Disclaimer: I am not the owner of Naruto, which stinks, but there's nothing I can do about it.
Sorry for the wait... Enjoy this chapter!
Chapter 7; Deadly Taste
Morning came all too soon for Sakura. She would have been more than happy to keep on sleeping in peace, but after getting up early for a couple of weeks, her body was still on the same old schedule. There was no point fighting it. She had little hope of falling asleep again anyway.
The pinkette sat up and sighed. Her candle had long since gone out, casting the room in extreme darkness. There was no sign that her door had been unlocked, which left her to just wait.
Sakura tentatively organized her small bag to pass the time. Digging through it reminded her of the map she had left for her allies. Had they picked it up? Did they get the information? Or had it all been a waste of time, an unnecessary risk? If only she knew for sure.
Her mind continued to wander. What would Naruto be doing now? Was he still on this mission? Probably not. Lady Tsunade wouldn't want his emotions to jeopardize the mission, so it would make sense for her to unassign him from it. Perhaps he was on another mission, or eating a bowl of ramen like he always does… The thought brought a slight smile to her face.
She heard footsteps in the hall outside of her room. Orochimaru must have been ready to tell her what her new mission was. That means the ninja who she gets to go with must be back. The kunoichi stood up and grabbed her bag, just as the lock rattled on the door. It was time to go.
The moment the door was open, she turned and faced it. Kabuto was standing there, slightly surprised to see her right there. "I suppose this means you're ready to go?" he asked.
Sakura nodded, so he turned and led her back through the long halls. Sakura was starting to kind of know her way around this place, but for now it was good that she had the ninja in front of her to lead the way.
After around 15 minutes of walking, they came to the room that Orochimaru always stayed. He was in his chair, in the shadows as always. His face twisted into a dark smirk when Sakura came into the room. He nodded to Kabuto, who disappeared once again.
"Sakura," Orochimaru acknowledged her. She just dipped her head to him. Then they both just stayed silent and watched the doorway.
After 15 minutes, Kabuto reentered the room, followed by a young kunoichi. She had mid-waist length spiky brown hair, with bangs long enough to cover one of her eyes. The other was a bright yellow-green and extremely cat-like, with a narrow pupil. She wore a sleeveless, long dark blue shirt and black leggings. She had black armbands on her forearms and completely bare feet. Sakura couldn't help but notice the bandage on her arm and the small scratches on her face.
"Orochimaru… Now what?" the young girl muttered.
"Ah, Moekasu. Nice of you to join us." The sannin gazed into her one visible eye.
She rolled those cat-eyes and grumbled, "Ok, just tell me what you want me to do. It must be pretty important to be calling me after I just completed a mission; not an easy one either. That guy put on one heck of a fight…"
That guy put on one heck of a fight? What does she mean? What was she assigned to do, kill somebody…? Sakura thought to herself, staring at the strange girl. This… This couldn't be her partner, could it?
"I have a mission for both of you. Sakura, for you it'll be quite a bit harder than the last one. On the other hand, this'll be rather simple for Moekasu. Something far easier than your last few months' worth." Orochimaru licked his lips with that long tongue of his.
Both kunoichi stared at him and listened intently.
"All you have to do is hunt down this person. He was a former Sound ninja who left about a year ago. He stayed in hiding, but was fool enough to show his face again not too long ago. He could be a hazard if one of the great nations catches him. After all, he has crippling information… Right now he's serving as a merchant in one of the small nations… All you have to do is to find him and take him out for me."
Sakura stared in shock. She was going to have to assassinate someone?! What?!
The girl, Moekasu, let out a growl. "Some low brained ex-Sound ninja? You called me here for this?! I haven't had a mission of this low importance since last year!"
Her reaction sparked a chuckle from Orochimaru. "Oh, you can't just run off and beat the pulp out of him. We can't draw attention to this 'merchant.' His body contains some of the secrets that we can't afford for the nations to know. You can't afford to draw attention to him. Sound ninja assassinating a random merchant… Doesn't happen. They know that. You have to make it seem… Natural."
"I get it now." The kunoichi rolled her eyes and glared at him. "You chose me because you want me to create a special poison that'll stop his heart or something. Make it look like he had a heart attack."
