Alright, back up in length a bit! THIS chapter is about twice as long as the last one, give or take a about 200 words. :)
So, back to the forest of death, and we get to see if anything changes with Orochimaru, now that Gaar's following Naruto around like a shadow.
And of course, we'll get a couple small peeks at what a couple other characters are up to while all this is going on. Hopefully I can show how I want the relationship to go with that pair the way I MEAN to imply it...I'll let you guys decide what it looks like, and I'll tell you at the end what I'm trying for, and you can review to let me know if I'm doing it right.
notice-ff style, disclaimer no jutsu!
Haku leapt to the next tree, cursing under her breath. So far there was no gap she could easily sneak through to watch over Naruto. She really didn't trust that Gaara boy, and she's make darn well sure that he didn't hurt her new precious person. After Zabuza, it was Naruto that kept her moving on. Truth be told, she still really missed him, and she supposed she always would. He'd been more than just her master; he'd also been like her father. She always remembered the look in his eyes when he'd let her keep that white bunny she'd been chasing. She hadn't realized it at the time, but there was fondness and love there. Love for her. She missed that feeling, but he'd told her to live, and so she did.
Still, it was maddening that she couldn't break through into the forest. She didn't care about the rules at this point. She still had enough skill to sneak into the shinobi records center and found a file on Gaara. It was...disturbing, to say the least. He was barely older than Naruto, about nine or ten months, but he was already a bloodthirsty killer. His ninja record was nothing to sneeze at either. He'd been on several 'B' rank missions, and even an 'A' rank, escaping from each of them without even a scratch. It was rumored that he was a jinchuuriki, but there was no record for where that information came from so it was only a rumor.
Few children were that powerful, however, so Haku believed it to be true, thanking whoever it was that had found out that tidbit. They had even claimed it was he Ichibi, the one tailed raccoon. Additional research showed that it tended to be associated with sand, so she wasn't surprised, based on what she had observed. It was no wonder he had all this ability. Naruto may not be a match for him just now, though. True, Haku knew she had the Kyuubi, but she didn't use it like he did. She stood a chance of beating him when he finally made his move, but only a chance if she was by herself. Haku needed to be there too…
"You know, you'll never find a way to sneak through." Haku almost slipped and fell to the ground before catching her balance and arming herself with a set of senbon. She blinked as she saw who was sitting on the branch above her.
"Amaru?" Her eyes narrowed. "What are you doing here?" He shrugged as he took a sip of tea.
"I've been here for a couple hours," he said. "for the view. At least, that's what I told the shinobi guards. I have a feeling our purposes are actually closer than that, however." He drained the rest of his tea, wiping the cup dry and placing it in his satchel. "You're afraid for Naruto-chan, aren't you?" Haku's feet shifted, her eyes narrowing even further. "I know it's silly, but every time I look at Naruto, I see my niece, and there's something about her that makes me…makes me want to be assured that's she safe." He shrugged. "You, on the other hand, are her friend. You're reason for looking after her makes sense, at least." The ice user cautiously relaxed. He seemed, genuine, and that was something she'd learned during her years with Zabuza was seeing through deception. It hadn't helped them with Gato, but they'd had a feeling something was up, at least. This man, however, this man exuded true concern for Naruto. It was…surprising.
"How do you know there's no way through?" He smiled softly, almost as if reminiscing.
"Like you, I've had shinobi training. It must have been different if you don't know this already, but the second stage of the chuunin exams are guarded like daimyo. The defenses are designed to guarantee no outside involvement. There's nothing we can do for her until it's over," he said.
"Is that so?" He nodded, jumping down from the tree.
"In the meantime, perhaps I can get you something to help relax your nerves. I was trained as a medic, after all. I know what battle nerves are like, especially when it concerns…someone close to you." The girl could hear the hurt in his voice. Who had he lost? Oh, right. His sister. And his niece. She sighed, jumping down next to him.
