Chapter 64 No rest for the wicked.

"We should bring him with us."

"We were only ordered to bring the monk with us."

"But he's an Uzumaki! A half-blood but an Uzumaki non the less, isn't it cruel to leave him here all alone."

Kakashi watched the two people in fox masks argue among themselves. They went on without a care about Kakashi and his team let alone monk Chiriku. They were arrogant to look down on them, but they also had the power to back it up. They were Uzumakis after all.

Their attack was swift leaving no room for resistance. A barrier suddenly appeared and a group of Uzumakis leaped through their window. They didn't give them time to even react and bound them with chakra chains. Yamato tried to fight back using his wood style but that only prompted them to seal his chakra away. It was a helpless situation until they started debating their next move. They came for Sora, but they wanted to also take Sasuke and Naruto, this seemed to be something that wasn't decided upon before and they argued.

The "mother" would either be displeased or happy with their choice, but if it were the former, they weren't sure they could walk away with their lives. Kakashi struggled uselessly against the binds, memories from "that night" replaying in his head.

That woman smiling down at him her emerald eyes glinting. The smell of blood and smoke. The sound of flesh tearing and the responding boom. The dark chakra that threatened to destroy everything!

His body trembled but he shook his head to clear it. That night only one Uzumaki pointed her fangs at them, now there were at least seven of them. Kakashi had never seen this many, Uzumaki in one place. Was that woman gathering them after all?

They took they decided to finish the mission before deviating from it. Attacking the unconscious Sora they turned to live.

"And where do you think you're going with my client?"

They turned, but were hit with a barrage of taijutsu. Sasuke had broken from his binds and attacked them.

One of them clicked their tongue. "Damn Uchiha's, were you red eye bastard made as our Yang or something?"

"They are actually," one said as she leaped and attacked Sasuke with her chains. Purple chakra formed around him, and a rib cage protected him from her binds. She clicked her tongue. "I really don't like those red eye bastards." She muttered as though she fought the Uchihas on many occasions and always lost.

Black flashed flickered to life and aimed like daggers toward the Uzumaki.

"Drop him!" Sasuke commanded. They looked at each other and then make a run for it.

"Hey!" Sasuke gave chase. Kakashi stared at the two who had somehow stayed behind and continued arguing about taking or leaving.

"Do you guys have room to be doing this now?" Chiriku couldn't help but ask. The Uzumakis looked at him and he went on. "Aren't you taking the leaf shinobis too lightly? There is still one more of us that isn't here you know."

"Huh?" the woman scoffed. "What can one more do? You leaf shinobis overestimate yourselves. You tree-hugging peacekeepers aren't even a match for us, let alone those outside."

Kakashi wanted to cry, there were more powerful people outside? Why couldn't he get a normal genin team and go on uneventful missions? Was that too much to ask?

"Forget it," the other, a man said. "We should just kill them and take the kid. She's gonna need him anyway." They reached down for the unconscious Naruto. A pink flower petal flew by his hand, leaving a red trail of blood.

"What?" he asked confused as he looked at his head.

"Get your hands away from my Naruto!" a familiar voice rang out and Kakashi quickly hid Chiriku beneath him. Pink flower petals danced and cuts of varying sizes appeared on the Uzumakis' skin. They winced and stood back to back.

"You think an attack like this is enough to take us down?" the woman yelled, with a few hand seals she performed a jutsu. "Wind style, Spiraling dome burst!" Wind gathered around them and formed a dome before exploding outward, blowing the petals away.

"Hmph, as I said, you're no match for us."

Tap tap tap

From the shadows, they heard footsteps.

"Should I be impressed? You managed to blow away some sharp petals, big deal." Sakura stepped into the light with a frown on her face. "If you really want to impress me survive this." She raised her arm and pointed to fingers at them. As sudden as the spring bring, Pink butterflies flew from the shadows and attacked the Uzumakis. They weren't like the petals before, they were anything but harmless.

"Vacuum sphere!" the man raised a barrier, but the butterflies weren't pushed away nor did they stop. They flew around the sphere, in the opposite direction of the winds protecting them. By the time they realized what was happening it was too late.

The sphere canceled out and the two were left defenseless.

"kyaaaa!" the woman screamed as the pink wings of death closed in on them.

Boom! The room shook as an explosion rang out, Kakashi looked up and found Sakura standing in front of them staring at the ceiling. He looked up as well, to find a hole there. Did they escape?

Sakura clicked her tongue. She waved her hand and Naruto, Sora and Yamato appeared from beneath, pink petals. They were still unconscious but the chains were no longer on them. Kakashi sighed as he flicked his arms. He never did like being tied down.

"Sora!" Chiriku ran to the young monk and held him in his arms.

"I'm heading back out," Sakura said after stroking Naruto's head. "Sasuke is fighting all alone." She looked at him. "Stay here until they wake up, they might come back for them."

"Shouldn't I be the one to go out and fight?" He chuckled.

"Not unless you wanna fight Orochimaru."

Her words shocked him and he looked at her in disbelief. "Why would…" he remembered the past mission and frowned. He was there too. Did Orochimaru join hands with the Uzumaki? But what did he have to gain from that?

Sakura stepped directly under the hole.

"Put up a barrier and stay put," She looked at monk Chiriku as she said that. "I won't be long."

With that, she bent the knee before launching her step up through the hole in the ceiling.

"I hope the innkeeper isn't too harsh on us," Kakashi muttered looking about the damaged room. With a sigh or resignation, he set about butting up a barrier.

Not bad.

That was the thought, Orochimaru had as he fought the young Uchiha. For someone so young he was a force to be reckoned with. From what he heard Itachi was more powerful and had a "run on sight" order for everyone but he thought, Sasuke shouldn't be underestimated.

