Raijin

Chapter III

In hindsight, there were so many excellent things I could do with this story and everything that goes along with it. I think this time, I'll get it right. Luckily, I'm on complete lockdown at my house for being arrested, so hey, who knows how this'll go. I have a lot of free time on my hands, so I think I can manage finishing out the series over the next couple of months. Thanks for sticking with me! –Hangovergoblin. "Nave orined Kramllah!"

"Gah!"

Naruto kicked the edge of the door frame, leaving a splintered area behind. "I can't believe he's here again." He stopped, glaring at the bed on which Sasuke was now laying. Orochimaru was never going to give them a break as long as Sasuke was still loyal and Itachi was still powerful. "Honestly!" he shouted, slumping against the doorframe. He tried to reign in the anger that was now starting to pulse through him, but had little to no desire to truly keep it in check. Sakura and the others was the only reason he didn't go into a fit of rage. Naruto was not prone to angry outbursts, but Orochimaru was a subject that could do it.

"Shh, Naruto! Let Sasuke have his rest!"

Naruto glanced out of the corner of his eye at Sakura, who was sitting on the edge of the bed with a damp washcloth. Sasuke was still sweating quite profusely as the antivenin went to work in his body, ridding the poison through his sweat glands. "I'm sorry, Sakura," he said, turning to look at her. He slumped back against the doorframe and sighed heavily. "I guess...," he began, staring up at the ceiling, "that I was an idiot in thinking the Orochimaru problem had been solved once we'd retrieved Sasuke." Naruto's eyes moved over to where Kakashi and Jiraiya were conversing almost silently. "I thought that if I brought Sasuke back, Orochimaru would just disappear."

"I guess not," he added.

Sakura studied Sasuke's face, which was constantly twitching as if in pain.

"Well, it's not like we ever expected any of this to happen, Naruto. Why Sasuke, why me, why you, you know? Have you ever read the records of the other team sevens? All of them ended in some form of tragedy or loss." She shook her head. "Maybe that's what's going to happen to us." She closed her eyes, leaning her head back. "Maybe we're just headed for disaster."

Naruto stood up, but stayed by the door way. He reached over for the light switch and flipped it off, leaving Sakura to the recovering Sasuke in darkness. "I don't think so," he replied, adopting a small smile. "Even if we are," he said, "I'll do whatever I can to prevent it."

"I don't like this, Kakashi. Not at all. All my intelligence had led me to believe Orochimaru was still recovering from a body switch," Jiraiya declared, leaning against the counter in the hotel room's mini-kitchen. Kakashi was sitting in the kitchen's solitary chair, arms folded. His one eye glanced over at movement in the doorway. Someone had turned the lights off in the bedroom. "So what do we do?" he asked, turning his attention back to Jiraiya. The older man was one of the wisest in Konoha, and had an extensive spy network throughout every elemental country.

"Eh, the only thing we can do right now is wait. We can't make a move on the Oto-nin, because of the circumstantial evidence. We'd also practically start a war if we got caught in the act, too."

He sighed heavily. "As frustrating as it is, we have absolutely nothing that could prove Orochimaru was behind this."

Kakashi nodded, his hand coming up to his chin in a thinking pose.

"Maybe not," Kakashi said. "But at the same time... With the Chuunin exams starting in three days, I believe there might be a little maneuvering room when they begin. The Chuunin Exams have always been the stage for political battles, head-butting matches, and assassinations. It's impossible to have so many enemies together in one place without conflict."

Jiraiya smirked. "What are you proposing, then, Kakashi?"

The grey haired man sitting in the chair stood up, the mask on his face revealing a devilish smile. Jiraiya was surprised at the rare show of emotion from Kakashi.

"I think the power base back in Oto might be short a few jounin when the teams return."

A few hours later, Naruto was lying on the couch, asleep, with Kakashi and Jiraiya still talking in the kitchen. Sakura was still in Sasuke's room, asleep in the chair beside the night stand.

