Disclaimer: I own nothing.
Chapter 11: Snake hunting
The two teams made it back to the village, three days later. The most disturbing thing to have happened was Guy giving the exhausted Kakashi a piggyback ride.
Kakashi was taken to the hospital, where Tsunade examined him. He overworked himself so much that he'd rest for a week.
When Tsunade and Shizune left, Sakura followed them in a hurry. Naruto followed the trio silently. While Sakura was Tsunade's apprentice, she wouldn't follow in such a hurry without something urgent to say.
He was right to think so. Sasori, as a reward for defeating him, told Sakura that he was supposed to meet a spy at the Tenchi Bridge in Kusa no Kuni, where Orochimaru had a base. The spy was a subordinate of Orochimaru, meaning he would have information about Sasuke. Shizune objected to sending Naruto there, saying he'd be safer from Akatsuki inside the village.
"What would Naruto say if he heard about this?" Tsunade said loudly, to her apprentices' confusion.
"Who will be our teammates for this mission?" Naruto said, revealing his position.
Sakura and Shizune turned to him in shock.
"I'll look for people to replace Kakashi and Sasuke." Tsunade said. "In the meantime, Team 8 and Team 10 returned from their missions, so how about you show them you've returned while I look?"
"Sounds good." Naruto said as he walked away.
As Naruto walked around the village, he saw guy with a black jacket hanging down to his knees and a green hood. He wondered who this was, but then he saw his face and heard his voice.
"It's been a while, Naruto." Shino said.
"Indeed. Have people had a hard time recognizing you with this outfit, Shino?" Naruto asked.
"People have seen the differences I have made throughout the years." Shino said.
"When you put it that way, they'd have an even easier time than me, who's been gone for two years and a half."
Suddenly, something landed between him and Shino. When the smoke dissipated, he saw Kiba and... Akamaru!?
"You're early, Shino!" Kiba said before he noticed Naruto. "Hey, Naruto!"
"Dude, what the hell did you give Akamaru to eat!?" Naruto asked. Akamaru was large enough for Kiba to ride on, which he was! Kiba now wore a form-fitting black leather jacket with black pants.
"What are you talking about?" Kiba asked.
"Last time I saw you two, Akamaru was small enough to rest on your head and now, you're riding him like a horse! Don't tell me you didn't notice that!" Naruto said.
"Well, I'm always with him..." Kiba said sheepishly.
"You really didn't notice?" Naruto deadpanned before he sighed. "Then again, you use your nose more than your eyes."
Kiba mock-glared. "What was that!?"
Naruto smirked. "You heard me perfectly, unless your ears are just as bad as your eyes."
"You're asking for it now!" Kiba said.
Naruto was about to retort, but he heard a gasp. He turned around, but there was no one. That could only mean one person.
"Hello, Hinata." Naruto greeted as he walked around the corner to look at the young woman.
"N-Naruto-kun..." Hinata greeted shyly, her cheeks already reddening.
She kept her hime-style hair, only it reached her waist. She wore a loose fitting, long-sleeved, lavender and cream zip-up jacket with lavender cuffs. Underneath her jacket, from what little couldn't be zipped, he saw mesh armor. She also wore navy blue pants and black, low-heeled sandals. She still wore her headband around her neck, but the cloth was changed to black.
Naruto looked at Hinata from her head to her feet and couldn't help himself.
"Three years does a girl good." He muttered, just loud enough for Hinata to hear him. He was sure that Kiba had heard him, thanks to his heightened senses.
Hinata's face became very red and steam came out of her ears before she fainted, leaning against the fence.
"Aaaand she passed out." Naruto said with amusement as he carried her to the tree Shino was leaning against. "What are you guys doing here, anyway? Team meeting?"
"We are waiting for Anko-sensei for our new mission." Shino explained.
"I see... How's Kurenai-sensei doing? Has she...?" Naruto trailed off.
"Kurenai-sensei's group of friends, along with Asuma-sensei and Hinata managed to help her, but she's still pained by Yakumo's kidnapping." Kiba answered as he looked down sadly.
"I would imagine." Naruto sighed. "Well, it's been great seeing you guys again, but I gotta find Choji and Ino. I haven't seen them yet."
Just as he was about to walk away, he saw that Hinata had regained consciousness. "Hey, Sleeping Beauty, you're up."
"Sleeping Beauty!?" Hinata thought before she blushed and passed out once more.
"You did it on purpose." Kiba accused.
"Couldn't help myself." Naruto admitted as he walked away. "Well, later."
He then found Shikamaru and Choji.
Choji was tall, taller than Shikamaru. He wore a red suit with plated armor around his torso, arms and upper legs. His brown hair also reached his waist.
"Hey, you two." Naruto greeted as he walked up to them.
"Oh, Naruto! I heard you came back!" Choji said happily.
"Yeah, had some free time and I heard from the Godaime that Team 8 and 10 were in the village. I already met up with Team 8, I only have you and Ino to see, Choji."
Before the conversation could go any further, a chain shot out of Naruto's back and attacked something that tried to attack him from behind. He turned around and saw that whatever he had hit turned into ink.
Further away, he saw a pale guy holding a scroll and a brush. He had short, black hair and black eyes. He wore a short black jacket with red straps over a high-collared midriff shirt. He also wore black pants and gloves, though the pointer fingers and thumbs weren't covered. He wore the Konoha headband on his forehead.
"That guy attacked me out of nowhere, despite being a Konoha Shinobi." Naruto said. "Maybe he's testing me? Well, I would hate to disappoint!"
He charged, Muramasa in hand. The guy dipped his brush in ink and started painting in his scroll with impressive speed.