Orochimaru leapt back and away from the fireball that was launched at him. His feet handed touched the ground before the boy busted from the flamed swung his short sword at him. Kenjutsu was really something the Uchihas were unfairly good at. Orochimaru parried the attack with his own black moving away from the retaliation the Uchiha gave.

Sasuke leaped into the air and Shuriken rained down on Orochimaru. The old sage blocked and dodged, parrying another attack from the falling Sasuke. The boy's eyes were red with the Sharingan and his killing intent was praiseworthy. Orochimaru was thinking of taking the boy under his wing. So long as he didn't hurt him too badly or kill him, Fugaku wouldn't end his immortal life, right?

The air heated and Sasuke opened his mother to release a fire attack point blank. Orochimaru cursed and substituted away in time to avoid the attack. He laughed nervously. There was a reason, fire breath attacks were long to mid-range, and the attack would hurt both the attacker and his opponent.

Crazy this kid was really crazy.

Wire strings flew out of the inferno of Sasuke's making and caught, Orochimaru off guard. The strings wrapped around the tree and tied him to it. He grimaced.

"Dragon fire jutsu!"

"Ahh!" Orochimaru screamed as the flames closed in. It burned, it really burned. Why was it so painful? He opened his eyes to find his body wasn't engulfed in red flamed but black. He was gonna die!"

Boom an explosion rang from the inn and Sasuke looked over.

This was it. Orochimaru quickly swallowed Sasori's core and shed his burning body. He leaped away from the hellfire and put many distances between him and the Uchiha. He didn't underestimate the boy and yet still his potential overwhelmed Orochimaru. His summons almost died to the black flames that brat had. Orochimaru gritted his teeth.

He couldn't believe that dreadful jutsu came from Mikoto's blood. Women really were scary.

"I can't believe what I'm seeing." Orochimaru looked over to where Tsunade and her disciple stood and watch the fight. He wasn't sure if he should feel betrayed that she didn't try to help him. It would probably end badly so he didn't push the matter.

"What the hell is happening in the village for the new generation to be this strong?" Tsunade was in awe. He wanted to ask the same question.

"To think that boy is able to pressure someone on Lady Tsunade's level," Shizune stared at Sasuke. The Uzumakis that burst from the inn regrouped with their family and licked their wounds. Sakura had gone into that building so he wasn't surprised by their appearance. It would be a shame to go back empty-handed though. His eyes looked over at Tsunade, from what he heard she told the Uzumakis in no uncertain tone to "Fuck off." She didn't want to join them it seemed, but should he take her back anyway as an apology for failing the mission?

He shivered as a presence made itself known.

Orochimaru looked toward the inn in time to see Sakura soaring through the roof. She spun in mid-air and stood there.

Huh?

She was standing on air as if it was nothing, judging from the look on Sasuke's face, it wasn't unnatural.

"What am I even looking at?" Tsunade muttered.

"I heard the Tsuchikage also has a jutsu that lets him fly," Shizune said.

"Are you saying this brat is on the same level as a Kage?" Tsunade scoffed.

Wasn't that a terrifying thought.

Sakura looked over the battlefield and frowned. No longer naked, she was dressed in a red qipao without tights. He hoped she had on underwear as well.

"I thought this would be a clamming trip across the land of fire," She said. "Yet here we are once again. We really need to stop meeting Snake sage. I'm not fond of you."

Orochimaru smiled.

"Last we met you didn't remember who I was, no you treat me with respect?"

"You're right, reverence is wasted on a coward like you."

"What did you say!?"

"If you had just died in those woods I wouldn't have to see your ugly mug."

"You!"

"Friend of yours?" Sasuke asked leaping onto the roof below her floating figure.

"As if, I'm not so desperate for companionship." She scoffed.

"What are we going do about these guys, they're not just after Sora but Naruto as well." He told her.

"So she joined the Akatsuki after all huh?" Sakura muttered but Orochimaru heard and was shocked. She knew about the Akatsuki and their mission? He knew the organization tried to spread its name but it's amazing she knew so much.

"If you leave now, I won't chase you," She called out to them. "Otherwise I'm going to kill you." A wave of killing intent washed over the battlefield. Death was in the air and it was hard to breathe. Orochimaru frowned, his killing intent was just as potent, but why did he think she was holding back.

"As if! We're from the Uzumaki clan, when have we ever turned tail and run away?" one of the foxes yelled.

A cruel smile blossomed on Sakura's face. Orochimaru already knew the answer she would give.

"When the shinobi world turned their fangs on you and all of your creations," Sakura smirked cruelly. "Did you not save yourself and run away with your tail between your legs?"

A silence was present for a time.

Ahhhh! A scream of rage rang out and the Uzumakis attacked as one.

"You just had to provoke them, Sasuke chastised her as the leaped from the roof and away from the attacking foxes.

"If Naruto is anything to go by, an angry Uzumaki is illogical." She said, back flipping away from the chains that tried to impale her. The Five Uzumakis surrounded her in an instant and brought out their chains. A small dome was formed around them preventing any and all interference.

"We'll make pay for what you said!" one of them yelled.

"I can't believe you locked yourself in with me," Sakura laughed. "You must miss your ancestors. Don't worry I'll send you to them soon."

The Uzumaki were confused by the turn of events looking around at each other. Orochimaru could only sigh, he was never going to hear the end of this.

"Gather," Sakura spoke. "Senbonzakura."

Another chapter out!

Next time on Thrill seeker.

"Knee before the emperor and accept your death."

"A god stands before you!"

"My my, are my children having a hard time?"

Next chapter

August 16

Till next time

Night song~