A/N: Hey everybody, welcome back! Try and feel the urgency in this chapter. People are freaking out, people are desperate, people are terrified of what may happen. Try and feel the emotion as you're reading. I don't think you're going to be prepared for what happens. Enjoy!
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Asuma, Kurenai and Gai burst into Tsunade's office. Kurenai said, "We got here as fast as we could. Izumo and Kotetsu updated us. When do we leave?"
Tsunade said, "We'll go in three teams. Izumo, Kotetsu, you stay on the academy grounds. Make sure that since Orochimaru has lured two of our best outside the village, that he's not planning an attack from within. Shizune, you, Genma and Gai will be one team. We're looking for an abandoned outpost, and there are several around the village. You three check the south side outside the village. Asuma, Kurenai, you two check the north side. Sakura, Naruto, you're both with me, we'll go East. Whoever finishes checking the outposts in their direction head west and check there. We have to hurry. There's no telling what that monster has in store for Anko and Kakashi. Even though I have every confidence in both their abilities, I don't want to take any chances. Is everyone ready?"
A chorus of "Hai," greeted Konoha's 5th.
"Then disperse." She waved her arm and everyone took off in different directions racing to find their comrades before anything happened to them.
Orochimaru said, "I'm waiting Anko. I'm not a big fan of waiting."
Kakashi looked at her expectantly, willing her to tell Orochimaru to fuck off. He listened as she said, "Let's go."
Kakashi yelled, "NO! Anko you can't leave with that monster! Don't you remember what he did to you? Don't you remember what he's capable of?"
Anko said, "I do remember it all Kakashi. But I also know what he'll do to you if I don't agree to go with him. I have to do this for us. I'll come back to you as soon as I can. I promise. Just like you made a promise to me, I promise that to you. I love you. I'll be back." Her tears came immediately.
"Don't do it Anko! Go back to the village. I'll get out of this and meet you there later!"
Kimimaro raised his bone blade, but with one glance from Orochimaru, he lowered it again.
Orochimaru walked toward Anko and said, "Welcome back Anko. Come. We need to leave now." He walked out the door, Kimimaro followed his master.
Anko said, "One second." She ran to Kakashi and flipped down his mask. "Don't ever forget that I love you. I'll be back for you, I promise!" She kissed him lingeringly on the lips, tears streaming down her face. She whispered to him, "I'll get you out of this I swear. Just give me a little time. I need to marry you." Kakashi smiled at her, and then he coughed as his deflated lung began to make his breathing even more labored.
Anko turned and headed toward the door where Orochimaru and Kimimaro waited for her. With tears still brimming in her eyes, she took one last look at Kakashi and walked out the door.
The rescue teams were scouring the abandoned outposts outside the village. None were having any luck. There was no sign that any of them had been occupied by anyone for years. They continued their search efforts desperately.
Anko walked tearfully with Orochimaru and Kimimaro. Her tears fell harder as she heard Kakashi yelling, "ANKO! Don't leave with him! Go back to the village! He'll only use you! ANKO!" Kakashi continued to yell, and Anko started walking slower, letting Orochimaru and Kimimaro get a little ahead of her. Soon she stopped walking all together, put her face in her hands and cried.
Orochimaru turned and looked at her. What he saw when he looked at her was the young girl he'd practically raised, whose heart was breaking. Yet, he had no sympathy for her. A breaking heart was a sign of weakness. He needed her skills and she was going to give them to him willingly. He said, "I know how hard this is for you Anko. But it'll all work out. Trust me."
As soon as Orochimaru said the words "Trust me," something broke inside Anko. She'd trusted him before. She'd practically worshiped him! But he broke all the trust she could ever have in anyone. Anyone, that is until Kakashi and all his benefits came into her life.
Orochimaru turned and began walking away again. But what he didn't realize was that Anko left in a silent flash, and bolted back toward the abandoned outpost to rescue her Kakashi.
Kakashi continued to yell to Anko, encouraging her to leave Orochimaru, and go back to the village. Meanwhile, he was working furiously at the living bonds on his hands. He continued to yell, and after some chakra infused twisting, he broke one of the snakes in half that bound his left wrist. What was left of the snake sprayed blood around the room, as it wiggled to get free of the pain Kakashi had inflicted. His arm loose, he reached up and pulled the smaller snake away from his throat. He continued to yell for Anko as he wretched the living bonds from his other wrist.
Anko was closing in on the abandoned outpost and Kakashi's screaming. She was going to get them both out of there before Orochimaru even knew she was gone.
Orochimaru said with his back turned to where Anko was supposed to be following him, "Dear Anko, this will make it much easier for you to stay with me. I think it's time to silence Kakashi permanently." He made a hand seal and said, "KAI!" and as he turned to see the abandoned compound begin to light up, he saw Anko's outline too close to the glow that was emitting from it. He shouted "NO! ANKO!" as the light temporarily blinded him.
Kakashi saw the first of the exploding tags begin to ignite. With his hands free, he exposed his sharingan and flew through hand seals. I'll never make it in time. He opened his sharingan eye to reveal his own version of the mangekyou sharingan, which he aimed directly in front of him. A hole began to open up and things began to get sucked into the hole as the room exploded in white.
Anko saw the blast and all she could think of was, Kakashi! No! She dove to her left to try and avoid the brunt of the blast. She rifled through hand seals and flung snakes out from her sleeves which latched on to the tree closest to her. She began to haul herself away from the exploding building as the force from the expanding blast blew her sideways into the foliage where she eventually fell to the ground motionless.
Inside the building, Kakashi was trying to hold on, but his eye was literally being burned as he continued to aim his sharingan to try and pull in the blast that threatened to consume him. The pain became too great and he closed his eye, causing the remainder of the blast to hit him seconds later and blow him completely through the wall and into the clearing behind what was left of the building.
All Orochimaru could do was stare as the explosion began to dissipate. The building was nothing but piles of rubble. His chance at stealing a sharingan eye was blown to bits inside what used to be that building, and Anko had been blown into oblivion trying to save the man she loved. He stared confused at the whole idea of the thing. Anko was loyal to Kakashi to the very end. And now it seems that they've both perished. What a waste of emotion. Emotion that killed them both. He said, "Come Kimimaro that blast will be enough to let the leaf shinobi know where to look next."
"But Orochimaru, what is our next plan?"
"Don't worry. I'll think of something. I always do. Don't forget, we still have our little Pearl in place. I'm sure there will be someone else we can eliminate when the time is right."
With that Orochimaru and Kimimaro ventured away from Konoha and the tell-tale blast.
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A/N: WHAT HAPPENED?! Yet another cliffy. I was on a roll. And guess what? Only three more chapters after this one. Hard to believe it's almost over.
Next up: The extremely intense, frantic chapter I've warned you about. See you soon!
