking out of his flesh. "Orochimaru-sama needs a new body," he said softly.
"Body?"
"Since this disease infected my own, I cannot offer it to him anymore. In order to thank him for everything that he's done for me, I will take Sasuke to him, even if it costs me my life."
"Everything he's done for you?" Naruto asked not believing his ears. "What can that slimy snake possibly do for anyone?"
Kimimaru's eyes narrowed. "You wouldn't understand," he replied and then quicker than the Narutos could react, he began attacking.
The Narutos couldn't even defend themselves at all. Kimimaru was too strong. Finally the last clone disappeared in a cloud of smoke. "Dammit," the real Naruto said as he backed away.
Kimimaru turned to face him. "You're time is up."
But before either of them could do anything, the barrel began to shake violently and the seals were ripped off of the wood and the top came off releasing a huge amount of black and purple smoke into the air. Then as the smoke cleared, Sasuke's figure appeared standing on the ground with his back towards Naruto and Kimimaru.
"S-sasuke!" Naruto yelled.
Sasuke didn't seem to hear Naruto. He lifted his hands up and looked at them. "I've never felt such power," he said with an eerie quietness.
Oh no… "Sasuke, come on, let's get back to the village. Everyone's waiting for you," he said with a forced laugh trying to lighten the mood.
Then without warning, Sasuke leaped off into the forest away from the village.
"Sasuke!" Naruto shouted and started after him.
Kimimaru cut him off. "I can't let you interfere with Orochimaru-sama's plan," he said. He attacked him with one of the spikes in his hands but then was suddenly kicked to the side. "What?" Kimimaru said in a daze as he got to his feet again.
"Naruto-kun!"
"What? Lee?"
"You go after Sasuke-san. I'll take care of him!" Lee said giving a thumbs-up to Naruto.
"But…you…"
"Please go quickly before Sasuke-san gets away," Lee said.
"I can't believe this is happening!" Naruto shouted and grabbed his hair. "I'm leaving everyone behind and-"
"Naruto-kun," Lee interrupted. "This is no time to be heroic. The mission must be completed."
Naruto growled. "Fine," he said and turned to run after Sasuke.
Lee faced his opponent with a smile on his face. "You seem very similar to Sasuke-san," he commented.
Kimimaru remained silent.
"You have a Blood-Line Limit ability with your bones. And I also see that your body is not moving by physical force."
Kimimaru narrowed his eyes at the green-clad, odd-looking Genin in front of him. "And you seem to be a master in the art of Taijutsu," he replied coldly.
"Well, not a master yet," Lee said laughing innocently.
That annoyed Kimimaru and without warning, he ran at Lee with his bones sticking out of his hands.
Lee reacted quickly and the two fighters began their dance.
The clouds had covered the setting sun now as Sora neared the safety of the forest at the foot of the mountains. Once she was covered by their shadows, she stopped running and collapsed to the ground. She quickly unwrapped the cloth around her head so that she could cool herself down more quickly. But although she was sitting to rest her body, her senses never stopped working. She was able to hear the faint sound of a mountain stream flowing nearby, but it would take more coaxing to get her to her feet again.
"Come on," she said to herself. "You made it this far. Don't give up on yourself just yet." She pushed herself up to her feet and walked shakily towards the stream.
After a nice drink and some food, Sora could finally allow herself to rest. She knew that no one usually came this deep into the forest since no one she could think of that was alive, except herself, knew how to navigate safely through the woods and the mountain paths. But nonetheless, she climbed a tree and made her bed on a broad branch. She covered herself with a thin blanket she had managed to stuff into her pack and then almost immediately fell asleep.
"Sasuke! Wait!" Naruto called as he chased after his friend to a waterfall. He saw Sasuke on top of a statue on one side of the waterfall. Naruto ran towards the cliff and began to jump from ledge to ledge until he was on an equal level with Sasuke. "Sasuke, what are you doing?"
Sasuke slowly turned to face Naruto.
