DISCLAIMER: No matter how much I want it, I do not own Naruto. I am still only borrowing the characters and promise to return them in good condition – well, maybe slightly battered!

Chapter Thirty-Eight:

'C' is for Canines

The more that you fear us
The bigger we get
And don't be surprised

When we destroy all of it

~Marilyn Manson~

Sai cautiously opened the door and peered out. Unfortunately for him, some diligent servant had lit the lamps lining the hallway. The little tongues of flame were trembling under their glass covers causing shadows to flicker and dance.

Now came the most difficult part, walking the full length of the corridor in this wing and slipping through a room or two until he found the right one.

He tried to cover the dangerous stretch as quickly as possible. Although the thick pile of carpet would deaden any sound of his footsteps, he was a ninja. Nothing is more silent than a ninja on a mission.

He checked each room to the right and left in the hallway. Empty. He walked past an intersection where two corridors crossed. Mentally picturing the map, he recalled that one led to the servant's wing and the basement. He came to another door and pressed down on the handle, but it didn't give. "Locked," he thought with satisfaction. "There must be something important in here for it to be locked."

Sai took a senbon to fiddle with the lock, feeling for the spring. To say he felt uncomfortable would be putting it mildly. Fiddling with a lock when there were lamps burning on every side and guards patrolling where anyone could see him from the far end of the corridor was a nervous kind of work.

The lock clicked and he stepped with increasing confidence into the room. He was a little let down to find it empty. He walked the length of the room to the balcony and looked out. One glance was enough to make him jump back quickly into the shelter of the darkness. As the map had shown, the balcony overlooked the inner courtyard of the castle.

There was a fountain murmuring gently in the yard, and a few delicate cherry trees with branches that barely reached as high as the second floor. The flickering of a little light caught his eye. A man was sitting under one of the trees, smoking a pipe.

What really captured his attention was the room across the courtyard. It was gold! He peeked out again. Soft spotlighting highlighted golden statues, vases, and other treasures. It was the room he was looking for. There was another balcony right next to it and he figured he could enter that one to get to the treasure room.

The guard. Sai thought quickly. The guard was looking straight in his direction. If he climbed down the wall, the guard was bound to see him, even on a dark night like this. And running back through the corridors was pointless and dangerous; he could be spotted at any moment.

There was only one thing he could do – wait for him to finish and move on.

He sat down on the floor and started watching through the light, airy curtains. The little light flared as he inhaled. He poisoned the air for what seemed like an eternity.

Eventually the guard stood up, stamped the remains of his pipe into the ground, slung his hefty crossbow over his shoulder, and tramped over to the door. Sai gave a sigh of relief and then a small moan. The guard swung round sharply and set off along the wall, then swung round again.

"Damn." Disappointed in the patrolling, over-diligent guard, Sai ground his teeth in frustration. He sat back down and counted the man's steps.

Six…ten…fifteen…twenty-two…

He didn't have much time. He had to take the risk. He wrapped ninja wire through the handle of a kunai and then waited until the man turned his back to him.

One…

Sai silently stepped out of the balcony and threw the kunai.

Two… Three…

The kunai buried into the rafters above him and he flung himself over the railings and jumped, clinging onto the wires with both hands.

Eight… Nine…

It was the quickest descent of his life. If he hadn't been wearing gloves, he'd of ripped all the skin off his hands, and the muscle along with it. But not even the gloves could protect him from the fire scorching in his palms.

Ten… Eleven…

He tugged on the kunai hard to dislodge it and caught it before it hit the ground. The genin quickly coiled the string and shoved it into his pocket.

Twelve… Thirteen…

He leaped forward toward the thick darkness under one of the cherry trees.

Fifteen…

The guard swung round and came walking toward him. "Come on now, you won't even notice me until you trip over me." When the guard turned away again, he started moving toward him, making short little runs from one shadow to another.

