Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto (either manga or anime!); the wonderful Masashi Kishimoto-sensei owns all rights. However, the plot and Namiko Uzumaki are mine!

Chapter 21: Cage

"Oh man!" Groaned Ino as a shiver ran down her spine. "I hate being in the heads of creeps like that, especially when I can't actually punch them."

Currently, Ino, Hinata, and Namiko were on their way back to Konoha from their latest mission. They had successfully retrieved information on the brothel and headed home to Konoha to let the Jounin and ANBU handle the actual takedown.

"I know what you mean," sighed Namiko, brushing away a stray strand of red hair that had escaped from her bun. "I've never wished I was a Jounin more than now, so I could've taken care of him myself."

"Okay," started Ino, slowing them to a stop. "Let's rest here for about twenty minutes or so. Just enough to eat and catch our breath."

Namiko flopped her pack down and grabbed her water bottle. "I seriously just wanted to strangle that guy. Taking advantage of women like that…women barely older than us!"

"I just hope the ANBU get to them in time before the sale happens," said Hinata, concern seeping through every word she spoke. She was still as kindhearted as ever. She was also speaking a little louder and more confidently now, though Namiko and she rarely relied on words to communicate, especially during missions. A single glance was often enough for them to understand each other.

Ino started walking a little further into the woods. "I've got to use the bathroom. I'll be right back and then we can go."

As she disappeared from sight, Namiko put her water bottle back in her backpack and sat down on a nearby log. "Hopefully Naruto's team will be back by the time we get home. We've been gone over a week." She smiled slyly at Hinata.

"Wh-Why would you bring N-N-Naruto-kun up right now?" Hinata said, eyes wide and a light pink dusting her cheeks.

Namiko put her head in her hand. "Because I've missed my brother, and I know you've missed your boyfriend…"

"He's not my boyfriend!" Hinata said louder than intended, her blush intensifying.

"You just wish he…" Namiko froze. A familiar intense chakra came into her range. One she hadn't felt in nearly three years. She locked eyes with Hinata. "It's him…"

Hinata looked cautiously at her. "Whatever you do, don't do anything rash. You know what the orders have been."

Ino came back into the area and noticed the two best friends staring at each other. "Okay, let's go…wait, did I miss something?"

"Sasuke just came into my range. We have to go after him!" Namiko stood, eyes pleading with Ino.

Right now, the orders on Sasuke's retrieval were simple: if a shinobi team ran across Orochimaru, Kabuto, or Sasuke, they were to stick to their current mission, but report any intel back to Konoha immediately. If a team was currently ending their mission, they could pursue only if they were Jounin and if the mission they were coming back from was not time-sensitive.

Namiko's team didn't meet either criterion. They had to get the information back about the brothel as soon as possible so a team could be dispatched.

But Ino was the captain of this mission, and she wasn't about to give in. "Namiko, you know we can't. Standing orders are to send info back to Konoha."

"Screw the orders!" Namiko's blue-violet eyes blazing, her freckled cheeks reddened with frustration. "This is the first word or sign of Sasuke in almost three years! I'm going whether you like it or not, and I'm dragging his ass back to Konoha for Naruto!" With those words, she vanished into thin air using her Flying Raijin.

Ino's eyes went wide in panic. "Oh man, Tsunade-sama is going to kill me! Hinata, we gotta rush back to Konoha now!"

Hinata stared at the place where Namiko had just been standing a moment before. 'Oh Namiko, what are you thinking? Naruto-kun will be so upset if he comes home to find you gone…'

Namiko popped out at a mark she had made months ago near the border between the lands of Fire and Sound, which happened to be a few hundred meters from where Namiko had sensed the Uchiha. She ran as quickly as she could toward his chakra signature. She couldn't see him yet, but she could feel him about fifty meters away and she was closing in on his position.

She knelt in a tree, waiting for him to get close enough to ambush. However, she had been so focused on his intense chakra that she realized too late he wasn't alone.

Namiko didn't have time to react before her world went black.

"Sasuke-kun," Orochimaru hissed, "thank you for your help in getting the jinchuriki girl. She shouldn't wake for quite some time."