"I see that you understand well," Orochimaru purred.
She shook her head. "So you're utilizing my extreme skill for something as puny as this?" Those cat eyes gleamed with anger.
The sannin ignored her. "Also, when you finish, I won't be here. Moekasu knows where I'll be."
Sakura started to respond. "Ye-"
"So I get to go on a stupid mission because you want me to show the new girl where your new hideout is and so I can create a poison to kill some rogue." Moekasu curled her lip, showing teeth that were surprisingly sharp; the canines where long enough to be considered fangs. The resemblance between both Orochimaru's eyes and Moekasu's was absolutely amazing to Sakura. His may be more reptilian and hers more cat-like, but still…
"Any questions?" The brown-haired ninja looked like she was about to speak up, but a glare from Orochimaru got her to just glare at the ground and mutter something under her breath. "Alright. You may head off then."
Moekasu basically took off down the tunnels, not waiting for Sakura. With a sigh, she tried to follow, but the tunnels were still too confusing. Kabuto noticed her hesitation and took the lead to show her the way.
They arrived in the passageway right next to the exit, but there was no sign of Sakura's partner. Kabuto sighed and muttered, "That obnoxious little pest. She's always so aggravating." He turned to Sakura. "Go ahead and head outside. You'll find her out there, I'm sure."
Sakura nodded and took off for the outside. The bright sunlight from the morning blinded her for a second, but it didn't take long for her to adjust. She scanned the area carefully, then turned and trotted off.
After a couple of minutes, the pinkette stopped. She scanned the trees carefully. If her partner wasn't here, maybe she could make contact with the Leaf Shinobi…
Before she had the chance to move, she heard a voice ring out from behind her. "Well? Are you coming or not?" She twisted around and stared at Moekasu. The girl was standing behind her, arms crossed and her eyes narrowed.
"You!" Sakura stared at her. The girl padded towards her, still wearing no shoes. She stopped next to Sakura and had to look up just a hair. She blinked those green cat-eyes and smiled. Sakura studied her and asked, "Where did you run off to?"
"Nowhere." She tossed her head to send her brown waves of hair swinging. She stared directly into Sakura's emerald eyes. With a smirk, she continued forward. Sakura lunged forward to meet her and then matched her pace.
They walked in silence for a while, until at last Sakura felt the urge to create some sort of conversation. "So… How long have you been with Orochimaru?" she asked.
"Oh, 'bout three years." The ninja murmured flatly.
"Ok… So how old are you?"
With a slightly amused look, Moekasu purred, "Now, I'm 15."
This won a shocked stare from Sakura. She was a 15 year old?! But she was as tall as Sakura was!
"You seem surprised."
"I am."
"Hm." The conversation died with that. Both kunoichi picked up their speed until they were racing through the trees at a rapid rate. Moekasu took the lead and eventually they were on their way to their new mission.
"Hey, Grandma Tsunade!" Naruto raced into the large room of the Fifth Hokage.
She raised her head from the paperwork she was reading over. "Naruto, how many times have I told you to stop barging in like that?!" she demanded.
The blonde ninja ignored her question. "Any news on Sakura?" he asked eagerly.
With a shake of her head, the Fifth Hokage growled, "Is that all you came here to ask?"
Naruto put an arm behind his head and responded, "Uh, pretty much. So what's the word?"
With an irritated sigh, Tsunade told him, "If there was anything new, l would have told you already!"
"So… Nothing at all from her?" He lowered his arms and stared at the Fifth Hokage with bright blue eyes. She could see the disappointment already setting in.
"Naruto… If I hear anything, I'll have someone come alert you. Now go on. The fact that you're here instead of training proves to me that you need another mission. By tomorrow I should have one for you." She went back to her stacks of paperwork. With a sigh, Naruto turned and left the room.
He wandered through Konoha with his hands in his pockets. He didn't know what to do. Going to get a bowl of ramen was always an option, but he wasn't really that hungry. There was always training, but… With no one to train with, it wouldn't really be the same.
Naruto found himself heading towards the training clearing. He scanned the trees, stretching far around the empty meadow. Perhaps it would be fun to spar with someone. Maybe… Maybe one of the other ninja in his age group weren't busy on a mission.