Twenty…

He snuck up behind the guard, who strolled along clueless, took out brass knuckles from his pocket, and slammed them against the back of his head. "Just as if a normal thief would do," he thought, feeling smugly superior.

The man gave a grunt of surprise and started falling over backwards. Sai caught hold of him and sat him down on the grass. He dragged the guard to the trunk of a tree and leaned his back against it. Just to be on the safe side, he unloaded his crossbow and threw the bolt into the fountain, then after thinking for a moment, he threw his bag with the other nine bolts in there too.

He set the useless weapon across the man's knees and stepped back to take a look at the result of his efforts.

That will do. From a distance he looks just like someone who has fallen asleep.

It took less than a minute to run up the wall and clamber over the balcony of the room he was looking for.

~~Naruto~~

Naruto stared at the ninja he had knocked out. He pulled out a kunai and pressed it against his throat. For several minutes, he stayed in that position. Finally, he put the kunai away. He just couldn't do it. He rummaged though the pouch on his hip, removed a small packet, and dumped the powdery substance into his gloved hand. Careful not to inhale the contents, he took a small breath and blew it into the man's face.

It wasn't long at all before the powder began to do its work. Angry, speckled red dots peppered the man's face and be began to breath harshly. The hallucinogenic would keep the man from discerning truth from reality for the next twenty-four hours. And anyone who found him would think he had a peculiar form of chicken pox.

"Nighty-night!" he whispered gleefully as he exited the room through the window. "Humph, and they tell me I shouldn't do any more experiments…"

Not wanting to risk across the wide intersection in the hallway, Naruto edged along the wall outside until he came to another balcony. The door there was slightly ajar. He took one step into the room and waited for his eyes to get used to the darkness.

There was definitely someone in the room. He could hear him or her snoring gently. The bed over by the far wall gradually took shape, emerging out of the gloom. He had to walk past it to get out. When he'd almost reached the door, a floorboard creaked under his foot.

Naruto stopped, wincing at the sound. He almost jumped in surprise when he heard a timid little yap from the bed.

A dog.

"What's wrong, Kiba?" a sleepy voice asked.

"Kiba," snickered Naruto to himself. "I can't wait until I tell him about this!"

"Rr-ruff? Ruff!"

"What is it? Rats?"

An old woman half sat up, as if she was peering into the darkness, but she didn't get off the bed. Luckily for Naruto, her little mongrel wasn't the brave type either, and was in no hurry to sink his teeth into the blonde.

"It's all that detestable Lord Fukisaka's fault, my little Kiba-kun. I told him I was afraid of rats and his servants put us in a room like this. Even the floor squeaks here, never mind those horrible grey monsters! They're just waiting to get at my poor little boy."

"Rrr-ruff!" Kiba agreed.

"Let's go to sleep, my precious. Those disgusting rats won't be able to reach us!"

Kiba yapped again and then shut up. Naruto's legs were nearly numb from standing still before the old woman began snoring again.

Trying to move as quietly as possible, he went out into the corridor, which was a precise copy of the one that his route had led him down in the other wing. The same carpet, the same lighting, the same emptiness…

~~Sai~~

Sai heard a menacing growl behind him. Trying not to make any sudden movements, he turned around to face the door he had just entered in from in order to get a look at the newcomer.

A dog.

A big dog.

Very big.

A huge ninja hound. It was bigger than any dog he had ever seen in his life – massive paws, a huge great head, a tail like the branch of a tree, ears that stuck out, a short shiny coat and…teeth.

…very sharp teeth.

What was a ninja hound doing here? There hadn't even been a rumor of ninken.

The dog was a muddy yellow color, with a brown face and paws. As taut as a loaded weapon; the hair on the beast's body was standing up on end, and there was a menacing gurgling sound coming from its throat. A dog like that wouldn't bark and call his master – he would finish the job without help.