"Hn," scoffed Sasuke as he laid Namiko down on a cot in one of the cells at Orochimaru's hideout. "She was always good with chakra sensing. I'm surprised she didn't flee. Three against one is far outside her capabilities."

"You seem to know her well," said Kabuto, pushing his glasses up his nose. "You sat next to her during the written part of the Chuunin Exams, didn't you?" Sasuke gave a curt nod and walked out of the cell.

Following the Uchiha, Orochimaru continued Kabuto's line of thinking. "And she is Naruto's little sister. Are you sure this won't be a problem for you?"

"No, I've told you before, I've cut all my bonds to Konoha," replied Sasuke sharply. "She means nothing to me." He glanced back at her through the bars of the cell for a moment before turning to head back to his room.

"Interesting…" Orochimaru's smile grew wider, more sinister. "We'll see how emotionless Sasuke-kun actually is. You'll make a nice little test subject for me, Namiko..."

"Tsunade-sama, she just bolted! Hinata and I had no chance of catching her," Ino said exasperatedly as she was giving her mission report.

Tsunade folded her hands in front of her face and turned to the Hyuuga. "Hinata, could you see her from where you were?"

"She was near the end of my range, around eighteen kilometers away. Sasuke must've just come into her range since that's about her limit. I saw Orochimaru and Kabuto follow him with their chakra dimmed to almost nothing, go behind her, and knock her out." Hinata was extremely worried about her best friend; they'd been teammates for nearly four years now and were practically inseparable.

"Did you see where they went?" asked Tsunade, still staring at the Hyuuga.

"I tried, but Ino made us go the opposite direction of them, back to Konoha," Hinata's voice held a tinge of anger to it, something very different from her usual calm demeanor. "They left the way they came, so they were gone from my Byakugan's range quickly. I just know they were on the Land of Fire's side of the border."

Ino looked almost ashamed for once, and voiced in an apologetic whisper, "I said 'sorry', Hinata. I know she's your teammate, but I was also team captain for our mission, and I had to make a difficult call." Hinata's body language was shut off as she crossed her arms under her chest and looked away from Ino.

"We'll get her back. Team Kakashi is on their way back from Suna and should be home in the next couple of days. Kakashi told me that he has news on the Akatsuki, so maybe that will lead us back to Sasuke and Namiko." Tsunade leaned back in her chair. "The only thing we can do right now is wait and keep our eyes open during any missions."

"Shizune," started Tsunade as she stood up and walked around her desk and Shizune leaned towards her. "There's a change to the standing orders: if anyone comes into contact with Orochimaru, Kabuto, Sasuke, or Namiko, they are to pursue them immediately, unless they are on an A-rank mission or above or anything highly time-sensitive. Any genin are not to follow, only chuunin and above."

"Yes, Tsunade-sama." Shizune quickly turned and walked out of the room to spread the word.

Tsunade turned around and gave a sympathetic smile. "Hinata, we'll get them both back. I promise. You're both dismissed."

Ino and Hinata both left the room and Tsunade walked over to the window behind her desk. "I really hope I can keep that promise. Naruto is going to be pissed…"

The last thing Namiko remembered was defying Ino's orders and using Flying Raijin to come out near where she'd felt Sasuke's chakra. She knew it was an insane risk, but she didn't care.

It was a horrible plan though. She should've just followed orders or forced Ino and Hinata to come with her or at the very least kept her guard up.

No, she let her emotions get the best of her. She was still furious for Sasuke nearly killing Naruto and abandoning the village and everyone in it. She knew Naruto loved Sasuke as a brother and wanted him home, but somehow that idiot Uchiha thought it would be better to abandon the village and follow a creepy pedophile ninja who could kill him in an instant.

Namiko had learned a few things about Orochimaru from talking to Tsunade (when she was drunk) and Yomu. There were no documents available to Namiko in the library about Orochimaru or his hideouts because they were all in Tsunade's office. While Yomu was willing to let Namiko look at classified information, Tsunade absolutely would not. Yomu gave her as much verbal information as she could, but it wasn't a lot. Only enough to make Namiko realize how stupid Sasuke was to go to the snake sannin willingly.

Namiko knew Orochimaru was extremely powerful and certified genius. She could understand a little why Sasuke would use him to seek out power, but it was foolish to abandon the village over it. Sasuke was kept out of the "official" bingo books, but he was still labeled a missing ninja within Konoha's walls.