Sasuke, however, was not asleep. A few moments nefore, he'd bolted upright, Sharingan blazing as a spasm of pain interrupted what little precious sleep his recovering body had gotten. He was covered in cold sweat. Looking down at his partially uncovered leg, the Sharingan cut through the darkness to reveal the leg was still swollen, but not to the extent it had been when he'd fallen unconscious. He was glad to see Naruto and Sakura had retrieved him so quickly. Otherwise, he would have been a goner for sure.

He was also pleased to see Naruto had the courtesy of placing his chokuto beside him on the nightstand.

"God damn Orochimaru," Sasuke whispered to himself as he collapsed back onto the bed, returning to blissful unconsciousness as exhaustion overtook him again.

Morning came early for Jiraiya and Naruto, who set out into Kusa to gather intelligence. After shrugging into his ANBU armor and orange trenchcoat, they had both departed at around seven, hoping to visit a few restaurants, where, hopefully, a few of the waitresses had overheard some of the Oto-nin conversing about where they were lodged and who their superiors might be. Unfortunately, as the clock's hands reached noon, there had been no leads whatsoever.

"This is serious crap, Ero-Sennin," Naruto whined as they walked down Kusa's main district. The teen had done well for his first intelligence gathering trip, not once arguing with Jiraiya or whining about the lack of leads. Jiraiya knew that could end at any time, and now here it was. He could not, however, argue with the boy's point. This really was a load of crap. How could they have not found a lead by now? A bread crumb, trail of bodies, something would have at least sufficed.

Jiraiya shrugged. "Well, we still have a couple of days. We've searched the whole city, more or less, so all that we can do is wait for nightfall."

Naruto cursed under his breath. "Do we really have to wait?"

Jiraiya nodded. "Yeah. Well, you don't. I'm not letting you come tonight. It'll be fishy for someone as yourself to be asking about Oto's movements here in Kusa, even if you are a shinobi."

The blonde beside him stopped in his tracks, arms folded. He had a frown on his face, too. "Why the hell can't I go? Sasuke's lying unconscious in Kakashi's room because or Orochimaru's asshole nin, and you're not gonna let me go find them?"

Jiraiya stopped, too, and returned the frown with his best death glare.

"You heard me, Naruto. You're not coming. And as for Sasuke... He should be fully recovered by tonight, anyway. He's probably already up and around right now. The anti-inflammatories have probably done their job spectacularly. Not calm down and stop acting like a child." Jiraiya kept his death glare up. "Go train. If memory serves me right, you still have a few techniques you need to work on."

The older man stalked off in the direction of the hotel, not even bothering to look back at his student. Naruto knew where his obligations laid. Jiraiya had faith that Naruto would do exactly what he was told for now. He did not, however, have any doubt that Naruto, come nightfall, would be off on the town, trying to find out what he could. Hell, he might even take Sasuke, who would be recovered by then, with him. There was just no stopping the jinchuuriki when he wanted to really do something.

Naruto was left standing there, stewing in his own anger and disappointment over being denied by his sensei. It was true that he had to work out the counterattack flaw caused by Chidori, but he was still unsure how to go about it. The blonde jinchuuriki spun on his heel and headed to the border of Kusagakure. Maybe he could get something done on the plains that stretched out from the city.

Hinata grabbed the limb of the tree and nimbly swung herself up onto the bough.

This particular tree was one of the few that grew outside of Kusagakure. They dotted the plains loosely and were the only recourse from the heat of the midday sun, which made them perfect to train near.

She had been in Kusa with team eight for around three days now, and had only just gotten away from them for some much needed practice.

Hinata, in Naruto's absence, had not slacked off. Since he had left two years ago for his training mission, she had fought and practiced and fought some more to come out of her small shell. She had made a great improvement when it came to her confidence in battle. Around six months after Naruto left, she had beaten Hanabi in a sparring match. It had been close, but she had still defeated her. Eight months after he had left, Hinata had defeated Hanabi soundly, and with little effort. Ten months, and she was taking on Neji. Granted, she was still badly beaten by her older cousin, but she had fared much better than in the last Chuunin Exams.