But he didn't feel much like searching for one of his friends. Instead, Naruto sat down in the grass and stared up at the blue sky. Soft, white clouds soared in the endless blue sheet. They slowly drifted on above the young ninja.
"Oh, hey Naruto." The blonde ninja turned and blinked up in surprise at Shikamaru, who stood above him. The other ninja stood looking down to him, his dark eyes calm. He sat down next to Naruto and gazed up at the sky with him.
"Shikamaru… What are you up to?" Naruto stared at him.
Without moving from his pose, the man, whose hair was pulled up in a spiky ponytail, smiled mysteriously. "Oh, nothing as usual. Just came out here to see if anyone was around."
"That's funny. It's the same reason I'm out here."
Both ninjas leaned back and studied the sky in silence.
After a while, Shikamaru spoke up. "You're worried about Sakura, aren't you?"
Naruto couldn't deny it. Shikamaru knew the truth. But he didn't say anything.
"You know that she can take care of herself. It's a drag, but you aren't going to always be able to protect her." The ninja glanced over at Naruto. What he said was completely true. Sakura was tough; she could take care of not only herself, but everyone around her too. But Naruto couldn't help but worry. Sasuke was there, in Orochimaru's hideout. The thought of him caused the blonde ninja's fists to clench. Despite how hard they had tried to save him, Sasuke just wouldn't let them rescue him. He was too eaten up by the desire for revenge against Itachi, his older brother who had killed their entire clan in one night. He still hadn't met this goal, so Sasuke didn't want to come back to Konoha. Not only that, he had tried to kill them all without a second thought many times. All this had sunk in, and because of this Sakura grew to hate him.
Shikamaru waited for a little longer, but when Naruto made no sign of wanting to continue this conversation, he stood up. "Well, the Fifth Hokage should be expecting me. Something about a big mission. What a drag… See you around, Naruto." With that, the ninja turned and trotted off towards the village, leaving Naruto alone once again.
From the shadows on the side of the road, Sakura and Moekasu observed a lone merchant travelling. They both knew that he had to be their target. After all, he fit the description that both kunoichi had received.
Moekasu turned with a smirk and retreated a ways off of the road. She paused in a clearing. Sakura followed her and sat across from the girl.
"Well, we found him. Now what?" Sakura asked her.
She stuck out her right hand, palm up. "Now I make a poison for this assignment. Can you look in my bag for a vile or something? I'm going to need something to put the finished poison in."
Sakura nodded and turned to the small bag this kunoichi carried with her. She opened it and dug around a little. Her hand bumped something metal, and out of curiosity she pulled it out. It appeared to be a blue cloth headband or something… The pinkette turned it around in her hands and gasped.
It was a ninja headband. The metal plate had a long scratch across the center of it, right over the symbol. And that symbol happened to be the Leaf Village symbol.
"You…!" Sakura stammered. "You were a Leaf ninja?!"
Her cat-eyes snapped over to Sakura. "Hey! That's not any of your business!" She lunged forward and tore the headband out of her hands. "So what if I was. What does it matter to you?"
"I… I should recognize you…" Sakura murmured softly.
After one last hostile glare, she tucked the headband away from sight. "Just find me a vile. I need to concentrate now."
Who are you? Sakura silently wondered as she went back to digging in the bag. She found an empty glass vile which would serve them well. She pulled it out and turned back to her partner.
Moekasu gripping her right wrist firmly with her left hand and had her eyes narrowed in concentration. On her open right palm, a slightly murky liquid was pooling. Sakura watched with fascination as the liquid grew in quantity until it was dripping down the girl's arm and off her fingers. "Vile!" she grunted, and held out her other hand. Sakura quickly handed it to her, and she scooped up as much as the liquid as possible into the vile. Then, she rubbed the remaining fluid in the grass next to her. Sakura heard a soft hissing noise and the grass withered and died.
What?! Is this poison really that dangerous! But then how can she handle it… Sakura shook her head ever so slightly.
"There. I think this poison will do. It's mostly undetectable by sight, and smell… Just got to make sure he won't taste it." That's when the kunoichi dipped her finger in the poison, and before Sakura could stop her, licked it off of her finger.