"Ninpo: Choju Giga." The guy said when he finished painting.
His drawings shot out of the scroll and gained life. They all charged at Naruto. Naruto jumped in the air and slashed every ink beast, making them turn into ink in a similar way that Mizu Bunshin turn into water upon defeat. The newcomer unsheathed his tipless tanto and clashed with Naruto. Muramasa easily cut the tanto, to the newcomer's shock, and Naruto kicked him in the gut, knocking him to the wall. Naruto kept the guy pinned by leaving his feet on his gut.
"Was that enough of a demonstration?" Naruto asked.
The guy gave him a smile that anybody could see was fake. "It was. You are quite skilled. You must have a big dick."
Naruto looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "Is that how you analyze everybody?"
The guy gained a confused look. "I read in a book that a Shinobi's sizes are a way to measure their skills and the other way around as well. Is that not true?"
Naruto shrugged. "It's mostly an inside joke. But, every rumor, story and legend always has a hint of truth in them."
The guy nodded. "I see. I will have to read up more on this."
"You do that." Naruto said as he let the guy free. "Naruto Uzumaki."
"Sai." Sai introduced himself as ink swirled around him. "We'll meet again, Naruto-kun." He said before disappearing with a swirl of ink.
"Ink Shunshin?" Naruto thought.
"Choji! I figured you'd be here!" They heard a female voice call out. They all turned to the source and saw Ino.
She also had noticeable changes. The bang of hair in front of her face had flattened and covered the right half of her face. She also no longer had the bandages that once covered her legs and waist. She had fishnet on her elbows and knees. She wore a purple, sleeveless blouse that left her waist exposed, an open-front purple apron-skirt over a shorter, black skirt with fishnet shorts underneath. She no longer wore her headband.
"Sorry Ino." Choji apologized. "Some weirdo attacked Naruto."
"Naruto?" Ino asked as she noticed her fellow blond walk back to them. "It really is you!"
"How's it going?" Naruto greeted.
"How long have you been back?" Ino asked with a huff, hands on her hips. "You could have come and said hi."
"I had a training session almost immediately as I returned, a week ago, before ending up with a mission that lasted said week." Naruto sighed. "Luckily, I'm using my current free time to see the rest of the group I hadn't seen, being you, Choji and Team 8."
"Well, at least you didn't forget." Ino relented.
After some small talk, Ino and Choji left to join Asuma for a mission. Naruto then received a message to join Sakura to meet the new members of the team.
"Looks like we're the first ones here." Naruto said as he and Sakura looked around.
"We are a bit early." Sakura commented.
"Hello." They turned to the direction of the voice and saw Sai.
"So, you're one of our new teammates, Sai?" Naruto asked.
Sai nodded. "That's right."
Sakura looked at Naruto with confusion. "You know this guy?"
Naruto shrugged. "He attacked me out of nowhere to test my skills. Odds are he knew we'd become teammates."
"Sorry about that." Sai said with his fake smile.
"Greetings." A man behind Sai said. "I'll be Kakashi-senpai's replacement until he recovers. I am Yamato."
Yamato had short brown hair and black almond-shaped eyes. He wore the typical shinobi attire and flak jacket, except his didn't have the crests on the shoulders. He also wore a Happuri-style Forehead Protector that framed his face.
"The four of us will be doing a mission soon." Yamato explained. "And we won't have many chances to get to know each other. So, introduce yourself!"
"Naruto Uzumaki."
"Sakura Haruno."
"Sai."
"Alright, that should be enough for now." Yamato said after the trio said their names. "I'll explain the mission. Our mission is to head to the Tenchi Bridge, in Kusa no Kuni, to capture the Akatsuki spy working under Orochimaru. This is also a rare chance to gain information on Orochimaru and Sasuke Uchiha. We'll have a reliable source of information for planning Orochimaru's assassination and Sasuke's retrieval if we can capture this spy. Be sure to proceed with caution"
The trio nodded.
"Assemble at the main gate in an hour." Yamato ordered. "We'll depart once you've equipped yourselves."
Kakashi, on his hospital bed, opened his right eye upon hearing his window open. He heard an amused laugh.
"Don't you look silly." He heard Jiraiya's voice. "Well, no more than usual, I suppose."
"Jiraiya-sama." Kakashi greeted as he sat up.
"Heard you're gonna be holed up here for a week." Jiraiya commented.
"Pretty much." Kakashi said.
"Well..." Jiraiya fished for something inside his outfit before slamming it on the nightstand. "Here's a 'get well' gift."
Kakashi turned his eye to the nightstand and saw two Deluxe editions of Icha Icha Paradise.
"Sure, you've read 'em before, but it'll help pass the time." Jiraiya grinned.
"Thanks." Kakashi said before turning his eye to Jiraiya. "But you didn't come back just to see me, did you."
"Let's wait for Tsunade and your substitute to get here. He's going by the nickname Yamato, you'll know when you see him."
The two of them waited for a bit until they heard a knock at the door.
"Kakashi." Tsunade called out. "May we enter."
"Come on in." Kakashi said, putting the book back on the nightstand.
Shizune opened the door and she entered after Tsunade and Yamato.
"Long time no see, Kakashi-senpai." Yamato greeted.
Kakashi's eye widened. "Tenzo... So this is the Yamato you were talking about. Go figure."
"That's right." Yamato said as he and Tsunade approached the bed. "While filling in as acting-captain for Team Kakashi, my codename shall be Yamato."
"Is this really necessary?" Kakashi asked Tsunade. "Naruto seems to be perfectly fine."