Her relationship had improved greatly with Neji over the course of the past year, too.

Instead of wishing for her death, he now could hold small conversations with her. He had even helped her with her taijutsu a little, correcting her forms and showing her better ways of performing the attacks. All in all, Hinata was proud of herself for the first time in her life, for her abilities and newfound relationship with her sister and cousin. Even her father had taken the time to praise her on several occasions.

Hinata was nearly shaken from the tree as an explosion rocked the area around her. She looked off in the direction from whence it came, but could not over the rolling hills that covered the area. Her tree had grown in a small dip in the earth, which had shielded it from the sometimes hurricane-force winds.

"Byakugan," she whispered.

The veins around her eyes bulged with increased blood flow as her vision amplified and focused on the area on the other side of the hill. She gasped when she saw what had caused the explosion.

A person was standing in the middle of a small crater, his hand held out to his side. It was glowing with an eerie light as multitudes of small lightning bolts arced out from it.

"Sasuke?" she asked herself, but shook her head. It wasn't Sasuke. Her x-ray like vision did not have color once it passed through a solid object, so she was at a loss at who it could be. She had seen Sasuke use the technique during the last Chuunin exam on his foe, Gaara of the Sand, and had heard someone say it was Kakashi's original jutsu, but she could tell it wasn't Kakashi standing there, either. This person was too short to be the legendary Scarecrow.

She threw her hands over her mouth as he turned around, thanking god her feet braced her in the tree.

It was Naruto. Not the pudgy, hyperactive Naruto she had known back in Konoha, but an extremely attractive, muscled, powerful Naruto. From his long, golden hair, down to his exposed, defined chest, all the way down to the powerful legs hidden by his pants.

Hinata leapt from the tree, intent on getting a better voyeuristic pleasure by moving closer. She slid to a quick stop before the crest of the hill, and then laid down on her stomach. Peeking her head over the hill, she could see him perfectly.

"Chidori!" he roared, aiming at a Kage Bunshin who was holding a katana at the ready. His body shifted, then without warning, shot toward the bunshin, arm outstretched. The bunshin raised the Katana, poised to cut straight through Naruto when he got close enough. The original blurred out of sight, and when he returned into the normal field of vision, his arm was through the bunshin and out the back. Bolts began to arc further away and with more intensity from the Chidori as the second stage began to initiate. Naruto put his other hand on the bunshin's shoulder and pushed as hard as he could. The clone slid back from the boy's arm, pausing only when the fist was centered directly in the body.

Then, in a brilliant blue flash that blinded Hinata's Byakugan, the clone exploded.

"Gah!" Hinata yelled as she recoiled from the flash, clutching her eyes as they streamed tears from the pain. She couldn't believe she didn't think to close them when she saw the bunshin's inner coils fuse as the all the extra chakra surged through them. She should have known it would explode violently.

A shadow appeared over her in an instant, taking hold of her shoulders, pinning her gently. She could tell it was Naruto from the panic in his voice, asking her if she was alright. "H-h-h-hai!" she gasped out, unsure if it was the pain making her stutter or Naruto.

"Hinata, what are you doing here?" he asked as she blinked to lessen the pain in her eyes.

She looked up at him, finally releasing the Byakugan. He was gorgeous.

"I... I... W-w-was t-t-training!" she squeaked out. She could hold her own in a battle, speak with little stutter to her sensei and family, but she could not, for the life of her, speak to Uzumaki Naruto.

"Really?" he asked, smiling at her. "I was, too," he proclaimed, his smile twisting into wide grin. Hinata felt her cheeks begin to turn crimson as the blood rushed into them. She closed her eyes, hoping he'd mistake it for the pain that had afflicted her from the flash.

