Chapter Four: Hope comes from the Darkness

AU: Soooooo sorry for not updating since like FOREVER!!! Finally i've got a break and I have some time to write! Hopefully my skills are getting better, and you DON'T kill me Hehehe...

When Naruto woke up, he was surprised to find it was still raining, as well as pitch black. He groaned and rubbed his head. It was far too early to be awake. He looked to his right to find that Jiraiya was also beginning to stir. He sat up carefully, and jumped when there was the sharp rumble of thunder, along with the bright flashes of lightening. He looked to the entrance of the cave, where he saw a small shadow of a person. He cautiously reached to his shuriken, until he saw Inari lit up by the bright flashes of light. He gave a sigh of relief, and she snapped her head toward him.

"Good...your both awake. We need to get moving, quick." She whispered softly and quickly, her tone very troubled. Naruto looked to see the sage softly make his way to the entrance where she was crouching.

"What makes you say that?" She merely put a finger to her lips and motioned for him to listen. Naruto watched as the man's eyes slowly narrowed. "I see." Confused, Naruto activated his own sharp, fox-like hearing. What he heard, wasn't good.

Deidara ran amongst the trees, following the strong trail chakra that leaked from the girl. For whatever reason, she was leaking abnormal amounts of it, and not bothering to cover it up. Odd, because she knew she was being tracked...she knew who they were, and what they wanted. In the back of his mind, Deidara wondered if it was a trap of some sort. Although he was weary of the fact, he ignored it. He was absolutely not going to miss this opportunity.

Meanwhile, Tobi ran lightly across the ground, staying surprisingly quiet. Every now and then for good measure however, he would hum a tune and skip rather than run. Deidara only rolled his eyes and focused on the trail. He was only hoping the old sage wouldn't be anywhere in sight this time. If she was anything like he expected, she would most likely be alone. Sadly, he didn't think this was the case. As much as he liked a good fight, he didn't want to mess with the old sage. He paused for a moment and jumped on the ground where Tobi gleefully ran into him.

"Ow! Why are we stopping Senpai?" The elder akasuki member glared at him.

"I need to know if she's alone, or if she's with anyone else. And if she's still injured...that way I can know where we stand." He sifted carefully through the various scents in the wind, and amongst the ground. He couldn't find anything, but the man was an experienced Shinobi after all, he couldn't expect him to make a rookie mistake. He slapped the mud angrily and began to follow the trail again. Tobi trailed behind him humming yet again. He growled to himself.

"Tobi, if you don't shut up I swear..." He heard a light, "Aw..." behind him, but the humming ceased and He was focused yet again on the trail. He grinned with excitement when he reached the small clearing. She was definetaly here. There was wreckage all around in the trees and on the ground, and the air was thick with her chakra. He sniffed in the high energy and held in his excitement with difficulty. When the others saw what he had found...There would be no telling the reward he would get! But then again...he laughed to himself. Why share this with the others at all? If he could learn to control her, he would be the most feared shinobi of all time. Yes...if he could achieve it, there would be no telling what he could do! With her power, he could wipe out all nine of the other tailed beasts at once! He chuckled deeply and gave a feral smile. She had officially become his prey.

"I don't like this." Jiraiya muttered. They could all hear the Akasuki members getting nearer and nearer with each breath. Naruto could hear his heart pounding with excitement and adrenaline. His hands began to shake on the Kunai he held. He swallowed hard, feeling his newly prominent adams apple bob. He looked over to Inari. She was still in the same exact position, her eyes glaring out into the rain. It was as if she was waiting for them to come. As if she were as excited for the fight as Naruto. He didn't think it was possible, no one could get so worked up for a fight like he could. Jiraiya had often commented on it, a tone of amusement in his voice. The sage suddenly stood up, and caught both of the teens' attention.

"We need to get out of here...neither of you need to be involved in this, and we need to get as far from them as possible..." Inari shook her head.

"That won't be possible...they have a good trail." Jiraiya closed his eyes and swore sharply.

"Why the hell didn't you mention earlier you were leaking so much damn chakra?!" She turned away and hung her head with shame.

"It...didn't catch my attention. I always leak this much chakra, I had forgot about it...I haven't been tracked down like this in quite some time. And if I hold in chakra...It can be hazardous." Jiraiya slammed his fist on the ground. He growled lightly and took in a breath.