"I trust Naruto." Tsunade said. "I don't trust the Fox."
"Even after I loosened the Seal, Naruto's been handling the Kyuubi's Chakra quite well. But, as they say, better safe than sorry." Jiraiya said.
"I see..." Kakashi muttered before turning to Tsunade. "Hokage-sama, there was a detail I didn't mention when my team was around."
Tsunade's eyes narrowed. "It better be important if you withheld information."
Kakashi nodded. "It's about Souma Kurusu." He immediately got the room's full attention. "As Jiraiya-sama feared, his reputation is legitimate. But I found out something terrible during our mission."
"What is it?" Jiraiya asked.
Kakashi closed his eye. "I fear Souma Kurusu may be this 'Dracula' who ordered Yakumo's kidnapping."
Everyone's eyes widened.
"You saw Souma use the Kurama Clan Kekkei Genkai?" Tsunade asked, shocked.
Kakashi nodded. "When my team and Team Guy fought him, he used the Kekkei Genkai of the other Countries to injure the younger members before partially cancelling the Genjutsu that was said battle. The injuries remained, even though nothing happened."
Jiraiya frowned. "This is worse than I thought. At this point, Souma could only have joined the Akatsuki to get the Bijuu for himself."
Tsunade turned to Yamato. "Keep a very close eye on Naruto."
Yamato saluted. "Yes Ma'am."
After finishing his preparations, Naruto went to the main gate.
"Okay." Yamato said once everyone had assembled. "Team Kakashi, we head out now!"
The team then went on their way to Kusa no Kuni.
They stopped at a hot spring resort for the first night and went on their way in the morning.
On the way to Kusa, Yamato made them cut through a forest instead of continuing down the road.
"Why are we doing through here, Yamato-taichou?" Sakura asked. "I'm pretty sure the road we were on would have taken us there earlier."
"I believe Tsunade-sama already told you that the information could be a trap." Yamato explained. "It may actually be Akatsuki waiting at the Tenchi Bridge. It's a definite possibility. Don't forget that they are also after Naruto-kun. It isn't very likely, but I prefer to be careful. Until we reach the Tenchi Bridge, we will avoid the main roads as much as possible."
They continued through the forest and stopped in an open area.
Yamato made some handsigns, to the team's confusion. "Mokuton: Shichuka no Jutsu!" Trees shot out of the ground and made a house. "We'll be camping out here tonight!"
"That was Shodai-sama's Mokuton Ninjutsu!" Sakura thought.
"I have to report this to the original as soon as possible!" Naruto thought.
The inside was spacious, but lacking in furniture.
"Everyone, gather 'round." Yamato said. "And Sakura, I have a few things to ask you."
"Should I have a Kage Bunshin keep watch outside?" Naruto asked.
"Good thinking, Naruto-kun. Go ahead." Yamato smiled.
Naruto made a Kage Bunshin, which exited the house and, when it hid in the shadows, left for the castle.
"What is it?" Sakura asked.
"It's about Sasori." Yamato said. "I actually wanted to ask about him sooner, but I promised we wouldn't talk about work yesterday. Today, you're going to tell me everything. You're the only one who has seen him in person, after all."
"Yes." Sakura said.
"I have a file from Suna about Sasori, but I need you to tell me about his personality, speech-pattern, gestures and mannerisms in as much detail as you can."
"You sound like you're going to impersonate him." Naruto commented.
Sakura's eyes widened. "Sasori's most seen form is a puppet he called Hiruko... You're going to use a Mokuton Jutsu to take that puppet's form!"
Yamato nodded. "Impressive. Your time as a team shows. The spy under Orochimaru thinks that he will meet Sasori at the Tenchi Bridge. This is our best bet."
The trio nodded.
Dracula's castle
The Kage Bunshin entered the Throne Room and bowed to Dracula. The lack of lit candles prevented the clone from seeing the Lord of Darkness.
"What is so important that you came to report ahead of time?" Dracula demanded.
The Bunshin bowed his head. "The boss is on a mission and discovered something that was very important to report."
"I see... Go right ahead."
The clone nodded. "Currently, Boss, Sakura and two other shinobi are headed to the Tenchi Bridge, in Kusa no Kuni, to meet one of Sasori's spy working under Orochimaru. They also plan to use this chance to possibly get Sasuke back. That's not what matters here, however. What matters is that one of those two shinobi, Yamato, is able to use the Shodai Hokage's Mokuton."
Dracula's eyes narrowed. "The Mokuton... Interesting. Other than Tsunade, there shouldn't be any more Senju. That leaves one possibility: he is one of Orochimaru's experiments, like Arashi Fuma or Mizuki's Liquid Cursed Mark. Make sure he stays alive, I will, one day, add his soul to my arsenal."
The clone bowed and dispelled.
Naruto gained his clone's memories. "Other than the animals disturbed by the house's sudden appearance, there's nothing else in the vicinity."
Yamato nodded. "Then let's get on to the main topic: our mission is to capture our target. We must not let him die. This remains true even if we fight him. If he's accidentally killed, we'll have lost a valuable source of information. This mission is going to be more difficult than simply killing an enemy. Because this is such a delicate operation, I'll be the one to make the first move. You will all back me up. The strategy is simple. First scenario, I successfully restrain the target. Second scenario, I fail at restraining the target and we are forced into battle, you three get into battle formation. I'll signal you when I want you to do so. Should the second scenario come into play, I want you to take action using the buddy system. So, I'm going to decide our groups. Sakura and I will be one team. Naruto and Sai will be the second team."
Sai turned to Naruto with that fake smile of his. "I'm counting on you."