Naruto's eyes widened in shock. "No…" One of Sasuke's eyes was already infected with the curse. Instead of his usual black, haunting gaze, a yellow, evil snake eye stared back at him. "Sasuke-"
"And why are you here?" Sasuke interrupted. His voice was full of mockery.
"W-we came to take you back to the village," Naruto said astonished at Sasuke's attitude.
"I'm not going back."
"What? Of course you are!"
"Pathetic fool," Sasuke scoffed. "You don't get it, do you?"
Naruto stared at his friend through horror-stricken eyes.
"You think that by staying in Konoha, I can get the power I need to achieve my goals?" Sasuke laughed. "I'm not going to get anywhere if I go back to the village."
"But what about us?" Naruto asked getting angry. "You think you can just leave? We're your friends! Otherwise why would we come after you in the first place?"
"Hm," Sasuke laughed. "You're wasting your time."
Now Naruto couldn't hold back his anger. He flew at Sasuke and landed a hard punch right in his cheek sending him flying backwards. Sasuke landed on his back but before he could get up, Naruto was on top of him holding him down. "I don't care if I have to pound you into a million pieces!" he growled. "You're coming back with me!"
Sasuke smiled and spat blood up at Naruto's face.
Naruto punched him across the face again. "Stop mocking me!" he snarled. His eyes were beginning to turn pointed and his nails grew into claws.
"Why would I want to go back, especially with you?" Sasuke said and threw Naruto off of him sending him over the edge of the statue and down towards the water.
Naruto managed to use his Chakra and skid down the side of the cliff slowing himself down. Once he reached the bottom, he looked back up to see Sasuke laughing at him. "Sasuke!" he shouted up at him, his voice echoing through the air.
"You, of all people," Sasuke laughed. "I don't get how you even think that you could convince me to go back. Anyone else might've had more luck than you!"
"What?" Naruto said through clenched teeth.
Then Sasuke stopped laughing and glared at Naruto, his snake eye glinting. "You," he snarled. "When we started, you were nothing. The worst. And then you get this power." He paused for a second. "And Sora-"
That got Naruto angry again. "Don't bring her into this!" he shouted at Sasuke.
"You brought her into this!" Sasuke shouted back, his anger level rising. "You were trying to steal her from me!"
"She's not yours!"
"You're wrong!" Sasuke clenched his fist. "She belongs to me!" He raced down the statue at Naruto.
Naruto began jumping from ledge to ledge again up towards Sasuke.
The two boys pulled back their fists and met in a simultaneous punch. Each one blocked the other with his other hand. It was a deadlock.
"You don't deserve her," Sasuke said in Naruto's ear as he pushed down with all his strength.
"And you don't either," Naruto spat back.
Sasuke narrowed his eyes even more and then purposely moved to the side and fell towards the water leaving Naruto standing on the side of the statue. "I will defeat you!" he shouted and threw a kunai up at Naruto.
Naruto reacted quickly and threw his own blade at the approaching one and the two clashed together and spun off in different directions. Then Naruto ran down the statue towards Sasuke who had landed on the water. They raced towards each other with anger fueling their attacks.
It began to rain. Sora woke up with a start as a droplet of water hit her face. She sat up slowly and wiped it off her cheek. "Rain?" She shook herself awake and quickly got up to see if she could possibly find a better shelter nearby. Nothing. Sora sighed heavily. I guess I'll have to find another place to stay for tonight, she thought miserably. She stuffed her blanket into her pack before it got any wetter and jumped down from the tree. Upon landing, her legs gave way underneath her and she fell to her knees. "Dammit," she cursed in frustration. She slowly lifted herself back to her feet.
"Ok, think," Sora said out loud. She tried to remember if there was a cave anywhere near where she was. "Maybe…" She began to walk deeper into the woods as the rain came down harder.
The two separated from the incredible force. Both were panting as they faced off but neither dared to let his guard down.
"Sasuke," Naruto panted. His eyes were red and pointed. His teeth were fangs and his nails were fully grown claws. A glowing red aura surrounded him, but slowly faded. "I have to know."
Sasuke raised an eyebrow and said nothing.