"Can you hold it in long enough for us to get away?" She shrugged uncomfortably and then took a high posture, holding her self with pride.

"Yes...however this is my problem, and I want to fix it rather than just wait for them to show up next time. I won't run." The sage turned to glare at her.

"You're a fool. You have no idea about their power! They caught you last time, what makes you think this time will be any different?!" She chuckled darkly.

"I can guarantee it..." Jiraiya shook his head.

"Fool...you're marching off to you're own death!"

"I doubt it...Look, let me fight them. I can guarantee there will be a better outcome for all of us...And I owe it to you to keep you safe..." The sage looked at her for a long while.

"You don't owe us anything." She smiled sadly.

"Actually...I owe you quite a lot." She stood up, rolling her neck. "I won't be long..." A shiver of excitement went down her spine and she dashed out the door with uncanny shinobi-like speed. Jiraiya pulled back when the wave of chakra hit him. It was like a wrecking ball. Thick, heavy, and sweet smelling, with a killer intent. It made the neck on the back of his neck stand up and bristle. The very feel of it gave him a shiver down his spine.

Naruto felt the wave and hissed through his teeth. He had only felt a few chakra's like it. None of them had belonged to an ally. He gripped the kunai in his hand tighter as he heard the Kyuubi chuckle deep within.

"Kukukuku..." If Naruto could've punched the beast, he would've. Everytime something particularly dangerous came along, the fox was there sitting in the back of his mind, laughing, waiting for Naruto to use more of his chakra. That, and he enjoyed watching the boy suffer.

"Shut up you stupid fox...I don't see what's so funny about this. This is the akasuki, you could be a slave for all eternity if they catch you." Naruto snarled mentally at the beast. He got another chuckle in return.

"Kukuku...This time I'm laughing over an entirely different matter boy...I know the chakra you are feeling." This got Naruto's attention.

"And?" The fox growled.

"I'm not your slave boy, I don't have to tell you anything." Naruto snarled viciously.

"Tell me you stupid bastard fox! What the hell is going on?!" All he heard was a low rumble of laughter and the beast lick his teeth in anticipation. He growled and turned his attention back to the sage who was glaring out into the rain.

"Well, are we going to go help her?" The man sighed.

"I suppose so...I'd rather not have her blood on my hands" And with that the two leapt into the pouring rain. Jiraiya looked for the trail of chakra that had been leaking from her and swore.

"She's shut off her chakra...we won't have the luxury of tracking her down the easy way...let's hope they haven't gotten too far." Naruto nodded and began to look for signs of a trail. Luckily, in the past years Jiraiya had taught him how to properly track. It hadn't been and easy task, but he finally mastered it, and could now track down a single lizard for several days. He just needed the tiniest bit of a trail...a broken twig, some displaced grass or moss, even the rare imprint of a footstep would help.

The two searched around for a sign of direction, and couldn't find anything. The sage cursed angrily. At this rate, she could be long gone by now, and they would have no idea where she went. It was insane! He had heard her mention running with ninja for a short while, but not really joining officially. But with these evasive skills, she could damn well be a jounin . Jiraiya thought hard as he searched for the trail. This made her even harder to trust...The akasuki were after her, she claimed to not be from any official village, had a familiar scent and chakra to both Naruto and himself, and now she had the potentially deadly skill of a shinobi. If only he could get a few more details from her...

His thoughts were suddenly cut short as he heard smelled the sharp chakra in the wind of the storm. It wasn't far from here... about a few miles or so to the northeast. He was certain the chakra he found was the akasuki's. It had to be...who else could be out here?

"Naruto! I think I've got them! Follow me!" Naruto snapped his head out of a large tree and nodded. The two then took off at the fastest speed they could go toward to the chakra they had found. It was seething, and crackling in the damp air, drumming as if it had a heartbeat. Jiraiya was certain he had found the right one. They had to hurry...and he had to be right the first time. She had the evasiveness of a shinobi, but he doubted she had the skill to defeat an akasuki member. Hardly anyone he knew did...

