Disclaimer: I don't own anything from the Naruto universe.
AN:- Any Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood fans reading? If you are, then be sure to load up the song for this chapter when prompted from YouTube.
SONG: Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood Next Chapter. Or track 22.
Thanks to all who reviewed last chapter even though it was kind of slow. ^_^
Konoha Lodging,
Sunagakure
Knock knock knock.
Sakura inwardly groaned. Someone was at the door, trying to steal her away from sleep's embrace… but she wouldn't let them. Being in its arms was pure bliss. Her consciousness was already fading, and she had no intention of fighting against its tight hold.
Knock knock knock!
She startled awake again, falling back asleep for only a couple seconds. This person was annoying. Hopefully they went away soon. Oh…. sleep wrapped its wonderful arms around her even tighter. It was... nice….…wasn't…..
KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK!
"Oi! Baka! Wake up!"
Great. It was that voice. It was a high pitched, piercing, and downright irritating shriek of a voice.
Sakura's eyes fluttered open halfway in great annoyance as she sat up and swung her legs over the side of the bed, a weight being relieved from around her waist, probably the covers. Her bare feet hit the wooden floor and she walked towards the door only because she was too tired to stomp her way to it. Her eyes had already closed again, almost falling asleep standing where she was as her hand felt around for the knob.
After many unsuccessful tries of grasping her quarry a growl escaped her throat, frustration taking over. Cracking open one eye just enough to see the knob, it shut tightly again as Sakura moved her hand towards the round object, turned and pulled. The door opened. With two steps forward she quickly lent her body against the frame of the door, at least, she assumed it was the frame of the door having only felt it with her hand and not seen it before resting her body on the wooden frame.
Using all of her strength to fight back against the sleep that was desperately trying to maintain its hold on her she cracked open both eyes to glare at the damn incessant knocker.
"What do you want pig!" Sakura growled.
Although the pink haired girl's vision was fuzzy, she saw the outline of the figure recoil. Surprise?
Ino's eyes were wide.
"Sakura?"
The shock in her voice was clear.
"What?"
"….."
Ino was dumbfounded.
The lack of response though was waking Sakura up just a little bit. It was hard to stay asleep when the anger was rising that fast.
"What is it pig?"
A hand went to Sakura's hip and she leaned off the door threateningly.
"If you came knocking on my door just to wake me up for no reason, I swear to Kami Ino…." she stated dangerously.
With her awareness of her surroundings increasing, she was starting to make out details on Ino's face. She now saw the dumbstruck look on her best friend….. former best friend if she didn't have a good reason for pounding on her door. It wasn't before long though, that the stunned look turned into something else.
A big grin lit up Ino's face as her eyes danced evilly.
"But Saaakura," she sang.
Oh the anger was mounting to dangerous levels now.
"I don't have a good reason for pounding on your door. I was pounding on Na-ru-to's door because Kaka sensei thought there was something Naruto should be a part of for his Hokage training."
Ino watched in cruel delight while her best friend seemed oblivious.
Even though Sakura still had some semblance of a glare etched on her face, her brow furrowed a bit as her tired brain was processing Ino's sentence.
'Huh? Pig's gone off the deep end? She just woke me up and she's saying she was pou-…'
Her thought trailed off. The brutal opponent of tiredness was defeated instantly as sheer horror overcame Sakura while the images flashed through her brain and she rushed through her thoughts.
'Naruto… me… confession…. Spent the night….. Oh….. My… god…..'
Sakura's head snapped around to see the blonde barely sleeping in the bed, barely covered by the thin sheet. The 'cover' on her waist….. was really his arm wasn't it?
Sakura invented a new shade of red as she felt her cheeks burning like she was hit with a katon jutsu. She turned to face her blonde friend at the door, who had the most sadistic grin on.
"Saaaaaaaakurraaaaaaa."
Enough with the singing!
"What are you doing to our poor Hokage candidate? I hope it's nothing I will be forced to report."
At that, Sakura lost the wide eyed shock and immediately narrowed her eyes will glaring dangerously at her friend.
"Ino…" she growled through clenched teeth.
"Let me make this perfectly clear."
Her tone was dangerous as she hissed in a tone that would have had Orochimaru begging her to be his apprentice.
"If you so much as think of telling anyone what you saw here, I will kill you… got it?" she seethed.
Unfortunately for her though, Ino knew her too well.
The blonde merely waved her off absent-mindedly while peering over the young Haruno's shoulder.
"Hmm….. I can see you enjoyed yourself."
The comment was expected, but Sakura still couldn't fight off her invented shade of red from gracing her face for a second time in the last couple minutes. She didn't have to turn around to know that Ino was talking about the fact that Naruto was only clad in his boxers. She was sure her friend was assuming that more happened that it actually did.
Sakura was having none of that.
She opened her mouth to put a damper on Ino's fun when another voice interrupted her.
"Kaka sensei's getting impatient. Did you manage to wak-…. Sakura?"
As Neji walked along the hall talking to Ino, he looked only a little shocked when he saw who was in the room. That was, till his eye drifted down a bit, before they widened even more and he turned around briskly to stare in the opposite direction while Ino's eyes also widened in slight horror.
"Sakura…."
The normally cool voice of the Hyuuga came out more like a shuddering breath.
"Would you mind putting on a top please….." he said shakily.
Now it was Sakura's turn for her eyes to widen and if it was physically possible they would be the size of saucers. Glancing down, she realised she was in her shorts and bindings! To make it worse, the bindings were loose and no longer flattened her now grown chest, but merely hid it with the thin layer of tape. It was the same as wearing paint.