"I know that we both, we both love Sora, but even with that between us, are we friends or not?"
The question hit Sasuke like a bolt of lightening. His mind flashed back to their very first mission as a team. They worked so well together as a team against Zabuza. Then he and Naruto had had to train far into the night to climb the tree with their Chakra. They had kept each other going through their rivalry, but yet, Sasuke knew that he had enjoyed training with him. And during the fight with Haku, the Ice ninja, even though Naruto had been stupid to come in on the fight with no strategy, he had fought side by side with Sasuke to the end. Then the Chuunin exam flashed through his mind. They had worked as a team to get out of the forest alive. When Sasuke was about to give the scroll to the snake man, Naruto had knocked sense into him. Naruto had said that this wasn't the Sasuke that he knew. Then he thought about all the times when Naruto would cheer him on during his fights. It annoyed him at the time, but now, it was clear that Naruto meant more than just saying that he was the one to beat him. He was cheering him on as a friend.
Sasuke let his breath out slowly. "Yes," he said quietly. "Through all our experiences, you've become my best friend."
Hope fluttered in Naruto's eyes. "Then why-"
"But because of that, I must defeat you."
Naruto looked at Sasuke thoroughly confused. "I don't understand-"
"So don't hold back!" Sasuke shouted and ran at him again with screaming lightening forming in his hand.
Naruto quickly got back on the defense and made a clone who began to swirl the air and Chakra into Naruto's palm forming his ultimate technique. I don't understand. He called me his best friend…and yet he's still fighting me, he thought as the Rasengan was completed. His clone disappeared. "But I'll end this now!" he shouted and ran forward towards Sasuke.
Water shot up into the sky as the two ran at each other. Then with a powerful clash, they were thrown backwards from each other, Sasuke towards the waterfall and Naruto towards the cliff. Sasuke crashed through the waterfall and into the rock behind it creating a massive hole. Naruto was thrown into the cliff as well and huge rocks came tumbling down the sides of the cliff from the force.
Sasuke recovered first and came out from behind the waterfall and scanned the area for Naruto. He saw a cloud of smoke where Naruto had hit but Naruto was nowhere to be seen. He took the opportunity to release his curse. The markings spread across his face and body. The power he felt was incredible, almost as if he was invincible.
Naruto came running across the water. His Chakra aura was glowing brightly again. "SASUKE!" he shouted.
Sasuke, getting a boost from his new power, met him head on and stopped his fist from contacting his face. Then he held on to Naruto's shirt and punched him hard across the face causing blood to fly out from Naruto's mouth. But Sasuke didn't stop. He quickly formed a Chidori in his hand again and pulled back.
Naruto saw his attack coming and although he was dazed from the punch, he managed to get free from Sasuke's hold but not his attack.
The Chidori came in contact with Naruto's shoulder, missing any vital areas, but now Naruto couldn't use his right arm at all. He couldn't form another Rasengan. Naruto fell back onto the water's surface. His blood spread out from his wound staining the clear water a dark red.
"I'm sorry," Sasuke said thinking that Naruto was defeated. He stood up and pulled back his hand from Naruto's shoulder. It dripped with his blood. "It's over."
But as he raised his hand to deliver a finishing blow, he felt a powerful force sweep over him. Sasuke stopped his attack and backed up. He saw the red Chakra surrounding Naruto lift his body back up to a standing position. Sasuke couldn't believe his eyes.
Then the terrible face of the fox demon formed in the burning Chakra. Naruto's wounds began to heal at an amazing pace.
Sasuke stumbled backwards in shock and slight fear. "What are you?" he asked with a shaky voice.
Naruto's eyes opened. "Your friend," he growled. "That's why I'm not leaving without you!"
Sora looked up at the sky. She was in a clearing now so the trees weren't blocking her view. "It's moving south," she said to herself. "Maybe it'll pass soon." She continued to walk in the rain.
