Yin and Yang

Chapter 16

First off, I would like to appologize for how long it's been taking to update this. I have a lot of crap going on right now, most of it I would rather not discuss. I'll try and get back on my normal updating schedual as best I can. Again, I'm very sorry. *bows and hopes for forgivness*


"It's getting cold." Sakura shivvered. They were nearing the northern boarders of Rock country, and there was a light dusting of snow on the ground from a storm to the north. Mikka tossed her a thick traveling cloak as she put one on herself.

"We must begetting close then. Suposedly we're following the same path that the team from cloud took." Salem was off a little ways by herself, a hand up to her ear and nodding.

"Hey Salem! Whats up?" Kakashi called.

"I think we're being followed." Came the reply. "Right... uh huh, bye, i'll speak to you later." She then lowered her hand and tugged her cloak hood up.

"Being followed? By Who?" Hunter asked.

"Zetsu says an Uchia Sasuke is coming."

"SASUKE?!!" Naruto and Sakura yelled.

"Zetsu?" Kakashi gave Salem an uncertain look. "That plant Akatsuki member?"

"Uh huh." Salem nodded. "He's my little stooge." She smiled, Kakashi and Sai both sweatdropped. She was quiet, but potentially dangerous. Sakura and Naruto were meanwhile badgering the Suna shinobi for information about Sasuke. "Zetsu say's that he's with three other people, in a group dubbed 'Eagle,' they have ahigh potential to be a serious threat." Naruto and Sakura both cast their downcast faces to the ground. They had thought they had their friend back.

"Lets move out! " Opal called. She had picked up her pack and had moved a bit away from the group.

"Stay close Opal! we could get lost out here!" Hunter yelled.

The group pulled closer together and tied a rope around eachothers waists. The storm was comming in, and they weren't taking any chances. After only a half hour of leaping from icy rock to icy rock, they were forced to stop and set up camp in a small cave. hey had a fire going in no time, and a cover over the cave entrance, courtasy Mikka who was a bit like Deidara was, and specialized in controling earth. They bagan to talk and get to know eachother, trading stories of missions and of home life. All Sai would say about the Root division of Konoha was that it was boring, and the rest let the matter drop.

not long after they settled down, they were inturupted by a muffled bang, and a large crack appeared in the wall of earth that Mikka had erected. The eight ninja got into fight stances, and focused on the wall. There was a moment of silence, then a loud bang caused the wall to colapse and the cave was filled with the dusty soil blown about by the bomb.

As the air cleared, it revealed a polar bear and on it's back was a person clad in baggy gray pants, a thick gray coat, and a headband. Kakashi's eyes narrowed as he deciphered the symbol on it, a Yin-Yang.

The shinobi took one look a the group and with a few speedy hand signs, a wall of ice seperated them. Kakashi looke dover at Sakura. She nodded and stepped up to the wall. with a single punch. she shattered the ice, and they were off, chasing the bear and ninja through the calmed storm.

The mysterious ninja looked over their shoulder, and tossed several bombs, which the Suna and Konoha ninja eaisily dodged. There was muted swearing and the bear picked up the pace, passing under a natural arch. As the others passed under it was well, two more ninja dropped before them as a wolf howled. They too bore the Yin-Yang, one on it's arm, the other around it's neck. The Suna girls were held up by these two ninja, letting Kakashi, Sai, Naruto and Sakura chase down the other, who was making a break for a gorge in the mountains before them.

Sai took the lead, and got close enough to leap and tackle the ninja on top of the bear, sending the pair tumbling down into the snow. Sai quickly pinned the ninja's arms and legs, so they couldn't attack. He sook the snow out of his eyes and hair, and when he saw who was below him, his eyes widened and his grip tightened slightly.

"Great job Sai!" Naruto cheered. Sai didn't answer, just kept staring down at the kunoichi below him.

"We got the others." Mikka called. Kakashi looked over his shoulder and saw that one ninja in goggles was tied up by one of Salem's puppets, his wolf also helpless, and the other ninja with a fox was wrapped up in a scroll by Opal, while Naruto had restrained the bear the same way he'd restrained Atka during the Chuunin exam.

Sai stood slowly, keeping a strong grip on the ninja he'd restrained, reciving angry glares from her.

"Don't run." He said as his grip loosened.

"What are you DOING?" Naruto yelled. Sai ignored him.

"We all thought you three were dead."

"Dead?" Scoffed a familear voice. "Like hell. Man this sucks...caught by a girl..." Every one looked at the ninja restrained by Opal's scroll.

"Senji?" Sakura asked tentitavly. "What are you guys doing out here?"

"We'd like to ask you the same thing." Marou said as Salem let him go.

"We were sent on a mission by both Konohagakure and Sunagakure to investigate your dissapearence." Kakashi said. The three ninja exchanged looks and filled the awkward silence by petting their anamls. "We have a bit of an advatage here. If you've abandoned Cloud, we'll have to take you back by force."

"We never abandoned them."

"Saiya!" Marou snapped.

"What do you mean?"

"The deal was when they accepted to train us, was that in return for our training, we would serve them in dire need only. They knew we would be leaving after our trainining was compleated. But they didn't like that idea after they saw how well we worked as a team, and our skills."

"Saiya, you're mother will kill you!" Senji muttered.

"The original idea was to get allis."

"Alli's?" Naruto asked, cocking his head.

"It was Daddy's idea." Marou slapped a hand over her mouth, reciving a look that could kill.

"She's said more than enough. Tell Cloud we are not dead, and that we have not abandoned them. Tell them to review the files if they must. We will return upon call."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa... Not so fast, there are WAY to many holes here. I'm confused." Opal waved her hands around, and Saiya recived glare from both her partners.