There was that new shade of red again. Her hands blurred as it folded around her chest and she gave a high pitched squeak before slamming the door.
Desert,
Outside Sunagakure
'That wall is a weak point.'
Shikamaru sighed at his current predicament. There was the shadow Nin, outside the walls of Sunagakure, assessing their fortification. How did he even get dragged into this? He was a shinobi of Konoha and the only reason he was here was because his team had been injured during their mission.
'Mendoukse.'
Shikamaru closed his eyes in frustration. Of course he knew how he was in this position. It was all thanks to 'that' woman. She could be such a pain at times.
'Troublesome woman didn't even ask me.'
It was true. As he was dozing off, hands behind his head on his pillow she had mentioned that he would report to Gaara in the morning. Shikamaru had stared at her naked back, as she faced away from him with the covers only reaching her waist, before letting her know that he would do no such thing.
'Fine. You can tell the Kazekage in the morning yourself that you won't accept his request. Wonder how the Hokage will react to that.'
Shikamaru inwardly groaned as he was brought back to the present. Tsunade-sama was already going to tear him a new one for the mission failure. Not to mention the fact that it resulted in the capture of one of his subordinates. The newest head of the Nara clan would not dare adding to the Godaime's rage by blowing off a request by the Kazekage. He knew his lover was quite aware of that.
Of all the opponents to get matched up against in the chuunin exams all those years ago, he just had to get Sabaku no Temari. It seemed fate bore a grudge against him for giving him a woman such as her. A far cry from the normal woman he wanted to marry with the normal lifestyle he wanted to live. Oh how they all had changed. Even if he would have preferred a plain woman to marry, at this point it would be more troublesome not to marry Temari. With the noise she'd make and the possible maiming he'd receive from Gaara it would probably be better to accept her troublesome ways in the long run and be done with it.
'Tch. Mendouksseee,' he whined.
To make matters worse, Kakashi had somehow managed to rope him into agreeing on carrying Naruto on this task. So here he was, waiting in the blistering sun for over twenty minutes to start Naruto's lesson and the blonde idiot had yet to show his face.
'Dammit Naruto….. If it wasn't so troublesome I swear I'd kill y-….'
Shikamaru stiffened in alert. The ground then exploded from beneath him as he jumped back in just the nick of time. Sand kicked up furiously and there was no way of seeing through the cloud of grainy particles floating haphazardly through the air. Shikamaru raised his forearms to bear the brunt of the cloud lest it get in his eyes, but kept his senses alert.
The cloud finally died and there were large bamboo stalks coming out of the ground. The Anbu captain's eyes narrowed and tried to feel around the area for a chakra presence. There was none.
A sound of sand being stepped on hit his ear. It was coming from behind him!
His eyes widened as he turned while leaping back trying to get away in desperation….. but it was too late.
"Gurghh."
It was but a blur between his leap and his current place on the ground, and as he opened his eyes he could see the bamboo stalk that had impaled his chest, blood flowing from his mouth.
The pain was intense, and his senses dimmed. Shikamaru could tell he would black out soon before bleeding to death. He couldn't even scream for help because he was already choking on the blood.
"I was aiming for your heart…"
The voice was deep and not entirely human sounding.
"...But you managed to move just enough to make me miss my mark."
Struggling to keep his eyes open, the eyelids fluttered while looking to the source.
"Tobi was right… you are a formidable opponent Nara Shikamaru."
"Ma-….. Masaka…. We killed you during the war…"
Black Zetsu looked down at the young man who had clearly inherited the will of fire. The captain was near death and still had the awareness to try and wiggle out information. Indeed, Tobi was right. This man would cause too many problems in the future if left to live.
Zetsu approached Shikamaru as the latter's vision started to gradually fade.
"You would have grown into a Ninja of legendary proportions young shadow user. I shall offer you that praise now, as your life ends before your legend began."
Outer Wall,
Suna
Murmurs came from a few guards atop the outer walls of Sunagakure. A large cloud of sand was hovering around just north of their current location. Baki looked on, troubled at both the commotion and the cloud itself. It seemed unlike the regular wave of sand during a storm but rather fixed in a certain spot. Something felt wrong.
"What's going on? I heard an explosion," queried someone stepping up behind him with a bored voice.
Baki's response was quite the opposite as he threw out his retort gravely.
"I don't know. But I can't help but have a sinking feeling in my gut."
Sniff sniff.
The figure sniffed the air.
"Is that the last location Shikamaru was in?"
Baki stiffened in realisation, only now remembering the Konoha taichou had gone out to do some assessments.
The man next to Baki got his response.
In contrast to the earlier bored tone, Baki vaguely recognised the gruff order barked from the other man.
"Send backup."
There was a poof of smoke as Baki turned, whoever it was, was already gone.
Desert
Shikamaru dodged another bamboo pole being launched at him as Black Zetsu continued advancing nonchalantly. It was taking a tremendous effort just to walk let alone dodge. The pain was nothing Shikamaru had ever felt before and blood was still seeping at a rapid rate despite the two clotting pills he had taken. He wasn't going to last much longer.
"Defiant to the end even though you know that there is only one result that can come of this. You can only dodge right now and that ability will soon leave you just as your strength is leaving. Your death is inevitable Konoha shinobi. Don't mar your legacy by being a coward. Accept your fate and make your death an honourable one. I shall make it quick and painless as a final courtesy."
Shikamaru used his hand to apply pressure to the gaping wound in his chest through his flak jacket as he spat out some blood.
"Excuse me if I don't believe someone who didn't have the guts to face me head on."
The overly black body laughed.
"We are Shinobi. Our goal is to be as stealthy and sneaky as possible and complete our mission while leaving no traces or hints that we were ever there. Your generation has definitely forgotten this. This is no game boy."