Naruto slammed Sasuke into the side of the cliff causing the whole wall of rock to shake. "Have you come to your senses yet?" Naruto asked. "If not, I'm not going to stop even if I have to break every bone in your body!" He grabbed Sasuke's torn shirt pulling him up to a standing position.
"Shut up," Sasuke said. Blood was dripping down his face. "You've been alone from the start. You don't know what it's like to lose everyone close to you!"
Naruto released Sasuke's shirt and stepped back. "I might not know anything about parents or siblings. But sometimes when I'm with our team I wonder if that's what it's like to have a family. Kakashi, Sora...and, and then when I'm with you, I wonder if that's what it's like to have a brother," Naruto said.
Sasuke looked hard at his opponent. "A brother?"
Naruto nodded. "Our team was the first real bond I've ever had."
Sasuke then took out his forehead protector. "You once said that if I wore this, it would signify that we are equals," he said softly. He tied it around his head. "Now we'll fight, though I doubt you'll be able to even scratch my forehead protector," he added with a mocking laugh.
"What? I don't understand why you're doing this!" Naruto said completely confused. "If we're equals, if we're friends, then why are you fighting me?"
"The only way to get stronger is to break the bonds," Sasuke said. "By breaking our friendship, I will be able to get the power I need to fulfill my destiny!" Sasuke's Sharingan grew another black symbol. Now there were three all together.
His eyes are like Kakashi-sensei's, Naruto thought. He's becoming more powerful.
"Once more," Sasuke said as his curse spread further across his body.
A cave! Sora thought in relief and found the energy to jog towards it. She didn't exactly remember where this cave was in the scope of the area, but she didn't care at the moment. All this meant now was that she could sleep.
Sasuke crawled back on to the shore panting. He was sure that he had killed Naruto. No one could've survived his brutal attacks with his new found power. He stood up with a feeling of guilt but satisfaction.
"Sasuke…" a shaky voice called to him.
Sasuke whipped around in shock. "It can't be," he whispered.
The fox demon had almost completely taken over now. What Sasuke saw was nothing like the Naruto he had been fighting earlier. Power dripped from his fangs and claws, and the nine Chakra tails swished behind him.
I've got to use level 2. Sasuke allowed the curse to completely cover his body. He felt another surge of power flow into him but he also felt his body transform.
Naruto pulled his hands back to his side and formed a Chakra ball without the use of seals. Then he thrusted his hands forward and his Chakra came rushing towards Sasuke.
As Sasuke was thrown backwards to the other side of the waterfall, he covered himself with his…wing?
Once the dust settled, Naruto saw that Sasuke was nowhere to be seen but that a huge, disfigured hand was covering something.
Then Sasuke stood up. His wing uncovered him. Naruto's attack had done nothing to him, but his curse completely changed him. His hair was grayish and long and his skin was also a dark shade of gray. Now both of his eyes were yellow and snake-like. Then another wing grew out of his shoulder blade. His transformation was complete. "Do you know what this place is called?" he asked Naruto.
Naruto said nothing knowing full well what it was called.
"The Valley of the End," Sasuke said knowing that Naruto knew. "Fitting, because now it's time to end this battle." Sasuke held out his hand and once more formed the Chidori in his palm. It was his third one that day but because of his new power, that restriction was gone.
Naruto also held out his hand and without the use of a clone, he began gathering his Chakra into his hand for a final Rasengan.
The two boys leaped towards each other from either side of the waterfall with their attacks glowing an electric black and a fiery red. The two techniques connected and a huge explosion shook the valley. The Chakra from both of the boys combined into one and engulfed them, suspending them in mid air. Sasuke forced one final attack into Naruto's chest but Naruto managed to put a deep scratch through Sasuke's forehead protector. The Chakra dome expanded until it blocked the entire flow of water from the waterfall to the lake.
Sora gasped as her eyes shot open once again interrupting her sleep. She felt a chill sweep down her spine, and as she let out her breath, it was filled with icy crystals. "What happened?" she wondered out loud. She looked around her and saw that she was still alone. But something had shaken her very soul. What was it?
No, just calm down, she told herself. It wasn't anything. You need your rest.
