Travel for Yamato's team went surprisingly well. Despite what he heard about Uzumaki Naruto from others, the whiskered blonde didn't show any of the behaviors and displays the mokuton user had been warned about, not yet at least.

So far all Naruto really had been doing was walking in line with Hinata and chatting with her, while keeping ready in the event of sudden threats. However, Yamato knew that looks could be very deceiving, and if Naruto did start showing any signs he had been warned about, he was fully prepared to deal with it.

"Naruto, can't you focus on your mission rather than your girlfriend?" Sakura irritably asked.

"This coming from the girl who pestered Sasuke for a date every time she saw him?" He shot back, making Hinata smile.

"Settle down you two." Yamato called back without even turning his head to look at them.

With that, the members of the former Team Seven shut up, at least to each other. Naruto kept conversing with Hinata.

"She is jealous. It is written over that big forehead of hers." Lilith whispered inside Hinata's mind.

'They should be more focused on possible threats.' Sakura mentally groaned, glancing at her surroundings as if to prove her point to herself.

The team was walking down one of the paved roads that lead away from Konoha, which had a sparse amount of trees on both sides. These were smaller and thinner than the normal trees of Konoha's forests and few enough in number that one could see the grassy fields on the other side of them.

'Then again, there's little places a person could hide without using a genjutsu or going underground and Hinata could easily find someone using either. So maybe they really can afford to be a little off-guard here.' Sakura thought to herself.

"There's a hotel up the road I'm familiar with. We'll crash there tonight then continue on the next day." Yamato told them all, still without turning around to look at them.

"Why not keep going and camp when we're tired?" Naruto asked.

"Would you ladies prefer that or to stay in a hotel with a hot spring and hot meal?" Yamato asked, this time glancing over his shoulder.

'Nice try Yamato-taicho.' Hinata thought. "I choose the option where I can sleep with Naruto-kun. If that means sleeping outside with only camp food and no bath, so be it."

"Though running hot water is a tempting offer. Not to mention beds are more comfortable for long orgasm-filled nights."

"But... but a hot spring would be nice." Sakura defended, afraid to lose this opportunity.

"Not as nice as Naruto-kun is." Hinata countered with a smile.

Yamato finally turned around and actually faced them. "I believe that won't be a problem for the two of you."

"Thanks Yamato-taicho." Hinata told him.

"Wait, wouldn't it be unprofessional to let a boy and girl sleep together on a mission?" Sakura asked.

Yamato pulled a piece of paper out of his vest pocket. "Take a look at this."

Sakura took the note and read it allowed. "For the course of the mission Uzumaki Naruto and Hyuuga Hinata have my permission to sleep in the same area at night in whatever way they see it. Anything they do while together is to be ignored. Do not take measures to make this not happen, this is for Naruto's own well-being and will make working with him safer for everyone on the mission. This order must be followed until the team returns to Konoha for debriefing. Signed, Senju Tsunade Godaime Hokage."

'Thank you Hokage-sama.' Hinata thought.

'Thanks Baa-chan.' Naruto thought at the same time as Hinata.

"Whew, dodged a bullet there." Lillith commented with the two.

Sakura looked at the couple in complete disbelief and a slight red look on her face. "Why would Hokage-sama give you two permission to have sex on the job?"

"Who said anything about having sex? Really Sakura, you must get those perverted thoughts out of your mind." Hinata replied with a slight smirk.

"Oh don't play that game with me." Sakura growled, narrowing her eyes slightly at the openly sexual woman before her.

"Technically we're not on the job when we're asleep. Besides, what exactly is the harm in this? We're not endangering anyone. So how exactly are we being unprofessional if we choose to have a little fun when we have the time to?"

"And we will be having a lot of fun."

Naruto nodded. "I've gotta side with Hinata-chan on that."

"Of course you would you pervert." Sakura quietly insulted.

Naruto just shrugged. "At least I'm loved."

Whether or not that was meant to hurt her, Sakura still felt a metaphorical arrow in her heart at that jibe.

Yamato let out a small cough to get their attention. "Well, if you three are done exchanging words let's get moving." He then turned around and started walking again. 'This arguing they have with each other hardly makes for a good team composition.'

Evening came and Yamato checked them into the hotel, which was located in a small town along the way to Rice Country. Not wanting to spend a lot, considering he had a budget to keep, he paid for a single room that all four of them would have to share.