Shikamaru's knees suddenly buckled in his retreat and he dropped to the floor. It was over; the last of his strength was gone.
A dark chuckle reached his ears.
"I see. It is time then."
Black Zetsu grew a thorny blade from his hand as he approached.
"Farewell Nara Shikamaru. Now you go to the afterlife, where your friends shall soon follow."
"What do you mean?"
"Isn't it obvious? We're about to resume our war."
Shikamaru's eyes widened.
Zetsu's raised blade began its decent.
Shikamaru closed his eyes as images flashed through his mind. Kurenai, Asuma and their son, Ino and Chouji, his father…. Temari…
A painful scream filled the air.
And there, Shikamaru lay, not moving an inch.
"How?"
The shadow Nin's eye sprang open at the question. Wait, what? He wasn't dead? How was he alive? Who screamed?
As he calmed from the shock, he realised he was staring at the back of a man, as Zetsu stood across from them when blood dripping from the shoulder.
A soft smile graced his lips as his eyes started to close and he finally began to pass out. He did however manage to say one small thing before he lost consciousness.
"Arigatou… Kaka sensei."
Black Zetsu glared at the infamous copy Ninja.
"How did you sense me? With no chakra signature and this sand cloud it would have been impossible to know I was here."
Kakashi merely closed his good eye, and replied while raising his headband to reveal his sharingan. "Aa. But you can't fool my sense of smell. There shouldn't be any rotting plants in the desert and Shikamaru's blood reached my nose. You were just unlucky I happened to be at the wall at the time."
The black missing Nin frowned. He was split from his white counterpart and already injured, and now Sharingan no Kakashi stood before him.
"Let's get started."
Kakashi noticed the surprised look on Zetsu's face as he dashed to him at a speed that would make the untrained eye assume he vanished.
Zetsu grew a thorn katana to block Kakashi's kunai and immediately sank into the ground before the raikiri from Kakashi's clone that snuck behind him could stab him through the chest.
Kakashi's eyes narrowed. He couldn't sense him now….. that was a problem.
Streets,
Suna
"Come on forehead! I didn't know he was coming otherwise I would have warned you!"
"…"
"Argh! You're being stubborn! It's not my fault you opened the door like that. What if he was already there when I knocked on the door?"
"…."
"Sakura!"
And so the one sided conversation continued, but Naruto barely heard a word of it as he walked slightly in front of them with a big grin on his face. Between last night and this morning, Naruto wasn't entirely sure he hadn't died and gone to heaven, as cliché as that sounds.
Sakura came to his room and she confessed to him. The meeting with Gaara had gone as well as he could have hoped for in that situation, and his other business was wrapping itself up as he spoke. The icing on the cake was having Sakura chan wake him up gently, well as gentle as possible for him anyway, as she could and kissing him good morning. What a twenty four hours.
"Naruto! Can you please talk some sense into your girlfriend?"
He cast a glance over his shoulder as he continued walking, albeit with a slight limp still not fully recovered. Damn that Kirin that Sasuke used.
Naruto was about to interject on Ino's behalf and tell Sakura that she shouldn't be mad at her best friend, when he was cut off.
"I swear of all the traits you had to pass on to her it was your stubbornness. Cha!"
Well there goes that thought.
A look of mild irritation replaced the grin.
"So you're asking me to help you out in the same breath you're insulting me?"
He snapped his head forward, lips in a pout arms folded.
"And here I was about to tell Sakura chan to let you off the hook too."
"What was that Naruto?"
Naruto stopped.
The retort didn't come from Ino but from the pink haired woman next to her. That in itself was unimportant. However, the sickeningly sweet tone which she used was always a precursor to unyielding pain for Naruto.
"S-s-sa-Sakura chan?"
He turned with wide eyes and a trembling hand outstretched as though to hold her back.
Sakura's eyes were closed and her head cocked as she smiled at him.
Oh boy was he in trouble. And he didn't even know what he had done!
"Naruuuuuuuuutoooo," she sang softly.
The blonde man gulped.
"I know you didn't just say you would tell me to ease Ino up. I know that you wouldn't dare try to command me or anything of the sort. Right my love?"
Oh dear Kami he was going to die. The mere fact she would even say something like that to him in public… she was going to send him to meet his parents and Ero-Sennin. He would never be Hokage. Never marry her and see their kids run around pulling pranks, painting his face on the mountain. No. He was doomed.
"S-sakura chan…. I would never dream of doing something like that! Please don't kill me!"
His hands went to block whatever strikes were coming at his face and closed his eyes for the inevitable. A couple seconds passed. Five seconds passed. Ten seconds passed.
'Huh?'
The Hokage candidate elect decided to try his luck and cracked open an eye before moving his hands, warily, to his sides.
Sakura's eyes were dancing at some joke only she knew.
She was in front of him. Her hand rose, he flinched.
Her palm cupped his cheek. 'Waahh?'
Her lips were on his in a short but firm kiss.
Naruto's eyes widened and he was even more in shock as she leaned forward and whispered in his ear.
"Good boy."
As she pulled back he saw a devilish glint in her eyes before running her eyes down the length of his body before shuddering and grinning.
His jaw dropped. She chuckled.
He vaguely noticed her walking away, still in disbelief at the public display of affection. Especially since many villagers were watching.
"Come on Ino."
And there came the first words Sakura had said to her best friend since this morning.
The blonde woman, who was equally as shocked as her same haired counterpart, shook it off and jogged to catch up with Sakura.
"I-… You-….. Prude!...But public!..."