"Thank-you," he said. "I would have had trouble convincing them to ignore you if you'd stayed. You may have fooled the majority of the chuunin guards, but there was Jounin in this area; much harder to fool." Haku winced. She was being lax if she hadn't noticed them. "Now, best not to take medicine on an empty stomach. What would you like?" Haku stashed her gear on her robes, still not sure how the take the man. He was very sincere, but he knew more than he should. Still, he reminded her of…
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Sasuke clutched his leg as the strange woman laughed. Even with the pain to distract him it was hard not to freeze in fear. The killing intent was so think he could taste it. And where was Naruto? His eyes had been flicking around for any sign of her since the first attack, but to be honest, he was hoping she left them. He knew better. He knew she would never leave them. She'd probably even fight this crazy girl with two hands tied behind her back.
Then, almost faster than the normal human eye could see, the woman zipped up the tree and across the branch he was standing on, curling around it just like the snakes she worked with. I'm going to die! The figure halted suddenly as a mass of shuriken and kunai hit the branch not inches in front of her face. Sasuke whipped his head around, looking for the source of the weapons, fearing another foe. What he saw made him both relieved, and even more scared.
"Heehee, sorry guys, but I kinda forgot the codeword."
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Anko san, I'm sorry, but we have a problem!" Anko broke the dango stick she'd been holding. She'd been thinking about the red haired Suna genin, Gaara, and wondering what he wanted with Naruto. Having one of the assistant proctors startle her wasn't on her list of calming influences.
"What is it?"
"We've found some bodies. You'll want to see this." He was wrong, of course. Anko would have preferred to have never seen them, ever. She would have preferred to never know what was out there with her little sister, and she had a feeling that her old master was after one of two things; her little sister, or her sister's boyfriend.
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"So, that's why you decided to study medicine? That seems a little…"
"Haha, yes, silly. A teddy bear is a silly reason, but I've never regretted that choice. I just wish I'd had enough skill to save those important to me." Haku nodded in sympathy.
"I, also, did not have the power to save someone important to me. He…" she paused. "It's hard to explain. Anyone looking at us would not have said so, but he was a father to me. He taught me everything I needed to know about life." She sighed. "I miss him so much…" Yashamaru smiled softly, raising a hand to place it on her head. Haku froze in surprise.
"Well, whatever happened to him, I'm sure he's proud of you. If I'd ever had a daughter, I think I'd like her to be like you." She looked at him in confusion as he stood to leave.
"What? What do you mean? You don't even know me."
"You protect your friends with all you have; that's all I need to know." He walked out of the stall, throwing one last comment over his shoulder.
"Make sure you take care of her; Naruto's one special girl, and anyone that can call her 'friend' is lucky."
Haku stared after him. How could anyone be so trusting? Zabuza always told her not to trust people, and yet…why did she like how he talked? And why did it feel so much like…
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"Naruto, get out of here! She's way out of our league!" Naruto looked at Sasuke in confusion. She didn't look to tough, but then again, Sasuke was hurt, not to mention he had a wild look in his eyes she'd never seen before, and Sakura looked like she was having trouble moving too. Had this gal really given them that much trouble?
"Naruto, please, get out of here! She'll kill us all!" That was when Naruto got another shock. He's…worried about me. He really things we're gonna die! She looked back at the other Kunoichi who was smiling at her in amusement.
"So, you managed to beat my snake after all, eh? How interesting."
"Ahhh," Naruto yelled pointing, "so you were the one behind that huge snake!" She crossed her arms in frustration.
"I was about to deal with it, but some stupid jerk took care of it right before I had the chance." That had the snake user wonder in surprise. Someone else was there to help the girl without hurting her? Was it another Konoha team? But no one should be able to defeat snakes of these sizes. They mentally shrugged. It didn't matter. This was all that was here now.
"Perhaps you'd like to try on another one, eh?"
"Heck yeah! Bring it on doll face!"
"No!" Sasuke's yell was so loud it demanded everyone divert their attention to him. Naruto's eyes widened as she saw what Sasuke was holding it. It was their scroll….their real scroll.
"You have an earth scroll. Go ahead and take this heaven scroll, and leave us be." Both his teammates stared at him in shock.