"I'm not keeping you two from sleeping together, but if you want to be alone for anything you'll have to find somewhere else to do it in. I really don't want to hear anything when I sleep." Yamato told the young couple, using his creepy face to drive the point home, and it worked considering Naruto and Hinata nodded very quickly as he stared at them.

Rather than make a fuss, Naruto and Hinata decided to bathe separately in the hot springs. They likely wouldn't have succeeded even if they had made a fuss since the springs were crowded and by no means co-ed. So Naruto was with Yamato in the men's side while Sakura and Hinata were in the women's side.

Yamato sat in the hot water up to his neck and his eyes were closed as he enjoyed the relaxing effect, however his senses were far from dulled.

"Naruto, if you attempt to even glance over that wall you can expect a great deal of pain in your future." Yamato said without even glancing over his shoulder, though he gave a small smile when he heard a long exaggerated sigh from the blonde. 'Kids today.'

Meanwhile on the girl's side, normally Hinata would have been too embarrassed to bathe with other women, even her comrades. Due to the fact she had always been very self-conscious about her body and how it compared to others.

But her insecurities about herself practically didn't exist anymore. Why care about whether or not her body matched the other girls? Or even if her boobs floated in the water or not? Naruto loved her body and therefore there was nothing wrong with it.

"My dear, everyone loves your body. Every man would gladly injure himself just to touch you with a single finger. Women would sell their souls to even get your figure." Lilith commented.

"I don't want any other man, I just want Naruto-kun. Speaking of which, I have a question. When we do finally separate, is my body going to go back to how it looked before we bonded?" The Hyuuga heiress whispered in the changing room.

Lilith was silent for a moment as she contemplated this question. "That is an excellent question… I have no idea."

"What? How can you not know?"

"This is the first time I ever did something like this. I had a very good idea of what was going to happen to your body when we bonded. But after we are separated, I haven't the foggiest on what is going to happen to you. You could return to your normal body or you get to keep this dynamite body. We shall have to see what fate decides."

Hinata simply rolled her eyes. "Great."

Sakura was already in the water when Hinata got in, the Hyuuga heiress having taken time to tie her hair in a bun first before getting wet. Sakura couldn't help but glance at Hinata's naked body now that it was an expected site, unlike the time in Naruto's apartment where she was on the floor wearing ramen.

"Hey Hinata, if you don't mind me asking, why exactly do you like Naruto?" Sakura asked to make conversation.

Hinata shrugged indifferently. "I could ask you the same question about Sasuke."

"Why would anyone like an Uchiha? Lying little pricks."

Sakura grimaced a bit at the question. "Let's not talk about that. What I want to know is why would you be so eager to be this close to Naruto when you hadn't even seen him in three years? I mean, he's not the same person he was back then, no more than you are. Do you really love him or just who he used to be?"

Hinata frowned at the pinkette. "Again Sakura, I could ask you the same thing. You're still holding out for the chance to be with the Uchiha, you said so yourself back in Suna. And you've been separated from him even longer than I was from Naruto-kun. Maybe you're in love with who Sasuke used to be instead of who he is now."

"But Hinata..."

"No Sakura, I will not have you dissecting my relationship just because you don't understand how it works. I am aware that Naruto-kun has changed over the years, but I have too and we'll never know if we can make it work if we don't try. Don't tell me I can't just because you can't make sense of what I'm doing."

"I'm not. Or at least I'm not intending to."

"Then what exactly are you intending?" Hinata asked.

"I'm not intending anything. I'm just curious why you and him..." Sakura said, but ended up unable to finish.

"Why we what?" Hinata asked. "Why we chose each other? Or why we can be sexual so soon."

Sakura slowly nodded. "The last one. I never thought you would want to be with Naruto that way so soon. I thought you two would just date, not go at it like rabbits. Why would you do that now? And why would Naruto go along with it? Are you just sexier than me?"

"Is that what this is all about Sakura? You're bothered by Naruto finding me sexier than you?" Hinata asked, and Sakura shamefully nodded. "Sakura, Naruto-kun wanted a girlfriend. You didn't want to be that girlfriend. You suggested he seek me out He gave me a try and discovered he liked me. Exactly why he likes me is something you should ask him. As for why I like him, he's everything I could want in a man."

Sakura didn't know how to respond to that, and so decided to just enjoy her soak while she could.

"Going for the kill blow a little often when it comes to her, aren't you?"