Sai looked at him, he looked at the boy. Still trying not to make any sudden movements, Sai moved back to the window, but there were bars on it. The only way he could get out was through the door. He knew he had to kill the dog; otherwise he would never get out.

He moved his hands slowly towards his kunai pouch. The dog exploded into a hurricane of fangs and furiously flashing eyes, and in a split second the beast had covered the feet between them and froze just one inch away from Sai's most precious possessions.

The dog raised its upper lip, displaying his impressive collection of teeth. "Do not be so boastful, you dumb brute," thought Sai. He controlled the urge to cover his softer parts and instead showed his empty hands. He said as quietly as he could, "All right, I am not armed. I just had a little itch."

"Oh sure, like I would ever believe that," said the dog's piercing eyes. He gave another threatening snarl, snapped his teeth together, and backed off a foot.

"And now what?" asked Sai.

The best gave a look that seemed to imply, "you tell me."

"Listen, I got in here by accident. I will just be leaving now, okay?"

The dog leaned its head to one side, gave him a searching look; a pink tongue lolled out of his mouth. I'm not that stupid.

Sai decided to try a different approach.

"Goo-ood boy. What a fine, handsome boy. What a good boy."

The massive beast put his tongue away, narrowed his eyes, and gave him a suspicious look, sensing a trick. Then he lay down on the floor and lowered his head onto his front paws: Let's see what else this two-leg has to say…

"Ah, what a handsome dog," he coaxed. The dog's eyes glazed over with boredom. "Let me go, huh?"

The dog snorted. He wasn't going to tear him to pieces, even though that wouldn't have been a problem for him. The beast had decided to wait until his master came into the room and Sai was caught red-handed.

So where does that get me? Nowhere. He couldn't reach for his kunai or move his hands together to make any seals. The hound had been trained. Sai figured that if he reached for a weapon, the dog would snip off a body part.

So what did that leave? He had a few sealed scrolls in his bag, in case of emergency. It was worth a try.

The beast responded to his attempt to reach into the bag with a menacing snarl. Sai put his hands up and cooed, "You are such a good, handsome boy. How would you like for me to draw your picture?" He slid the scroll out, but the canine leaped forward and snatched the scroll with his teeth. Sai jerked his hand back in a hurry.

"So much for that plan," he thought and then brightened as another idea occurred. "I could bring you a bone. All canines like bones."

The dog only yawned at that. He locked eyes on Sai and bit down on the scroll with a resounding crunch. Ink dribbled down his jaws like black ichor. Sai swore to himself that the dog was actually smiling.

He frowned. "Making new ink is a very long and involved process," he informed the beast. He didn't have time for this. Sai touched his throat where the microphone lay. "Naruto," he whispered. "Naruto, I have a problem."

"What is it?"

"A canine."

"That's not a problem. Dogs are man's best friend."

"I do not believe anyone has ever informed this one of that adage."

"We don't have time for this," hissed Sasuke in his earpiece. "It's just a dog Aho. Get rid of it."

The dog listened curiously to the squeaky sounds coming from Sai, turning his head this way and that.

"Be careful what you say; I think he can hear you. I believe it may be a ninken. I cannot even move my hands. I require a distraction."

Naruto's voice echoed, "What is it with dogs tonight anyways? Aw never mind, just don't go no where. I'll handle it."

Sai rolled his eyes. Honestly…where could he go?!

~~Naurto & Sai~~

Naruto was gone for a long time. Sai was beginning to think that maybe he had been caught. The dog was clearly bored, waiting for someone to come and praise him for cornering his quarry. Sai was quietly oozing sweat. When a short figure wrapped in a black cloak appeared in the doorway, Sai's heart dropped into his sandals. His first thought was that enemy shinobi had arrived.

"Mmm, yup - he's a big one alright," Naruto said warily, approaching the huge beast without hurrying.

The dog jumped up, snarling menacingly, and backed off, trying to keep one eye on Sai and one on Naruto.

"Nice little doggy!" he said. "What has four legs and an arm? A happy ninken."