Naruto nodded. "Same here."
Yamato nodded in satisfaction. "We have to assume that the target is highly skilled. Any slip-ups in our teamwork could cost us our lives. We don't know the exact location of Orochimaru's hideout, but that Akatsuki spy should be heading toward the bridge by now. We better be prepared."
On the day of the meeting, they hid among the trees, waiting for the spy to show himself.
A figure wearing a cloak stepped on the bridge. Yamato, disguised as Sasori's Hiruko puppet, met the spy halfway through the bridge.
"It's good to see you again, Sasori-sama." The spy said as he revealed his face. It was Kabuto! "It's been five years, hasn't it?"
Naruto and Sakura were shocked.
"Were you followed?" Yamato asked with Sasori's voice.
"No, we're fine." Kabuto reassured.
"How are you?" 'Sasori' asked.
"I still feel a little shaken from when your Jutsu was released, and I remembered who I really was. My mind is clouded a bit, as well."
"I've got a few questions for you."
"We don't have much time, please keep them brief." Kabuto urged. "I'm risking my life just by being here."
"Tell me what you know about his hideouts, and Sasuke Uchiha."
"There are multiple hideouts. He switches from one location to the next each week to keep his whereabouts unknown. Of course, he has them in many countries, not just Oto. Orochimaru's spies sneak in, set them up and manage them in his absence. But, he makes use of many different methods to switch locations, so tracking him isn't easy." Kabuto explained.
"Where is he now?" 'Sasori' asked.
"Currently, he's concealed himself on an island in the northern lake, and will move in three days. Sasuke Uchiha is there as well."
Before the conversation could continue, they heard rustling from Kabuto's side of the bridge, making the spy turn around in a hurry. A rabbit jumped out of the bushes.
"Oh, a rabbit." Kabuto stated before he turned back to 'Sasori'. "By the way, about the matter you ordered me to look into. The body that Orochimaru transferred out of had protective wards surrounding it, so I was unable to get the cell samples you requested."
"I see." 'Sasori' said.
Kabuto narrowed his eyes. "If you would be so kind, hurry and give me the item. I can't afford to stay here any longer. I'll be killed if he finds out I'm here with you."
"Fine." 'Sasori' said as he knew he couldn't get any more information. He immediately took out a kunai, to Kabuto's shock.
"Interesting conversation." They heard Orochimaru's voice as the snake man appeared behind Kabuto. "Mind if I join you?"
Kabuto discarded his cloak and stood next to 'Sasori'. "If you hadn't drawn your kunai, Sasori-sama, I wouldn't have been able to dodge in time!"
"That outfit... It reminds me of the old days, Sasori." Orochimaru said.
"You followed Kabuto?" 'Sasori' asked.
"Don't be rude, I just thought I'd come and thank you." The snake said. "That child was a true blessing. When I developed new Jutsu, I used to go through over a hundred of test subjects for each one I created. But thanks to this boy's medical skills, I was able to use the same subject over and over again. I had been running low on them recently, you see."
Kabuto activated his Chakra Scalpel and immediately attacked Yamato, to wood user's shock. Yamato jumped in the air to avoid any more attacks.
"Sen'ei Tajashu!" Orochimaru called out as snakes shot out of his sleeve and aimed for Yamato. The snakes retrained him and bit him, but Yamato had used a Mokuton Kawarimi.
"A wooden replacement. Then you must be..." Orochimaru trailed off as he retracted the snakes.
"Is this Sasori's real body, Orochimaru-sama?" Kabuto asked.
"Not at all." Orochimaru said. "Don't tell me you haven't seen the real Sasori, despite being his spy for so long."
Kabuto smiled. "He was always hiding within his puppets. It was quite creepy, if you ask me."
"Kabuto, you were supposed to be an Akatsuki spy." Yamato said. "You were supposed to be trapped by Sasori's Jutsu!"
"Orochimaru-sama dealt with that Jutsu a long time ago." Kabuto waved off.
"So you switched sides? Is Orochimaru controlling you now?"
"Not at all." Kabuto said. "I just happen to sympathize with his cause. And who might you be? We were planning to kill Sasori here, but things seem to have gone awry."
"I will tell you about him later, Kabuto." Orochimaru said before glancing at Yamato. "Now then, why don't you bring out the rats hiding behind you?"
Yamato complied and made the signal, prompting the trio to jump out of hiding and stand between their captain and the enemy.
"Ah, and so we see each other again, Naruto-kun." Kabuto said.
"I wonder how much you have progressed since we last saw you." Orochimaru said. "Are you even closely matched to my Sasuke-kun, i wonder?"
"I know for a fact Sasuke would use whatever he learned in the past three years to kill you if he heard you talking about him like property." Naruto responded.
Orochimaru chuckled. "How true..." He then tried a different approach, seeing as Naruto couldn't be taunted in such a manner. "Seeing you, however, as reminded me of something. A Nuke-nin, Souma Kurusu, I think he is called?"
Naruto's eyes narrowed. Where was he going with this?
"Three years ago, when I tried to destroy Konoha, Sarutobi-sensei summoned the Shinigami to try and seal me like the Yondaime sealed the Kyuubi within you. When the Shinigami grabbed my soul, I saw its face. Imagine my surprise when, by looking through the Bingo Book, I see a Nuke-nin wearing a mask that looks exactly like the Shinigami's face."
Naruto's eyes widened slightly. Did he know about the mask's power?
"I then started wondering about this man and his Kekkei Genkai: 'The Power of Dominance'. An interesting name, if I do say so myself. What was curious to me was that he came in the possession of that mask in the first place. After all, how did he know of the Uzumaki Storage Temple?"