"Sakura, please, I don't want my relationship with Naruto-kun scrutinized. We shouldn't have to justify our happiness. I'm sorry that this hurts you a little but you had your chance to be with him. He is mine now." Hinata responded as she sank a little deeper into the water, enjoying the feeling it had on her skin.

"You will get no argument from me my dear. Just try not to PMS on everyone. Bad for the image."

Hinata simply rolled her eyes and ignored the comment.

"For what it's worth Hinata, I am happy for the two of you. Really, I am." Sakura added. "I just thought something was wrong because your relationship wasn't what I expected it to be, and I guess that's why I was a bit intrusive so far. If I do it again, please let me know so I can stop. I don't want to become someone Naruto hates."

Hinata nodded but said nothing, still enjoying the soak.

That night the entire team gathered in their one room where a large meal was already ready for them.

"Nice spread." Natural said as he sat down, wearing a black yukata like the others were. Hinata was showing a little cleavage but in her defense it was hard for her not to, especially in that attire.

"May I ask what the occasion is Yamato-taicho?" Hinata asked.

"I just thought that since this was our last opportunity for a warm meal we might as well take it. Besides, we are will be doing a great deal of walking tomorrow and you are all going to need your strength."

"Like a metaphorical last meal?" Sakura asked.

Yamato chuckled. "A bit too morbid for my tastes."

"I would hardly pick this for a last meal. I would much rather prefer a nice long and hot sausage to chew on."

"Really? You honestly made that joke?" Hinata whispered.

"What joke? I would seriously like some sausage." Lilith said, not even realizing she had made a joke.

"But for now, let's just enjoy it and go over what we'll do when we reach our destination." Yamato said and the lower rank ninjas nodded, being as attentive as possible.

"Our target is a spy that Sasori of the Akatsuki left in Orochimaru's operations. This is reported to have both in-depth knowledge of the Akatsuki and Orochimaru; if captured and brought back alive to Konoha, our intelligence department could gain a wealthy of information."

The three of them nodded in agreement at his words. Such information would indeed be valuable to village, especially if it shed more light on the Akatsuki or Orochimaru.

"Now, this spy is expecting to meet Sasori so we should use that to our advantage." Yamato turned to Sakura. "You are the only one here who has had interactions with Sasori. I got details of him thanks to Suna but to complete the effect we need your insights. Tell me about his characteristics, behaviors, even the sound of his voice."

"You plan on masquerading as him when the spy appears?" Sakura asked to clarify.

The jounin nodded. "And Naruto and Sakura, if all goes well and according to plan we will only go after Sasuke if the circumstances permit it. If escape is necessary then that's what we'll do, even if it means leaving him for later. Understand?"

Both aforementioned shinobi nodded, looking far less hesitant than expected of them to that order.

"Alright, to capture this spy we need to catch it off guard. My pretending to be Sasori should do that for a little while. The spy will certainly be trying to keep this meeting unknown to Orochimaru and will want to keep this encounter short so we have a narrow window of opportunity to strike. And in case this is a trap set up by Akatsuki I will go in alone at first while the three of you will wait in hiding for my signal. Hinata, this is where your byakugan will come in handy the most."

Hinata nodded.

"Given the fact there was a spy in Suna which helped Akatsuki get the Kazekage, and that he said all this as he was dying, I don't really think Sasori was lying. But you're right in being cautious here." Sakura added.

Yamato nodded. "The strategy is simple. I will go in first and try to restrain the target. If I fall to do so or a fight breaks out you three will jump in to support me. The four of us will continue to try and capture the target but if it looks like we might encounter Orochimaru we will escape, with or without the target. We are not equipped to fight Orochimaru in this. Now, if we do have to fight here, we shall do so in a buddy system, so none of us will be forced to fight alone. Naruto and Hinata will be paired together while Sakura will be paired with me."

Sakura briefly glanced at the pleased pair. "Yamato-taicho-"

The mokuton user cut her off. "Sakura, you are our only medic. To ensure you don't get hurt and unable to help us I will need to protect you." This made the pinkette nod.

"Tomorrow we'll take some time to get some coordination training in so you three will have an idea how to incorporate your fighting styles together. So for tonight let's get some good rest." He then turned to the couple, making his creepy face for extra emphasis. "And I would prefer that sleep is all you do."