But no matter how hard she tried to fall asleep again, that feeling lingered in her body making it impossible. So she got up and went to the mouth of the cave. It was still raining like there was no tomorrow.
Sasuke stood over an unconscious Naruto. A ray of sunlight highlighted Naruto's face but faded quickly. But then Sasuke's forehead protector fell to the ground beside Naruto's body. The sky opened up and it started to rain. A pain shot through Sasuke's arm and he fell to his knees and coughed up blood. "What am I doing?" he said once he was able to speak. He stared straight down at Naruto's face. It was back to normal. No pointed eyes or fanged teeth. Just Naruto.
The temptation was strong to kill Naruto completely and gain his Mangekyou (Kaleidoscope) Sharingan like his brother. "No, I…" Sasuke pushed himself to his feet again. "I'll do this my own way." Leaving his scratched forehead protector, he turned from Naruto and began to stumble off towards where he knew Orochimaru was waiting for him.
Suddenly a realization came over Sora. "It must be them," she whispered out loud. Somehow, she knew that they had finished a fight. To the death? She didn't know, but now she realized that the chill that had come over her earlier was the force of their attacks colliding. It was a power much stronger than she had ever witnessed before. Even stronger than her own…
That got her back to her senses. If they've become so powerful, then maybe they might be able to find me. The fear of being found completely took over her mind. I can't let them! She ran back into the cave and gathered her things. She didn't care that she was tired and that it was raining. All she wanted was to get as far away from Konoha as possible. She needed to reach her village at all costs.
Kakashi came back from his mission that he was supposed to have gone on the day before, and he immediately went to the Hokage's office where he learned that they had sent a team of Genins, including Naruto, to go after Sasuke.
"WHAT?" Kakashi almost shouted at Tsunade.
"We had no one else available," the blonde woman explained calmly.
"Naruto and Sasuke could kill each other!" Kakashi slammed his hands on her desk causing the numerous unread, unsigned papers to jump. "How long ago did they leave?"
"Late morning," Shizune answered quietly.
Kakashi immediately turned around and headed for the door.
"Kakashi," Tsunade said standing up. "You don't have to worry."
Kakashi was about to retort but held his tongue.
"We have an alliance with the Sand now. I sent Gaara, Kankuro, and Temari after them," Tsunade explained. "They should be able to manage."
Kakashi then turned to face Tsunade. "I must still request to go after them," he said with a small bow.
"Yes, that's a good idea."
"Thank you, Hokage-sama," Kakashi said and left.
As he ran to find the Genin team with his faithful tracking dog, Pakkun, they came across an unconscious Chouji and a dead Sound Nin. Chouji had lost his chubbiness and Kakashi knew that he had taken the red pill that his family had created to give them unimaginable power.
"He's not going to last much longer," Pakkun said.
"I know," Kakashi replied. He called another one of his dogs and sent him back to the village to get help. There was no sign of any of the others. Then Kakashi quickly poured some of his Chakra into Chouji for temporary help.
This is bad, he thought. Chouji just barely made it out alive. The others might not have. He made sure that Chouji would be able to last by himself until others came, but he had no time to linger. He once again took off.
After running a bit more, Pakkun suddenly spoke. "There's been another fight here."
Kakashi looked around at the broken spider-web strands hanging everywhere. He also saw a bunch of rotting spider bodies on the ground that looked like they had been cut in two. "It was Neji," he said.
"Mm," Pakkun nodded. "He's over there." Pakkun leaped off into the bushes.
Kakashi followed and he found Neji on the ground with a huge arrow stuck through his shoulder. He was bleeding badly. "Dammit," Kakashi said as he poured more of his Chakra into Neji's body. "This mission was too dangerous for them."
"Well, he did kill the Sound Nin," Pakkun pointed out.
"That doesn't matter if it costs their lives," Kakashi said. Then he called another dog and sent him back to the village for help.
"We need to get going," Pakkun said. "I think that the others are much further ahead."