It only took about two minutes to reach the now powerful scent of chakra, and the two figures standing in the middle of their abandoned campsite. Although it looked to both Jiraiya and Naruto that a battle had broke out, they remembered (very embarrassingly) that all the smashed trees and broken ground in the area was their fault from earlier before. When they had reached the site, Naruto had almost rushed out straight into battle, before Jiraiya grabbed him.

"What are you doing?! Haven't I taught you anything?" Naruto glared at the sage.

"Come on! What are we waiting for? I thought we came here to do something!" The sage took the boy's head in his hand and turned it to the two standing in the field.

"We," He said carefully as he too stared at the scene, "Are waiting for the same thing they are. The beginning of the battle. If, that is why they're here..." Naruto looked at the man in confusement.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, we don't know anything about this whole predicament, or about her." Naruto observed the scene again. The two were simply standing there in the rain, both dripping wet, staring at one another. Neither spoke, neither moved. It hardly looked like a battle, much less the beginnings of a battle. The sage spoke again, softly. "...How are we supposed to know this isn't some sort of meeting? This could've been a trap for me and you." Naruto swallowed slowly again. "We are waiting to see what this is, and what will happen." The boy nodded, his eyes never leaving the two. Finally, after quite some time, the akasuki member spoke, a smug grin on his face.

"So this is it? You won't even make the first move? You know...I've spent some time tracking you, as have many. I want to see what you can do. I want to see what you're capable of..." He spoke with a wild fire in his eyes, a slight spark of madness and desire. It made Naruto's stomach flip flop at the sight. It was the same look Orochimaru had...the same look Sasuke had when he left.

The man waited patiently for her to talk back, but she merely held her head high and stared at him. He chuckled.

"Nothing to say? Really? Come now dear...I want to know what you have to say...I want to know what you know..." He tilted his head and began to pace in a circle. She stayed calmly in her place, her eyes following him as much as possible. The man continued. "You must know some fascinating things after all. You've been though so very much..." He made a full circle, observing her closely, as if she were a fine work of art. Finally, she moved. But it was nothing of notice. She merely pulled a small comb with a dainty red flower from her sleeve and pushed her hair back. She then slowly reached down to her long white skirt and ripped some of it off. She tossed it to the side and resumed her position. The man barked out a laugh.

"Are you finally ready?" She kept still. He chuckled and sauntered over slowly to her. She swallowed hard as he progressed nearer.

"Oh the things you will tell me when this is through..." He seemed to disappear and then reappeared behind her. He took her long white locks in his hand and felt their soft texture. "You truly are a fine beauty...a work of art. But that's to be expected...after all, with age comes beauty. And you my dear, have-" Naruto watched as the man was cut short by a swift kunai to the collarbone. He cried out in surprise and pain and leapt away. Inari was holding a bloody kunai in her hand, and a small grin on her face.

"You men...so easily distracted." The man in turn grinned maniacally.

"Well, now that I know we're no longer playing around...It's time to get down to business." He twitched his right hand and a giant white bird swooped down and picked him up. She whipped around, following him with her body, and flung a handful of shuriken and kunai with all her might. The man barked out a laugh and dodged the weapons easily.

"Come now! I thought we were over the games!" Inari smirked.

"We are!" and the kunai and shuriken came whirling back, this time with a completely different formation. It was as if they had arranged into a ball of some sort. The man flew from the objects yet again, only to have them follow him perfectly. Like they had a mind of their own. They twisted and whirled about him, flying in intricate patterns. The man gritted his teeth angrily and threw something into the weapons, a moment later exploding, and creating a brilliant flash of light. At that moment, all of the weapons seemed to drop, as if let go by whatever invisible hand was controlling them. The blond haired man seemed to notice this, and began to throw more of the small explosives into the air. With another bright flash, the weapons fell to the ground, and he gave out a victorious laugh. But his victory was cut short as his bird was suddenly taken from under him and whisked away into the forest as he fell to the ground. It looked as if he were about to fall 200 feet from the ground, until he flashed intricate hand signs making the ground shoot up from under him and fly him away safely from the ground. He aimed his view back at Inari, and darted toward her, his long blond hair whipping in the wind. She kept a calm expression, and then suddenly he was whisked from the rock, and she dodged the small piece of earth. The man looked around incredulously as he was suspended in mid-air.

"What jutsu is this?!" She began to float up toward him, her hand running through her hair.

