Author Note: I would like to ask for everyone's forgiveness for this chapter being so late. When I was first going to release it, I built a new computer and had to fix the glitches in it. Then I got myself sick.

So now, I can finally give you chapter 5.

Chapter 5: Outlaw Blues

The cave Sasori sat in was no longer cheerful as it had been yesterday when Naruto and he celebrated the young brat's birthday. Sasori looked around noticing the deepest shadows of the cave that called out in hunger. The walls of the cave stretched outward in a gothic like manner giving the cave the appearance of a cathedral. Several large boulders crossed over the ceiling acting as large rafters. The walls of the cave seemed to have been painted with blood as the red rock of the cave glistened from the dim moonlight.

Sasori drew his attention over to the embers of the fire. The dying embers still brightened the room of the cave however, they had sacrificed their heat long ago. Naruto was sleeping comfortably next to the remaining ashes of the fire. Sasori noticed the boy's chest slowly rise with each breath and silently fall as he released the air held in his lungs. The young boy was clutching onto his jacket keeping the invading cold at bay. Sasori let out a small chuckle. He could care less about the dangers of the world, mused Sasori, I wonder how I can protect him in the morning?

Sasori snapped back to attention as Naruto rolled over into a new position and then fell back into a restless sleep. It had been hours since the visit by Zetsu and Kisame and since that time Sasori had been racking his mind for a way out of this mess that would keep Naruto from being injured or killed. He had debated the possibilities for the last hour, but Sasori found no other choice. Only one solution had appeared before him. He knew that he might not die if he ran, but Naruto's precious body would be killed quickly. Sasori bit his tongue in hatred of the choice he had to make, but he would definitely talk to Naruto before he made his choice. Sasori trusted the boy more than anything else in the world. Naruto's opinion was invaluable.

Naruto had slowly opened his eyes and had been struck by his surroundings. He hadn't expected the cave to be so dank and scary. He rose up from his spot on the cold floor and stood near the entrance. For a moment, the cool chill of early morning struck Naruto like a cold dagger until he tightened his grip on his coat and moved away from the entrance. Outside, a gentle snow had fallen purifying the surrounding land. It was one of the first times Naruto had ever seen snow, and the radiant glow that shimmered across the white powder peaked Naruto's endless curiosity. The boy wanted nothing more than to play in the snow, but he knew that now wasn't the time to play.

Naruto recalled the events of the night before. How the two shadowed figures stepped into the cave and gave the clear warning to Sasori. Those two men frightened Naruto to his very core. At no other point in his life had he felt such a dreaded fear overcome him. It felt as if shadow itself had latched upon the boy and dragged him down into the depths of oblivion. A shiver crawled its way up Naruto's spine chilling the boy even more in the damp cold. For a reason unknown to Naruto, the two men that had visited that night had a sinister aura surrounding them. It wasn't exactly evil, but Naruto couldn't put his finger on just what had been troubling him. They just didn't seem right.

Sasori brushed a stray hair back into place with a swift motion of his hand. Hours ago he had left the cave and Naruto in it to collect his thoughts. For what had seemed like days, Sasori had walked the forest that skillfully surrounded the cave as if it were a pack of wolves sniffing out their prey. Sasori had grown tired of fighting with himself, devising various scenarios of escape to shoot them all down with the same response. He can not escape. Only an hour ago he had noticed the pair of eyes that had been watching him diligently, following his every move. He wouldn't have noticed if it hadn't been for a quick glance at a nearby fox. The fox had been sniffing at a tree, and it was there that he noticed the man from last night, Zetsu, conjoined with the tree. Sasori had been keeping his senses alert since then upon the man that moved from surface to surface, from tree, to rock, to soil. The man could shift through any substance, altering it for his own purposes.

A quick glance at a nearby tree informed Sasori of Zetsu's lingering presence. For a while now, Sasori had wanted to test the man's unerring skill. He had been able to track down Sasori as if he read minds. Was it even possible to escape Zetsu's feral, golden eyes? Sasori gazed upward at the darkened sky. Gray clouds pushed at each other, while spilling large snowflakes that melted upon touching skin.

With a slow release of breath, Sasori determined it was best to return to Naruto back in the cave. If the boy had awakened, he was sure Naruto would be worrying about Sasori's whereabouts. With one last look upon the snow-covered, pine forest, Sasori jumped into a nearby tree. Hurling himself from limb to limb, Sasori quickly made his way back to the cave. Outside he noticed how the cave almost looked like a dreaded monster. Large icicles had formed a ring of teeth around the cave's mouth giving it the appearance of a wolf or fox about to strike. Sasori pushed his way around the trees while listening to the crunch of snow beneath his feet. The cave loomed ahead of him. Would Naruto agree to join this organization?