Sakura expected the crazy girl to drop dead at the spot, but she just rolled her tongue in her mouth and grumbled, "Ugh. I can't taste it too much… And I can detect even the faintest poisons. I don't think he'll really notice." She turned and took in Sakura's shocked face. "I think we're ready… If you are, anyway."
"How did you… But the poison…" Sakura stammered.
Moekasu laughed. "Oh, that! I'm immune to any sort of poison."
"Immune? How? Was it the result of one of Orochimaru's experiments or something?"
The girl looked down and smiled softly, but she said nothing. She was beyond strange…
Her bright green eyes focus back in on Sakura's face. "We need to get going… The sooner we get this mission over, the better. It's already been 4 days… The sooner we head back the better."
It was true. It had taken them a total of 4 days to locate this guy, and they had to move quickly. The longer it took to do this, the greater the chance that one of the 5 great nations grew suspicious of this former Sound ninja and came to investigate.
Sakura crept up to the road once again and watched the merchant for a minute, until she returned to Moekasu. "He's moving pretty slowly, and on the main road. If we move ahead, we can find some way to slip the poison to him."
With a cool smirk, she purred, "Good thinking, Sakura. Come on. Let's go." The two ninjas dashed ahead.
They came to a stop at a small shop next to the road. "Perhaps it's time for a little snack, don't you think, Sakura?" The kunoichi trotted through the doors. After a slight hesitation, Sakura followed.
It was a tiny wooden restaurant of some sort, inhabited by an old lady behind a counter. She smiled at the two as they entered.
"Welcome, welcome! How may I help you, young travelers?" The old lady croaked at them cheerfully.
Moekasu walked straight up to her and happily purred, "Can we have two bowls of miso soup, please?"
"Of course, sweetheart," the old lady murmurs in a crackly voice. With an adorable smile, Moekasu steps back to wait patiently. Sakura puts on a cute smile too, as they both watch the old lady hobble over to a large pot, grab two bowls next to it, and pour some soup into the bowls. She returned to her counter and placed the bowls down. Moekasu reaches into her bag and pulls out some money. She delivers it to the old lady's hand. "Have a nice day," the old lady croaked as she tucked the money away underneath the counter.
With another smile, Sakura leans over and grabs both of the bowls. Together, the two kunoichi walk through the rest of the empty place and exit.
Once they were outside, Moekasu whipped out the vile. After checking the area to make sure no one was watching, she poured half of it in Sakura's bowl and the other half in her own. "All we have to do is claim to be working for this shack and offer him a little soup. Easy as that."
"Ok." Sakura walked a little ways away from the building and then held her bowl of soup up to her face. It smelled delicious… But Sakura knew that even one bite would be far too dangerous. They just had to wait.
Moekasu took a small bite of her soup. She licked her lips thoughtfully, then shook her head. "I don't think he'll taste it. He won't know what hit him."
"I can't believe you. Eating some super deadly poison like it's a drink of water…" Sakura shook her head.
This provoked a laugh from the other kunoichi. "Oh, you're no fun, Sakura. Where's your sense of adventure?" She looked at the pinkette, amusement gleaming in her one visible eye.
They stared at each other for a moment, until Moekasu broke the contact. They waited in silence.
Their target didn't keep them waiting long. He was soon a faint outline on the horizon.
Sakura turned to her companion. "Ok, since I'm 2 years older than you, I think it'll be best if I take the lead for this part. Let me do most of the talking. You just need to support me… Got it?"
"…" She received a slightly annoyed look from Moekasu. "… Oh, fine. Whatever. I got your back. Just don't fail."
"Right." Sakura turned back towards the approaching merchant.
He was now within range to hear and see them. Moekasu instantly started waving her arm and shouting, "Over here, sir!"
Where did she suddenly get all that energy? She was all calm and collected one minute, the next all hyped up! This girl sure is strange…
The merchant eventually came to a rest next to the two girls. Sakura could tell that he was probably in his late 20s just by looking at his face. His brown eyes flashed with annoyance at the two. "What do you want, kid? Can't you see I'm busy?"
Sakura held up her bowl of miso soup. "Please, can you buy a bowl of soup from us? It's homemade… And really good! Please?" She made her best puppy dog eyes. This was humiliating, but it would do the trick. Hopefully.
He looked down at them with a bit of scorn in his eyes. "No thanks, kid. Not interested."