The two began running again and they soon came across an area where a huge explosion had taken place. Kakashi quickly put out the lingering fires around the area. "Is there a Genin anywhere?" he asked Pakkun.
The dog shook his head. "No," he said. "Not here, but Kiba and Akamaru went over the cliff and down stream. They were helped by Kankuro so they should be fine."
"Ok," Kakashi said. "Perhaps Hokage-sama was right to think that the Sand Genins could help."
After a while, they saw that an entire area of trees had been cut down leaving a huge mess of trunks and branches everywhere.
"Temari and Shikamaru were here, but they left unharmed for the most part," Pakkun announced. "The Sound Nin is dead."
Kakashi nodded his head and they continued to move forward.
Then a clearing appeared and the two found that it was covered in desert sand. "Gaara," Kakashi said as they landed on the field.
Pakkun nodded. "And Lee was here as well." Then thunder boomed across the sky. "It's going to rain soon. We should hurry before the scent is washed away."
"Right," Kakashi said. The two left the area and continued their search for the final two Genins.
Just before it began to rain, Pakkun announced that Naruto and Sasuke were in the Valley of the End. Then the rain came down washing out any scent of the two boys. "Hopefully they didn't go anywhere else," Pakkun said dryly.
Then finally, they saw the valley. The statues on either side of the waterfall had huge sections that looked like they had been knocked off and the cliffs held multiple holes. It was pretty dark so neither could see very well, so they split up and searched the area. Soon Pakkun barked at his master signaling to him that he had found someone. Kakashi rushed over to where his dog was and saw Naruto on the ground unconscious. He wasn't bleeding anywhere but old blood that was being washed away by the rain still stained his clothes.
"I knew this would happen," Kakashi said and picked up Naruto. "Isn't there any way to find out where Sasuke is now?"
Pakkun shook his head slowly. "I'm sorry, Kakashi," he said. "The rain has completely washed out any trace of Sasuke's scent. Then the little dog picked up Sasuke's fallen forehead protector in his mouth.
Kakashi closed his eyes and breathed a sigh of frustration. "I should have known better," he said more to himself than to Pakkun.
Pakkun placed the forehead protector inside of Kakashi's leg pouch. "There was nothing you could've done," he said.
Kakashi chose to ignore his dog's comment. "We should return back to the village ," he said. "Hokage-sama should know about this."
Once back at the village, Kakashi took Naruto to the hospital which was already busy with the other Genins. Naruto was immediately taken into the emergency room so Kakashi went over to the receptionist to ask about the other boys.
"Did they all get here?" he asked.
"Well, we've received Akimichi Chouji, Hyuuga Neji, Inuzuka Kiba and Akamaru, Nara Shikamaru, Rock Lee, and the Sand Genins but those three are fine," she replied.
"Uzumaki Naruto is also in right now," Kakashi informed her.
"Oh," the receptionist said. Then just at that moment, another hospital worker handed her a file. "Oh, yes, this is Uzumaki's file here. Thank you."
Kakashi nodded and turned to leave the hospital. So, they're all alive at least, he thought gloomily. Then he left the building to inform the Hokage what had happened.
Sora stumbled through the underbrush of the forest desperately looking for a familiar land mark. She had run blindly into the deepest part of the forest and now she couldn't find her way out. No, this can't be happening! she thought. How could I have lost my way?
Then suddenly, she saw something that looked vaguely familiar. She gasped and ran towards it. Yes, it was the stone that pointed towards the safest path up the mountain. New hope fluttered in her heart as new strength poured in her body. The rain didn't seem to bother her at all anymore. I won't stop until I reach my village, she promised herself. I can't be safe until I do.
"So they're all back and alive?" Tsunade asked a weary-looking Kakashi.
"Yes," Kakashi said with a nod.
"But they failed to bring Sasuke with them," the Hokage added with a thoughtful look.
Kakashi nodded again and looked down.
"Well, I guess this is not an immediate danger to us," she said and got up. She walked over to the wall made of windows and looked out over Konoha. The rain made everything look dank and gloomy.
"Immediate, Hokage-sama?" Kakashi asked looking at her a bit confused.