Naruto looked disturbed by the sight but Hinata smiled indifferent to the expression. "If you say so."

In her head though, Lilith scoffed at Yamato. "That guy really needs to get laid. I can sense the pent up sexual tension in him."

After dinner everyone crawled into their futons and went to sleep. Yamato and Sakura slept alone but Naruto and Hinata shared one, Hinata cuddled into Naruto like he was the single most comfortable thing in the world, and she did think that.

And they stayed like that for an hour, waiting for the others to fall asleep. Once they were certain, they put all their ninja skills to work to sneak out of the room silently. Just to be safe, Hinata left a genjutsu Kurenai taught her that tricked others into seeing her still sleeping in bed with Naruto. All members of Team Eight did this when it was their turn to keep guard at night so enemies would be tricked into thinking the entire team was asleep, unaware one of them was awake and hidden.

"Clever girl. Though I personally always liked it when people got a chance to watch, bit of a turn on in my opinion."

The two of them moved silently down the halls of the hotel, taking a few turns and sneaking past the front desk where the innkeeper was already fast asleep, his hand wrapped around an empty sake bottle. Naruto paused, unable to resist the urge of his inner prankster. He picked up a black marker from the desk and drew a few funny images on the face of the innkeeper before sneaking back to Hinata, who had to bite the inside of her cheek in order to suppress a giggle.

The two of them snuck out to the courtyard, where the only light at the moment came from the moon above them. They quickly walked across the grass and made their way to a spot underneath a tall tree.

When they got there, they did a quick look around to make sure there were not any other night owl guests prowling around at night. When the two of them were sure that they were alone, they laid on the ground under the tree and curled up against each other. They stayed there for a while, simply enjoying the touch of one another's bodies. Naruto reached over and gently stroked Hinata's hair, amazed at how similar it felt to silk. And Hinata placed her hands on Naruto's stomach and ran her fingers around his abs. Finally they turned their heads towards each other and kissed.

The two of them kissed for a good long while, allowing their tongues to wrestle. And while they did that, their hands quickly began to remove the clothes of the other. When they finally stopped to breath they stared into each other's eyes.

"Hinata-chan, have you had any problems with Lilith lately" Naruto asked.

"Other than her occasional dirty jokes and the time she insisted I get other guys to plow me, no. Why?" Hinata asked.

"I spoke with Kyuubi earlier and he warned me about her. He said we need to get her out of you right away."

Hinata raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

"Poor fox probably wants me for himself again." Lilith suggested.

"He told me that Lilith enjoys seeing people suffer and will never be satisfied with you wanting just me. He says she will do whatever it takes to ensure she gets what she wants, even if it breaks your heart." The blonde boy told the brunette girl.

"He's wrong. I wouldn't do that to you. You can trust me. It's Kyuubi-kun that can't be trusted." Lilith told her host.

"We'll just both have to keep an eye on our demons won't we Naruto-kun?" Hinata told her lover.

"Did I mention how beautiful you look?" Naruto asked.

Hinata smiled and traced her fingers down his chest. "I think you could stand to say it a few more times."

Naruto gave a sly grin as he cupped the Hyuuga girl's breast in one hand thru her robe and while the other trailed down her back to grip her firm ass. 'Mmm... both feel as soft as pillows.' He thought to himself while aloud he said "Why say, when I could show?"

Hinata could already feel how hard Naruto was as she pressed herself against him, and that was just turning her on even more. "I will take that option." She said with a purr.

"This is gonna be a fun-filled night." Lilith said excitedly as the two lovers were about to start when suddenly they felt a very eerie presence.

Both of them turned their heads up and to their surprise they say Yamato sitting right on the edge of the tree branch staring down at them intensely, his eyes not moving or even blinking.

'What the hell? When did he get here?' Naruto thought, completely shocked and a bit embarrassed as he quickly tied his robe up.

"This guy… he is good. I did not even sense him coming."

"Naruto, Hinata, I said I preferred sleep be all you did." Yamato said, facing the two with a frown.

"How long have you been there?" Hinata asked.

"That is not important. Also Hinata, I was a member of the ANBU so please do not think for a second your little ploy could fool me."

Hinata silently cursed herself for not suspecting that he might be able to see through her deception.

"With all due respect Taicho, you never actually ordered that. You just said what you wanted us to choose, not that we couldn't choose otherwise." Naruto argued.

"Hmm... then I'll have to keep that in mind for the next night." He said, making his scary face again.

