Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

Chapter Two: Hidden in the Sands

:: Somewhere in Sunagakure::

Shadows were seen approaching the hidden cave situated near the outskirts of the Akai Desert during nightfall. It was considered a very well-known desert in all of Wind Country due to its overwhelming size and unbearable temperatures. Rumours say the name was derived from an ancient war where all the spilt blood was soaked by the sands.

Though it was close to the Sand Village, villagers knew better than to venture out, especially when the sun was blazing hot. Night was an exception however due the large numbers of disappearances lately, no one dared to leave the safety of their homes. The newly appointed Kazekage had taken extra precautions by sending out messages to nearby bordering countries, explicitly warning they should not travel through the Akai Desert. This warning was to last until the Suna ninjas are able to identify what caused the desert to become increasingly dangerous.

As soon as Kazekage's urgent message had been issued, Outsiders began taking a different route as to avoid crossing the desert. Thus the great Akai Desert remained undisturbed for quite some time. It created a great advantage for those who wanted their business affairs to remain silent for the time being.

Dark cloaks rustled quietly on the sands as two figures exchanged words discreetly. Though the moonlight reflected against the desert dunes, their bodies blended well with the surroundings, making them appear obscured. Up close one could see large straw hats embedded with white paper-like cloth which masked their faces. At times under the moonlight, the patterns stitched on the dark cloaks were slightly visible to the eye. The stitched designs resembled little crimson clouds. The two figures appeared even more menacing because their faces were hidden further under their high-collared garments.

"I still can't understand why we have to wait three or even four days before we get to attack Sunagakure. Can't we destroy the village with a big explosion now hmm..?," muttered the slightly taller of the two mysterious figures.

"It makes perfect sense as to why we have to wait. So why don't you stop asking me these ridiculous questions," answered back his slightly agitated partner.

"But I wanna' make art into a big bang!…hmm."

The shorter figure glared coldly at his accomplice as he continued to throw a tantrum. "Sasori no Danna, it's not fair at all! I never got the chance to show everyone my new jutsu! Why can't we kill your grandmamma now? What's the fun in waiting?"

"Shut up and be patient. In order to get the old hag to talk, she would need to be exposed a bit longer to the special poison I concocted solely for this mission. She will be delusional as her body will deteriorate. However, she will eventually succumb to the pain and tell us how to properly remove the Jinchuriki from the host's body without any difficulty. After all it was my sweet grandmother who…". The creature-like figure paused and noticed he was talking to himself the entire time. His partner seemed rather more amused in his newly sculptured owl figurine from the white clay he kept in a pouch. The man brought two of his fingers close to his lip and muttered incomprehensible words as he released his sculpture. A loud explosion resonated through the entire span of the desert as the owl burst into hot flames. He laughed jubilantly and attempted to make another one. The sculpture's partner massaged his temples and wondered if the villagers heard the aggravating noises his partner was creating.

'I should have figured out by now his attention span is that of a housefly. Maybe I should have asked the leader for a sole mission.' The protuberant creature carefully thought to himself or so he believed. Albeit the sole mission would be dangerous, it would at least provide a sense of psychological security. He felt loss for words as he found himself frequently mumbling to no one in particular. It angered him knowing that whenever they traveled as a pair, people would only give him odd looks and question his sanity. He actually missed the days where his old partner would rarely exchanged words with him.

"Danna… sometimes you scare me when you start talkin' to yourself like that hmm… I think you need lots of rest now and tomorrow we can start searching for new leads on the other Jinchurikis hmm… Seriously you need your beauty rest… I can see fine lines forming around your eyes", the taller man pointed with a nauseating sweetness in his voice.

The dark-cloaked figure felt incredibly offended by his younger partner. Anger flowed through his blood vessels and transformed into visible chakra. He quickly withdrew his hands from inside the cloak and struck the other man's head, hard. The straw hat flew off from impact and revealed thick blonde hair tied in a ponytail. The newly sculptured owl fell out of his partner's palms and exploded in the collision. Sand blew in all directions, creating an awfully large crater where the two figures stood.

Eminently confused, the hat-less man held his head in pain and was about to question as to why his Danna would ever raise his hand. But before he could ask, he was interrupted by his clearly irritated partner.

"Boy you better know your place. Don't you ever dare to use smart-ass remarks in front of me. Next time I won't be so forgiving and you would be left with more than a headache", he snarled as he grabbed the blonde's collar.

The man held out his hands in defense as he was pulled closer and brought down to an eye level with his partner. Glowing blue eyes met harsh amber eyes. The younger partner by age, swallowed air nervously when he felt the amber eyes pierce through his own.

The taller figure tried his hardest to reason with his Danna. "Sasori no Danna, you've got it all wrong…hmm! You see, I meant it as a jo-". The blonde haired man's excuse was cut short when both figures heard sounds of soft yet urgent footsteps heading towards them. Their eyes met small pale green orbs and time had momentarily paused.

Author's Note

Hey everyone! Thanks for all the reviews:D Some of you guys mentioned how there should be a cliffhanger so what do you think about this one? LoL Tell me who you guys think it could be this mysterious character with green eyes XD The hints should be somewhere in the chapter… or could it be a person I introduced last time? Keep on reviewing and guess who it could be in your reviews!

I'll upload the next chapter as soon as possible.

P.S. Don't forget to Review :)