Ino's thoughts were jumbled and she could not put forth a proper sentence, but Sakura got the gist of what was being said and she went from playful to pissed.
"Oi! I thought you wanted me to forgive you."
Ino registered the words, and was glad Sakura was talking to her again, mostly because it was too troublesome to get the silent treatment, but her mind was still in overdrive.
"I just figured after all these years of hitting him and he doesn't learn I'll try a new method is all. If he wants more he'll have to stop acting like an idiot…"
Sakura seemed to think about something for a second.
"….At least not all the time," she amended as she giggled a bit.
Comprehension finally hitting Ino she calmed down a bit although still a little shocked by her friend's antics. Public displays of affection was no stranger to her, but the fact it was Sakura who did not even like holding hands with a man in public is what made it seem so incredible.
Ino cocked an eyebrow and glanced to her side at the med Nin.
"So you're not going to hit him anymore?"
She noticed Sakura's eyes roll.
"Of course I'm going to keep hitting him. He's a big child. Someone has to set him straight."
They both snickered.
"Oiiiiiiii! Wait for me!"
Their snickers turned to full blown laughter as the man in question ran to catch up with them.
Noticing them holding their sides, and near tears, he frowned.
"You guys were making fun of me weren't you?"
Despite being doubled over and not being able to breathe properly, Sakura managed to squeak out a 'yep'.
"Saaakura chan." A rain cloud appeared over his head.
The two Kunoichi fell onto the ground not caring they were now covered in dust.
"Naruto dono!"
A sand Nin dropped in front of the group. Sakura and Ino's laughter died.
"There's trouble! Shikamaru dono requires immediate backup at the northern wall!"
Before the young chuunin could recognise what happened, he was left alone in cloud of kicked up dust.
Naruto led the three out of the gate as Baki and Kankuro appeared and matched their run.
As they entered the dust cloud, Baki made some seals and the cloud of dust dropped to the floor.
Everyone's eyes widened.
Black Zetsu was alive!
His arm was outstretched after a jutsu. When the group turned their eyes to what held the Akatsuki member's attention, a torrent of emotions overrode their senses and their bodies grew numb.
There….. skewered on multiple bamboo rods, lay the legendary Hatake Kakashi.
He was dead….
Desert
"Kaka sensei…"
It was but a whisper that left Naruto's mouth as any other words failed him.
"Ah. The Kyuubi. This keeps getting better and bet- Argh."
Everyone else was as surprised as Zetsu when a pack of Ninja dogs grabbed onto the Black half a man's body and bit down hard holding him in place.
The body of Kakashi, that was on the bamboo rods, poofed out of existence.
"Raikiri!"
A painful scream filled the air as lightening protruded from the missing Nin's chest.
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief and Sakura bit back her tears angrily as she stared at her sensei.
"Shikamaru!"
Sakura snapped to Ino as she realised the running blonde sprinting towards a fallen body. The med Nin's eyes widened before she blurred towards the unconscious Nara.
Zetsu fell to the floor, gasping for air through his mouth despite the blood filling it.
"Of all the people to get matched with... cough cough. It just had to be you didn't it…."
Kakashi glared down at the man/plant whatever he was.
The sharingan user's hands was covered in lightning again as he prepared to finish off his opponent.
"A quick death despite all the grievances we've caused you? Konoha really is something."
A chuckle escaped his throat as he coughed up more blood.
"Too bad it's going to fall. Tobi's plans are complete."
Naruto took this as a cue to step forward and address the dying man.
"What does that mean?" he growled.
Zetsu merely grinned despite his life essence leaving him.
"When you all messed up his moon's eye plan five years ago, Tobi then decided to move to plan B and started getting things ready. The Shodaime's necklace was the last piece of the puzzle. With it, he will rule the world."
"How exactly does he plan on doing this?" questioned Kakashi.
The Black Zetsu made no move to reply. Suddenly, his eyes widened. Kakashi's own eyes widened as well and tried to bring down his Raikiri in time but the body of Zetsu had already melted into the ground.
"It's so hard to find roots in this desert. I'm afraid the conclusion to this fight has been postponed Kakashi. Till we meet again."
Just as quickly as the voice rumbled from the floor did it vanish.
"Come on Shikamaru!"
Everyone's eyes snapped in Sakura's direction and saw her desperately pumping green chakra and pressing into the man's chest while Ino gave mouth to mouth through tears.
"1-2-3."
And Ino would again send air to his lungs.
"1-2-3."
And they repeated.
"DAMMIT YOU LAZY ASS BUM! JUST THIS ONCE! FIGHT BACK!"
Tears started streaming down Sakura's face to match Ino's.
Everyone stood still, in shock at what they were seeing. Naruto couldn't move, he couldn't breathe. Was he going to lose another precious person to this group? Was he going to lose one of his closest friends? Had he already lost him?
He glanced at Kakashi, and the disbelieving look on the older man's face almost made him drop to his knees and cry.
But he wouldn't give up hope.
He ran forward towards the girls and skidded on his knees next to them.
"What about my chakra?"
Sakura's tear streaked face snapped up for half of a second, wondering, before nodding quickly and continuing her ministrations.
Naruto put his hands over Sakura's and immediately the chakra glow flared powerfully.
And so they continued for a few more minutes until Ino stopped her resuscitation and Naruto's tears started hitting his hands.
"Sakura chan?" he croaked.
Sakura's tears fell furiously as she did not entertain his thought.
"Keep going Ino! Don't stop!"
But the young blonde could only start wailing into her own hands at the loss of her teammate.
"Sakura..."
It was Kakashi and his voice was hoarse as he barked the order harsher than he intended.
She ignored him and her wide pleading eyes snapped to Naruto's.