Plus, she was still pissed at him for trying to kill Naruto. Everything was about power, and she was sick of the pissing contest between them. Naruto would be coming back from his mission to Suna any day now…and she wouldn't be home.

That thought jerked her awake and she sat up quickly. She immediately regretted that decision and emptied her stomach's contents in a toilet that happened to be near her. As she wiped her mouth, she stood slowly from her kneeling position. Her head felt like a big brass bell that someone was hitting with a hammer.

Looking at her surroundings, she realized she was in an underground cell, no more than three meters by three meters. There was a stone slab bed where she had been lying earlier, a toilet, and a small sink. Nothing else. Candles were burning on the wall on the other side of the cell bars, well out of reach of prisoners.

She was still in her modified mission gear from her mission with Ino and Hinata, black mid-calf boots, black shorts, and a black zip-up jacket that let a large part of her stomach show and she was still wearing a white and black cropped shirt under the jacket. She had been the bait in their mission because she could always flee immediately if she got into trouble thanks to her Flying Raijin.

However, Flying Raijin only worked if she could sense her marks though, and right now she couldn't sense anything at all. No life forms of any type. Her chakra sensing was gone; she tried to force it but nothing happened. It was like waking up blind and deaf. She tried not to panic at the sensation.

She rushed to the cell bars, grabbing them to get a better look at her surroundings, but a large electric current shot through the bars. The jolt forced her backward, slamming hard against the floor. She groaned as she attempted to sit up, her hand on the back of her head rubbing to ease the pain. She was caged.

"Not a pleasant feeling, is it?"

Namiko startled at the sudden voice, looking for the source. "Kabuto…"

The silver-haired medic came into view, leaning against the wall opposite her cell. "This cell blocks almost all of your chakra, leaving you with just enough to survive. For someone who is a chuunin and should know better, you made a pretty dumb choice." He raised an eyebrow. "Or were you trying to get captured to spy on us?"

Namiko thought carefully before answering. There was no point in lying. "Honestly, when I sensed Uchiha, I came to drag him back to Konoha."

"My, my," Kabuto replied with a smirk. "Do you have feelings for Sasuke-kun?"

"Only feelings of anger." Her eyes flashed with emotion.

"Good," said Kabuto with a malicious grin and opened the cell door. "Follow me…"

Kabuto had shackled her wrists with chakra limiters and dragged her around the twisting halls, holding her wrist tightly. Her petite size rendered her incapable of fighting off the medical ninja without her chakra. He led her to a large circular room which most likely was used for training based on the burn marks on the floor and walls. Orochimaru stood in the center. "Ah…so good to see you, Namiko-chan."

Namiko glared at the sannin. "I can't say the same."

Kabuto's grip on her wrist tightened. "You'll show respect to Orochimaru-sama or we can kill you right now."

"Now, now, Kabuto, don't get hasty." The snake sannin circled her slowly, looking her up and down. "Namiko-chan, I would like to test your abilities."

"My abilities?" she raised a brow quizzically.

"Yes, I want to see how much you've grown in the last two years. Kakashi trained you during that time, correct?" Orochimaru stopped his circling to stand directly in front of her, leering at her.

Namiko tried to keep her composure calm and collected. "Yes, he did. But how am I going to show you anything with these on?" she asked, holding up her wrists with the chakra limiters.

"Don't worry, we'll take those off, but before you even think about it, there's no way to escape. Each of my hideouts is an endless maze of halls and doors, and no one can use Teleportation Jutsu inside due to seals throughout."

"How exactly do you plan on testing me?" Namiko mentally counted her breathing. 'If he's going to make me fight someone, he's limiting me severely…'

"Kabuto will spar with you." Orochimaru looked over Namiko's head to Kabuto. "Bring her weapons to her."

Kabuto brought over Namiko's hip pouch and kunai holder, then removed her chakra limiters. She made quick work putting her equipment on as she felt the chakra flood her body again. She activated her chakra senses, noting Kabuto and Orochimaru were the only ones nearby and Sasuke seemed to be about fifty meters away but felt no one else at all.