Naruto groaned. "You mind knocking that off? It's getting old and it is pretty creepy."

"Knock what off?" He asked as he continued to stare at them.

"That whole creepy look you have on your face, it is disturbing." Hinata said as she tied her own robe up, though she was pretty sure Yamato was not even really looking at her body.

"I do not know what you are talking about. This is how I normally look. Now, please return to the room and go to sleep. I would prefer not having to use force."

Naruto gave a heavy sigh. "Alright alright, we're going." He and Hinata began to slowly trudge back towards the hotel entrance.

"And do be quite, Sakura is actually sleeping." Yamato said as he watched them go back inside. He continued to sit on the perch in the tree. After a bit he heard a slight movement next to him, he slowly turned his head and saw a small owl sitting next to and staring at him with an equal intensity.

The two of them stared at each other for a moment in silence, neither of them blinking or even twitching. Finally after a moment the owl simply hooted and flew off.

'I always win in a staring contest.' He thought proudly to himself as he hopped down from the tree.

The next morning, Yamato got them up bright and early, and had his eyes dead set on Naruto and Hinata as he said the phrase 'I hope you all got a good night's sleep."

After a quick breakfast which was served to them by the inn-keeper, who still had marker on his face and still remained ignorant of it, the team spent a day practicing training together as planned and Yamato and Sakura had to admit Naruto and Hinata were being very professional in what they were doing. There had been times in the past where lovers were too focused on each other to properly keep their minds on the job, thus why lovers usually weren't assigned together as a regular thing. But these two proved that the other side of that coin was lovers could keep their professional lives professional too.

Yamato himself was impressed. He originally thought he would have to spend every waking moment keeping those two off of each other. But instead, he found that after his little intervention from last night, the two of them made no more advances to 'get down and dirty'. 'It is good to see that they know how to keep their personal lives separate from their professional lives.' He thought.

That is not to say that he did not continue to keep an eye on them at night. He was the type of ninja who always made sure to sleep with one eye open. Though he rarely ever got any sleep. Sleep for him was… uneasy.

Shortly after sunrise on their third day out, they had reached their destination, the Tenchi Bridge. It was just a simple curved suspension bridge made of rope and wood connecting two sides of a small chasm. It was the kind of bridge that one would expect to snap and break the moment you set a single foot on it, which is why most people typically went around it rather then over it. Due to its rather scenic location it looked almost like a place one would expect to film a movie, but this could soon become a battleground. And in the center of it was a robed figure, standing there waiting.

The team came to a stop just before they could be seen, hiding behind some rocks that were themselves hidden behind trees. They remained in their position for several minutes, staring at the robed figure. For all they knew it could have just been some nut standing there and about to leave. But as the minutes passed and the person continued to remain still, they were sure that it was indeed their target.

"Time for me to get to work. Wood Style Transformation Jutsu." Yamato said before a bunch of wooden branches covered his body and molded themselves until he looked just like Sasori in his Hiruko body thanks to a picture he used as a reference. Akatsuki cloak, face mask, and a straw umbrella hat completed the illusion. "Alright Sakura, how did he sound?"

"Like a guy who spent too much time around puppets and not enough with real people." Lilith remarked, even though she had little interaction with the late puppet user.

"Sort of gravely."

"Like this?" Yamato tested.

Sakura shook her head. "No, a little deeper and harsher."

"Like this?"

"Not that deep."

"This?"

Sakura nodded. "That one works. Though I wouldn't talk too much. I'm told Sasori wasn't very patient. Just get straight to the point and try not to make any idle chit chat."

Yamato nodded. "Be alert and ready team." He then headed out, the others wishing him luck. To which he quickly responded with "No such thing as luck."

He got on the bridge, stopping about two and a half meters from the cloaked target who wasn't facing right at him.

"It's been a long time Sasori-sama." The spy greeted as they slowly began to pull back their hood. "Five years I believe."

Now everyone could see the spy's face, and it was one they all could recognize. Naruto especially, as it was one face he swore he'd never forget, a face that made his blood boil and his teeth grind in anger.

The spy was Yakushi Kabuto, a traitor, a liar, and all around lunatic.

"Were you followed?" Yamato asked in his Hiruko voice, aware of who Kabuto was thanks to the bingo book. He knew that although Kabuto was registered as a medic, he was extremely dangerous and to be treated as an S-level threat.