"More."
It sounded more like a question to him than an order. An underlying question only he could hear.
And though he thought it was already over, Naruto closed his eyes.
It took several seconds as his closed eyelids fluttered and his eyes moved behind them, but when they opened they were feral red and in slits.
The chakra around Sakura's hands started glowing red and hissed against her skin and Shikamaru's wounds.
"Naruto!"
Kakashi warned. If the blonde jounin heard he gave no indication of it.
Just as Kakashi started walking towards them to stop their grief induced madness Sakura felt something.
Her eyes widened in joy and disbelief as a sob escaped her throat as she looked at her former sensei.
"He's got a pulse!"
Ino looked up at her then immediately felt around his throat followed by his wrists and she shuddered in sobs caused by relief when she realised that he did indeed have one… but it was very weak.
"We need to get him to the hospital now!"
Edge of Forest,
Kaze no Kuni
Tobi stared out of the window. Well, the whole in the cavern wall that was called a window, watching the sparse forest. They were right on the edge of the desert now and could almost see a dot in the distance which was probably the Hidden Sand village where the battle had taken place according to White Zetsu.
That was if he could even call it that. According to the White half, Black Zetsu was completely defeated by the Copy Ninja.
"Hatake Kakashi…."
Although the once candidate for Hokage had not done much to his forces during the war, he still knew that it could have been much more in his favour at that time if it wasn't for the Konoha jounin. The war had come down so close too. Maybe the seven swordsmen would have pushed that division back had it not been for Kakashi's know how against the mist jutsus. Now he put his most loyal servant on the mend, and Tobi was beginning to feel just a little bit annoyed.
He briefly wondered about teleporting over to Suna and killing the man once and for all to be spared any future headaches. But taking on Kakashi, the Kazekage and the Kyuubi was not something he was willing to chance.
Moving his gaze from the window to the room, he looked at his Edo Tensei members. Kakuzu, Deidara, Konan, Sasori and Kisame stood before him, an ominous purple chakra coming from them.
He wished he could have gotten Nagato and Itachi. After all, they were his strongest cards, but their souls had been sealed by the sword of Itachi's wretched Susano'o.
He also wished he could have summoned more than what he had now, but he was still unsure about the finer details of the technique. Many silent curses were sent the way of the deceased Kabuto for encrypting all his scrolls. As it stood Tobi would never be able to summon as many as the former right hand of Orochimaru would be able to. He could only summon six more and he needed to keep that open.
Still, they were all fearsome Ninja to begin with. Now they were powered by the bijou, albeit temporarily, but wouldn't need to be …. 'recharged' he could say… for at least a month.
As his gaze turned back to the sparse trees he saw one of the white Zetsu clones patrolling. Not much to look at. He was about to walk away from the windowsill when he noticed something. It was so small that he wasn't sure his eye wasn't playing tricks on him, but as he stared behind the clone he realised there was indeed movement.
Soon, a figure made its way from behind the tree, making sure to sneak past the White Zetsu clone and remain unnoticed…. Or try to anyway.
"Sasuke?"
Tobi's eyes narrowed in suspicion. Where was he coming from and why was he sneaking?
The masked man went into thought.
Maybe it was time to cut his losses. Sasuke was an important pawn but was never going to obey him like a good servant forever. Given the current circumstances, as much as Sasuke was a great asset, maybe he had fulfilled his potential of being useful.
He looked back towards the group of chakra empowered Ninja.
"I think it's time to get rid of the excess weight around here."
And he walked off.
Hospital,
Suna
Four hours. That's how long they had been waiting outside the emergency room. In that time they had seen Suna med Nin leave the room to be replaced by others. Ino had come out for a small half an hour rest on Sakura's orders earlier. Apparently it was the blonde's chakra they had been using the entire time to keep his body functioning while the others focussed on the surgery and fixing his injuries. Sakura had yet to come out though. According to Ino everyone was taking their orders from the Haruno woman so she would not be afforded the luxury of a rest. Ino felt it was more of a punishment than a luxury being sent out there when her teammate lay dying.
All this time the mood was sombre. That is, except for the first hour where Temari had been hysterical. Seeing the normally calm and rationale woman act like a broken women tugged at each one of their hearts. It represented the dire situation Shikamaru was in. She had eventually passed out from the crying and Gaara carried her to an empty hospital room to rest, leaving Kankuro at her side as he apologetically left to see about his duties.
Now it was just the Konoha Nin waiting in the chairs and sitting on the floor, backs against the wall. Kakashi was obviously the calmest out of the group. Kiba was heavily bandaged and on crutches, still not recovered from his fight with team hawk. Neji leant against the wall as Kakashi was but had a bit more concern in his eye. Hinata was fuming. And Naruto….. Naruto was ….. antsy.
He was restless. Sure his friend lay dying but there was seemed something more. It was as though he was waiting for something.
Finally, the door thumped open and some of the nurses started wheeling the gurney that Shikamaru lay upon down the corridor, a thoroughly tired Sakura and Ino walking out behind it. A weak smile came from Sakura as she closed her eyes tiredly. "He'll live…."
A collective breath of air was released as Naruto walked towards Sakura to help steady her. It wasn't necessary but he saw how tired he was. Apparently though, Ino was even more tired.
Everyone saw her eyes roll slightly and her eyelids fluttered close before collapsing. Good thing Neji was fast as he caught her before she hit the ground.
Worrying eyes found Sakura's as she glanced over to her left to see the exhausted blonde before closing her eyes again and settling into Naruto's embrace.
"Just exhausted. She's still recovering after all."
That seemed to placate everyone and they were a little surprised Sakura went on.
