Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.
Author's note: Ano here are some more thoughts;
-Naruto is alive and in Konoha-
-He is wearing Orochimaru's ring which he said came from a friend-
-He changed his face-
-Deidara said they have the Kyuubi-
I'm not implying that Tobi is Obito or anything, that's whyI sticked to taijutsu.
On to the story...
Chapter 7: Schemes
Two days ago…
Danzou's residence…
A figure was casually going through the home of the infamous leader of 'Ne'. He burst into the office eyeing the man sitting in front of him with his hands resting on his table.
"What's this?" throwing a piece of paper in front of the bandaged man.
"Kakashi no Buntai? (Kakashi's Team?)" he asked with a cold tone.
The man picked up the paper and glanced through it "Yes, is there something wrong?"
"You do realize that you've put the mission on great risk? This was never part of the agreement"
"I know, but you must understand that the only way for you to make contact with Orochimaru without pulling attention to yourself is to join a team that seems to encounter him more often" he said, handing the paper back .
He couldn't really argue…He was right…
"If this proves to be our undoing, it will be on your head, Danzou" he said as he walked off.
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Present time…
"Well then, our mission is simple. First we are to rendezvous with a Konoha reconnaissance team who has been patrolling the borders of the Tea Country for Sound activities.Second we are to hand them this scroll—"taking a scroll from his pocket "—which we will hand to them. The pass phrase will be 'the sound of the leaves', got that?" earning a nod from his team he continued "Our third mission objective will be handed to us by them."
"When will we move?" asked Sakura.
"Prepare everything you need and meet at the north gate in 1500 hours" pointing at the watch in a nearby shop.
"What are the identities of the reconnaissance team?" Sasuke asked looking at their mission scroll.
"They will be Maito Gai, Rock Lee, Yamanaka Ino and Inuzuka Kiba" looking at a piece of paper he took out of his pocket as soon as Sasuke asked the question.
"Inuzuka?" Kujo asked in a surprised tone.
"Why? You allergic to dogs?" Sakura mocked, but he remained quiet.
"Ok! Now that's finish, see you at three" Kakashi finished before disappearing in a puff of smoke.
Just as Kujo was about to leave he felt a hand on his shoulder.
"Oi! You better not feel too comfortable, got that?" Sakura said in her coldest tone.
"How could I feel comfortable with you two around" he said sarcastically, "last time I check I hated you" at that he too disappeared in a puff of smoke.
Sakura growled and stormed off stomping her feet on the ground as she walked causing a slight tremor leaving Sasuke alone.
'Sigh, I hate to admit it, but I kinda miss my fan girls' he thought as he hung his head low.
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At three o'clock…
Kakashi arrived to see his team was alrea— "You're not bringing anything?" eyeing the newest member of their team.
"I don't need to bring anything, the land will provide…" he replied in a bored tone.
"Eh? What about kunai and shuriken?" bewildered at his team member's casualness.
"I am carrying some—"he let his two hands drop and spread his palm open, then all of a sudden he had three shuriken in between his fingers (somewhat like Itachi in the anime)"—see?"
"Ok then…" he saw Sakura was trying hard to hold off her interest and Sasuke looking at his sleeves as if they were Itachi.
"We better get a move on, Hatake-san" Kujo said snapping Kakashi out from his musings.
"Right! Let's go" he said as he walked out of Konoha's gates followed by his team.
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At the borders of Tea Country…
"KEEP HIM OFF ME, KIBA!" a blonde haired girl yelled as she struggled to get the gigantic mutt off her.
Ino wasn't that close to Naruto, but hearing about him from Sakura and having the liberty of working with him on several missions, she would grant that Naruto would make a good friend. She was one of the few who believed his innocence and yelled at people who badmouthed the blonde boy. She knew of the Kyuubi, actually Naruto already told the former rookie nine, including Neji, Tenten and Lee. And yet their opinion of the blonde was still the same. They deduced that Naruto was still and forever will be the Naruto they knew.
"Akamaru won't bite you Ino, he just likes you that's all" he said grinning at his best friend who was 'molesting 'Ino who has just been sprayed with their lunch which was thrown into the air in on of Gai and Lee's sparring matches. (man, that was a long sentence…)
Kiba actually had grown to like the blonde that the news of his passing really upset him. He knew that the blonde would be one of the few people he would trust his life with. Naruto was someone who he considered as his friend. He hung out with Naruto a lot and would glare at the people calling the blonde a demon. (darn, I have no other way of calling Naruto other than 'the blonde', oh well…)
Near them a fierce battle was taking place…
"LEE! WHOEVER HOLDS THIS POSE THE LONGEST MEANS HIS FIRE OF YOUTH BURNS BRIGHTER!" he shouted at his protégé while placing both of his hands on his head like to the shape of an 'm' and bending his right leg while standing with his left.
Like all the jounin of Konoha that had known the blonde, Gai also mourned the death of a promising shinobi… He even said at the small funeral service Tsunade gave the blonde, much to the council's disapproval, 'it's a shame that his bright flames of youth were snuffed out from him'.