"It is not our place to diclose confidential information." Marou said.

"Wait, not your place..." Kakashi was now among the confused. A horn blew in the distance, causing everyone to look up and toward the sound.

"Ah, shit. We dont have a choice. Lets get inside the village!" Senji yelled as he and Miki headed for the gorge.

"I don't get it! What's going on?!" Mikka yelled.

"The storms second wind. Even though you could be enemy's we're not gonna let you die. So come on!" Marou said. He pulled on two of the Suna girls arms, and they all moved within what seemed to be their villages enterance several minutes later. This was was confirmed as large wooden doors shut with a slam and they moved below the surface into a natural cave. The people atop the gates had followed them inside, and they had shut the wooden doors that fit the cave enterance.

"You guys don't take any chances, do you?" Kakashi asked.

"We like to conserve heat. We open them between gusts so people caught out in the others that could find shelter can get inside. Not a lot make it." Senji said. The large group rounded a bend and all not native to the area were stunend by the livliness.

Somehow a small city had gone unnoticed by all the world. It was easy enough to seperate the districts, from homes to resutrants to the market, the Leaders house was easiest, as it was the largest and centered in the very back of the large cave. At the very enterance to the city, was a statue of what the eight outsiders figured was the founder. To Kakashi, Naruto and Sakura, it seemed oddly familiar. They then turned their attention to the walls where large torches were lit with roaring fires beide which, huge stock piles of wood and coal had been placed. Above these were holes drilled into the cliff to act as chimmineys, funneling the smoke out of the cave.

As they ventured in further, Sai began to see faces he recognized, and whipped out his 'little black-book' as Naruto had jokingly began to call it. He flipped through it at top speed, comparing faces, becoming more and more confused as they moved on.

"Hey, Sai, whats up?" Naruto asked.

"A lot of these, they're all missing Ninja." Sai said. "See? There's this guy here. Level 3, running a noodle shop."

"And you'd do best to keep your mouth shut." Marou growled. "He's my uncle." Naruto gulped. Saiya's face lit up sudenly and she ran up to the large house at the back of the cave as they approached it, arms outsretched.

"Mama!"

"Saiya! How's my baby?"

"I'm good."

"And how are you boys?"

"We are well, M'Lady." Senji and Marou said happily. Saiya's mother looked at the Suna and Konoha ninja a with pericing purple eyes.

"What are they doing in here?"

"They are shinobi and kunoichi we met in the exam. The village hidden in the Cloud grew worried when we left, and apparently thought we were dead, so Suna and Konoha sent this group to investigate. There was a storm outside, we couldn't leave them out there." Senji said. Saiya's mothers expression changed imeadietly, giving some a mental whiplash.

"Welcome, then." She smiled. " I am Momochi Yuki, Leader of this village. You are welcome to stay as long as you need."

"Thank you my Lady." Kakashi smiled.

"No problem. Come in, come in." Yuki stood and led the way inside, chatting animatedly with the three young ninja beside her. Shoes were dropped off beside the door, as well as coats. Marou reached for his goggles as it seemed to be habit, but he caught a glimpse of their unexpected visitors and seemed to think better of it. Saiya rolled her eyes but did nothing more than that.

The whole group got into lively conversation, surprising for being so newly aquanted. Through a little careful questioning, Kakashi was able turn the subject to the village they were in.

"How long has your village been here?" He asked.

"Not very long." Yuki said. "But nearly twenty years, I can hardly beleive it."

"Believe it, My lady." Senji grinned. The entire company laughed out loud, the konoha Ninja more so as 'believe it' was Naruto's infamous line.

"So almost twenty years? my goodness." Mikka exclaimed. It must be hard to start a shinobi village out of nothing."

"Well, they all were you know." Yuki smiled. "Every last Shinobi village out there in the world today, how do you suppose that they came about?" All eyes turned to her. "Without the rebelious ninja, the missing ninja, and a countries willingness...these villages would not have come into being.

"We are no acception. My husband first met me here sixteen years ago. We married and began this village together. Saiya was our first very real joy. Haku was next. poor boy was all alone in the streets.

"Not to long after, missing ninja began to creep in from the south, we did all we could to help them make it here safely. Some wanted to use the village for revenge, others merely for shelter. Many agreed with the creation of a new village, and became a happy part of it. So many killers having a chance to relax." Yuki smiled and put a hand over her heart. " It's almost as if they are all our children."

"I understand, my lady." Kakashi smiled. Naruto nodded but then his face drooped.

"Haku? I've been getting Deja-vu in unhealthy amounts lately..." He muttered Sai peered at him curiously.

"I have not seen you take any medication." Again, the room laughed.

"No Sai." Sakura smiled. " Deja-vu is a feeling that you get when you see or hear something you think you've seen before, when you really haven't. And now that you mention it Naruto, so have I. No offense guys, it was when you appeared. That's when it all started."

"None taken." The three Koorigakure ninja said in unison, making Yuki and the rest laugh. Naruto gazed sullenly around the room, trying to figure out where he had heard this Haku's story before, when a wedding photo caught his eye. He got up to look at it, ignoring the current conversation of Sunagakure. He smiled when he saw a happy and blushing Yuki, in a fancy white kimono. She most likely came from a wealthy family. Her groom was dressed in something simple, seeming to say he wasn't one to always dress up. Naruto's gaze moved from the man's feet up, his eyes narrowing the further he got. when he saw the mans face, his eyes popped out of his head.

"WHAT THE HELL!!!!!!!!!!!!"


Heh, lol. i hope you all liked this chapter. Again, sorry about the late update. for explanation, reffer to the begining. i'll try and update next week ^^