"Ah yes, very smart, bargaining, trying to give the predator a difference meal to distract it." The reached out a hand to catch the scroll as Sasuke threw it to them. I'm sorry Naruto, but I have to keep you safe! I can't let you die…what?
"What are you doing?" Naruto had thrown herself as hard as she could to intercept the scroll, real anger showing in her eyes before she promptly hit Sasuke in the face.
"What I'm doing is being a shinobi, Sasuke-kun. What I'm doing is sticking to me ninja way. What the heck are you doing? How are you ever going to beat your brother if you keep backing down from a challenge!" Sasuke stared at her in surprise. If he didn't survive, how was he supposed to do that in the first place? "We found Zabuza, didn't we? He was an A-rank ninja! We did fine against him, even if it was with Kakashi sensei. We're stronger now, so why can't we fight this guy too!" Laughter interrupted further talk.
"Yes, well, she's absolutely right, except being able to handle me." She sighed, shrugging. "I supposed should just go ahead and kill you before taking your scroll. Would have happened anyway."
"I'd like to see you try," Naruto yelled, launching herself at the enemy.
"Summoning jutsu!"
After that several things seemed to happen at once. Sasuke and Sakura screamed. The giant snake appeared, attacking Naruto. Naruto herself went flying, but before she could hit anything a giant sand cushion appeared and caught her in the air.
"Foolish imouto. I could have told you this person was out of your league." The grass nin frowned as they looked over the new arrivals. The sand trio? Imouto? There are only three children of the Kazekage, so what's going on?
"Hey! Put me down! I told you, I don't need your help, and I'm not your sister, got it!" Oh, so she fights them, does she? This is interesting… Temari put a hand on Gaara's shoulder.
"Gaara, I think you should put her down like she wants." Gaara shrugged, pulling her in and placing her next to them on the branch.
"Fine, but you should stop running off like that." Naruto, as soon as she was settled, tried to throw a punch at him.
"You jerk! Huh?" Of course, sand had flown up to protect the red haired genin and he looked at her in morbid amusement.
"All the times more experienced shinobi have tried to assassinate me, and you, without even controlling the power of the fox, think you can?" Naruto growled. "And them, you think they will help you? Look at them. He's your boyfriend, and what has he done, mmm? Is he really worthy of your trust?" Naruto looked around widely for Sakura, terrified that she'd know now while Sasuke hung his head in shame at Gaara's words. Is he right? Am I really not worthy of Naruto's trust?
"S, Sakura, I promise, I, I can explain!" If we fight this person, I can see my own death; I know I'll die!
"It's alright," Sakura said, sad smile on her face. "I, I've known for a while and, and I'm okay with it. You, you remember when he were scared about losing me as a friend? That was right after I found out." She raised her hand to give her a thumbs up. "But friends stick together no matter what! I, I may want Sasuke myself, but you got, so I'm going to respect that, and help you too stay together."
"Sakura-chan…" Gaara frowned in annoyance. This was working? She was allowing herself to still trust them? Kankuro whistled, impressed.
"Dude, you've got a friend there. Hang onto her."
"Hey, nobody asked you, Barbie!" Kankurō bit down a growl. He'd been called worse for his war paint, and Naruto was in a bit of a stressful situation.
"They're right," Sasuke said quietly. "They are. I, I haven't been worthy of your trust, but now…" he pushed himself up from his knees he'd fallen to earlier. "But now I make a promise, one that even supersedes the one I gave to my brother, Itachi." He looked her straight in the eye as he lifted a kunai, his eye switching to the sharingan, a second tomoe appearing even as he spoke. "I will never give you cause to doubt your trust in me again.
Not what I expected, but his sharingan is here. I need to find a way to make him doubt himself, though. This will be harder than I thought, without Itachi being his main drive. She glanced up at the sand trio and Naruto. And now I know about the kyuubi brat, so this hasn't been entirely wasted. Just a small roadblock.
"Alright then, come at me; let me see your power."
"Alright, let's do this!" Naruto tried to jump at the shinobi only to find that Gaara had anticipated her and anchored her feet with his sand again. "Hey, stop doing that! This is my fight!" He shook his head.