"Please!" Sakura frantically begged, but he started to turn and walk away.
"Big sister…" Moekasu whined. "But what will happen to Mom if we don't sell enough soup. She's… She's…" The 15-year old broke off with a whimper.
That's so convincing! I'd believe her, if I didn't know myself that this is an act… Sakura put a comforting hand on her fake sister's shoulder. "I… I don't know," She sighed.
"Oh, for crying out loud…" The merchant reached into his pocket and grabbed out a couple of coins. He tossed them on the ground in front of the two, then snatched the soup out of Moekasu's hands and gulped it down. "Stop with the sob story. I bought your soup. Alright?"
Instantly, Moekasu was smiling again. "Thanks so much, sir!" she beamed at him.
"Yeah, whatever." He turned and continued on his trek down the road.
Moekasu leaned forward, her smile transforming into a mysterious smirk. She watched him as he walked past the small restaurant. A little ways past it, he started to stagger a bit, until he crumbled to the ground.
But before they even had the chance to move, the old lady hobbled out of her door, a bag of trash in hand. She saw the man lying there in a heap and stared in shock. Both girls snapped their heads away from the scene. If that old lady saw them just staring at the man as he lay there dying, she would get suspicious.
"Hey! Young'ins! She cried out to the two. They both turned and looked, then plastered looks of shock on their faces. Without another word from the old lady, both girls raced towards him.
They slowed as they came up to the dying man. He lay on his stomach, gasping like a fish. Those brown eyes searched out the two girls.
"It's ok, sir. You're going to be just fine," Sakura murmured, knowing it wasn't true.
He ignored her and glared into Moekasu's face. "You…" he spat pathetically, still struggling to breathe. "You…"
She crouched down across from him, her brown hair spilling into her face. "Sir?" she asked with fake innocence.
"I thought I recognized you," he wheezed. "I thought you looked like her… The Night Shadow, Orochimaru's personal assassin. I knew it was you… But I still took that soup. That cursed soup. You poisoned me, didn't you?" There wasn't much of a question in that last statement.
The kunoichi's blameless face changed in almost an instant. She smiled slightly, showing those sharp teeth of hers. "I didn't realize I was so well known among the Sound ninja ranks a year ago. Of course I poisoned you. It's my specialty."
"I never… I never realized… I was such a danger… To Orochimaru… The fact he sent one of his most efficient assassins after me… It doesn't seem like him." The man's words were coming harder and harder, hardly audible.
Green cat-eyes blinked at him, but that's all the response he got from her.
Despite his failing heart, the merchant tried to struggle to his feet to no avail.
"Don't fight it," Moekasu growled coldly. "There's no hope for you. It'll all be over in a matter of seconds. Even if it took longer, it would just me more hours of agony. My poison has no antidote." Sakura was shocked by the darkness that gleamed in her eyes, the ice in her heart. This girl…She really was an excellent assassin.
The man strained for a moment longer, but then just crumbled. He was just too weak to keep fighting. It was all over for him. He was done.
One last raged breath until his chest stopped rising. He was gone.
Sakura closed her eyes and then stood up. She looked back at the old lady and shook her head pitifully.
Moekasu stood up too. She turned and walked past Sakura, towards the old lady. She padded up to her and murmured something. The lady lowered her head and responded. With a dip of her head, the kunoichi entered the building.
Sakura blinked slowly. What was this girl up to? She leaned down and grabbed the man. With a grunt, she brought the body down the road back towards the building.
"You can take him inside, honey." The old lady gestured inside. Sakura nodded and lumbered in. She placed the body on the floor and joined Moekasu, who was sitting at one of the tables.
Once Sakura joined her, the girl pulled out two rolled up pieces of paper. "Here, take one. It's a map."
Sakura grabbed one and tucked it into her small pouch. Moekasu did the same.
The old lady returned and hobbled back to her counter. "I'll notify one of the villages nearby. One of them might know who the man was…" She looked over at him sadly. "So young, to die that way. That was a heart attack if I ever saw one." Sakura nodded solemnly, but Moekasu didn't look up from the table.
The elderly woman looked around the shabby little shack. "My son should be back soon. He can notify the village just a few miles from here. They can try and find his family, then bury him."