"Uzumaki Storage Temple?" Naruto feigned ignorance.
"Oh? Do you not know of the Uzumaki Clan?" Orochimaru smirked. "To not be told of your family, such a cruel fate. I can only think of how foolish Sarutobi-sensei was of hiding your parent's identity from you."
Naruto's hands clenched. He knew that Orochimaru was taunting him and he would respond in kind, just like any 'orphan' would in his place.
Sakura looked at Naruto worriedly. Naruto had been an orphan his entire life, as far as she knew, and suddenly learned from an enemy that he had a clan. She could see that, for once, his patience was reaching its limit.
"Kushina Uzumaki." Orochimaru said. "A powerful and fiery woman, if there ever was one. And she was the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki before you were born. Yet, her status was never made public like yours was. What kind of manipulations did Sarutobi-sensei have in mind?"
A purple blur ran toward Orochimaru and slammed a hand right on his face, sending the snake man flying into the forest behind him. The power behind the attack destroyed whatever parts of the forest were in Orochimaru's way.
Team Kakashi and Kabuto looked at Naruto in shock. The Kyuubi chakra was around him like a shroud while keeping Kitsune's shape. Even if it was shaped with nine tails, one was larger than the others, showing that he was really using one tail's worth of Star Kyuubi Chakra.
"Naruto..." Sakura thought, worried.
"What is this?" Sai wondered.
Yamato remembered the conversation he had with Jiraiya. While the Toad Sage said that Naruto was very much in control of a large part of the Kyuubi's chakra, even after its enhancement, this may be the first time blond uses it while angry, maybe even enraged. He would have to be careful.
"Your Jinchuuriki abilities have grown a lot since the healing factor you used back then." Kabuto commented.
Naruto ignored Kabuto as he looked at Orochimaru, who was walking out of the forest's broken path. His long hair was covering his face.
"You are very much the Jinchuuriki now, Naruto-kun." The snake man said as he raised his face, revealing the host body's face underneath the torn layer of skin. "It makes perfect sense now. Of course they would place the Mokuton user with you. Using the Shodai Hokage's DNA I implanted in him when he was a child and my lab rat, he can restrain your Jinchuuriki powers. To think Tsunade-hime doesn't even trust you after you kept her away from me, three years ago."
Naruto snarled and immediately went four tails. The chakra became so thick it completely covered Naruto's form, leaving only the image of a miniature purple Kyuubi.
"Interesting." Orochimaru said as the bridge started breaking apart from the sheer pressure of the chakra and the wind started fiercely blowing in multiple places.
"Such power..." Sakura thought fearfully. "There's no way anyone can control such terrifying chakra! It really is beyond human comprehension!"
Kabuto charged toward Naruto with his Chakra Scalpel. An extra appendage grew from the Kyuubi Chakra. It was an arm wielding Muramasa. Kabuto jumped back when the arm tried to swipe at him.
Orochimaru jumped back toward the forest and Naruto gave pursuit.
Naruto grew tired to the snake hiding himself and roared, destroying the nearby surrounding woods
"This child intrigues me to no end!" Orochimaru cackled as he got up from the destruction. He then vomited thousands on snakes, which started charging toward Naruto with a blade in each of their mouths.
Naruto swung his arm in front of him. The chakra focused in the swipe exploded in a massive shockwave and incinerated the snakes. He then slammed his hands into the ground. Orochimaru noticed that the crack caused by this were getting closer and closer to him, making him jump away just in time to dodge two large chakra arms. An arm grew out of one of the arms and aimed for Orochimaru. Every time the arm was about to catch him, Orochimaru would jump away.
Orochimaru then charged Naruto and tried to punch him, only for the Jinchuuriki to sidestep and catch the snake, with the physical contact causing the chakra to scorch Orochimaru's body. But the Sannin spat another version of himself before his body burned completely.
He had shed his skin like a snake.
Naruto growled before he raised his head to the sky and pointed his larger tails in front of his face, creating a Bijuudama, the Bijuu's most destructive Jutsu, at the focus point.
"This is getting dangerous." Orochimaru said as he felt the sheer density of the incoming attack. He jumped several meters away. "Even I would die if I took a direct attack of such condensed chakra." He then bit both of his thumbs, breaking skin and bleeding, before slamming his hands on the ground. "Kuchiyose: Sanju Rashomon!"
Three demon-faced gates emerged from the ground between Naruto and Orochimaru.
Naruto shot the Bijuudama regardless of the protection. The sphere of chakra shot toward the first gate before exploding into a directed blast that destroyed all three gates and the forest behind them.
Naruto's eyes narrowed as he saw Orochimaru's body, buried from the shoulders up into the ground, his feet dangling in the air.
The ground in front of him started to crack, causing him to look down as Orochimaru's head shot out of the ground with a blade in his mouth. Naruto was stabbed straight in the gut and dragged on the ground as the blade grew longer and longer until he crashed on Team Kakashi's side of the cliff, next to the bridge.
"Even with my efforts and the Kusanagi, I cannot pierce him. Impressive." Orochimaru thought.
The blade hadn't even pierced the chakra, let alone broken Naruto's skin. He effortlessly swatted it away like a fly, causing the blade to cut trees to his right.
To his left, he saw the damaged bridge. Yamato, Sakura and Kabuto were staring at him. He narrowed his eyes. Where was Sai?
Orochimaru slowly retracted the Kusanagi blade, knowing it was worthless against the chakra.