"It would be pointless. Neither of you can beat them."
"I know that! But we couldn't beat Zabuza either!"
"The demon of the mist? When did you fight him." Naruto waved a hand impatiently.
"It doesn't matter. We've faced people we shouldn't have been able to and came out on top, not that he was a bad guy in the end. But what matters now is helping my team, and I swear the same thing I did before if you let him get hurt, either." Gaara growled. He actually growled, grinding his teeth in frustration.
"You foolish little-"
"Yeah yeah, blah blah blah. I've heard it all before, 'brother,' but if you want me to live much longer, you'll let me go!" Temari and Kankuro jumped off the branch in unison while Gaara shook his head.
"No, I won't. You'll get hurt if you fight him, so I can't let you. But, until you learn better, I'll take care of it." A platform of sand appeared and Gaara stepped onto it, arms crossed and face twisted in anger. "You're staying right there until we get rid of him." Wait, he's really going to do that? It was then that she saw Temari and Kankuro already fighting with Sasuke, Temari using the huge fan on her back to fan Sasuke's flames, increasing his power. The bandaged form on the other boy's back turning out to be a hug puppet that was now shooting senbon out of its mouth at the grass nin, and they were starting to have trouble keeping ahead. After all, even if you knew who they really were, these three, soon to be four, genin were particularly talented. In just a few years they would not only be chuunin, but Jounin.
This is not the way things are supposed to go! What is going on with these fools and Naruto? I will need to find out more about this. They gave a last look to Sasuke. Next time, my precious Uchiha; next time, nothing will be stopping me from giving you my gift.
"Well, that's enough for today. Enjoy the reprieve, because it will not last!"
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What's this? Anko almost stopped, the chakra she'd been feeling almost disappearing. He, he can't be dead (thought that would be nice, even if I didn't get to do it) but why can't I sense his chakra anymore? She shook herself. She needed to keep going and find out what happened. She needed to know if Naruto was okay. Her seal wasn't activated, but she was stubborn like that. Anko had to know!
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"Alright, that's all the traps we'll need. We can finish getting to the tower tomorrow." Gaara hned as the other four lodgers in the hollow of the tree sat on opposite ends. Sakura joined her team and started to get their bedding ready. "Of course, we'll need to set up a series of shifts to make sure no one tries to sneak up on us later while we're resting." Kankuro chuckled.
"No need for that. Gaara here? He never sleeps. He'll be on watch all night."
"Wah? No, that can't be right. Everyone sleeps!" Temari shook her head sadly.
"No, not him. If he does, Shukaku takes over and goes on a rampage. Gaara can't afford to fall asleep if for no other reason than to stay in control of himself."
"I don't trust him," Sasuke said, pulling Naruto into himself a little tighter. It felt odd to be able to do it in front of Sakura, but with these three around, he wasn't going to let up his guard. He'd promised Naruto he'd never give her reason not to trust him again, and that meant he wasn't going to let them get the jump on him, either, or steal Naruto away to their stupid village.
"You'll only make yourself more tired, Uchiha," Temari said. 'Get your rest, or you won't be able to keep Naruto safe." He opened his mouth to retort only for Naruto's hand to squeeze his.
"Eh? What?" Naruto looked at him, her eyes completely open to him.
"I, I know I shouldn't, Sasuke, but Temari? I trust her. I, I can't explain, but I do. If she says we're safe, then we're safe. I know how hard you had to fight today, and maybe I was wrong to yell at you like I did, but you need to rest. It's still several miles till we get to the tower and there's no telling how many teams will be lying in wait and laying traps to catch teams like ours. Even with our fake scrolls we'll need to be able to put up some kind of fight. They won't believe that." She paused. Speaking of which, why didn't you offer her one of our fake's?" Sasuke scowled. Well, more than he was already.
"I didn't think they'd be fooled. The power they had, and their killing intent…it's more than even…" he shuddered. "It doesn't matter, though, 'cause you were right. I should have been willing to fight harder, especially to protect you." Gaara scoffed.
"Please, stop these pretenses. I know you're using my sister, so why don't you tell us all what you're using her for?" Sasuke glared at him.