Moekasu glanced up and nodded faintly, before returning to staring at the table. Her gleaming eyes were dark and unreadable. Sakura got a chill when she tried to meet that gaze, so she just stood up and walked over towards the old lady. She was busy stirring the soup and humming a simple tune. As Sakura approached, the old lady turned and met her gaze.
"Anything else we can do for you before your son gets back?" she asked.
The old lady smiled at her sweetly. "Oh, honey, you've done enough as it is. I'll be fine."
Sakura nodded and returned to the table.
As she sat back down, she received a glare from her partner. "You aren't a Leaf shinobi anymore. You're a rogue ninja. It isn't our way to go offering to help every person we meet."
"Oh, it's just an old lady. Can't you show a little kindness to someone else?"
The pinkette expected to receive a venomous glare from Moekasu, but the teenager instead just lowered her head. In a soft voice, she murmured, "People like her, ones who have something to lose, are better off if they stay away from someone like me. Trust me. Those who get too close to me, even if it's just something as small as this, tend to get burned."
Sakura stared at her, seeing true sorrow gleaming in those cat-eyes. Who are you? she couldn't help but wonder.
Before Sakura said another word, the kunoichi stood up. "I'll be back in a minute or so," she called, then dashed out the door.
It took Sakura a minute to realize that this was the perfect chance for her to do her real mission; help the Leaf Village. Quickly, she pulled out her map, a bottle of ink, and a pen. Flipping it over, she wrote a message on the back in small, neat handwriting.
This man who was killed is a Sound ninja with valuable secrets who did not die a natural death. Contact one of the hidden villages as soon as we leave… Please. Many lives may depend on it.
-Pink
She quickly folded the paper and casually walked over towards the counter. As she pretended to study a shelf with pots and plates, Sakura tucked the piece of paper under a small vase one the counter. Then she turned back around and walked slowly back to the table, feeling the old lady's eyes burning into her back with curiosity.
By the time Moekasu was back from doing whatever she was up to, the old lady had picked up the paper and was reading it. She finished with a soft gasp and a bewildered look on her wrinkled face. Sakura's partner stood at the end of the table and pulled out her map. She laid it flat on the table and then looked intently at the other kunoichi for a minute.
In a hushed whisper, she hissed, "This is where we are." She pointed to a small location on the map. "And this…" she moved her finger carefully, "is where we need to be." She returned her gaze to Sakura's face. "Got it?"
Sakura barely had the chance to nod when they both heard someone entering the building. Both kunoichi stared at the young man who dashed up to the old lady and delivered an enormous bear hug to her. After a quick conversation between the two, the man turned, looked at the corpse, then dashed outside once again.
Moekasu stood up and called, "We should probably get going. Good luck to you, and thanks for the soup." Both kunoichi left for the outside air.
Once outside, they took off towards the woods and left with extreme haste. After around 15 minutes, Moekasu froze. "Oh, don't tell me…" she grumbled to herself, then searched her bag quickly. "Crud."
"What is it?" Sakura came to the girl's side.
She dug her fingers into her hair and hissed, "I left my map at that old lady's shack." She clenched her teeth and spat a few words under her breath that Sakura couldn't catch. The next ones, however, she did hear. "Can I see yours for a second?"
Sakura froze. "Uh… Sure." She reached for her bag slowly, thinking about how she had used the map. Something told her that Moekasu wouldn't approve of the real use of the map… So an excuse would be an excellent idea.
She undid the flap and dug around a little, searching through the items. After a while, she looked up and shook her head, a puzzled look on her face. "I… I don't know what happened to it. I had it a minute ago…"
With an exasperated sigh, Moekasu growled, "Oh, just what we need. I need a map to find this stupid place…" She turned away with a scowl, her gleaming eyes flashing. She started to pad around the clearing, studying the area carefully. "Hmm…" she grumbled. "Well, I guess I can make do without a map. It'll all be by memory… But I think I remember enough to get us there. I've been there a few times…" She then leapt up into the branches of one of the towering trees and called over her shoulder, "Come on, Sakura."
"Coming," Sakura called, before taking off after the brown haired ninja.