"Instead of a battle between Shinobi, this is one between monsters." Kabuto said, not knowing he was even more correct than he thought. "Just look at that thing. He's even lost control over his body."
"Shut up, four-eyes." Naruto said, shocking the trio.
"Naruto?" Sakura asked fearfully.
Naruto got up and walked toward the trio. Kabuto then disappeared, probably to join Orochimaru in the forest. With Kabuto gone, Naruto deactivated Kyuubi's chakra, looking perfectly fine.
"Jiraiya-sama was not exaggerating when he said you had great control over the chakra." Yamato said, shocked.
"I like to think I have an easier time than most." Naruto said. "Sorry about the outburst, but it felt good to vent the anger."
"You call that venting!?" Sakura asked incredulously.
"The collateral damage was done even though I always aimed for Orochimaru. This would have been even worse if I was just fixated on destruction." Naruto countered before looking around. "Where's Sai?"
Sakura scowled. "That jerk left us the moment you chased after Orochimaru!"
In the middle of the conversation, the trio arrived at the spot Naruto and Orochimaru fought.
There was ink on the ground. Sai's belongings were on the ground, meaning he had been restrained momentarily. Sakura picked up Sai's picture book.
"Why didn't he pick it up?" Sakura wondered. The book was important to Sai, despite him saying he feels no emotion.
"If he was nervous enough to forget picking his belongings up, he must have been pretty tense while he was speaking with Orochimaru." Yamato said.
"You make it sound like you saw everything." Naruto said.
"I had sent a Moku Bunshin after you, in case you really went out of control. Right now, my Bunshin is spying on Sai, Kabuto and Orochimaru, who seem to be headed somewhere together."
"Together? Did he betray us, just like that?" Naruto asked.
"It's very much possible..." Sakura said before she turned to Yamato. "Yamato-Taicho, do you know about Danzo?"
Yamato nodded. "A war-hawk of a man, who once opposed the Sandaime Hokage."
"For this bandaged old man to be mentioned in this situation... Is he a superior officer to Sai?" Naruto asked.
Sakura nodded. "Shishou told me Danzo was Sai's superior."
"Danzo may be using Sai as a means to pulling something off. He may have given Sai a mission that differs from our own. With all this, I have the speculation that Danzo may be trying to destroy Konoha as we know it." Yamato said.
"On one hand, you have old man Sandaime, who believes in peace. On the other hand, you have a war-hawk." Naruto commented. "If Danzo had become Hokage, Konoha could have been very different from what it is today."
Yamato nodded. "With Tsunade-sama at the helm of Konoha, most of the village follows the teachings of the Sandaime, something Danzo opposes. Not to mention that most of the villagers support those ideas, making it hard to change their minds."
"To do that, he would need a calamity. Orochimaru's Suna-Oto invasion would be a good example." Sakura said.
"If he's trying to make an alliance with Orochimaru to try and overthrow Tsunade-sama, it can only mean he's planning another attack." Yamato said.
"And rebuild the village in his image as the new Hokage." Naruto finished, making the other two nod grimly.
"Depending on how things go, we may have to kill Sai." Yamato said.
"Kill him?" Sakura asked, horrified.
"So be it." Naruto said. "It's one of the many scenarios of a shinobi's life." Naruto said.
Yamato nodded. "My clone is tailing them, but I don't know how long that will last. We're going after them too."
The duo nodded and followed Yamato.
On the way, the trio looked inside Sai's book. There were drawings of two children, one who looked like Sai, fighting their enemies and taking their enemies' armor and weapons before the next fight. After that, Yamato received a radio transmission from his clone, saying he managed to follow them to Orochimaru's base.
"Naruto." Sakura called out. "This time, we will definitely bring Sasuke back."
"Is that all that goes through her head?" Naruto wondered before he said. "Yeah."
They eventually arrived at a rocky wasteland.
"Is this the place?" Yamato asked his clone,
"The entrance is right in front of us, beneath those boulders." The clone answered.
Yamato placed a hand on his clone, who turned into wood before becoming a seed on Yamato's hand. Yamato then pulled out another seed.
"Swallow these, Naruto, Sakura." Yamato said.
"And that will..." Naruto trailed off.
"Allow me to track you if we get split up." Yamato explained.
The duo nodded and swallowed the Mokuton seeds. Naruto had to hold back the Power of Dominance from dominating the seed's chakra, lest he make Yamato suspicious of him.
"Did you do this with Sai?" Naruto asked.
Yamato nodded. "Back at the hot spring resort, I placed one on his clothes and food. Enough about that, let's go."
Yamato made some handsigns and slammed his hand on the ground, making a large hole. Yamato jumped down and whistled after a moment, prompting the other two to jump down. Yamato dug a tunnel to the entrance until they reached a stone wall.
One of Yamato's fingers turned into wood and dug through some cracks, silently breaking the wall.
"From now on, suppress your chakra as much as you can." Yamato ordered. "Otherwise Orochimaru will notice that we are here."
The trio jumped through the hole.
"So far, our infiltration is a success." Sakura whispered.
"Let's look for Sai first." Yamato said as he focused on the tracker he placed on Sai. "This way."
The duo followed Yamato through the hallways and he opened a locked door by turning the tip of his finger into a key. Sai was inside the room.
"I figured you'd be here." Yamato said as the team entered.
"Nothing less from one of the Hokage's personal Anbu." Sai said with his fake smile. "The fake corpse didn't even fool you."
Sakura walked up to Sai and held out his picture book.
"Ah, thank you." Sai said as he took the book.
"It was Danzo who ordered you to ally with Orochimaru, right?" Sakura asked. "He's plotting something involving Orochimaru and you were chosen to be the liaison."