With Sasori away, Naruto had gone about the cave preparing a meal. While he wasn't terrific at cooking, he was able to make several acceptable meals. Naruto had been depressed upon discovering that both he and Sasori had devoured their stock of ramen. Instead of ramen, Naruto decided to cook something different. He sat down and began to skin the rabbits he had hunted only minutes ago. With the skin carefully removed, Naruto began preparing everything else. He had been so busy he hadn't noticed Sasori walk through the entrance and sit down.

"Naruto, what are you doing?" asked Sasori as he removed a padded jacket.

Startled, Naruto burned his hands on the black pot, "Yow, yow, yow, Sasori-sensei, I was going to make some breakfast. I was hungry and I thought you might like something too."

"Well thank you, Naruto, but what did you decide to make? I thought we had run out of ramen." mocked Sasori as he stumbled over to the fire.

Naruto wasn't exactly sure what he was going to make. He had hunted the rabbits thinking they would taste good cooked. When he returned to the cave he had grabbed a pack of noodles and several other ingredients, but he was unsure of what he was cooking. "I'm um, not sure. I had gathered some ingredients, but didn't know how to prepare them."

"Naruto, you are as air-headed as ever." sighed Sasori as he lifted the lid off the pot. A horrible stench rose up through his nostrils causing Sasori to instantly gag. "What the hell did you put in this. Naruto?"

"I-i'm not sure. I put in the rabbits I hunted, some noodles, a bit of curry powder, and a few other things. Oh, earlier I spilled a lot of wasabi in the pot, but I didn't think it would matter much."

"Naruto! You stupid little monkey. How do you expect anyone to eat that?" shouted Sasori as he turned his nose up at the fowl stew. "Nobody in their right mind would eat that crap."

"I-I'm sorry, Sasori-sensei. I am not that great at cooking so I wasn't sure what to do."

"It's fine, just don't put in weird ingredients next time." remarked Sasori while pouring out the contents of the stew outside the cave. He glanced down and a sour look covered his face as he noticed the stew killed the grass it had touched. "Naruto, this stuff was so foul it killed the grass outside the cave.

"Sasori-sensei. stop making fun of me. My stew couldn't have done that! Oh, Sasori-sensei, where did you go earlier?" asked Naruto, his stomach rumbling.

"I walked around the forest. I needed to clear my head and gather my thoughts." replied Sasori as he sat down and looked Naruto in the eye, "Naruto, I have something very important to ask you. I want you to think before you answer. Those two men from-"

"Yes, Sasori-sensei. I will join with you."

"Wha- how did you know what I was going to ask?" shouted Sasori, "I told you to think about your answer too!"

"I have been thinking. Sasori-sensei. I was thinking about it all morning."

Sasori smiled at the small child in front of him. Naruto understood the situation very well. Those two men had proven themselves to be too powerful for Sasori to handle currently, and Naruto had been frightened to death by them. As he began to pat Naruto on the head, Sasori lifted his head as he noticed a presence near the entrance of the cave. A loud, booming laugh echoed through the stone of the cave, as if the voice circled Sasori. At the entrance of the cave stood the two figures. Kisame and Zetsu had their arms folded, and both were staring at Sasori. Finally, Kisame broke the silence as he walked over and lifted Naruto up from the ground.

"Welcome to Akatsuki. We have high hopes for you, for both... of you."

[-----

A week had passed since the visit in the cave. Both Sasori and Naruto had been escorted by Zetsu and Kisame to the Land of Rain. Ever since entering the dreary land. Naruto had been soaked. Looking up to the skies, all was gray and shadowed. The sun offered no resistance to the clouds that always released rain down to the earth. Even though Kisame had sheltered Naruto quite a bit, offering his strange jacket. Naruto had been soaked to the bone. A chilling cold had overcome the party as they continued their journey towards what appeared to be a large city.

Ever since Naruto had caught sight of the first high-rise, he had been astounded by the sheer height of the buildings. He had never seen any structure man-made scratch at the very sky. Even the tallest building in Konoha, the Hokage's mansion couldn't compare to the smallest building in this city. Kisame had knelt next to Naruto explaining the history of this land. For over a century, it had been the location of hundreds of wars between various countries. The wars had left the country in a state of disarray. The government had little control over it's people, but even still, the ninja village that loomed ahead had been the center of power.

Amegakure, thought Naruto, Kisame had said that's where my future lie. What did he mean? Naruto looked over at the strange man who resembled a fish. Earlier in their adventure, Naruto had regretted calling Kisame a fish-face. The man's eyes had taken on a red appearance and he had started to pull at Naruto's hair telling the boy to take what he said back. The boy couldn't help but laugh as he remembered how angry the fish-man had become. As Naruto looked ahead at the towering buildings, he stood silently thinking about what his future would be. He had grown attached to Sasori who had trained him in the ways of a ninja. Would Naruto be separated from Sasori? Naruto shook the thought away and caught up to the rest of the group. He looked at Zetsu and Kisame noting the dark expressions on both of their faces, and then latched himself to Sasori. Sasori looked down at Naruto smiling as he rested a hand on Naruto's shoulder.