'If only I had brought my tanto on this mission instead of leaving it at home, I might have a better chance. I don't know anything about Kabuto's fighting style except what little Naruto told me ages ago when he fought him on his mission to find Tsunade.' Namiko felt like a field mouse at the mercy of two snakes.

Orochimaru stepped back to observe, leaving Kabuto and her a few meters apart. Kabuto smirked and adjusted his glasses. "I doubt you'll be able to do any damage, but I'm always up for some entertainment."

Namiko took a defensive stance. "Don't be so sure of yourself."

With a swift movement, Kabuto lunged forward, his movements fluid and precise. Namiko dodged, narrowly avoiding the strike as she sent out a flurry of kunai. Kabuto effortlessly deflected them into the walls using his chakra-infused hands, his cocky expression unfaltering.

"You're fast," Kabuto remarked, a hint of amusement in his voice, "but speed alone won't allow you to win."

Namiko leaped back, using Flying Raijin to recall several kunai back to her hand. She noticed Kabuto's eyebrows raise slightly in surprise. She charged forward, throwing kunai at him as she ran. She recalled another kunai as Kabuto withdrew a kunai with his right hand. Their blades clashed but Kabuto was physically stronger and was open to use the chakra blade on his left hand, slashing at her right shoulder causing her jacket to tear and blood to drip down her arm.

Namiko spun around Kabuto, using the momentum to slide back and away from him. Kabuto stood in the center of the room, eyeing her carefully, his glasses catching glare from the lights above. She set her jaw in determination as she tried to formulate a plan.

She had used Flying Raijin on herself three times with the last time being the longest distance she'd ever gone, and using it had depleted her chakra drastically. She couldn't force a fourth time. Her chakra reserves were larger than most but still not nearly as much as Naruto's. She was quickly approaching total chakra exhaustion and needed to find something to allow her time to think of a way out of this situation.

Kabuto came after her again and she did her best to defend. His movements were calculated, each strike aimed with lethal precision. She wouldn't give up, but she was running on borrowed time. 'You could always beg for my help…'

She shook her head. 'No, I'm not going to allow you control over me.'

'You little brat, I control you anyways.'

'No, the seal keeps you from doing that.'

'I can control you even with the seal intact. And it's only a matter of time before it breaks. It weakens a little more every day and soon I'll be free once again.'

'Never!' Namiko gave one large leap back from Kabuto and activated her Sealing Chains, chains bursting from her back and erecting a barrier around herself which allowed her time to think.

Kabuto struck the barrier with a kunai and his chakra scalpels, but neither could penetrate. "Clever, but eventually you'll have to put your shield down." He circled her, waiting for her to let down her guard.

Namiko could feel her vision blur from chakra exhaustion. 'No, no, no! I can't run out of chakra now!' She fell to her knees with the chains quivering as she struggled to stay alert. Black bordered her vision until it consumed her as she finally collapsed flat, unconscious.

"Can you trust the information?" asked Tsunade cautiously. "What if the Akatsuki is using Orochimaru's name as bait, luring us to Tenchi Bridge where they're waiting for whoever is foolish enough to show up?"

"If it is a trap," said Sakura as she leaned against the wall, "then we fight!"

"Yes, but now Kakashi is going to be out of commission for more than a week, and only six days left before the rendezvous." Tsunade pursed her lips in thought. "On top of that, Team Kakashi has been undermanned ever since Sasuke left. Your only solution is to find a new member and assemble a new team."

"Tsunade-sama," interjected Shizune, "if that's the case, then why not assign a different team to investigate? And even if you feel Sakura should be part of that team, I feel that Naruto shouldn't."

Tsunade turned to face her. "Shizune, you know I trust Sakura implicitly, just as I trust you. This mission must involve both remaining members of Team Kakashi."

Shizune furrowed her brow. "Wouldn't my team be more than capable of handling it?"

"Frankly? No. This is more than a mission to Team Kakashi, it's personal. Sasuke is more than merely their teammate, he's their friend. They've pledged their lives to rescuing him, and it's their desire to honor that pledge is why they will succeed." Tsunade leaned against the railing. "And why your team, Shizune, might not."

Shizune nodded. "Understood, but I still don't think Naruto—"

Tsunade looked up to the roof. "What do you think Naruto would have to say about that?"

