The Path A Ninja Walks...
Chapter Forty-Eight
Let's Make A Deal
A/N: WARNING-The character known as Sage Amesawa uses a lot of profanity and colorful language as part of his "colorful" personality. Be prepared if you are sensitive to that. Please note it is not because I condone such manner of speech, and also the character does not mean to use it as a way to be harmful, it is just his personality.
"This is turning into a real mess..." said Anko, sitting in the serveilance room of the tower.
Orochimaru is wandering around...
She recalled to her last run in with him in the Forest not too long ago...
with a hand over her now re-birthed curse mark on her neck.
She had him...
She was so close...
But now... she was so useless.
"...But there's no way we can cancel the test..."
She sighed.
"What do you mean?" questioned the Anbu that was with her.
But before she could explain herself someone had come in with some bewildering news.
"What is it!?" Anko huffed, "We're talking about someting important!"
"I'm sory ma'am...but it's this tape...you have to see it."
The man came in skiddishly, slipping in a VHS of the security footage,
"Now, when you watch this...pay special attention to the time..."
The footage that was displayed was of the Sand Ninja... wandering the Tower upon their arrival...but something about it seemed off...and caught Anko's attention.
"But that means..."
"That's right." said the guard, "This footage was recorded from inside the Tower." he stated, "These Sand Ninja completed the test only an hour and thirty-seven minutes after it started..." he pointed out, "They've completely destroyed the record of finishing the second test..."
"But...that's impossible."
"It took just ninety-seven minutes..." he said, "Nothing like this has ever happened before...those ninja from the sand village are way above genin level...they beat the record by four hours."
"It's not just that." stated Anko.
"What do you mean?"
"It's ten kilometers from the gates to the Tower...and inbetween that are viscious creatures, poisonous insects, not to mention the other Ninja...could they really have avoided all of those things?" she stated, "Especially the brown haired kid in the front." she pointed out.
"What's so special about him?" asked the Anbu.
"You mean you didn't see?" she asked.
It took a coupe of play throughs before they finally took notice.
"I see..." they said, "That is quite a surprise..."
"I still don't get it." stated the guard, "What am I supposed to be seeing?"
"It's what you're not seeing." said Anko, "Look closely at his body."
"...I see it now." said the guard.
"Not a single scratch." said Anko, "And I haven't been able to spot any dirt on his clothing either..."
"It's been a long time since we've had such a promising candidate..." the Anbu stated, "But those eyes...are the eyes of a monster..."
I am here, Saseme...
Gaara thought to himself as he stared out the Tower Window into the distance of the forest...
Now...We're waiting for you...
xxxxx
The weight of their feet bent the branches as they traveled swiftly through the trees.
"I can't believe it's been four days already and we still haven't found our way out of this stupid forest!" Hana huffed.
"Yeah no kidding." said Sage, "And it's not even because we're not any good...but literally just because neither of us seem to be good at directions!" Sage huffed, "The Proctor specified that the tower is at the heart of the forest..." said Sage, "That's the center, but when you've been knocked around all over the place left right and sideways it's hard to determine where the hell the center even is at that point!" he huffed, "They should have given us a damn map or something!"
"Not to mention we probably took too much time to recover and recoop from all of our battles..." said Hana, leering at Saseme.
"I'm sorry." she apologized, "I admit- I over did it more than I should have- but we can't think about that now!" she stated, "We only have 24 hours to find our way out and we'll waste more energy fighting about it."
"Well...at least by now most of the competition will have been weeded out." said Hana.
"So we can travel a little more freely more or less so long as we avoid all of the other frantic desperate bitches who are scrambling around for the last scroll."
"More than just that." said Saseme, "Think about it...what's the best tactic to use when searching for the scrolls you need to pass in an area as large as this...?" she questioned, "To crawl around on your bellies through the forest floor for them?"
"Uhh...No?" Sage said awkwardly.
"Damn right." said Saseme, "The best point of tactic to use is to make the targets come to you." she stated, "So think about it...it's the last day of the Exam- the remaining, as Sage stated- frantic desperate bitches- will be gathering at the Tower in the center- The Goal point-"
"I get it." said Sage.
"So it's going to be like an Ambush then." said Hana, "All of the remaining teams without the set they need will be waiting here, hiding, to jump a team for one last hoorah at their chance to pass-"
"Exactly." said Saseme, "Which means we will be group enemy number one upon our arrival."
"God Dammit, this shit really isn't going to be so easy, will it." Sage huffed.
Gaa-chan and the others are probably already there waiting for me...
Saseme thought to himself.
He may have did me a favor...but I really gotta wonder if it's a favor at all...
Because he's certainly not going to come to our aide this time...
"There's more..." said Saseme.
"God dammit, bitch how much more could their possibly be to this problem!?" Sage huffed.
"...Collectors." she stated.
"Collectors...?" Hana blinked.
"...Even when you think you're home free...if your drop your guard even for a second you're sunk." said Saseme, "Collectors...those who will gather extra sets of scrolls for various means...like bribing their way out of a jam, granting their village mates the one they are missing...or just to keep others from rival villages from passing..."
"Huh...yeah an exam like this is exactly the kind of thing to pull shitty assholes like that out of the wood work..." said Sage.
"In other words..." said Hana, "The Close we get to the Tower..."
"...The more difficult it will be until we can make our way inside..." said Sage...
xxxxx
The Tower stood tall in the center as night was beginning to fall.
