The Kunoichis That Didn't Belong Ch. 23

Disclaimer: I DON'T OWN NARUTO!


Recap: "Ah! Finally!" Ino cried as they came off the mountain pass without any more mishaps.

Temari grinned. "Hey guys. Glad to see you finally made it."

"Good, we're finally out. And they don't know we're here either." Shikamaru said as they finally exited the pass.


Time: 7:00 am

Place: Bear Mountain Pass

Date: One Day from Meeting

"Ugh! Get up, get up!" Sakura shouted to her team, shaking them.

"Huh? What is it forehead?" Ino rubbed her eyes sleepily.

"We're going to be late if we don't start moving!" Sakura exclaimed.

"Eh? But it's only seven . . . we should be able to have another hour without any mishaps." TenTen said, sitting up and rubbing her eyes.

"Yes, but in case you have forgotten, we need to scout out the area and become familiar with the landscape and location in case we have need of an exit." Sakura replied.

"Hinata can do that." Temari pointed out.

Sakura glared at them. "But it's better to be safe than sorry when dealing with Orochimaru. You know how much trouble he caused back then . . . and how he easily backstabs others left and right."

" . . ." They carefully considered her words before reluctantly getting up and putting their things away.


Sasuke and his teammates were all awoken by Sakura's rather loud shout to her team.

The shinobi, so out of it, would have replied out to the girls if not for Shikamaru, who preparing for a case like this, had Shino send his bugs and cover the others' mouths with a cloth. They were surprised for a moment, and would have struggled, but this time, Shikamaru had awoken and quietly told them to be still.

After listening to the conversation of the kunoichi, Shikamaru motioned his hand. It was time to move out.


"How much farther until we reach the village?" TenTen asked as they ran along.

"About twenty more miles." Hinata replied.

"What time will it be then?" Ino asked, leaping on tree branches.

"About 5:50 or so." Temari replied from above Ino.

"Do you think the gate is open?" Sakura asked, from behind Hinata.

"They should." Responded Ino.


Time: 8:20 am

Place: Pelilent Village

Date: One Day from Meeting

The girls had entered the Pelilent Village without much fuss or resistance. Claiming to be merely tourists, they walked around window-shopping before going to check out a hotel room. Sakura went and bought supplies along with other goods. Temari and Ino inspected the village under the guise of touring. TenTen gathered information of the village and Hinata was left to find a place to stay.

--5 hours later--

"Well?" By this time the girls had gathered sufficient enough information about the area of the village, and had now met up at a restaurant that Sakura said sold excellent dango. It was now eleven o'clock and they were deciding how to best proceed with the plan.

"It's pretty much safe and peaceful around here. The people are pretty nice. There's no other shinobi around, as far as I can tell." Ino offered.

TenTen nodded. "Yeah. The history of this place is pretty much clean. No battles or anything."

"How should we get to the place and when?" Temari asked.

Sakura took a bite of her food. "I think we should just walk there. It doesn't exactly take very long. Do we need to buy anything else?"

"Um, should we really talk about that here?" Hinata asked, softly.

They looked at her and changed topics, now more alert of the shopkeeper, and a handful of customers around them.

"Right. So what did you find in the village, Sakura? I hope you didn't spend too much money—I haven't exactly bought anything yet!" Ino said in a teasing manner.

Sakura scoffed. "Me? Spend lots of money? Don't take me for you Ino—I'm not that selfish unlike you."

They proceeded to jest at each other quietly as the other three ate the food while watching them amusedly.


"What have they been doing for the past hour?" Gaara asked Neji who was on the roof.

"Nothing. Only sitting there and talking. I don't think they're going anywhere anytime soon so we can probably relax for an hour or two." Neji replied. "What does Shikamaru say?"

"Same as you. You can go now, but in disguise so they don't know." Gaara replied.

Neji nodded. "Okay. I will check up on Shino and Naruto then." He walked away and began climbing down the building.

Gaara took up position behind the chimney, his aqua-green eyes observing the village, and his tan-colored clothes fanning out into the wind.


Shino kept walking with Naruto beside him, both adequately disguised as touring merchants of a different village. Naruto, thankfully, was keeping quiet, so his loud voice would not be recognized. Neji found them walking by a stall of firecrackers.

"How is the merchandise?" Neji asked in what he hoped was a casual merchant tone.

"Very nice. It was quite good quality." Shino replied.

"Yeah it's great!" Naruto said, trying to keep his voice low.

"That's good." Neji said.

"So . . . how are they?" Naruto asked, eyes looking around at the stalls.

"They haven't moved. The others are staying at the hotel right now." Neji replied.

"What is the plan for now? Follow them?" Shino asked.

"No, stay in disguise for now. Actually, if we let them be for now, it may be alright." Neji said. "They don't seem to be going anywhere."

"But we should still watch them!" Naruto exclaimed.

"Yes, the boats are certainly uniquely designed." Shino said, covering up for Naruto's loudness when the some people glanced their way.