Sai stayed silent.
"He wants to make a new plan to crush the leaf, doesn't he?" Yamato asked.
"Now that you've all discovered me, my mission is a failure." Sai said. "I can't finish you all off by myself. There's no point in hiding the truth. I was to be taken in by Orochimaru with the understanding that I would help him conspire against Konoha. That is the true mission that was assigned to me. But I also had to secretly send information back to Danzo-sama. In other words, I'm working as a spy."
"That's dangerous." Sakura commented.
"The moment Konoha is destroyed, Orochimaru will definitely betray us. It's a preventative measure to make sure we keep the upper hand."
"I see." Yamato said.
"Danzo really wants to make Konoha his." Sakura said. "And you're supposed to make it all happen by yourself?"
"The information that I write takes the form of small animals. That's how I can still leak information without compromising my safety. I was chosen for this mission because of that ability." Sai explained.
"People will die if this plan is executed, Sai!" Sakura argued.
"I do not care. I'm just following orders." Sai said. "Also, 'Sai' is a name I was given just for this mission. I am no one. I am merely one of Danzo-sama's arms. I do not exist. There is no point in saying anything to me."
"If that's true, then why do you still treasure that picture book?" Sakura asked.
Sai was taken aback by the question before he looked at the book.
"The ones on the cover are you and your brother, right?" Sakura asked. "Why is that book so precious to you? Because it's the only thing that proves you exist. You haven't lost your emotions as much as you claim. No shinobi can fully throw away their emotions. The fact that you accepted the book back and said 'thank you' proves it. You felt relief when I gave it back."
"In what way does carrying this picture book prove that I exist?" Sai asked, looking at Sakura.
"The reason is because you can't give up the image you have of yourself as a little brother. Do you know why?"
Sai stayed silent.
"Because your bond with your brother is important to you! You don't want to destroy the bond you share with your brother."
"Bond?" Sai asked.
"We took a peek at the book on the way here. Only the two centre pages are incomplete." Yamato said. "Sai, I know you are from Anbu Root. I also know that you went through a special training program to help you kill your emotions. Going with the flow of the book, you take the weapons and armors of the foes you defeat. When you get to the centre pages, you would face your brother. You killed your-"
"I did not." Sai interrupted. "This was supposed to be a present for my brother. But, just when the book was almost completed, he died from an unknown disease. There are a lot of children who were torn away from their parents because of war. He and I got along like real brothers. He often praised my pictures. The center was the part I wanted to show him the most, but since he died, I don't know what i want to draw on them."
"Shouldn't we get out of here, in case someone is coming?" Naruto asked.
Yamato nodded and restrained Sai with some wood.
Naruto then saw an envelope on the bed, picked it up and looked at its content. This is a list of Konoha's Anbu! Naruto pocketed it in his coat.
The team got out of the base the way they came in.
"Tough break, Sai." Yamato said. "I'm going to leave you here with my Moku Bunshin."
"All right. Time to do what we came to do: bring Sasuke back." Naruto said.
"You should give up." Sai said. "I met Sasuke-kun. Orochimaru is always with Sasuke-kun. In other words, you'll have to fight Orochimaru again. If you pursue him, you'll be ripped apart and used for their experiments. Not to mention that Sasuke-kun no longer cares about you."
"That doesn't change anything." Naruto said. "He is a target we must bring back and that's what we'll do."
"Why are you trying so hard for someone like him, even going up against Orochimaru, when he thinks so little of you? You weren't even ordered to do it."
"You seem to think I try so hard because of who he is. You're wrong. I hunt him down just like I would with any other Nuke-nin." Naruto's words shocked Sakura.
"But you said you'd bring him back!" Sakura argued.
"'I'll see what I can do, but I'm certain that things won't be back to normal after this.' That is, word for word, what I said back then. Sasuke willingly left Konoha for Orochimaru. No one gets away from that with just a slap on the wrist." Naruto countered.
Yamato nodded. Being a member of Anbu, he knew that more than most.
"Orochimaru's desire to get Sasuke's body only made this more urgent. If Orochimaru gains the Sharingan for himself, Konoha will be in greater danger. As a shinobi of Konoha, that is something I cannot allow. That is why I'm bringing him back."
Naruto, Sakura and Yamato then sensed danger and immediately jumped back, dodging several kunai. Kabuto landed in front of Sai while facing Team Kakashi.
"And here I thought we had fooled our tracker." Kabuto said. "But you are one of Orochimaru-sama's guinea pigs, so it shouldn't be unexpected."
"You're persistent, Kabuto." Sakura said.
Kabuto looked over his shoulder. "Sai, I see you've been taken prisoner. It doesn't look like you've betrayed us, so I'll trust you for now." He said as he broke Sai's restraints.
He then faced Team Kakashi once more. "You know, I feel sorry for you people. Even if you defeat me, Sasuke won't be coming back with you. He has changed from the boy you knew, like everybody changes."
Before he could say any more, Sai trapped him in an arm-lock.
"What's the meaning of this?" Kabuto demanded. "Your mission was to be the liaison between Orochimaru-sama and Danzo."
"You said that everybody changes. That means I can, too." Sai said.
"Sai, don't let go." Yamato ordered before he restrained Kabuto with a Mokuton Jutsu.
"Where is Sasuke?" Yamato demanded.
Kabuto smirked. "By now, he probably is done with his training and has gone back to his room in the inner area of the base. Even I don't know which room it is. This place has rooms and spaces carved out everywhere. There are more than just one or two inner chambers. Orochimaru-sama's room is there, as well. You better be careful, or you will have a snake jump right at you."