It felt good to know that their journey was almost to an end… Although Sakura didn't recognize any of the surrounding area. After all, it turned out that Orochimaru's new hideout was somewhere quite a ways away from the Land of Fire, and the snowy mountains that Moekasu was leading them through didn't at all seem like home. Yet it would be, at least for now.
Moekasu slowed her rapid pace until she came to a complete halt. Soft, downy flakes of snow fell through the sky, adding to the feet of snow on the ground. She scanned the shadowy rocks and trees, clearly looking for some sort of… Entrance. Above, the little light supplied by the disappearing sun was being swallowed by the dark grip of night. The clouds that continued to dump snow didn't do anything to help.
She didn't have to look for long. It wasn't too long until a figure appeared in the almost misty snowfall. It took a while for the silhouette to come into focus, but then Sakura recognized the person.
"Kabuto." Moekasu turned and fixed her gaze firmly on him. "Come to lead us in? I have no clue where the entrance is…"
The medical ninja regarded her with gleaming black eyes. "Oh, that's right. You haven't been here since last year, am I right?"
With a nod, she added, "Plus we don't have a map. Makes it kind of hard to find somewhere, when you have to guess that you're going the right way."
He smirked at her and purred, "Come on. Orochimaru is very interested in how this mission turned out." With that, Kabuto turned and led the way to a cave hidden among the mountains. Both kunoichi followed closely through the narrow passages.
They entered a small cavern cast in darkness. Keeping her eyes fixed on the floor, Sakura entered the center of the room and stood there next to Moekasu.
A pair of amber eyes opened in the shadows. "You're back. Took you a little longer than expected, Moekasu."
The girl bristled at Orochimaru's cool comment. "It doesn't help that I had no idea where the heck this stupid place was."
This extracted a cold chuckle from the dark villain. "I expect that you at least finished the mission, didn't you? After all, you appear to have taken your time. I should at least have a job well done."
Narrowing her eyes, Moekasu snarled, "Which is far more than you desire, but it's what I got to offer."
Those reptilian eyes turned to Sakura. "How would you say the mission turned out, Sakura?" he purred at her.
"Er… Fine." Sakura avoided meeting his gaze.
"Would you say it was… Easy? Hard?" Orochimaru asked.
"It wasn't that hard. At least, not with her abilities." Sakura gestured towards the 15-year old who stood across from her, arms crossed.
"Alright," he purred. Then, his gleaming amber eyes studied her carefully. Sakura didn't really like the look in those eyes. It looked like he was planning something… Accessing her to see if she was ready for something. Whatever it was, it was giving Sakura the creeps. But his sharp gaze moved on. "Kabuto, find Sakura a room for the night. She must be tired. Then come back here. We have… Things to be discussed."
Sakura had a really dark feeling, but she obediently turned and followed through the tunnels. She tried to ignore it, but she couldn't help but notice how Orochimaru started talking softly to Moekasu after they were out of earshot. Kabuto led her to a small room with a bed, and desk. It was extremely similar to her other room in the other hideout, the Sound Village. He locked her in and probably went straight back to Orochimaru.
Orochimaru… What was that snake-hearted creep up to? Something about him was just really weird. He was up to something, and it couldn't have been good. Sakura couldn't help but remember how he had been so intent on talking to Moekasu about something. It might have been about the mission, but then why did he only mention it after she had left? It was all so strange…
Sakura collapsed on the bed and noticed the sheets were as soft as on the last bed. She sighed at the comforting fabric on her skin. Compared to sleeping in a bush, trying to stay out of sight, this was wonderful. The pinkette couldn't fight the heaviness of her eyelids, so the moment those emerald eyes closed, the kunoichi fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.
Sasuke was busy sleeping, which was normal after a day of training with Orochimaru. But Orochimaru desired to speak to him, and something as simple as "sleep" meant nothing to one of the legendary sannin. However, Sasuke was very well known for his bad temper after waking up, and it was twice as bad if someone woke him. Nothing was going to make this easy for Kabuto.
He cautiously slid the door open, sending a shaft of light into the dark room. On the far wall, resting on a bed was a figure; it looked like Sasuke had his back to the door. He had been sleeping for around several hours, so there was a good chance that he was shifting on and off between sleep. There was a pretty good chance that he would wake easily.