Finally they had found it.
But the tension all around the area was hard to miss.
"This is it..." said Saseme, "Guards up, all of you...The Tower's just in the distance...but hidden within that short distance between us and it...will be our biggest challenge yet."
Saseme gasped softly as her eyes caught onto a glint in the night-
"Get down!" She said, ducking her team mates into the shrubbery as a Kunai came at them pinning a massive centipede to a tree.
The Uchiha girl whinced.
HOLY SHIT THAT THING WAS BEHIND ME AND I DIDN"T EVEN NOTICE IT!?
"Eeeeew! EW EW EW EW EW Blaaaaah~!"
"Saseme, you dumb bitch- SHHHH!" said Sage-
"False alarm-" a familiar voice called out.
It was Naruto's.
"It was just a centipede-"
"Then what was that scream!?" came another-
" Is that... Sasuke?" Saseme sniffed as the foliage began to shuffle- and behold...none other than a Surprised Sasuke came through.
"Saseme!" he called to her, Rushing to her side, "I knew that was you- are you okay!?"
"...Sasuke..." she blinked in relief.
This was him this time...
Really him...
"SASUKE!" she called his name again and threw herself around him sobbing.
"HEY! WOAH! Saseme what the Hell!?" asked the Twin blushing awkwardly, "What on earth has gotten into you!? You haven't hugged me like this since we were 7..."
"You know...she's so bad ass in literally any other aspect or situation..." said Sage, "But god forbid you bring a bug anywhere near her path..."
"...And she skitters like a cockroach." Hana snickered.
"All this, over a bug!?" Sasuke huffed, "Jeez..."
"Excuse YOU mister but did you see the size of that thing!?" Saseme huffed, "I've faught SCORPIONS that were less terrifyingly HUGE!"
"...You do know those are bugs too, right?" Sage chuckled.
"...Actually they're aracknids..." Saseme sniffed and hugged her knees, pouting, bringing about an awkward blush and soft chuckle from her twin brother who sat down beside her.
"I guess...some things never change, after all..." he chuckled softly and patted his hand to her back, "There, there Saseme...I'm here..." he cooed, "...And the next time a bug comes along...I'll squash it for you, all right...?"
Sasuke...
Sakura thought softly to herself as she watched the twins who initally act all prickly around each other, for this single moment, seem so soft and so warm.
...I don't thik I have ever seen Sasuke be so soft before...
She smiled warmly and giggled.
...It's cute.
"I see...so that's your twin sister is it, Sasuke?"
"Back Off, Kabuto..." Sasuke warned with a sharp glare.
Kabuto...?
Saseme blinked and slowly shifted her eyes up
That's the guy from the written exam...
She thought to herself.
I see...I knew we weren't the only ones who would take notice of this predicament...
"Hey. Easy there, Sasuke." Kabuto chuckled with his hands up defenseively, "I already told you, I have my scrolls." he stated, "I was merely thinking about if maybe we should have her join in our little alliabce, that's all."
"Alliance?" Saseme blinked right along with her team mates.
"Right..." said Sasuke shifting his gaze to his twin, "Saseme...don't tell me you're missing what you need too?" he blinked, "And please don't tell me it's the same one..."
"On the contrary." said Sage, "we already have both of our scrolls." he stated.
"Yeah we were just running around lost in the woods for a few days after being all disoriented..." said Hana.
"Pft...be that as it may..." said Sage, "Saseme was merely helping us prepare for the biggest challenge ahead of us between here and there..." he pointed to the tower.
"The collectors." said Kabuto, "So you caught onto that too."
"...Yeah." said Saseme.
She still didn't trust this guy...
"All the more reason that maybe it's a better idea if you join us." he said to her, "With you and me having both scrolls, we're gonna be public enemy number one." he stated.
I see...
Saseme thought to herself and shifted her gaze to Sasuke.
That means Sasuke's team is missing one of the set...and they're running out of time...
"How about this..." said Sasuke, "We leave your scrolls alone, IF, in return, you help us get ours."
"Say WHAT!?" Sage huffed.
"What do you say, Saseme? Think of it as a favor for twin your brother? Please?"
Please?
Saseme twitched.
Sasuke never says please...he must REALLY be getting desperate...
She thought for a moment and pondered the deal at hand.
"You can't seriously be thinking about taking that!?" said Hana.
"...Actually I am." said Saseme.
"What!?" Sage huffed, "Are you kidding me!?"
"I hate to say it, but Kabuto has a point." said Saseme, "We are a team of three with both scrolls in our posession...We're public enemy number one." she stated, "I'm still mad at my brother but I would certainly rather have him WITH us than AGAINST us..."
"That's true..." said Sage.
After what we witnessed with those Sound Ninja? Sasuke is definitely not really a guy I wanna piss off...
"Besides that, there's safety in numbers, right!?" said Sakura, "With your team of three alligned with our team of three...plus Kabuto...that makes 7 of us they will have to try and take down..."
"You need to go to the Tower." Sasuke reminded, "And we need to get there...so..." he held out his hand, "...Is it a deal? Saseme?"
The Uchiha girl eyed her brother's offered hand.
She...
Wanted to be mad at him...
She...
Wanted...to HATE him...
But...
I simply...can't...
She thought to herself.
He's all I have left...and I almost lost him... again...
But... now I...
She looked up at her brother's dirtied face...
And she sighed.
"...Fine..." she said softly, "...It's a deal."
To Be Continued