Thank you so much for all the support for this story, and I'm sorry for taking such a long break! Basically I forgot to update, didn't have time, or just didn't have the energy to. Or I was away. And then when I tried to upload documents the site wouldn't let me upload them. But that's fixed now, so please enjoy chapter 9!

Zetsu, Tobi, Pein and Konan had decided to take the "avoid all fights except ones with Orochimaru until Hidan and Kakuzu had been found and retrieved" option. It was working, if you counted being chased by about thirty ninjas down a thin corridor as a plan working.

"I'm starting to think it would be easier to just defeat them here so we didn't have to run so fast and waste so much energy," Tobi said. "This is getting slightly stupid."

"How about everyone except Pein stays and fights?" Zetsu suggested. "He can go and find Hidan and Kakuzu, or fight Orochimaru, and we get rid of thirty pursuers."

"It could work," Pein said. "Let's go with it."

So whist Pein ran on ahead the other three stopped in their tracks and turned. "Attack!" as Tobi felt inclined to bellow as they raced towards the Sound ninja.

Pein silently cursed Orochimaru's maze like hideout. He had figured out that there was one main path, if you veered off you ended back on the path, except for a few exceptions. But there were doors everywhere, and he found out that checking all of them could get him killed when he opened the door to a large snake which almost devoured him whole if it hadn't been for a timely fire jutsu. It also took way too long. But it had to be done. Why hadn't he brought all the Paths of Pain? He cursed his stupidity as he opened another door.

"Hello Leader."

Pein recognised Orochimaru's smooth voice straight away. He walked into the room, and the door slammed shut behind him.

"Hello Orochimaru," he said, his eyes narrowing at the sight of the Snake Sannin. "Care to share where Hidan and Kakuzu are?"

"They've already been found sadly," Orochimaru said. "I've have to go and retrieve them."

"No," Pein said. "You won't."

"Oh," Orochimaru said, smiling. "And why's that?"

"Because you're going to die right here," Pein said, withdrawing and lifting a kunai.

"Ah, but Pein my dear boy," Orochimaru said. "Don't you remember, I could have killed you all those years ago. But here you are now, alive and well. You owe me."

"You couldn't be any further from the truth," Pein said. "This is Yahiko's body. His dead body. Only me and Konan live. You didn't kill us because Jiraiya and Tsunade would have stopped you. I owe you nothing."

"How ungrateful," Orochimaru said. Pein rushed forward.

"Which way is out?" Deidara yelled. "We're gone past this place before!"

"It all looks the same idiot!" Itachi yelled.

"Shut up and run!" Sasori yelled. "It's gaining!"

"It" in this case was a large boulder. As in the ones you get in Indiana Jones. Yes a large boulder was rolling after the group of six. Kisame had tripped over a wire, and a large trapdoor in the ceiling had opened up and let lose a boulder.

"Help!" Deidara yelled as they turned a corner. Unluckily however, the ground was tilted in such a way that the boulder followed them.

"Kill them!"

"Hey guys!" Tobi yelled as he appeared with Zetsu and Konan from a different corridor, followed by about fifty ninja.

"You guys, sprint forward and follow us!" Itachi bellowed.

"Are you trying to kill them? The boulder will get them!" Deidara yelled as they ran on.

"I'm hoping it won't get them," Itachi said.

"A boulder? Holy freaking crap!" Zetsu yelled as he and the others appeared and sprinted after the others. Several screams were heard as most of the Sound nin didn't realise the boulder was there and ran straight into its path. They were crushed. Then, because the ground was tilted, the boulder shot towards the rest of them, crushing them.

"That worked well," Konan commented. "I see you found Hidan and Kakuzu."

"Yeah. Where's Pein?" Kisame asked. "Wasn't he with you?"

"We split up so we could fight and he could look," Konan said. "We haven't seen him since."

"So now we have to find Pein?" Sasori said, sighing. "Great."