"I'm going to look over there." Neji pointed to the far west side of the village.

"Right. We'll keep looking over here." Shino replied.

The Hyuuga left the two walking between the fireworks stalls and the firecracker stalls.


Sasuke paced the room as Shikamaru looked at the maps on the table. Eying the Uchiha, Shikamaru finally spoke. "Sasuke you might as well help me go through these maps instead of pacing like a caged animal."

"Why do you need those maps for?" Sasuke asked, coming to stand next to the table. "We already know the area and you've made a plan for tomorrow."

"That's true. But we still need back-up plans. That's why I'm going over the surrounding terrain of the meeting place tomorrow." Shikamaru told him. "Something may go wrong so it would be best to prepare for anything."

Sasuke gave him an annoyed grunt but took a seat anyway.


"Okay so do we need to get any tools?" Sakura asked. "We did loose some in that fight you know."

"Right. What do we get if they don't sell any here?" TenTen asked.

"No, they do sell them here. But they're a bit pricey." Sakura said.

"Mhm." TenTen took another bite out of her dango.

"We should get going now." Hinata said, she and Ino moving to stand.

"Right." Temari, Sakura, and TenTen also stood, and Ino left some money on the table.

Walking, the five casually exited the restaurant, and went around town.


Time: 9:20 pm

Place: Pelilent Village Local Hotel

Date: One Day from Meeting

Sakura glanced at the others. "What time is the meeting?"

"Twelve exactly." Temari said from her side of the room.

"It only takes about an hour to get there from here." Hinata told them, sitting up on her bed.

"Right. So who's going to go to the exchange?" TenTen asked, lying on her stomach.

"We're all capable of going and not get killed." Ino pointed out.

"Yeah, but this is Orochimaru we're talking about." Temari said.

"Is it actually going to be him or someone else under him at the exchange?" Sakura asked.

"Whoever it is, we should dress carefully." Hinata said.

"Right! Should we go for the mysterious look?" Ino asked, lightening the mood.

"Eh, it should just comfortable enough for us and easy to pull out concealed things in a hurry." TenTen said.

"Right. So how are we going to decide who goes?" Ino asked. "Rock, Paper, Scissors?"

The five glanced at each other before facing and playing against each other. It was then decided that Temari, Ino, and TenTen would go.

"Well, think about it. Me with pink hair and Hinata with white eyes is definitely a no-go." Sakura pointed out.

Ino tossed her long pony tail. "Forget that, how wide is the bridge? Will we have room to move? Will he?" Getting chosen to face their enemy had set Ino's mood to serious.

TenTen shrugged. "According to what I found out, horses are able to move across it with ease."

"But isn't it just a plane wooded bridge?" Hinata asked, confused.

"The people must have lied then. Rumors always stretch the truth." Temari said.

"We should get some sleep." Sakura said, and leaned over to turn off the light.


Time: 10:00 am

Place: Northern outskirts of Pelilent Village

Date: Day of Meeting

Ino, Sakura, Hinata, Temari, and TenTen walked out of the small village at ten o'clock in the morning. They weren't going to take any chances, but Rayku and Raika had warned them not to be earlier than the agreed time. They were, after all, playing by their enemy's rules to ensure that the scroll would be theirs. No chances on that matter could be taken, despite the kunoichis' views. So they were walking to the waterfall north of the village at ten. By the time they arrived, it would well be around eleven or so, leaving them only an hour before the time of the meeting.

--20 minutes--

"Remember, Sakura, Hinata. Stay hidden as much as possible. Even if we seem to need help, we'll somehow manage on our own, so secure the place in case he tries to run from the deal." TenTen said while walking down the path. The mentioned kunoichi nodded, Sakura slightly annoyed.

"Geez, we know what to do already!" she exclaimed, sounding exasperated, but that was just to get rid of her worried unease for the other girls.

"I have the envelope. This thing sure is thick and fat though." Ino said.

"Just don't loose it Ino." Temari retorted.

"This way!" Hinata pointed, walking towards the wooden post with the other kunoichi behind her.


"What time is it now?" TenTen asked as they stopped on path leading to the waterfall. Only a few more steps through dense trees would take them onto a bridge.

Checking her watch, Hinata replied, "Eleven forty-seven."

"Alright. You and Sakura should start going undercover. We'll stay here until its eleven fifty-five." Temari said.

Nodding Sakura and Hinata departed towards the surrounding forest leaving the other three alone, with Hinata activating her Byakugan immediately.


Sakura gasped slightly as she and Hinata saw the scene before them. Hinata, too, was shocked.


Here is chapter 23 of The Kunoichis That Didn't Belong! Thank you all for taking the time to read this and patiently waiting for the next updates!

SPECIAL THANKS to my reviewers!

Neguru Sucashi: I didn't think I was, but I sorta am, aren't I? ^ ^ Thank you very much for your support throughout the chapters of my fanfiction.

WolfGirl: I'm happy to have your support!