Chapter Twenty: The Trader
Hey guys, only a few more chapters left until the end. So here's the next chapter and I really hope that you enjoy it!
A few minutes later Sasuke turned his head and looked towards the door. "Sakura, Keiko, you can come in now." He said as both of the girls stepped out of the hallway and into his room.
"How are you feeling?" Sakura wondered.
"Much better." Sasuke began. "Itachi cured me." He told her as Keiko miserably hung her head. "Keiko, are you alright darling?" he questioned her.
"I'm sorry Sasuke-Kun," she began. "I never meant to hurt you." She told him.
"Oh it's alright honey, it's not your fault. I should have known better." He told her before he stood up and walked towards the door.
"Where are you going Sasuke-Kun?" Keiko asked him before he stopped and turned over to look at her with a grin.
"To make a little phone call." He told her.
…..
"I still don't get what we're doing." Sakura said while Sasuke carried Keiko out of the hospital and to the curb.
"We're splitting up." Sasuke explained. "I'm taking Keiko home and you're going to go find Naruto. That way you two will be able to stick together just in case Orochimaru sets foot in the village. I have to make sure that Keiko's safe." He told her. "And Kakashi should be here any minute now." He added and sure enough a few seconds later Kakashi was speeding towards them on his motorcycle.
"Wow, did you call that or what?" Keiko questioned him as Sasuke chuckled and kissed the top of her head.
"Alright darling, first of all we need to set a few ground rules." He told her before he sat her down on top of the bench in front of them. "If we run into Orochimaru and I tell you to run you run, if I tell you to hide you hide. Understand?" he asked her.
"Okay Sasuke-Kun." She told him as Sasuke smiled at her before he kissed the top of her head again while Kakashi finally brought the motorcycle to a stop by the curb in front of them. "Okay now sweetheart, stay still. I want to see if this fits you." He told Keiko as Kakashi brought him a tiny pink helmet.
"It should." He told him.
"Do you trust me?" Sasuke asked her as Keiko nodded.
"Yes I do Sasuke-Kun." She told him as Sasuke fit the helmet on top of her head and then strapped it on tightly. Meanwhile Kakashi bit his finger and then slammed his left hand down on top of the ground afterwards.
"Summoning Jutsu!" he cried before all of a sudden a pack of his ninja hounds appeared. "Alright fellows here's the scoop. There's a chance that Orochimaru might be back in the village and I need you to track down his scent." He explained while Pakkun glanced up at Sasuke as he picked up Keiko.
"Alright, what have you done now Sasuke and who's the girl?" he questioned.
"For once I haven't done anything." He began. "And this is Keiko, Sakura's little sister." He told him.
"Well, I guess that would explain the pink hair." Pakkun began. "So why do we have to be on the lookout for Orochimaru this time?" he wondered.
"Because he's after Keiko." Sasuke blurted out without thinking about it. Keiko gasped and turned her head over to look at him in complete and utter shock and bewilderment.
"Why is he after a little girl?" Pakkun wondered as Sasuke simply just shook his head.
"Because she isn't any ordinary little girl, she has magic powers." He explained.
"Oh I see,.." Pakkun began. "are you a witch then?" he questioned.
"No. I know how to bend chakra. I taught myself how to when I was four years old." She replied.
"Ah, I see,.. well that explains why you don't seem all that shocked that I'm a talking dog." He said.
"Pretty much." She told him as Sasuke sat down on top of the motorcycle and Keiko sat down behind him.
"Whatever you do hold on and don't let go." Sasuke instructed as Keiko obeyed and Kakashi sent his ninja hounds on their way. Sasuke put on his own motorcycle helmet and started the engine before he sped away into the night.
…..
Keiko couldn't believe how fast they were going and a wide grin stretched a crossed her face as she suddenly felt the wind going through her hair. They both could hear the dogs up ahead and from the sounds of their barking and snarling, Sasuke guessed that they had been closing in on Orochimaru. The good news was that his hunch had been correct, the bad news was that they were now straight out in front of him. After leaping over a dirt hill he suddenly hit the brakes while watching Orochimaru slowly emerge from out of the shadows.
"Well, well, well,.." he hissed. "Sasuke Uchiha, we meet again." He said with a sneer. "And that must make you Keiko Haruno." He guessed.
"Leave her alone!" Sasuke snapped before he turned his head and looked back at Keiko. "Run Keiko! Go find Naruto and Sakura!" he instructed as Keiko nodded before she quickly leapt up off of the motorcycle and ran away as fast as her legs could carry her. "It's me you want remember?" Sasuke questioned him.
"You're wrong Sasuke." Orochimaru began. "You were the one that I wanted. That is, until I found Sachi." he hissed.
"Now that we're on the subject of my niece,.." Sasuke began. "Where is she!?" He demanded.
"Oh she's perfectly alright." Orochimaru began again. "Yes don't you worry your pretty little head about that. You see Sachi has been working for me all along. She agreed to give away your location in exchange for her freedom." He explained as Sasuke gasped and widened his eyes in shock as he suddenly realized that his last blood relative was a trader. "Now, why don't you say that we pick up right where we left off? The sooner I kill you the sooner I can get to Keiko. And then her powers will be mine forever." He said with an evil sneer.