"This is the second time in less than a week she's managed to impress me. First with Kiba, now with Shikamaru. I'm surprised she was able to last that long really. She doesn't have the biggest chakra reserve but she'll use it all and more if one of her friends were in danger… I'm proud of her."
Many fond smiles went the blonde's way, but she would not notice behind her closed eyes.
"Can we see him?"
Sakura looked up to Hinata and saw the pleading in the Kunoichi's face, desperately wanting to see her taichou.
"Sure."
They made their way down the few doors to where they saw Shikamaru being wheeled in.
"I'll let Kankuro and Temari know," stated the Copy Ninja as he made his way down the other direction.
As they piled in the room everyone couldn't help but feel saddened at the sight. Only his right eye was visible on his face from the bandages, and there was a hospital cap blocking his hair which was obviously out of the ponytail. A tube was in his mouth and the artificial sound of breathing could be heard as the rhythmic sounds of Shikamaru's heartbeat beeped in the background. Sakura noticed Naruto's hold on her waist tightened.
As she turned her head slightly, she saw a fire in his eyes built from a specific emotion that she had seen many times on the blonde. It was rage. Silent, restrained, rage.
"Do you think we should request backup?"
All eyes turned to Neji as he asked the question, his gaze on Naruto.
Seeing the question in Naruto's eyes, Neji continued.
"Why attack Shikamaru so close to the village? Maybe they're planning their next move already."
Naruto stiffened and tried not to look as guilty as he thought he did, but it wasn't missed by anyone, least of all Sakura who felt the tension fill his body.
She released herself from Naruto's embrace, an angry question in her eyes.
"What aren't you telling us, Naruto?"
A large amount of air was released from his nose as he half glared, half apologised to Sakura.
He licked his lips a bit while looking around at everyone gravely. Apparently they all wanted to voice the same question.
No use denying it now.
"I received Intel from a source that Madara's planning something big."
"How big?"
Naruto looked at Neji.
"A war of which we have never seen kind of big. It would dwarf the fourth ninja war by comparison."
Naruto noted the widening of eyes. It had been a shock to him too.
"When did you get this Intel? And how reliable is the source?"
His gaze shifted to Sakura.
"Four nights ago. And the source is certain of this."
Naruto saw the look of incredulity on Sakura's face as she almost turned away from him slightly, almost looking at him from the corner of her eye as she shook her head slowly.
"Four nights ago was when…"
"It'll be explained later….. I promise you all that. By tonight I will have your answers."
It took all of Naruto's willpower not to look at Sakura as he cut her off. The waves of anger he sensed coming from her person on his left made it even harder.
Thankfully, he was given a reprieve when a soft sob caught everyone's attention.
They barely had time to turn before Temari walked up to the side of the bed with tears in her eyes, a soft smile on her face as her fingers started drawing cloud patterns on Shikamaru's hand.
She gave a soft watery laugh before looking at everyone in the room and muttering a small 'sorry' for her behaviour but all she got as replies were smiles and shakes of the head that she had done nothing wrong.
Naruto looked around the room with a smile on his face and gave a nod to the door as to give the woman some privacy. They all left the room.
Akatsuki Base,
Kaze no Kuni
Sasuke walked the corridors built within the caver as though he had never left the base. As he approached the center room where the statue had been, he noticed his team walking the other direction. They were very quiet, even Suigetsu, but Sasuke made paid no heed and they all walked past each other smoothly except for a subtle nod from Jugo and a whisper from the big man.
Sasuke gave no sign that he heard Jugo's words and continued to the main room.
He walked through the doors quietly and looked at the stone pedestal. It wasn't there.
"Looking for this?"
His onyx eyes snapped to his right, revealing Tobi and his Edo Tensei Akatsuki.
Sasuke remained impassive.
"What are you talking about?" he asked uninterestedly.
Tobi looked at him and his head dipped. Sasuke could tell there was a grin somewhere behind that mask from the other man's voice.
"Now, now Sasuke. I've been scheming much longer than you have been born."
Sasuke's eyes narrowed.
"Did you really think I wouldn't know you were planning to screw me over some time? You may have forgiven Itachi but you've been staying so close to one day kill me isn't that right?"
Sasuke said nothing.
"And you've been a little too eager to find out about my plans with the necklace. It's a shame that after all your years of patience you let it slip by just being a tad too overzealous in the space of a few days."
"…"
Sasuke noticed the straightening of Tobi's body and the seriousness in his voice.
"Sasuke… you were needed for my moon's eye plan. But since I have chosen this new path, I realised keeping you around while you plot my death is not necessary after all."
Tobi turned to Kisame as Sasuke bent his knees slightly.
"Bring him to me."
And Sasuke bolted from the room, Kisame following.
As Sasuke ran down the corridor his only thought was to put as much distance between himself and the others. Even though he knew he could not fight all of them at once, he was certain Kisame would be no problem. He thought wrong.
He was one of the fastest Shinobi alive. Only the Raikage and Naruto were comparable to his speed. So imagine his surprise when glanced back and saw Kisame swinging Samehada down from right behind him.
He didn't have time to be shocked and rolled out of the way quickly but before he could reach his feet properly there was another swing that he had to dodge. The attack was relentless, never giving Sasuke enough time to finally find even footing.
The Uchiha frowned. The bijou chakra was too powerful.
The purple aura around Kisame was dulling his senses, and to make matters worse, it lent a speed and power to the dead shark like Nin that he was not known for in life. Troubling considering Kisame had enough chakra to be mistaken for a Jinchuuriki originally.
A horizontal swipe came and he ducked, but the already spinning Kisame unleashed a roundhouse kick to the Uchiha's face.