"HAI! GAI SENSEI!" geji-mayu—I mean Lee yelled in response to his sensei's challenge while getting into the same position as him.
Lee once said that Naruto's fires of youth burned (past tense) brightly as such he was one the few who shed tears at the blonde's death.
"Damn, there at it again…" Kiba said as the three of them, Akamaru too who had just licked Ino clean, sweatdropped.
"KIBA! INO! THE TWO OF YOU SHOULD ALSO FOLLOW US. LET US SHOW THE WORLD THE FIRES OF YOUTH OF KONOHA!" Gai proclaimed dropping from his pose and closing raising his fists in level with his face trembling with joy with rivers of tears running down his face as the sunset could be seen in his background.
Of which the three of them dropped to the floor anime style.
"NO WAY!" Ino shouted.
"I don't really want to look like an idiot" Kiba stated, Akamaru barking in agreement.
"THIS IS NOT GOOD! KURENAI AND ASUMA SPEND TOO MUCH TIME WITH THAT COOL AND HIP KAKASHI THAT THEY"RE TEACHING THEIR STUDENTS COOL AND HIP WAYS!" Gai said his voice still loud while placing his hands on his face sobbing.
"GAI-SENSEI! FEAR NOT FOR I AM STILL HERE! WE WILL HAVE TO SHOW THEM THE RIGHT WAY!" doing his nice guy pose.
"LEE!"
"GAI-SENSEI!"
LEE!"
"GAI-SENSEI!"
LEE!"
"GAI-SENSEI!"
Their chant was ended when Ino sent the two of them flying through the air with a punch shouting "Konohagakure Hiden: Taijutsu no Ougi Gou Kotatsu: Geji-Mayukiri! (Hidden Leaf Secret: Taijutsu Supreme Technique Number Two: Thick-Brow Killer!)
"Well, looks like we have a new taijutsu master…" Kiba said looking the two heaps of bodies flying high into the air. 'I better not piss her off'.
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In a secluded area near the Wind Country…
Several figures stood on top of several stone pillars, one of the landmark wonders of the wind country. Pillars of rock formed in the middle of the desert. Even the inhabitants of the country failed to explain how the rocks came to be there amidst the harsh sandstorms barraging the deserts daily.
"The next time you make a deal with the snake you better inform me first" one of the shadows spoke.
"We thought it would be a great idea, yeah. Sasori-danna has mentioned something about Orochimaru concerning the Hachibi,yeah" another one spoke
"I think it was your idea, Deidara-senpai. I told you we should have reported it in first remember?" and yet another spoke.
"Shut up! Nobody asked you!" retorted the other.
"What of Itachi's brother?" asked the other shadow.
"Well, we weren't successful, yeah. So we'll just take him some other time, yeah"
"You mean you weren't successful Deidara-senpai, I beat my enemy pretty easily"
"Shut up!"
"Itachi, what have you to say?" asked the other shadow who has been taking with authority. He was probably the leader.
"Do what you will, but the snake cannot be trusted" the shadow called weasel—I mean Itachi answered coldly.
"Zetsu, how is ouji doing?"
"They have just left for Tea Country; Konoha has received information on the Rokubi" a shadow that looks like a severed dragon's head replied.
"Kakuzu, Hidan you are near the Tea Country, am I correct?"
"Yes" said one of the two shadows farthest from the group, one of which was a shadow of a large man "But there is no hidden village in the Land of the Tea, it will be much harder to track the Rokubi, the Hidden Sound seems to be active in the area as well"
"That's to be expected, yeah… Orochimaru's new lair is in that land"
"Contact ouji when you get there and track down the Rokubi before Orochimaru, do not engage in unnecessary battles"
"Deidara, Tobi find the Hachibi without going to Orochimaru"
/"Itachi, Kisame go eat some pocky" (heh, just wanted to say that)/
"Itachi, Kisame do you have leads on the Shichibi?"
"Kirigakure is hiding the jinchuuriki"
"Take it, (insert name of unknown character) the Gobi is ripe for the taking I assume"
"Yes" answered a shadow with a feminine voice.
"Zetsu, keep an eye on ouji. I expect to see you within a month at the next rendezvous point" at that all the shadows faded into the sand storm.
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In the Land of the Tea...
"Orochimaru-sama, a message from ouji" a sound nin with glasses said as he handed the snake sannin a letter.
"Kuku, that brat is getting really interesting..." he said in a malicious manner.
"Orochimaru-sama, he is working for Akatsuki now is he not?"
"Even I do not know where his loyalties lie, Kabuto" burning the message the same way he burned the former Team 7's scroll "What of the Rokubi?"
"We are doing our best to tame it, but I think a demon cannot be subjected to our will"
"I see, then it is worthless. Get rid of it"
"Hai, Orochimaru-sama"
TBC
Gomen, it was a lot shorter than I expected ne...
Please review, 1500 hits and only 6 reviewed ne...