Chapter 13:

Bruises Poked With Sticks

We stood shocked as Sasuke waved the tracking device in our faces. "Thought I had eaten this didn't you?" he asked us smiling in amusement.

We shook our heads slowly in response. I was confused. I SAW him eat the whole cup of pudding! How did he avoid eating it?! I stared at the floor to think. When Sasuke started to talk again, I stopped that train of thought, "I'm sure you're wondering how I managed to not eat the tracking device?"

We shook our heads again. "Well," he started, "As I was being abused by rabid fan girls," I knew it! I thought, "I saw Naruto sneak something into the pudding, so I only ate it until I felt it in my mouth and didn't swallow it."

My face scrunched up, not because he kept a tracking device in his mouth while he ate, but because he was acting like he was king of the world! And he would be more like a prince if we didn't stop Orochimaru and the Akatsuki from taking over the USA.

"Might as well take to Orochimaru now," Sasuke said with a sigh, probably tired of his so-called skills.

He led us down the sewage line for a few minutes when he stopped us. "Can't let you go any farther than this...conscious."

I froze like a deer in headlights. Was he serious? But I didn't have much time to think before he knocked us all out in the pitch blackness.

I woke up in a daze and looked around. At first, everything was really bright at first (since we had been in pitch blackness before), but once my eyes focused, someone was standing there in front of me.

I rubbed my eyes for a better view, now seeing the cage bars surrounding me and everyone else. I looked at the person who was standing outside the cage. His robe made it clear he was an Akatsuki member. He had spiky black hair. I didn't know what his face looked like because it was covered by an orange swirly mask. There was a hole in it that revealed his right eye.

"Tobi?" I asked blindly, rubbing my eyes again.

"OMG! How did you know my name???" Tobi squealed, making me scoot back a little. "Lucky guess."

"They sent me down to watch all of you guys while they discussed on how to take over this place…I don't know why I can't be there either," Tobi explained to me.

"I can think of a few reasons," I mumbled to myself.

"Anywhoooo," Tobi continued not hearing me, "I started to get bored and I found a stick and Naruto was snoring really loud and…"

"HE STARTED POKING IN THE SIDE WITH IT!" I heard Naruto shout from a few cages down.

"THEN HE STARTED TO POKE ME IN THE SIDE HARDER UNTIL I EVENYUALLY GOT A BIG FAT BRUISE!!! AND IT REALLY HURTS!!!!"

I laughed from the memory of when I had poked Naruto in the stomach with a stick when we had first been kidnapped. Plus, knowing Naruto is still able to snore even though he had been knocked out and not given sleeping pills.

Tobi's hands flew to where his mouth probably was. "OMG! I didn't know I hurt you!!! I'm sorrrrryyyyyy!" he rushed down the room, a cloud of smoke blowing behind him. He grabbed the cage bars to stop himself from running. "Where is it? Where did I hurt you so terribly?!"

Naruto scooted back a little from Tobi. I know Tobi goofed around a lot, but the way he talked I DID NOT see coming! And NO he isn't gay!! I know this for a FACT!

Tobi reached into the cage and grabbed Naruto's shirt. He pulled him closer to the edge of the cage and looked at the bruise. "It's a dot!" Tobi shouted poking the bruise with his finger.

"OW!! That hurts!" Naruto yelled in response and scooted away from Tobi again.

"I think you need to check it again Tobi," I said in amusement, "Just to make sure it isn't serious."

Naruto shot a scared look at me as Tobi reached into the cage again. "I'm telling you, it's the size of a pea!" Tobi yelled to me, and started to poke it again.

And just like before, Naruto yelled at poor Tobi and scooted away from him. He pulled his knees up to his chin, "You crazy mask person!" he scolded, waving his hand at Tobi.

Kakashi, Sakura, and Reiya had woken up by now since Naruto had been screaming so loud about his pea-sized bruise. Kankuro however, was still out like a light!

Reiya started to whine because she wasn't in the same cage as him, but Tobi fixed that. Oh yes, Tobi moved Reiya into the cage Kankuro was in, and of course he woke up right when Tobi locked the cage. He screamed in horror as Reiya started to glomp him to death. (And I thought the rabid fan girls were bad!)

Tobi asked if he should move her back, but Reiya answered no, before Kankuro could soak in the question. I leaned against the bars and let my head rest against them. Why would they send down a clumsy person like Tobi to watch over captives while they discussed an important meeting? Shouldn't everybody be there?

I sat up. "Tobi!" I called. He immediately appeared at the front of the cage, clutching the metal bars.

"Yes?" he half cooed.

"Are you the only one who isn't at the meeting?"

"Hmmmm," Tobi looked at the ground. "When I was about to enter the room for the meeting, Deidara-san had told me to go guard the captives, and of course I listened to him…" I rolled my eyes, that was obvious, "Before he closed the door, I noticed Sasuke wasn't in there."

I scooted closer to Tobi, "Do you know why he wasn't there?" after I had asked that, I noticed everyone had scooted closer to Tobi… even Naruto.

Tobi shook his head, "Not at first, but while I was on my way down here, I remembered that Sasuke didn't know about the Akatsuki assisting Orochimaru in his plan."

I was directly in front of Tobi now. This was information we needed to know. "How come he doesn't know?" I asked. "Wouldn't he see some of you wandering around?"

Tobi shrugged his shoulders. "I'm not sure."

I sighed. Why would they not tell Sasuke? Then an idea clicked into my mind. What if Orochimaru was just using Sasuke? Not the taking over his body thing, but just as a spy or as someone to do the dirty work for him? It made sense.

I smiled at Tobi. "Thank you Tobi, "I said, reaching out of the cage and patting him on the head. I looked at the one eye the mask revealed. "There's one more thing I need to know," I said, still looking into that one eye. I looked at Kakashi to make sure he was still paying attention.

I moved my hand to the top of Tobi's mask. "No…!" he started to say, but it was too late… I pulled down his mask.

I looked at Kakashi whose face was now stricken with shock. "Obito…" was all he managed to say…

THE WHOLE TOBI BEING OBITO IS A RUMOR THAT'S GOING AROUND, BUT I THOUGHT IT WOULD BE NEAT TO PUT IT IN THE STORY, SO THINK WHAT YOU WANT! I LIKE THE FACT THAT HE MIGHT BE OBITO…THE TWO MATCH PERFECTLY!