"This...is what you would call darkness jutsu. I control all the darkness. Everything around you at the moment..." She smirked as the water dribbled gracefully down her face. "As long as you're in my environment, you can't get away with anything." The man's eyes were wide with fear as hers bore into his very mind. "You're not...afraid of the dark are you?" She purred into his ear. Suddenly, they were both thrown back as yet another explosion rang out in the field, lighting up the night. Inari fell a few feet before being caught again, while the man continued to fall, and finally hit the ground. He was breathing hard, but rose easily, much to her surprise.

"That was at least 100 feet, I'm surprised you're standing." He laughed, and she looked at the ground to see it had softened into a dark, thick mud that had simply sucked him down at his will rather than crushing him with the surface tension. Inari laughed.

"Clever, but..." The man backed up hesitantly, and was suddenly swallowed in darkness. He gave a cry out, before being smothered and lost in the dark. The mass lifted him high in the air and held him there, bubbling and stretching in and out as if it were a living being, trying to eat him for lunch. Inari was then too lifted up to be at eye level with the dark mass. She had a heavy lidded gaze as she held her hand out to the mass and stroked it as if it were a pet. There was a hallow look in her eyes and she said nothing for a long while. Eventually she drew in a shaky breath.

"Sadly...I think I must let you go. It would be unwise of me to kill you right now..." She licked her lips and closed her eyes. "Although...I do say it is quite tempting..." She sighed and let her hand drop, releasing the man, who went tumbling toward the ground yet again. This time, unconscious, he hit the ground with a reassuring crack while Inari flowed gracefully down, and kneeled down by his unconscious body.

"I don't know who you are...But I know what you want. And you're going to have to try so much harder. Trust me when I tell you, you won't be seeing me again." She whispered low and with a threatening tone. She straightened and looked out into the forest.

"And for his friend...I suggest you take him and leave before you come across a much worse fate." There was silence for just a moment before another man dashed out quickly and grabbed the unconscious member. He flashed Inari a quick look before prancing away with a giggle. She raised her brows, but said nothing. She looked toward Naruto and Jiraiya, and smiled. "And you doubted me."

(~~~~~~~~~~~~~~)

The two stared incredulously at the battle. It was incredible. They had never seen anything like it. The darkness...Shikamaru's shadow jutsu was a cousin to it Naruto supposed, but this was on an entirely different level. In this dark they could hardly see anything, and when the kunai and shuriken suddenly moved of their own free will, it was mesmerizing. She could take anything, anyone out of the air or on the ground, and they would never see it coming. Nor could they stop it. Your only chance was either a flash of an explosion or lighting. It had taken them quite a while to figure out what was going on, but Jiraiya finally sucked in a gasp of air.

"Darkness jutsu...Incredible" Naruto looked at him questioningly. "You know about this jutsu?" The sage nodded. "I've seen it once or twice...It's an incredible jutsu. Damn near unbeatable unless you have a good light source." Naruto watched the battle with wide eyes. It was indeed an incredible jutsu. Who would've guessed a strange girl they found in the woods would have such a power? If Orochimaru went against such a jutsu...Naruto's heart pounded. With someone like her on his side, he could damn near beat the snake bastard. He felt low for feeling that way, but He wanted to convincer her to stay...to go to Konoha, and resume her place as a shinobi, and help him find Sasuke. He was shaking with excitement now. The prospects of rescuing his friend had never seemed so good...

He was snapped out of his reverie as the man next to him took in a breath of shock. Naruto snapped his eyes back toward the battle, only to find the man was gone. "Where-?" Jiraiya pointed at the dark spot in the sky. He was in awe. It was difficult to see, but there was a slightly darker ball in the sky, where Inari flew up to, and watched. He watched her carefully in turn. He could just barely make out the expression on her face. It gave him the chills. It was the same look he had first seen on Gaara. Bloodthirsty and tired. Lonely and lost. Like the world was dead to him, and that was the way he wanted it. She spoke a few words, but Naruto couldn't make them out.