"No, it is safe here. For now at least."

"What can you tell me?"

Kabuto paused to readjust his glasses. "When your jutsu was lifted and I regained my memories, I felt a little light-headed. I am still at times disorientated. But I believe I can answer your questions as long as we hurry."

"Tell me about the location of Orochimaru's base, and of Uchiha Sasuke while you're at it." Yamato inquired.

Kabuto smiled softly. "We have a number of bases to keep from being discovered. We change location on a weekly basis each time at random as to not create a pattern. We even have bases beyond Oto and Rice Country, spread out throughout all the nations. Orochimaru has spies in those countries that allow us to enter and exit unnoticed. Unfortunately, moving around so much and taking valuable things with us can be bothersome. Our current base is a small one hidden on an island in a lake to the north. We will move from it in three days. And yes, Uchiha Sasuke is there right now." He said, his glasses gleaming in the sunlight.

"What are they saying Hinata-chan?" Naruto asked, as the wind from the canyon was making it impossible to hear what Kabuto was saying from their position.

Hinata had her byakugan active to check for surrounding threats, and while she was at it chose to read Kabuto's lips. "He's talking about the base Orochimaru is currently at and how he manages to remain hidden all the time. And he just said Sasuke-san is nearby, but not within my vision range."

Sakura felt her breathing hitch for a moment at the mention that Sasuke might be close by.

Naruto was silent for a moment as well. He was tempted, sorely tempted, to vanish and see if he could find Sasuke right now. But he kept himself restrained. "Like Yamato-taichou said, we'll have to wait until after this. What else are they saying?" Naruto asked as he leaned forward just a tad more.

Unfortunately when he did, a little bit of the plant brushed his nose. Naruto felt a sneeze come on. He held his breath and tried to hold it back but it was definitely coming. He covered his mouth to try and silence it. And when Hinata and Sakura saw that he was about to sneeze, they panicked and placed their own hands over his to try and filter out the sound of-

"ACHOOO!" The sound came out muffled by still audible.

"This guy is so lucky he is cute." Lilith commented, annoyed at the fact that their cover might be blown.

Kabuto turned around, having heard something. All he saw was a rabbit scampering in the bushes. "Just a rabbit. I thought we had been found out for a moment."

'How did he hear that over the wind?' Yamato asked himself.

"By the way Sasori-sama, regarding the orders you gave me..." Kabuto continued, facing the disguised Yamato again who was getting more suspicious than he already was. He also did not like that creepy little smile on Kabuto's face.

'Damn, I still need to find out a few more things. But if I press further I may blow my cover.' The mokuton user told himself.

"After transferring to his new body, Orochimaru used a barrier jutsu to protect his old vessel. I was unable to retrieve a cell sample from it." Kabuto finished from his earlier statement.

"I see." Yamato noted, unsure what other reaction would be appropriate to give regarding his character. Kabuto's calm but watchful gaze only made him want to finish this sooner, lest he give himself away.

After both Hinata and Sakura silently screamed at Naruto to not move any more and keep quiet the three of them returned their gaze back to the two on the bridge.

"What's he waiting for? Why isn't he trying to capture Kabuto?" Naruto asked.

"Remember, this is Kabuto we're dealing with." Sakura told him just above a whisper. "He's good at escaping and at endangering his enemy, like when we saw him in that base the Fuuma clan was snooping around in. If he gets away the entire mission is a failure. The situation requires extra caution."

"Yeah I remember, and the fact they are on the middle of a very old bridge over a chasm could spell problems."

Hinata nodded. "True, but something needs to be done soon before Kabuto makes an effort to get away first." She then paled. "Oh no. Not good."

"What?" Naruto and Sakura asked.

"Someone else is here too."

"Oh shit, unwelcomed guests always cause problems."

"I can't afford to be out here any longer." Kabuto warned. "Give me 'the item' now as planned." He held out his hand, waiting to be handed something.

Yamato froze, naturally having nothing to give here. 'This is my chance.' He nodded and moved his right arm as if to grab something, but what he grabbed was a kunai.

There was a sudden hissing sound combined with a gust of wind, making both ninjas freeze in place. Especially when they could see a third person who had a purple snake with him that wrapped around Kabuto.

"You seem to be having a good conversation. Mind if I join you?"

'He was followed? By Orochimaru? This is bad.' Yamato thought.