'ACK'
Sasuke hit the wall, blood dripping from his chin. It was only one strike and already he felt dizzying pain. This power was ridiculous!
He jumped to his feet as he saw Kisame running through hand seals.
"Suiton! Suikoden no Jutsu!"
A huge shark missile, the size of which Sasuke could not previously fathom made its way to him.
'Shimatta!'
He'd never block it in time!
Sasuke did the only thing he could do.
Quickly he closed his eyes before it snapped open, the eternal Mangekyou Sharingan showing.
"Amaterasu!"
The black flames hit the bijou powered Kisame and as he was engulfed, his water technique was dropped. But the sheer expanse of water cause a rushing flood in the hallway and it swept Sasuke away until he crashed into a wall hard as the water rushed through the door next to him.
His vision got blurry and pain erupted from his head. The damn wall was made of rock from the cavern. Pushing chakra to his feet he stood on the water, knowing he did not have the luxury to wait for it to recede. And he was right. Kisame blurred in front of him faster than he could think and swung. Sasuke barely got his chokuto out the sheath to block the attack, but the force of the blow set him flying.
His feet landed on the wall and stuck to it using chakra on his feet while he made hand seals.
"Katon! Goukakyuu no Jutsu!"
The impressive fireball made its way to Kisame who just stood there and took the blow head on as bits of the wall behind him exploded from the sheer force of the attack. Sasuke watched intently when the flames finally started giving way, only to realise that the burnt pieces of his opponent started regenerating.
'Bijou chakra AND Edo Tensei regeneration…. This is impossible!'
He launched off the wall, but the underside of his chin was met with a knee and he let out a painful cry as he was falling when another roundhouse kick met his stomach and embedded him into the wall.
He was sure he had broken ribs and a dislocated jaw.
His vision got even fuzzier and his body felt paralysed. He was one of the strongest Nin alive, and yet the fight was utterly one sided. He could not help to think, as Kisame stalked over to him, that with this power, Tobi would indeed rule the world.
He saw Kisame's arm draw back as he swung the large blade.
Sasuke only had time to close then open his eyes before all he could see was black.
Main Chamber
He heard the rushing of water and a loud explosion followed by the crackling of fire. A few painful screams were also heard and the shattering of earth.
Tobi stood looking at the door expectantly. He already knew what to expect but was becoming impatient.
The noises had died down for over five minutes and they had yet to se-….. Oh.
And there they were, finally. Kisame came dragging a bloodied Sasuke by the collar as each time the young man tried to stand his legs gave out from under him, feet sliding against the loose stony floor of the main cavern room.
Kisame passed Tobi and flung Sasuke against the wall where the Bijou statue stood.
A loud cry of pain came from the Uchiha as he slumped to the floor.
Tobi watched in amusement and eyed Sasuke while he rested the necklace on the pedestal, noting despite Sasuke being near death, he still placed his gaze on the crystal.
Tobi chuckled while pulling out a kunai.
"Ah Sasuke. Sasuke Sasuke Sasuke. It almost pains me to do this."
Sasuke's eyelids were fluttering as they tried to stay at least halfway open.
"I hate to lose such a powerful asset. You've done so much for me these past few years."
Sasuke glared as best as he could as Tobi stooped down in front of him, the young Uchiha powerless to even make use of the close proximity his enemy was in.
"Tell you what. If you tell me what your plan was and who you told about the necklace, then I'll consider forgiving you this time."
Tobi saw the look in Sasuke's eyes change from anger, to shock, to contemplation.
His capture wondered for a few more seconds before seemingly deciding. Tobi watched as Sasuke closed his eyes and leaned backwards to rest his head comfortably.
"Go fuck yourself."
Tobi's eyes widened for but a split second before he started laughing, holding his sides.
When he calmed to but a chuckle, he addressed the Uchiha again.
"Yeah I guess I'd say that too. After all, you know I was never really going to let you live anyway."
Tobi stood and took a step forward, a hand grasping as much of Sasuke's raven hair as possible, pulling the Uchiha's head upward and exposing his throat more.
Sasuke's hands went to Tobi's to try and pry them off, but Tobi felt no pressure whatsoever as it was clear all of Sasuke's energy was gone.
"At least now I'll have two more Sharingan eyes to add to my collection."
Sasuke's eyes opened, and his eyes betrayed what he was feeling. Tobi understood though. No matter how strong the Shinobi, and whether it was by their, own choice, the moment before death, was always a scary one.
The kunai lowered to Sasuke's throat.
The shadows on the walls danced as the torches in the room burned. Two shadows were larger than the rest. Then, the taller one made a swinging action, and blood splattered on the walls. The shorter shadow, slumped forward limply, not moving at all.
Konoha Lodging,
Suna
It was late in the afternoon, the bustle of the village outside clearly heard through the windows as the Konoha Shinobi sat in the lounge room of the of the house they had been provided.
Shikamaru was obviously still in the hospital, yet to wake from his ordeal. But the rest were present, even Kiba who was still in a cast and crutches.
Ino was awake now and squeezed in a one seater with Sakura. In front of them and to the right, Kiba and Hinata were on the couch, with the former's foot propped up against the low table in front of him.
Kakashi and Neji stood on opposite sides of the room mirroring each other's position leaning against the wall with folded hands. It looked quite comical to the rest of them.
Naruto stood in the center, arms propping him up using a chair he pulled from the dining table.
"I think you should tell us now Naruto."
Neji's voice was calm but Naruto could hear the impatience within.
As he looked at the Hyuuga, he contemplated telling them for a second. He did not want to keep them in suspense. But…. He didn't think they would like what he had to say. In fact, he was sure they would be enraged. He couldn't allow that. Not yet. Not when it was almost time.