"Right, I'm using her, just like your siblings use you, right? Oh I'm sure they're using you." Gaara chuckled.
"Of course they are. Using my power their own reputations have been increased, and without me they may not have made it to these chuunin exams."
"That's not true!" Gaara rounded on his older sister.
"Is it not? You never showed any concern for me before we were put on a team together. You've never cared for me, or anyone but yourself. No one does. They just pretend except," he said, looking at Naruto, "except for the particularly foolish, and they will learn their mistakes in time." Kankuro looked away as Temari shook.
"Never cared? How can you not remember…" Gaara raised an eye in skepticism.
"Oh? You think I've forgotten something?"
"Don't you remember, before you became like this? When you tried to hurt yourself?" Gaara blinked. He'd tried to hurt himself, yes, to understand others. When did she see that, and when was she talking about? She never…Gaara's head began to throb so he pushed himself off the root he'd been reclining on.
"I tire of this. Act as you will, for now. I'll be keeping watch."
"Is, is her always like that?" Kankuro nodded as Temari calmed herself, trying not to cry at the dismissal.
"Yeah, he is. He used to be a sweet kid, but our dad saw to this happening," he said, spitting in disgust.
"Um…why is he like that? What did your dad do?" The puppet user grimly at Sakura, answering her question.
"Our father put the Ichibi into Gaara as a baby, isolating him from contact with other people. He made Gaara to become a weapon, and he doesn't treat us much different. We're just 'normal' weapons, though. Gaara? He's supposed to be the ultimate weapon. We…when we were all little, we tried to be part of his life, but stuff happened and we decided it was best to keep our distance till dad stopped keeping an eye on us and we could be around Gaara without him knowing."
"What happened?" Temari, calm now, scowled.
"It backfired. We waited too long to let Gaara know that we were keeping an eye on him, that we cared. Father…he controlled our uncle, modifying his memory. He was the only person Gaara trusted, and he really cared for him, but father turned him against Gaara. This was after a few people had been told to kill Gaara."
"What? But, but he's only what? 12, 13?" The girl nodded.
"Yeah, but he was only 5 then. He wasn't becoming the tool father wanted him to be, so father tried to kill him and make someone else into a weapon. Turns out, like Naruto discovered earlier, sand completely protect Gaara, and follows every command he gives that doesn't endanger him. It's the perfect defense, acting without even conscious thought. But, after uncle was…messed up by father, e tried to kill Gaara, and that's when he stopped being the sweet little kid he'd been before. That's when he embraced death, began to enjoy killing…and stopped trusting. It was too late." Everyone sat in silence for a moment before Naruto spoke up, hesitantly.
"So, so how am I supposed to fit into all of this? If I'm your 'sister,' like you three keep saying, how does that work?"
"Naruto! You're not their sister!"
"I know, I know; I, I just want to understand 'cause…cause they really believe it!" Her team looked at her incredulously.
"What?" Temari nodded.
"Yes, we really believe it. I, I know she may never accept it, and there really isn't a reason to, so long as those that she knows keep telling her they know who he parents are. There's nothing we can do about that, but Gaara has another ability with his sand, and my wind chakra helps it.
"After Gaara was born, mother almost died. Granny Chiyo's a great medic, though, and she saved mom's life. So, dad made her get pregnant again, even though he knew it would kill her. He…"
"I overheard him talking once," Kankuro said, taking up the story as Temari hesitated. "He was mad about Gaara at the time, and he was muttering his thoughts. He made mom get pregnant again because he knew about another bijuu that was about to appear. I still don't know how he knew, but it was the kyuubi's attack on Konoha." Sakura gave a slight gasp.
"He wanted to have a new born baby that he could seal the kyuubi into as well. That's why we made our little trip to Konoha back then. I guess father was planning on being close by, watch Konoha get attacked, then seal the bijuu and take it back with him."
"So, what happened next," asked the blonde.