"Do you want to spar? I haven't sparred with anyone since I got to Kusa!"

She opened her eyes, blinking owlishly. "S-s-s-s-spar with y-you?"

Sasuke leapt onto the balcony, perching there like a hawk.

His sharingan activated, searching the city for something, anything. He wanted to know who tried to kill him last night. He wanted to kill whoever had sent that snake after him. He reached into his front pocket, pulling out a small metal plate about the width of four fingers, and placed it in the zipper on his vest. Content with the way the plate sat over his heart, he looked out over the city once more, then leapt down onto the street.

He knew it was a bad idea.

He knew that going out like this, alone, like he had the other night was dangerous. Especially since someone knew they could get the drop on him. He wasn't sure if he'd let them, though, considering he had wisened up to their tricks. He mentally scoffed at the thought that someone could fool him twice. He was an Uchiha, after all.

"Sasuke."

Sasuke sighed. He had been caught in the act.

"Yes, Kakashi?" He turned to look at the scarecrow, who was leaning against the post right under their balcony. How could he not have noticed him? Then Sasuke remembered the last sparring match he, Kakashi, and Sakura had partook of. Kakashi was not the sort of man who'd blunder around like a bull in a china shop.

"What are you doing?"

Should he lie? Could Sasuke lie? Kakashi would know.

"Just going out for a stroll," Sasuke said emotionlessly. He was hoping it would make him seem like he didn't care if Kakashi let him go or not.

"I think you should probably get a little more rest. It's only three in the afternoon."

Sasuke swore mentally. Foiled again.

"Okay," he said, making his way to the door. "That sounds like a good idea."

Kakashi nodded. "Yes. I'll be right outside if you need me."

Sasuke rolled his eyes. What Kakashi had really said was, "I don't trust you, so I'm standing guard to make sure you don't kill yourself."

Naruto was right, Sasuke realized. He was treated like a prince by Kakashi. Guarded like one, too.

Orochimaru hissed.

Not a human hiss, but an angry, serpentine, evil hiss.

"What?" he screamed, face contorted in anger. "How dare they interfere?"

He glared at the pictures of the body. He knew the unmistakable serrations carved through the corpse. He knew who had made them, too. He screamed once more in frustration, throwing the pictures across the room. Eyes burning with rage, he pointed at the nearest of his Jounin. "You!" he screeched, stomping over to the man. Orochimaru drew back and slapped him as hard as he could without throwing the man into unconsciousness. "You failed to kill Sasuke with the summon-scroll I gave you!" He slapped him again, leaving a nasty bruise. The snake's eyes snapped to another. "And you! You should die right now for not finishing Sasuke off when the other Jounin failed!" He grabbed the man by the throat, lifting him up into the air. The man gasped for air, clawing at the snake's pale hands as they squeezed the life from him.

"I should sacrifice you all to... Manda..."

His eyes developed a considerably malicious glint to them.

"Yes... Yes. That's a good idea. Manda will be pleased with jounin." His tongue snaked out, licking his lips. Manda would be appeased, meaning he'd be able to use him the next time he summoned the giant cobra to this plane of existence.

"Get out of my sight!" he screamed, his smirk turning once again into the face of anger and rage. He threw the dying Jounin on the floor and returned to his makeshift throne he'd brought from Oto. Draping himself over it, he allowed the remaining Jounin in the room to usher out the injured ones. They closed the door on their way out, revealing an emotionless Kabuto. Orochimaru sneered at him.

"What do you want?" he asked, words dripping with venom.

Kabuto stepped forward, readjusting his glasses.

"Looks like Akatsuki is active again. How will we deal with the threat?"

Orochimaru snorted. "They're probably after the Jinchuuriki here. There are two of them present."

"And Uzumaki-san?" Kabuto asked.

The snake in front of him hissed, his eyes narrowing.