"What is she saying?" Jiraiya just shook his head. He wasn't sure either. Then suddenly, the man was released from the mass and came to the ground, hitting it hard, and unconscious. Inari kneeled down and whispered more words to him. And as hard as Naruto tried, he couldn't hear her. He longed to know what she was saying. What was in her eyes. It frightened him to see that look in another human being. It wasn't right, and as long as he lived, he would make sure that no one he knew ever had that same look or feel to them. The life Gaara had lived...was a cold, dismal world full of loneliness, and in it he had turned to murder and blood. And Naruto was sure, that if both him and Gaara could be happy, so could everyone else. Though it sounded ignorant to some ears, it rang in others. As much as everyone hated to admit it, He had the charismatic ability to change lives for the better.

When he turned his attention back to the scene, he saw Inari call out something as she looked out to the forest. Not a moment after, another akasuki member dashed from the trees and picked up the unconscious man, only to dash away yet again. She watched him leave, with an amused expression on her face, and she turned back to face Naruto and the sage with a smile on her face.

"And You doubted me." She said it with a triumphant tone, and took a step toward the two, only to crumble to the ground. The two leapt from their spot to land beside her. Jiraiya pulled her up and laid her on her back. She groaned.

"I'll be fine...My chakra is just...stubborn." She lifted herself up to prop up on her elbows, and groaned again. "Ugh...I'm gonna be sick." And she was true to her word. A few moments later, she was in some bushes a few feet away, hacking and gagging on the vomit that left her system. Naruto didn't even know how she still had anything left to vomit. He hadn't seen her eat anything in the past days, since she claimed she was getting rid of the poison. It seemed that it wasn't the case. Jiraiya agreed.

"Why is it, that if you use even the tiniest bit of chakra, you get sick to your stomach?" He raised a brow as she walked back over to them with shaky knees. She pushed her hair back from her sweaty brow.

"I told you, I have stubborn chakra, and I'm stubborn in return." The man snorted.

"You really didn't tell me anything." She turned away and swept her hair in front of her face again.

"Actually I've told you quite a lot. Not my fault you're slow..." Jiraiya fumed angrily.

"I am not slow!" Naruto chuckled. The man wasn't technically slow...but he did often seem like it. But then he grimaced. He wasn't entirely one to talk. His eyes got wide.

'Oh no! I've turned into a mini Jiraiya!' He crouched on the ground pouting as he drug his finger in the dirt sadly. Jiraiya turned his attention to him.

"Something wrong kid?" Naruto hung his head and faced the sage.

"No...." The sage smiled and slapped his back.

"Alright then! Time for us to move, and then I can get back to my new book! I'm almost done did I tell you?!" Naruto sighed and gathered up his pack, ready to go again. He looked back at Inari, who was surprisingly ready to go again, her legs strong, and her eyes focused. Naruto shrugged his shoulders and began to run after Jiraiya. She followed closely, her hair whipping behind her, and her eyes focused straight ahead. Naruto wanted to talk to her, wanted to know if she was like Gaara..if she was lost like he used to be. He wanted to know if she was going to Konoha...and if she would help him. And it was as if she knew he wanted to ask her this, because she shied away from him and eventually ran ahead, a couple feet to the right of Jiraiya. The boy sighed. He supposed he wasn't entirely sure how to ask her anyway, there would be no point right now...

He felt a light, happy feeling in his chest. Determined. He hadn't felt this good in a long while in fact. He had a feeling of hope for his friend, and for his village. He was getting stronger, and he knew it. He was only a few months off of going home, and if all went according to plan, he would have the strength and help necessary to defeat Orochimaru, and bring Sasuke home.

AN: Ok so! I finally got some cursing in here, and a little action which was definetaly needed! Some cool new jutsu, and a ton of other stuff! I'm going to try to update faster, but i really do need reviews to keep me motivated! If you don't like something, and you think it would make the story better if I changed it, please please please press that button down there and let me know!

Also, just so we're on the same page, I'm lengthening the time that Naruto spends in training. Which means, I'm also lengthening the time sasuke has to keep his precious body, and the time that Naruto has from the akasuki. Other than that, I will be sticking to the original story as much as possible, unless I change it to suite my story! So just remember, time change, and ideas. I definetaly need ideas! And if you wanna see some other couples in here, also let me know, and if you wanna see some Romantic conflicts (Not that there won't already be some!) let me know. In the meantime, I'll try to get plugging away on the next chapter! Thanks!