"Orochimaru needs to wait three more years now in order to transfer his soul to the Uchiha's body," Tsunade explained. "The time had already passed when he could have transferred into another body before Sasuke got to him."
"So, that means that Orochimaru will have to keep Sasuke alive and unharmed for the next three years," Kakashi said.
"Yes," Tsunade answered.
Kakashi thought about the new information for a while in silence.
"Kakashi," Tsunade said and turned around.
"Hokage-sama?"
She sighed heavily and sat back down in her chair. "I hate to bring you more bad news, but…"
Kakashi's eyes widened. He couldn't think of anything else that could possibly go wrong that day.
"Your other student, Sora," Tsunade started.
Kakashi's heart leaped to his throat. "Yes?" he asked in anticipation.
"Her landlord reported that she left during the night as well."
His heart stopped for a second and he was speechless.
I knew he wouldn't take this well, Tsunade thought and she let out a sigh. "She left her payment on the table of her apartment but nothing else. I'm not sure how she would be able to carry all of her things with her for long, though."
"Hokage-sama, I must find her," Kakashi said breathlessly.
"Kakashi, I didn't tell you this so that you can abandon your duties! What about your other missions? Eh? You've got a responsibility to fulfill. We're not only in a social crisis right now but political and economical ones as well. The missions assigned to you must be carried out!"
Kakashi remained silent and turned to leave.
Tsunade studied the white-haired Jounin as he walked stiffly to the door of her office. She sighed heavily. "Kakashi," she called.
He stopped and turned around respectfully waiting to see what she wanted.
"I'm sorry, but we have no information on where she is or where she intended to go. For all we know, she could be in any number of countries by now."
"But I should still try to find her," he said.
Tsunade shook her head. "No, I can't let you do that now," she said. "You are one of our top Jounins in the village. We don't have enough people to compensate if we lost you."
"But-"
"But I will see if I can spare others to gather information on her," Tsunade interrupted.
Kakashi didn't look satisfied.
"Listen," Tsunade said. "Once things begin to settle down around here, then you may look for her, but only after Konoha gets back on its feet. All right?"
He didn't like it but he knew that he had to obey the Hokage. He nodded silently and then exited the room.
Tsunade leaned back in her seat and put a hand to her head.
"Tsunade-sama?" Shizune said quietly as she entered the room. She was holding a cup of steaming tea in her hands.
"What?"
Shizune placed the tea on her table. She had heard the discussion between Kakashi and Tsunade from out in the hall so she knew that Sora was missing. "I will try to find information on Sora," she said quietly.
Tsunade opened her eyes. "Shizune?" she said. She was surprised to see that Shizune knew about Sora.
"I was in the hallway when Kakashi-sensei was here," she explained. "If he cannot go to find her, I volunteer."
"Do you even have the slightest idea of where to start?" Tsunade asked not meaning to sound sarcastic. She took a sip of the tea.
Shizune knew Tsunade too well to be offended. "I suspect that she went back to her home village."
Tsunade paused in mid-swallow. "Hm," she thought out loud. Then she finished her swallow. "That seems logical, but where do you think she's from?"
"Her last name is Kousetsu, or at least, that's what she goes by here," Shizune explained. "I'm guessing that she came from a small hidden village in the mountains where it snows most of the year."
"It could be," Tsunade said. "Yes, that makes sense."
"I could also ask Kakashi-sensei and Jiraiya-sensei if they know any more about her," Shizune said.
"Don't bring it up with Kakashi," Tsunade said shaking her head. "He might insist on going with you."
"Fine," Shizune said. "I'll start tomorrow when the storm passes."
"All right."
"Goodnight, Tsunade-sama." Shizune left the office and closed the door behind her.
Tsunade set the cup of tea down on the desk and put her hand under her chin. Jiraiya might know something since he was the last to talk with Sarutobi-sensei, she thought. But I'm not even sure if he's still here or not. She finally shook her head to get her thoughts back to reading the papers. "Ah, the papers never end," she said to herself.