"She ran away, about a month before she was due, I think. Only a few shinobi even knew mom was alive. When Gaara was sealed, most people thought she died. Dad liked it that way. Guess he thinks it makes him mysterious and unpredictable." He shrugged. Then did a small double take as he tilted his head, looking harder as Naruto than he had before. She looked like…
"The point is," Temari finished, "mother ran away, probably to Konoha, since Naruto has the kyuubi. But she didn't have it before mom died. We…that ability I mentioned. Gaara can cover his eyes and make sand eyes. He wanted to see mom so much after she disappeared that he activated it accidently when he was still a baby, and that's how we saw mom. If I add my wind chakra, you can hear as well as see, and talk with whoever's on the other end. So, we saw mom and Naruto together, the night before the kyuubi attacked, and that was when mom finally noticed us, the little sand eye above her." She sighed.
"Mom told us then to take care of Naruto if we ever met her, and we promised we would. Of course, we only saw Naruto once more, and I think it's because Gaara didn't understand how his eye worked then. He was looking for mom, and Naruto must have been near where mom's body was, 'cause we saw her that one more time, with the whisker marks on her cheeks, and then we only ever saw an empty house and a few other demolished buildings. We thought that wherever she was had been destroyed, back then, and were sad we'd lost our sister, that mom had run away only for her last child to die. Then, we found you, and you said your name was Naruto, just like mom told us, and you had the whiskers." Sasuke rolled his eyes as Naruto nodded slowly.
"So, that's why you think it's me?" Temari nodded. "I, I hate to tell you, 'cause I actually kinda like you two (sorry 'bout calling you barbie, by the way)" Kankuro shrugged absently, "but jii-san…er, the hokage, I mean, he's shown me a picture of my mom, and I can see her face in mine."
"What did she look like," Kankuro asked.
"Huh? Um, well, she was kinda pale, with really long, long red hair and…" and Naruto continued to describe her.
"Temari, that was the fourth hokage's wife!" Temari looked at him in confusion.
"Don't you remember? She came to see us one or twice when we visited that week, talked about how much our mom must love us and be proud of us. She even gave me my favorite cookies, like she knew! And look at Naruto! She has his hair and eyes!" Temari looked back and forth between her siblings, totally confused.
"Yeah, so? We saw that when she was born. She had the same hair and eyes then. It didn't make sense to me then, either, but somehow that's how she was born. Besides, can't you see mom in her?"
"Yeah, but that only makes it more confusing. She has features from mom, yeah, defiantly, but she also has things that look just like that lady and the hokage!" Everyone was looking around in shock now.
"The, the fourth? My, my dad?" Jii san, he told me he couldn't tell me…is that why? Was my dad, the fourth? The most feared of all shinobi in the world? He would have had a lot of people after him…could he really be my…dad?
"But, but she has the whiskers! And her name, how could something like that-"
"I don't know! You're right, I know that. This is our sister, but, but how could she look so much like them?"
"Okay, now I'm totally confused. It sounds like your saying that our Naruto is your sister, but that she was also the yondaime's daughter. What are you going on about." Kankuro started.
"Crap," he muttered. "Should have kept that to myself. Um, well, I'm not sure. I mean, I'm positive Naruto's our sister, but I can't shake the resemblance."
"Well, maybe you can just stop spouting off your crap," Sasuke said, "and we can all realize that there's no way in heck you guys are related to her." Naruto's head was spinning with all the implications. Temari and Kankuro were both very sincere in everything they said, and they could be right…except that Kankuro was right. She looked just like the yondaime. Could it be true? Why had she never thought of that before?
"How, how about we all just get to sleep. This, this is too confusing to think about right now. Tomorrow we'll be getting to the tower and-"
"You tell me where she is or I don't care what treaty we may have with Suna, I'll rip your head off myself!"
"Anko nee-san!" Naruto jumped up and ran outside, glomping onto Anko as she rushed out. Anko, for her part, had been red in the face when she'd come across Gaara in the tree above, still sensing Naruto's chakra nearby. Knowing what he'd said about Naruto and how he was stalking her she'd feared the worst. Now she could hardly breathe. One of the solid pieces in Naruto's life was here, and she was squeezing it for all she was worth.
"Naruto-can't-breathe!"