The hound snarled even louder. He had obviously never been insulted like that in his life. Somehow the word "doggy" would have never occurred to Sai, let alone "nice." No doubt about it, Naruto was one strange boy.

"Stop fooling around!" hissed Sai, "Do you want me dead? Do not make him angry! Where have you been roaming?"

"I haven't been roaming, Aho. I've been trying to get you out of trouble," he said in an offended tone of voice. "Now we'll fix him."

The hound pricked up his ears and showed his teeth. Naruto just smiled cheerfully and brought out what he had been holding behind his back.

A cat. A big, fat ginger colored cat, as sleek as a fattened hog! Sai wondered, 'Where on earth did Naruto manage to get a hold of that?'

"Watch my genius at work!" The blonde gave Sai a roguish wink and opened his fingers.

As cat flopped onto the floor, Sai thought that the animal probably hadn't realized yet just what a crucial and unpleasant turning point had arrived in his catty life. The dog howled like an evil spirit that had just seen an exorcist and forgot all about the genin as he made a mad dash for his natural prey.

The cat might not have grown up out in the village's streets (he was too well fed and pampered for that) but he was no fool, that's for sure! The ginger butterball pulled in his claws and took off like greased lightning – which was quite incredible for his figure. And the hound followed just a few steps behind.

"Where did you find him?" gasped Sai in amazement.

"The kitchen."

"Right," he replied stupidly, still in amazed disbelief that such an idiotic trick could have been so effective.

Naruto hissed, "What do you mean 'Right'? Have you got the icon?" Sai nodded. "Then in the name of Kami, why are you just standing there gaping? Do you want to wait for that mouth of teeth to eat the cat and come back for our spleens? Let's get moving!"

Naruto began to grab several other golden statues and a glittery tiara from their pedestals and shove them into his backpack. "What are you doing?" asked Sai in surprise. "We are not common thieves."

"There's nothing common about me buddy! And besides, we're supposed to make it look like burglars right? Well, what kind of thieves would take all the time and trouble to break into this place and only steal some ugly, old pig statue? They would take more."

"Oh… that makes sense. But what are we going to do with these nefarious gains?"

"Nefarious gains…? Never mind, we'll worry about that later. We need to go."

They slipped out into the corridor, silently rushed through it, flew out into the hall and then hurtled into the next corridor.

"I haven't got any more ink to create another eagle. We'll have to find another way out. Do you have any ideas, Naruto?"

He thought hard now that way he came in was definitely out. "Sasuke," he whispered into the mic, "Which direction is clear?"

"The east is for now. They just finished their patrol and shouldn't head back that way for at least fifteen minutes."

Naruto nodded and pictured the map in his head. "We go through the kitchens."

He led Sai to a stairway that went down to the first floor and into the servant's wing. The walls were grey and not as looked-after as on the second floor. Even the electric lighting was missing; replaced with smoky torches that left black trails on the walls.

"Which exit?" asked Sai.

"We'll take the one to the right, it has the least amount of windows."

Behind the kitchen doors they could hear dishes clattering and voices talking.

"There's someone there," said Sai, stating the obvious.

"You think I don't know that? How easy do you think it was to steal that cat from the fat cook?" snapped Naruto.

"You stole the cat from under the cook's nose?" Sai stared in disbelief. "Why didn't you just have clone henge into a cat?"

"Duh, you said it was a ninken. They aren't fooled that easily." Naruto began to search feverishly through his bag until he pulled out a small bomb.

Sai caught his hand as he was about to open the kitchen door. He whispered harshly, "You can't set that off. We'll never get out without getting caught."

"Relax Aho; this is only a smoke bomb. It's full of sleeping gas. It's one of my more recent… acquisitions." He smirked, then opened the door, flung the bomb in, and caught a brief glimpse of the cooks startled faces before he slammed the door shut again.

