"Your wounds aren't too bad," Ningyou said as she bandaged up Itami's various injuries, "Good thing you have the Deva Path."
"Yeah," Itami winced slightly as she tried to flex her shoulder, "And that was just the Two-Tails."
"You believe that the number of tails determines the power of the Tailed Beast?" Karasu asked, walking into the room.
Itami shrugged one shoulder. "It makes sense to me."
Sutetchi poked his head through the doorway. "Leader-sama wants all the clones, with the exception of Itami, Kuroi, and Shiro, to guard the base while the Akatsuki extracts the Two-Tails."
Ningyou and Karasu left the room, leaving Itami staring indignantly out into the hall. I can fight just fine even with an injured shoulder, thank you very much! Even so, she didn't disobey her mentor and stayed in the room.
…
"Say that again, damn shark!"
Sakan grinned at Fumetsu's reaction. "I said if Nendo and Itami are so weak, why are they the first ones to capture a Jinchuuriki?"
Sutetchi and Tenchi rolled their eyes. They would never say it out loud, but both of them actually missed Fumetsu and Sakan's daily fighting. The others clearly didn't.
"Guys, shut up for once, will you?" Shiro complained.
"Make them stop!" Ningyou begged Karasu.
"Like hell we'll listen to that genjutsu-obsessed coward!" Fumetsu snapped at Ningyou.
Karasu stood up and towered over Fumetsu and Sakan. "Shut your mouths," she hissed, "Or I will put you into an infinite genjutsu."
"She told you," Nendo smirked.
"Shut up, all of you," Kuroi appeared from the wall, "The Akatsuki can hear you all from inside, and it's interfering with the sealing of the Two-Tails."
"How long do we have to stay here?" Tenchi asked.
"The sealing takes about two days, but Leader-sama only requested that Itami and Nendo stay for the entire time. The rest of you can set out again whenever you like."
"I thought he wanted all of us to stay," Sutetchi said.
"He changed his mind."
"Good. We're off." Ningyou grabbed Karasu's arm and dragged her away.
Fumetsu shot Sakan a last glare and headed in the opposite direction of the two kunoichis. Sutetchi sighed and followed, keeping a distance between him and the angry ninja.
"Let's go, Sakan," Tenchi said. Sakan sneered at Fumetsu's retreating figure before following Tenchi south.
"You know, it does get a little lonely without the others around," Shiro remarked to Kuroi.
…
"The clones sure love arguing, huh?" Kisame chuckled.
"Correction. Your clone and Hidan's clone love arguing," Sasori said.
"Why does my clone have to be so annoying?" Hidan fumed.
"Now you know how we all feel about you, hmm?" Deidara sneered.
"Enough," Pain cut in before any more Akatsuki members could join the argument, "There is something I wish to discuss with you all since everyone is here."
Silence fell as all attention went to Pain.
"Zetsu has told me that there have been Sound Ninja loitering around the main base in Amegakure. Now, I'm sure you know that the Village Hidden in the Sound is where Orochimaru is."
Various murmurs of assent came from the members. "Is the old snake finally making a move?" Kisame muttered.
"That is highly possible. Of course, he hasn't made a noticeable move yet, but I want all of you on your guard."
"What about our clones?" Sasori voiced the question everyone was thinking.
"I will call them to the main base if any threat is detected. All of you should report to the main base, too, if that happens."
"Finally, some action!" Hidan exclaimed, "It'll make a nice change to the boring schedules we have."
Pain glared at the immortal. "This is no laughing matter. Orochimaru has been isolated for so long; we do not know what kinds of new abilities he has learned. If we don't take this seriously, we may lose the battle."
…
"It's very nice of you to come here today," Orochimaru smiled.
The clone glared at him. "When are we going to start the war?"
"Have patience. I've already set up spies. We'll be able to attack in a few weeks, as soon as I have enough information."
"You promised that we would destroy them!" The clone was getting aggravated, "Don't tell me now that it was just a lie!"
Kabuto stepped out from the shadows. "Orochimaru-sama is not lying. You will get to fight the Akatsuki and your fellow clones. Extra preparations just need to be made."
They watched the clone struggling to calm down. After a couple seconds, the clone sighed and said, "Fine. Just make it as soon as possible. I don't want to wait any longer."
"You won't." Orochimaru's eyes flashed as he watched the clone leave.
Anybody want to take a guess as to who the traitor is? I won't tell you if you're right or wrong; the reward will be the feeling of satisfaction you get when you finally find out. Reviews are welcome, and enjoy the story!