Naruto chuckled from his position on the roof above the three kunoichi. "I'd say we gotta find a new teammate!" He leaped down next to Tsunade. "Hey obaa-chan, where's Namiko? She'd be perfect for this mission!"

Tsunade paled but tried to keep her facial emotions from revealing anything. "Come inside, we need to talk. Sakura, you too."

The four shinobi went inside Tsunade's office and Tsunade stood behind her desk. "Naruto…shortly after Team Kakashi left to help Suna with Gaara, I sent Namiko, Hinata, and Ino on a mission." She noticed Naruto's normally happy face suddenly turn serious. "There were complications on their way back to Konoha and…she was taken by Sasuke, Orochimaru, and Kabuto."

"…what?!" Naruto's face was a mixture of shock, fear, and anger.

Sakura's mouth dropped open. "How does that even happen? Were they targeting her?"

Tsunade steeled her facial expressions again as she shook her head. "On their way back from their mission two days ago, she sensed Sasuke's chakra and took off after him using Flying Raijin. Ino and Hinata had no chance of stopping her and they lost any sign of her to track. We have every team currently on missions under orders to keep their eyes open for her or them and to follow immediately if possible."

"What—how—why would she do such a stupid thing like going after him by herself?" Naruto gritted his teeth, speaking mostly to himself. He closed his eyes and forced out his breath to try to calm his mind. "Now there's no way I'm not going to this meeting with Sakura. So, who isn't on missions and can go with us?"

Tsunade was slightly surprised by his response. "I'll take care of finding replacement members and I'll call you when things are ready. Right now, you two should rest and prepare for your mission orders." Naruto and Sakura both nodded and started to leave. "Sakura?"

Sakura waved Naruto off and turned back to Tsunade. "Yes, shishou?"

"Kakashi told me what happened on your mission with Naruto. Keep your eye on him and don't interfere if he starts to transform. You're strong, but you're not invincible." Tsunade sat down at her desk. "And if Naruto and Namiko transform at the same time, I want you to get the hell out of wherever you are as fast as you can. We have no idea what could happen."

Sakura was taken aback by the order. "…yes, shishou."

'I told you, brat, you need my help.'

Suddenly, Namiko stood before the kyuubi in his lair inside her mind. It had been a while since she was last here, at least six months, but the chills running through her body were still the same. Whether they were from the cold, damp surroundings or out of fear of the giant creature behind bars in front of her, she didn't know. "I'm fine. Just give me a minute!" she snapped at him.

"If you take a minute, you could be dead at the hands of that snake. Take my help if you want to live." The kyuubi's eyes glowered at her through the bars.

Namiko let out a breath she didn't realize she'd been holding, finally making eye contact with the beast. "Fine. Help me…" The kyuubi's malicious grin made her shudder.

When she blinked her eyes she was lying back on the floor where she had been fighting Kabuto. The barrier had dissipated. Her body felt uncomfortably warm all over; fiery orange chakra seemed to leak from every pore. Her mind was cloudy and she wanted to move, but nothing she did seemed to move her body. 'I get the feeling I'm going to regret everything…'

Her body moved of its own accord, finally standing up and getting back into a fighting position. Kabuto seemed a bit surprised at the chakra surrounding her; he obviously didn't intend to face a transformed jinchuriki today, yet he didn't seem willing to back down. Orochimaru on the other hand looked thrilled at her transformation, almost like this was exactly his intention. "Kabuto-kun, you're not scared to continue, are you?"

Kabuto straightened his posture as he got back into position. "Not at all, Orochimaru-sama. I just wasn't expecting to see her transform so soon." Orochimaru didn't respond, he just continued to watch carefully with a sinister grin across his face.

Namiko's mind and body felt like she was traveling through lava. She was hot beyond belief and her mind felt like her thoughts were boiling. Everything seemed to move in slow motion. She tried to hold onto her consciousness and control her body, but it was more like she was only a spectator to the kyuubi's control.

She ran her tongue along her teeth and felt the prick of her lengthened canines. Her long hair had come free of the bun she had it in and it spread wildly in the air. She could feel a tail of chakra whip ferociously back and forth behind her as she and Kabuto danced around each other. Now he was the one struggling to keep up with her. Kabuto came after her again and she quickly dodged and went on the offensive, scratching him with her claws.