"Well, at least you're honest." Yamato said.
"Oh, I'm not saying this out of the kindness of my heart." Kabuto chuckled.
"So, you think we're walking into a death trap." Yamato realized.
"Exactly."
Yamato then made a wood clone to watch over Kabuto. "I guess we'll see. Let's go."
Team Kakashi, with Sai back, left for the base.
Eventually, the team had to split up to search for Sasuke. Naruto and Sai looked in each room they ran by before something happened.
They stumbled upon Orochimaru.
"Now then, Sai, whose side are you on?" Orochimaru asked.
"Go on ahead." Naruto told Sai.
"Can you even handle him?" Sai asked.
"More than you." Naruto responded.
Sai then ran away.
"So, you've come to take Sasuke-kun back home?" Orochimaru mocked. "Will things really go as you wish?"
"That's better than letting him become your vessel." Naruto countered as he brandished Muramasa. "There's no way I'll let Konoha become a target to such a threat."
"Such a diligent shinobi." Orochimaru cackled. "However, as much as I would love to test your blade against Kusanagi, I would hate to cut it down and leave you weaker against the Akatsuki. I would really appreciate it if you killed a few more members. But, for now, my business is with Sai." He then disappeared.
Naruto cursed before he ran in the direction Sai went.
Suddenly, an explosion shook the base. Naruto ran to the source and arrived at a part of the base that was destroyed and exposed to the outside. Sai was in the middle of the crater.
"What happened?" He asked as he stepped up to Sai.
"Naruto..." He heard from atop the crater. He turned to the source and saw Sasuke.
Sasuke had grown noticeably taller. He wore a white long-sleeved shirt, which was open at the torso. He also wore dark blue pants with a blue cloth hanging from halfway up his stomach to his knees, as well as black arm guards that protected his forearms and reached his upper biceps. He had a purple rope belt tied around his waist, where a sheathed sword was strapped. His longer hair now looked like a raven's wing rather than a duck's ass.
"So, here you are." Naruto said.
"Sasuke-kun!" He heard Sakura call out as she and Yamato exited the hallway.
"Sakura too?" Sasuke asked. "Yet, I don't see Kakashi."
"My apologies for being his replacement." Yamato said. "But Team Kakashi is taking you back to Konoha."
"By will or by force." Naruto added before he took a step back just as Sasuke appeared before him.
"If you can keep up with this speed, then you haven't been slacking off." Sasuke said as he drew his blade. "That's good, because I've yet to defeat you."
Naruto unsheathed Muramasa and blocked Sasuke's blade.
Sai appeared behind Sasuke with his tipless tanto in hand, while Yamato was about to restrain Sasuke with wood.
"Chidori Nagashi!" Sasuke called out as lightning coursed throughout his body and his surroundings.
Yamato's wood was held back by the lightning and Sai was knocked back. Naruto recoiled slightly, but quickly channelled wind chakra through Muramasa and made a Futon: Rasengan before charging while holding out both wind manipulations before him.
Sasuke's eyes widened as the wind chakra protected Naruto from the lightning chakra. The lightning chakra coursing through him made his body stiff, rendering him unable to dodge the wind sphere he received to the gut, sending him flying backwards and crashing to a wall.
"Sasuke-kun had a full-body Chidori and Naruto countered it almost immediately." Sakura thought, awed.
Sasuke got up and clutched his gut. "That wind affinity of yours is still a pain..."
"Did you think I would hold back against you?" Naruto asked. "Don't be ridiculous. You are a Nuke-nin that cannot be allowed to remain free."
"Strong words." Orochimaru said as he appeared in front of Sasuke, with Kabuto in tow. "But you're not taking him back yet, if ever."
"Out of the way." Sasuke grunted.
"Now, now, Sasuke-kun. You should let them be." Kabuto said. "After all, they can deal with Akatsuki for us, giving you a greater chance to fight Itachi."
"That's a pathetic argument." Sasuke said bluntly.
"True, but you would take this chance, even if the odds increased by 1%, right?" Kabuto countered.
Sasuke was silent for a moment before speaking. "You win again, Naruto, but next time, I will defeat you."
Naruto lowered Muramasa. "We shall see."
The sound trio then disappeared in a Flame Shunshin.
"We failed..." Sakura muttered as tears slowly streamed down her face.
"We still have six months, don't we?" Sai asked. "We will get to him in time."
The others agreed with Sai.
"I see." Tsunade said as she received Team Kakashi's report upon their return. "Well?"
"We still have time." Naruto said. "Time to prevent Orochimaru from truly gaining the Sharingan."
"Very well." Tsunade nodded. "For now, head home and rest. You'll need it before your next mission."
Team Kakashi nodded before Naruto, Sakura and Sai left the room.
"Did you find out anything about Sai?" Tsunade asked.
Yamato pulled out an envelope. "Just as you predicted, Sai had a secret mission: to be a liaison between Orochimaru and Danzo for a future plan to destroy Konoha. Naruto-kun also found this. I would imagine Danzo gave this to Sai in order to gain Orochimaru's trust."
Tsunade took the envelope and saw the content. "A list of all our Anbu agents!?" She growled. "These are top-secret! How did he get his hands on these!?"
"Tsunade-sama?" Shizune asked.
Tsunade turned to Shizune. "Go to the file storage area, get new guards and change all the access passwords, immediately!"
"Y-Yes, Ma'am!" Shizune said as she ran out the door.
Tsunade was inwardly cursing. Orochimaru and the Akatsuki were bad enough, but now she'd have to worry about sabotage as well?
What else was on the horizon!?