"Oh, sorry nee-chan. I'm just really happy to see you."
"What's going on? Are you alright? What's he doing here?" Naruto grimaced.
"It's…kind of a long story, and I, I think I need to talk to jii-san about it." Anko looked at her oddly. "It's just…it's about something he told me once that I need to ask him. He told me he couldn't say before, but I think I figured it out and I need to know from him if it's true." Anko nodded slowly.
"Okay, but what about this guy?" Naruto rolled her eyes.
"He's crazy, and he still thinks that, but he's not going to do anything. I know it, okay?" Anko narrowed her eyes.
"How can you trust him?"
"I don't trust him," she said, gesturing back behind her to the hollow. "I trust her." Temari waved weakly from where she sat at the edge of the tree.
"Naruto…"
"I know, I know, but you know how I can just tell, with some people."
"Like Mizuki," Anko growled.
"Hey! That was different. Temari-chan…she's different. I can tell!"
"Well, I don't trust them." She let go of Naruto for a moment to summon a snake. "Vip, I need you to watch over Naruto for a bit." The small viper looked at Anko and Naruto with a raised eyebrow.
"And whatsss in it for me?" Anko grinned evilly.
"I don't turn you into a wallet." The snake hissed.
"Fine…"
"Naruto, anything happens, and Vip will let me know, got it? But don't let your guard down, got it?" The girl rolled her eyes.
"Fine, I won't."
"Good; now, what happened with Orochimaru? I felt you guys near him before he disappeared." Naruto's eyes widened.
"That's who that was? But, I though he was a guy?" Anko nodded.
"Yeah, he is, but he stole that grass nin's identity. What was he after? Why did he leave?"
"Umm…well, I think he was after…" She bit her lip. "I didn't think about it, but I think he was after Sasuke for some reason. Why?" Anko wanted to cry in relief that he wasn't after Naruto, but he was still after Sasuke, so she didn't.
"That snake, no offense, is always after something. It's probably the sharingan. He must want it's power, but I don't know why. Thanks, though. I'll go report this to the hokage now. He should be at the tower waiting for me." She stood. "And I'll tell him you need to talk to him, alright?"
"Thanks," Naruto said appreciatively. "I'll see you tomorrow."
"Eh?"
"Oh, right, we got scroll before running into…him" she informed her. Anko's mouth formed an 'o' of surprise. "Yes, that's right, we already got it, and if it hadn't been for him, we'd be at the tower today, but you don't face down a sannin without needing a rest!" Anko chuckled halfheartedly.
"Right, of course." She shook herself. "I'll see you tomorrow," she said, giving Naruto one last hug. "Be safe," she whispered.
"I will." And with that, she was gone. The rest of the evening was relatively awkward, neither side being sure how to treat the other. Temari managed to talk with Sakura about the differences in chakra, but that was about it. Soon, everyone but Gaara fell asleep. Gaara, and a trio of sound shinobi that were keeping their distance, wondering why their allies were protecting their masters target.
So, what I was going for with Yashamaru and Haku was a father daughter type bond, but I'm not to good at it, I don't think. I'm a son, not a daughter, and I haven't had my own kids yet. Not even getting married till next year... :( Oh well, at least I still have the girl of my dreams!
Anyway, that's what I was trying imply between those two, so let me know how I did.
Also, if your confused by the conversation the sand sibs had with naruto, don't worry, it was SUPPOSED to be confusing. What it comes down to is this: Naruto is having some doubts because Temari is so sincere, and her heart tells her to trust this girl. Meanwhile, Kankuro voiced his realizations on her resemblance to the fourth Hokage and his wife. Everything is being thrown in a blender and confusing EVERYBODY. So, Naruto needs to find sure evidence, something that cannot be denied so that she can know for SURE who she is.
Well, that's it for now. Next chapter will be the Sound trio and the tower. Naru vs Hina coming up soon! (just a little teaser for you to think about)
One last thing: for those of you who found this story some other way than it being near of the top of the list, I'm interested to know how people find my story besides recent updates. Just something I'm curious about.
Take care yawl, and please review!