"I promise you. By tonight you'll know."
Out of the corner of his eye he saw a rustling of pink. No doubt shifting so she had a better angle to yell at him.
He cut her off, head snapping to look her in the eyes and match the sternness held within her emerald.
"It's better for you guys to see it yourselves. If I tell you, you won't believe me."
This just added to their scepticism and Naruto struggled not to heave a huge sigh in front of them. Instead he closed his eyes, and clenched his fist.
"Guys…. Just trust me on this….. Please….."
His eyes opened to scan them all.
"By tonight, one way or the other I will let you know."
It didn't put them to ease as he hoped it would, but he was thankful when they gave silent nods or sighs while looking away giving him the benefit of the doubt.
"What if Tobi makes his move on Suna tonight?"
All eyes snapped to Kakashi as he said this, new questions rising to the surface in their minds.
They were in shock however, when they saw a small smirk on the face of Naruto.
Ino cast a cautious look his way. He had that look. The look he always had when he played pranks as a student. A look of pure mischief.
"That won't happen," said Naruto.
"How are you so sure?" asked his former sensei.
Naruto's smirk turned to a full blown grin as he said his next words.
Akatsuki Base,
Kaze no Kuni
Madara stared down at the dead body of Sasuke. In a way, he could say he was saddened. Sasuke had always just been a pawn to him so it was not personal. More so that he was saddened at the fact Sasuke's legend had not played out as yet. He was a sucker for legacies. It was why he chose the name Uchiha Madara during the war. He was still addressed as such from time to time as well. Thus was the power of a legend. You are a no longer a man but an idea.
But what's done is done. No used crying over spilt blood now. He turned around, the pedestal to his left, his Edo Tensei minions to his right. As he walked towards the stone protruding from the cavern floor he stopped, a quizzical expression on his face.
'I could have sworn I put the necklace down on the pedestal…..'
But it wasn't there. For a second, he wondered if the thought wrong and was about to check his pockets when he noticed something.
"Where's Kisame?"
The other Edo Tensei Akatsuki members looked around, lost, before shrugging their shoulders.
Tobi's eyes narrowed in thought. He gave no order for the former mist ninja to leave. These dead shinobi of his had no personalities anymore as he wiped them out upon resurrecting them. They would simply follow orders or stand there doing nothing.
And why was his necklace miss-….
After a few seconds, his eyes widened.
He spun around to the fallen body of Sasuke and stared at it incredulously.
His hands went up in a seal and he halted flow of his chakra before letting it burst out again.
"Kai!"
There was a poof of smoke.
"Masaka!"
[Next Chapter]
When the smoke cleared, there was the body of one of the patrolling white Zetsu clones.
Tobi's eyes widened, in realisation.
And then he turned around and walked away.
"I'll see you later…... Dobe" He said, before blending into the darkness.
The shadow left behind took a step into a ray of the moonlight that shone through the canopy, illuminating his features. A grin on his face before he called amidst a chuckle, "Take care… Teme"
Naruto disappeared.
His team was very quiet, even Suigetsu, but Sasuke made paid no heed and they all walked past each other smoothly except for a subtle nod from Jugo and a whisper from the big man.
"It's done."
Sasuke gave no sign that he heard Jugo's words and continued to the main room.
He saw Kisame's arm draw back as he swung the large blade.
Sasuke only had time to close then open his eyes before all he could see was black … as Kisame's form was swallowed by the flames of Amaterasu, burning his arm off before it finished its swing.
Quickly Sasuke pulled himself out of the hole in the wall and used his Blaze release to shape the flames away from Kisame's chest. He pulled out the seal he prepared earlier and slapped it on, as the Edo Tensei began fading away.
Clutching his ribs, he ran to the room where Jugo should have left it.
Entering the room, he saw the White Zetsu clone on the floor, paralysed from Karin's jutsu.
Sasuke ran through some seals and crows came all around him till one with the Sharingan eye went right in Zetsu's gaze.
"Kotoamatsukami."
Zetsu's body relaxed and stood slowly. He walked over to Sasuke and touched the Uchiha's shoulder, drawing out some chakra before making a seal.
When he finished, his body melted into a clone of Sasuke.
Sasuke henge'd into Kisame.
"Let's go."
"Hai, Sasuke Sama."
'Kisame' watched as Tobi approached 'Sasuke' with a kunai. Looking to his left the other Edo Tensei members had no need to let their eyes wander and focused on their master. Kisame discreetly palmed the necklace, while backing out of the room slowly, not making a sound.
Naruto's smirk turned to a full blown grin as he said his next words.
"No matter how dim it gets… you can never really put out the will of fire."
Tobi lifted his head and screamed to the heavens.
"Sassuuuukkeeeeeeeeeeeee!"
The body of Kisame was already in full sprint running in the direction of Suna.
"Kai."
The shark like hide melted into pale skin, revealing the body of Uchiha Sasuke.
Something bounced and glinted off his neck with every step.
The Shodaime's necklace.
Read and Review
AN:- Soooooo. I liked it. :P Pacing is off at times. Not the best chapter I've ever written but having been stuck on it for the past couple weeks I'm happy it's done. The first part is meh but I enjoyed the second part. And it's not too short either. ^_^
I love how all those hints I put in finally came together for this one scene. Who noticed Sasuke's attitude to Tobi ever since he got the necklace for him?
Also I love FMA:B so the song was just a perfect fit. A plan coming to fruition like Mustang sama. So awesome.
NB: I'll explain how Sasuke got to use Kotoamatsukami briefly in the next chapter.