Kabuto allowed the door to open a little more, sending a thicker beam of light into the room. A soft groan came from the sleeping man. He was definitely stirring now… The silver haired medical ninja sighed deeply and braced himself for Sasuke's rage.
It didn't take long for a voice to emerge from the darkness. "Why do you disturb me, Kabuto?" Kabuto cringed at the ice in Sasuke's growl.
After a slight hesitation, he spoke. "Lord Orochimaru has called for you."
"And you disturbed my sleep for this?!" The fury in his voice was growing quickly.
"This is of extreme importance." Kabuto blinked slowly.
With a snort, Sasuke settled down again. He was going to go back to sleep.
"Sasuke."
"…"
"Sasuke."
"…"
"Sasuke."
"…"
At last, Sasuke sat up. He slowly climbed to his feet, then turned his head to look at Kabuto. His eyes gleamed with the red sharigan. He glared at Kabuto with pure rage. "Fine." This blunt answer was all he gave.
Kabuto narrowed his eyes and said, "Come on." He turned and led the way down the tunnels.
Morning. Already, Sakura had been up and she was busying herself once again with organizing her small bag. But she was extremely curious about what Orochimaru could be planning. After all, his behavior yesterday was suspicious… But until he called, Sakura wouldn't have the chance to try and figure this out. There wasn't much for her to do… So she just waited.
After what she considered to be far too long, a ninja she didn't recognize unlocked the door. He said nothing, only gestured for her to come. Obediently, Sakura followed.
She came into the room that Orochimaru was in the night before. He was in there, standing up against the wall. Next to him was Kabuto, and on the other side… Sasuke Uchiha.
Sakura made extra sure to shoot Sasuke a frosty glare, which his emotionless eyes did not respond to. She focused her gaze then on Orochimaru.
"Ah, Sakura. You've progressed quickly in the last couple of weeks… So, I've decided to give you the real test of your abilities."
"…Real test?" Sakura murmured nervously. These words couldn't mean anything good.
"Yes. Your real test." Orochimaru narrowed his amber eyes smugly. "I've been told by numerous people that I shouldn't trust you." Those eyes glanced over to Sasuke, then returned to Sakura. "But I wish to be… Optimistic about where your loyalty will lie, in the end. Therefore, I think that I've chosen the right mission for you… The one that will truly determine where your loyalties will lie."
Sakura could feel her heart pounding in her chest. She looked at him nervously, trying to grasp what exactly he was saying. "Then… What's my mission?" She dared to ask.
The dark smirk that appeared on Orochimaru's face sent shivers down the kunoichi's spine. "It's not going to be an easy mission. Honestly… I'm not sure you will even be physically able to do it. That's why on this mission, you'll be going with Sasuke."
Him?! I have to go with him?! Sakura shot him a glare of the purest hate, but he countered it with his own crushing glare. Sakura could feel the loathing building in her heart, the dark rage. No. She… she couldn't go with him.
But something about the way Orochimaru looked at her gave her the feeling that this was the least of her concerns. He was stalling… But why? What was this mission?
"I'm sure that you'll be able to complete it, with Sasuke's help." Those eyes gleamed darkly.
"…So what's… The mission?" She had a bad, bad feeling in her heart; a feeling of dread.
"Simple." That dark smirk… Orochimaru blinked slowly, his amber eyes flickering darkly. "You're mission… Is to kill Naruto."
A/N; I fell really far behind on my updating... Sorry... I actually have 2 more chapters besides this one to add. Talk about not keeping up...
I have a reason for it, but I'm not going to share it. It'll sound like I'm pushing the blame on someone else, so... I just don't want to do that. I haven't got a real excuse, so... Sorry!
This chapter is, like, huge. A good 7,000 words or so... Nothing special... So sorry if it seemed a little... Long.
Got Questions?
If you're confused on anything at all in the story, feel free to ask! I don't want any confused people walking around. No matter how stupid you think the question is, ask away! After all, the only stupid question is a question not asked. (Don't forget that I have the right to not answer any questions… don't want to give away any surprises I have in the future!)
Review, if you please!
I'd really appreciate if you'd review. Tell me what you think I should change, any ideas you have, etc… I'd love to hear your thoughts.
More chapters on their way! Enjoy!
-Cynder7777