Using a quick burst of speed Kabuto got out of his cloak just before the snake constricted around where he would have been otherwise. The bespectacled ninja stopped beside Yamato facing Orochimaru defensively. "Sasori-sama, if you hadn't drawn that kunai I wouldn't have been able to escape in time."

'That bought me some time, but what do I do about Orochimaru?' Yamato asked himself. 'I still need to capture Kabuto, but Orochimaru makes that near impossible.'

Orochimaru stared at the Sasori-double with an amused snake-smirk. "Ah Sasori of the Red Sand, seeing you here sure takes me back to those good old days." He said as his long tongue licked his thin lips.

"So you tailed Kabuto." Yamato stated, trying to buy more time. "How like you, untrusting and paranoid."

"What's with the hostility? I merely wanted to have a chat. You see, to develop a new jutsu I would have needed hundreds of test subjects to experiment on. But thanks to your little plant here, I can use a single one hundreds of times. Which has helped me immensely, considering how difficult it is to obtain test subjects nowadays."

Knowing that his charges were awaiting his signal, and Naruto likely the most impatient of them all, Yamato's mind was racing. 'I seriously doubt I can subdue Orochimaru by myself, but if I call the others I'll blow my cover and lose the chance to capture Kabuto. And even if I try to fight Orochimaru, my fighting style will give me away. Stay and fight, or try to retreat, what do I do?'

Kabuto charged up his right hand and created a chakra scalpel. But instead of attacking Orochimaru, he swung his arm to Yamato, tearing his Akatsuki robe and splitting open the wooden disguise. Surprised, Yamato jumped out of the shell before he could be properly identified, and tried to get off the bridge.

"Striking Shadow Snakes." Orochimaru called while Yamato was in the air, making a set of a dozen purple snakes emerge out of his right sleeve that coiled around Yamato. One tried to bite him in the neck, only to fall prey to a substitution with a wooden decoy sculpted crudely to resemble Yamato.

As a result the real Yamato had to land back on the bridge in full view of the snake sannin and his apprentice.

"A wood element substitution. Hmm... I wonder..." Orochimaru said as he recalled his snakes.

"Orochimaru-sama, is this Sasori's real body?" Kabuto asked, as he had never seen the real Sasori hidden inside the Hiruko.

"Oh no, check the hitai-ate. He's someone from Konoha who found out about this from Sasori somehow."

"What's the deal here?" Yamato asked, using his normal voice again. "Kabuto, as a spy for Akatsuki you should have been under their jutsu this whole time."

"Oh that? Orochimaru-sama undid that on me years ago." Kabuto answered as he fixed his glasses and smirked.

"So you were pretending to be controlled while secretly you had already switched sides. Sounds like you fell prey to Orochimaru's jutsu rather than Sasori's."

"Oh no, not at all." Kabuto claimed, waving his hands dismissively at the notion. "I just agree with what Orochimaru-sama wants. I'm with him because I want to see him succeed, not because I have to be. But who are you anyway? The purpose of this act on our end was to kill Sasori, but it seems Konoha already beat us to it."

"Oh I think I know who he is." Orochimarau said as he stared intently at Yamato, who felt a small shiver go down his spine. "But that explanation can wait until later. But since we're here, why don't you call out your little helpers?" Orochimaru stated as he turned his snake like eyes towards the direction where Naruto and the others were hiding; whether or not he could actually see them was unknown.

Yamato frowned, his mind racing at a mile a second. 'He's seen thru everything, so retreat isn't enough now. We need to make an effort to keep them from following us, and we may still have one last chance to capture Kabuto.' He made a motion with his hand.

Within a single second Naruto, Hinata, and Sakura appeared in front of their team leader, crouched down and ready to fight if they had to. Sakura tried to look her toughest, Hinata kept her byakugan active and juuken ready to use immediately, and Naruto already had red eyes.

When Lilith saw Orochimaru through Hinata's eyes she gagged internally. "That guy looks like some demons I've met. Is he really a human?"

Kabuto chuckled shortly when he spotted Naruto. "Ah, you again? I am surprised your stupidity didn't kill you by now."

Orochimaru smirked in a way that made him look even more like a snake. "Ah wonderful, the Kyuubi brat has graced us with his presence."

"You bastards." Naruto snarled.

"Actually, I am so glad that you are here, because now we can finally preform a little test to decide who is stronger. You or Sasuke-kun."