"I thought you agreed you would not attempt to raid the Anbu supply room again. Sensei was not very happy with you the last time."

"I didn't. I just happened to be walking past the jonin section of the library when an old scroll caught my eye. It had some really great information in it." There was an ominous sounding thump from inside. Naruto grinned.

Sai disapprovingly chided, "You actually stole a scroll from the library? How could you? They would never permit a genin to just have it."

"Borrowed… I borrowed it from the library."

"To borrow means to get temporary possession or use of something belonging to somebody else after asking permission…"

"Eh – semantics..."

"You and I will be addressing this at a later time. For now, what do we do?" asked Sai.

"We wait."

Sai calmly leaned back against the wall. His eyes darted to the left and to the right. He heard a soft ticking sound. Very faint, but close. And getting closer… He stood up straight and carefully looked around.

"Uh, we have to do this now."

Naruto pressed his ear up against the door and replied absentmindedly, "Keep your shirt on, we have to wait for the gas to clear a bit."

"We really have to do this now," insisted Sai.

"Why?" he asked impatiently.

"Because of that," Sai grunted and pointed behind Naruto.

The ticking of claws on the tiled floor came to a stop. The dog stood at the far end of the hallway. His face looked a bit battered somehow. The look he gave the boys wasn't beaming with benevolence, either. He was oozing slobber in a small, inky river, which somehow made him look more menacing and evil than any normal dog would.

"Huh, looks like he didn't catch the cat," beamed Naruto with pleasure. "Way to go fatty catty!"

The dog came dashing at them, taking huge bounds. His face was fixed into a snarl and black drool flew from his jowls.

"Crap… You better hold your breath," whispered Naruto as he quietly opened the door. They shut the door right in the dogs face. The dog responded to this dirty trick with deafeningly loud barks. "Dammit! He's too loud."

Sai slammed home the bolt and he and Naruto ran along the rows of tables and hot stoves, leaping over the bodies of the sleeping servants.

They tried not to breathe as the remains of the sleep inducing fumes were still swirling around the floor. Sai opened the door at the other end of the kitchen and they finally found themselves outside in the fresh air.

"Well, there goes stealth right out the window," said Naruto wryly. He could hear the barking even from there and knew it would only be a matter of time before someone came to investigate. "Come on, we need to move!"

They ran across the park in short bursts, hiding from guards in the shadows and the bushes. The gentle whispers of the night welcomed them into the dark side of the park, with its sleeping trees.

"Where is Sasuke?" asked Sai, turning his head right and left.

"He should still be on the wall." They quickly scaled it and met a pair of red eyes.

"Is the job done?"

"Yeah," they replied.

Sasuke gave a call like a night bird. There was an answer from somewhere beyond the trees. "Let's head out to the rendezvous point," he said.

As they ran, the frost-pale glow of the unseen moon backlit banks of coaly clouds that churned across the black sky. They easily made it to the empty park without being seen. Although a blustery wind sent moon-silvered ripples across the ink-dark pond and rattled the nearby dried stalks of tall dead grass, the shadows were still except for one. Someone stood there.

"Kakashi Sensei, we have the icon," stated Sai proudly.

"Any problems?"

Naruto rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment and said, "Eh, well you know how it is… We never go looking for trouble; it just always seems to find us."

AN:

Hey everyone, I need your help. I am planning the chunin exams right now and I am writing in an OC opponant. Here's the thing – I thought it might be fun if she were a total Mary Sue! (You know - thinks she's so perfect at everything, can make shadow clones, has really weird eyes, everybody just loooooves her so much) So – tell me some fun little skills she can have – the more ridiculous the better! (Cackles madly while rubbing hands together!) Oh yeah, she's so going down!

P.S.

Don't change those dials -cuz this arc ain't over yet!

Thanks to everyone that followed/favorited/commented on the last chapter! To the guest that commented - The Phoenix will be... Just you wait and see!

Ja Ne,

AZFAERYDUST