"Most likely... He stole Sasuke from me, didn't he?" The slits in Orochimaru's eyes constricted until they were bare slivers. "He shan't cross me again. Put the word out, Kabuto. I want the fox-boy's head on my table once we're out of this damnable exam. He's the first meal I want to sit down to when we arrive back in Oto."

"Yes, my lord," Kabuto said, bowing deeply. As he turned, his face paled at the disgusting thought.

"You know, Hinata, you're not bad at all!" Naruto grinned as he avoided another strike. It was perfectly placed, on a collision course with his sternum, but it lacked power, including the chakra needed to make the Jyuuken work. Hinata was holding back on the actual technique. She was obviously afraid of hurting him. He knew she was kinder and gentler than her cousin, Neji, who would have probably tried to cut off any and every tenketsu he could get his hands on. Naruto was considerably faster than the last time he had fought with Neji, though, even without the Fuujin.

Hinata's brows furrowed, causing the bulging veins around her eyes to squeeze even tighter. Naruto was so fast.

"T-Thank you," she exhaled as she threw another strike at his shoulder. She didn't know if he was just playing with her, or if he was really trying, but she couldn't get a bead on him. It was like playing with the neighborhood spastic. He kept slipping away from her randomly, staying just out of her reach. She was starting to get a bit winded, too; they had been at this for about thirty minutes. Half an hour, and he still wasn't breathing hard or sweating.

Naruto dodged again, twisting elegantly in a Hyuuga-ish manner, grinning even harder. He was mocking her!

Hinata knew on a base level that he was just playing. This was a game for him. It wasn't even a serious sparring match with his ridiculous speed. That thought alone made her quite angry in a very un-Hyuuga-ish way. Her eyebrows furrowed further as the frustration darkened her pale eyes.

In a burst of speed and concentration, she broke his guard and slammed a palm into his stomach.

He doubled over coughing and in pain, but quite glad she had decided to withhold the chakra. Naruto held up a hand as the other clutched his stomach. Hinata, though, was already freaking out. Unfortunately for Hinata, freaking out meant she was lying face up on the ground, unconscious. Naruto stood back up and scratched his head, watching the now-sleeping Hinata. He turned as he heard a sigh come from behind him.

"Yeah, good one, Dead-Last," Sasuke quipped, rolling his eyes. "Girls would like you better if you didn't knock them unconscious all the time."

Naruto sneered in his direction, mocking him. "Yeah, yeah, pretty boy. You always talk but you never say anything." He nodded his head in Hinata's direction. "I guess I'm taking her back to town. Don't know where she's staying, though." He picked her up carefully, afraid to bump her around anymore. Sasuke gave an apathetical shrug. "Just take her to Sakura," he said. "Besides," he added, "we've got some snooping to do around town."

"Really?"

The whites of Naruto's eyes turned blue as four black, upside down triangles jutted from his pupil. A faint whistling filled Sasuke's ears as the wind began to blow just a little bit harder.

"Yeah," Sasuke confirmed as they began to run. Gradually picking up the pace, they were soon travelling at a blistering rate. "I want to find him." Naruto sent the Uchiha a sideways look as they ran. "That might not be a good idea, Sasuke. I mean, you did just recover from the snake bite." Sasuke shrugged again.

"So?" he asked. "Okay, so maybe it isn't the best idea," Sasuke agreed, "but we should at least try to find something out. Something useful. I've practically been in a coma for a day now." He sighed.

Naruto grinned. "We sigh and shrug more than Shikamaru. We may have him beat."

Sasuke shook his head, smiling, as they ran back to Kusa. Maybe they would make headway tonight.

F-f-f-f-finished! Hope you enjoyed the chapter. As always, leave me reviews and whatnot. I always enjoy those! Even the flames and the rampant criticism! –Hangovergoblin

P.S. Due to the whole of the Rookie 9 being thirteen and fourteen, I think it's time for a little romance on the side. Give me pairings for Team 7, and ye shall receive! Maybe. –Hangovergoblin, again.

P.P.S. This is a post post script.