Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any of its characters, (sob sob) Kishimoto Masashi is the lucky one. Please No Flame

This chapter is dedicated to my friend Alex. Who is the first person I know who has cared enough to even go on Fanfiction.

Italics=thoughts

Chapter 8: Business

Kurenai shared a weary glance with Asuma, and then turned to face Anko.

"This is a long story. So be prepared and DON'T INTERUPT!!" Anko nodded along with all the other occupants of the room.

"Well when you left, things started to get hectic. The Shinobi leaders sounded the alarms and searched everywhere for you. When they couldn't find you they informed all Shinobi on the headquarters to stop any woman who came near the border line. Shizune and I heard them.

Then they sounded the alarms again. But this time it was the main alarms. The Shinobi knew that you had escaped and that the police would be here soon so they scattered. It was an every man for himself kind of deal.

That's when Asuma and some other Shinobi broke into the Kunoichi compounds and let us escape. Shizune and I stayed with Asuma and some other Shinobi, Genma. Strange guy that one; he was sucking on a needle. But anyway, Asuma took us out of the headquarters and too his house in Konoha. Then you guys found us and convinced him to join the Rebel Group."

The red-eyed Kunoichi's story was met with a stifling silence.

"Wow!" spoke Anko. She looked again at Asuma,

"I suppose that since you rescued my friends I can forgive you for fighting me." The man opened his mouth to remark on this comment but seemed to think better of it when he saw the murderous look on Anko's face. Asuma turned to Minato,

"Orochimaru knows about this rebel group. He is going to try and stop it. I propose that we strike him and his followers before they can act." Minato put on his serious face, which wasn't something you saw often,

"You have a point. But right now we don't have enough recruits to do a full area scan for him. We have connections with the Uchiha Police, and they are doing their best to locate him. We've narrowed down the possible locations of his hiding places to: Suna, the Hidden Waterfall City, the Bloody Mist City, the Hidden Rain City, the Hidden Sound City, and the Hidden Cloud City."

Asuma sighed and shook his head.

"That's practically every city in the land. We'll have to wait and strengthen our defenses against any attacks."

Anko frowned. She was being pulled back into a clump of memories she didn't want to visit.

Flashback

"Master Orochimaru? When will we get there?" The small girl questioned the snake man.

"All in good time. Be patient Anko." Said the man as he ruffled her purple hair.

Anko grumbled and looked out the car's window in time to see a 'Welcome to the Hidden Sound' sign pass bye. She stared out the window and gasped as a huge mansion came into view.

"Who owns that mansion Master Orochimaru?" she questioned. The man laughed,

"I own it Anko. The Hidden Sound City is my home and will soon be yours too. The people here are loyal to me."

Anko nodded, still stunned by the monumental mansion.

End Flashback

Anko's eyes snapped open.

"The Hidden Sound." She said in a monotone voice. Minato paused in his conversation with Asuma. He looked at her curiously.

"What did you say?" Anko began to pace the room, drawing worried looks from Asuma, Kurenai, and Shizune.

"I think that Orochimaru and his followers are at the Hidden Sound. Orochimaru once said that the people in that City were loyal to him. He had a huge house there too. It seems like the most likely choice for him to go." Minato nodded, deep in thought. Asuma had a pensive look on his chiseled face. Kurenai and Shizune looked confused about something.

Kakashi was sleeping on the couch. . . Again.

Shizune was the first to break the silence,

"Did you know Orochimaru before you were kidnapped by the Shinobi?" The teen nodded with a grim set to her mouth.

"Orochimaru adopted me when I was young. But I was sent back to the orphanage quickly. Snake-man isn't exactly the fatherly type."

Asuma snorted. "You can say that again."

"Snake-man isn't exac-"

"I was joking."

"Oh."

Minato broke in. "We will send out our forces to the Hidden Sound. It's the best chance we have. If we stay in Konoha any longer we risk attack. There are innocent people here in Konoha and they deserve to be kept out of this trouble."

The blonde met Anko's gaze levelly.

"Anko. We will need you to come with us. Your knowledge of Orochimaru and his hide-out could be invaluable to our cause. It is your choice whether or not you will come. You have every right to refuse us and stay out of this tangled web we've woven."

The teen didn't even glance around the room, she spoke immediately,

"Count me in! You ain't goin' nowhere without me. I've been waiting to give Orochimaru a taste of his own medicine."

Minato gave her one of her signature grins, his blue eyes sparkling happily. "I knew you'd say that! Now I'm going to go check in with the other Shinobi. They'll be happy to finally take action."

He bounced, not walked, bounced, out of the room. But he paused in the doorway and looked back.

"Kakashi will of course be coming with us."

Then he left, leaving the poor purple-haired girl to stare after him in horror. Anko then turned to face Kurenai, Asuma, and Shizune.

"So Kurenai. Are you and Asuma. . . Together??" The two people in question looked slightly worried. Shizune answered for them.

"Yes. They are together. They've been together since the day that Asuma broke into the Kunoichi compound and freed us. Kurenai was beating up some of the Shinobi. It was love at first punch."

The woman looked skeptically over at her friend.

"I'm still not sure what she sees in Mister Tobacco though." Anko cracked up at this nickname. Kurenai was not pleased.

"Yeah! Well at least I didn't fall for Genma, the needle boy. Who chews on a needle?"

Anko snapped her head around and stared at Shizune, then at Kurenai.

"You people are FRATERNIZING WITH THE ENEMY!!!" She shrieked. She sat down on the couch's armrest and curled her legs up. Then the teen had second thoughts about sitting down so she stood back up and snatched Asuma's cigarette out of his mouth.

"Smoking is hazardous for your health you looser! And you risk infecting others with second hand smoke!" She shot the cigarette at the trashcan and made it in perfectly.

Silence

Silence

Silence

"Soooooo." Started Kurenai. "What have you been up to lately?" Anko smiled.

"Well Minato ran into me at the club where I worked. He recruited me into his rebel group and I've been working here ever since."

The girl looked at Kakashi who was passed out on the couch. She groaned and lifted him up slightly to clear a space on the couch. Then she sat down. Kakashi, who was still asleep, attempted to reclaim the couch by pushing Anko off it. He failed, and Anko pushed him off the couch.

But Kakashi wasn't an elite ninja for nothing and he managed to wake up and land in a fighting stance before he hit the ground.

"Asuma! Long time no annoy. Nice to see you again." He smiled under his mask. Then his phone started ringing.

Duh-nuh-nuh-nuh, nuh-nuh, nuh-nuh, Can't touch this! Duh-nuh—

"Hello. . . . Yes. . . . Right away. . . . okay. . . I love you too."

The Shinobi ended his phone call and looked up at the others, who were all gaping at him with their mouths wide open.

"Duty call. Gotta go." Without another word he stood up, grabbed Anko, and pulled her through the doorway.

Kurenai, Asuma, and Shizune stared at the doorway until the last of Anko's loud protests died off.

"Strange guy." Muttered Asuma. "A genius, but strange."