Kabuto gripped his arm that she had scratched, hissing in pain. Orochimaru smirked. "It would seem you have underestimated her." Kabuto shot a glare at Orochimaru, which he quickly redirected to not upset the sannin.

As they continued to trade blows, Namiko realized that Sasuke was moving in their direction. She tried to ignore him as he entered the room, but the second she saw his face as he came around the corner, blind rage filled her. His Sharingan was active but no emotion appeared behind his eyes.

A second tail joined the first and she smacked Kabuto into the wall before racing toward Sasuke. Sasuke didn't even attempt to attack or even seem phased by the raging jinchuriki in front of him. He simply dodged every angry swipe she made.

She wasn't quite sure how he could maneuver around her so quickly. Kakashi had almost always struggled to follow and dodge her when she was in kyuubi form. Sasuke did it with such ease, it was almost maddening. She gritted her teeth and let out a growl. "It's your fault I'm here! If you would've stayed in Konoha, this wouldn't have happened!"

Sasuke's face remained stoic. "No, you were the foolish one who decided to come after me."

"I'm the fool?!" She screamed. "You're the biggest idiot I know!" She charged at him again, eyes red with slit-like pupils.

Sasuke turned fluidly, dodging her once more, but caught her wrist and spun her around, slamming her into the wall. He tightly gripped her wrists, ignoring the burning of the kyuubi's chakra against his palms.

He locked eyes with her, red meeting red, and Namiko's world faded to black for the second time that day. Though it wasn't the black of unconsciousness. Everything was black around her, an infinite void.

Except Sasuke was there with her.

Suddenly, things shifted and they were standing in front of the kyuubi. He was a dark reddish-brown and almost appeared like he was made of bubbles coming through the bars of his cage, trying to escape his prison. His toothy grin was wide and filled with malice. Namiko swallowed in fear; she hated being in front of the kyuubi.

Sasuke stepped next to her. "So, this is what's inside you and Naruto. After my last fight with him, I knew there was something more. Both of your chakras were two different colors as well."

She let out a huff. "I thought you were too busy trying to kill him." Sasuke gave her a sideways glance before stepping closer to the kyuubi.

"…an Uchiha…" sneered the kyuubi, "You can actually see me thanks to that abominable Sharingan; the product of your accursed bloodline."

"It seems this isn't your first encounter with the Sharingan…which means you must be the legendary kyuubi," said Sasuke as he extended his arm, his hand a few centimeters from touching the beast's nose.

"With your ocular powers and that vile chakra you exude, you remind me of Uchiha Madara."

Sasuke gripped the kyuubi's nose tightly. "I've never heard of him." With a flick of his wrist, the kyuubi dissipated, blown back behind the bars. Sasuke gave a piercing glare to the creature. "If you know what's good for you, you'll stay behind that seal." The kyuubi glared but said nothing.

The kyuubi's prison faded away and Namiko found herself staring into Sasuke's Sharingan. Her own eyes turned back to their normal blue-violet as the kyuubi's chakra faded. Sasuke felt her muscles relax and he finally let go of her wrists which he pinned against the wall of the training room.

"Sasuke-kun, good job in controlling the kyuubi and jinchuriki," praised Orochimaru as he approached the pair. His voice held an underlying tone that Namiko couldn't quite place. Sasuke backed up from Namiko and walked past Orochimaru, leaving Namiko still stunned against the wall.

Orochimaru wore a devious smirk. "…so, then you'll have no problem taking care of her from now on, right?"

Sasuke turned around and shot him a warning look. "What are you implying?"

Orochimaru's smirk grew wider. "I don't think our little redheaded kunoichi is too comfortable in her cage. I think the best place for her would be to stay with you."

A/N: Sasuke is back! And we'll see more of him from now on out. I purposely left out details from Namiko's mission because they'll come up later and I didn't want to be redundant. I'm so excited and amazed by your love and support! I've reached 70 kudos on AO3 and over 60 followers on FFN. Thank you all so much! I'll see you all next week as we meet Sai, start the journey to Tenchi Bridge, and see what happens between Namiko and Sasuke.
-Eriisu