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 37: Lightning

Kakashi slammed his palm to the rooftop and several ninken appeared. "Alright, let me explain the team rosters for our search patrol. Each person will spread out five kilometers from this point, search, and return to this point. Rules dictate a minimum of two-man teams, so to be safe, I'm assigning two ninken to each person. They will serve as both protection and communication."

The dogs dispersed themselves and Naruto looked at his teacher curiously when he realized something was amiss. "What about Hinata and me? There's not enough ninken."

"You're a jinchuriki and thus a target. To protect you from potential Akatsuki attacks, you'll be escorted by Yamato and Hinata," explained Kakashi.

Hinata smiled warmly at him. "Don't worry, Naruto-kun. I'll make sure we stay out of enemy reach."

"I know. If we do get attacked, I promise to guard you with my life." Naruto grinned back. "Let's do this!"

Kakashi cleared his throat. "My ninken will help find and track Sasuke and Namiko using scent. They'll also be looking for the scents of known Akatsuki members. Either way, if you discover someone, confirm their location and return to this spot." He raised his hand. "Now go!"

Jiraiya sat down next to Tsunade on a bench near a quiet area, just a bit away from the bar they had been to moments before.

Tsunade let out a sigh. "The Akatsuki…they've managed to assemble quite a formidable crew. We don't know exactly how strong they are, and yet, you're going to intentionally leap right into their lair?!"

"Yes, I am." Jiraiya grunted as he stood up. "I should get going."

"Jiraiya, just…come back alive… If I lost you too, I'd…"

"What? You'd cry? Aww, that makes my day. I bet you won't cry as much as you did for Dan though." He laughed at his teasing.

"Shut up, you idiot!" snapped Tsunade. "It's not the same…"

"A bet then. Gamble everything on me dying. Since you always lose, I should be fine." His eyes crinkled playfully. "But if I make it back alive…" He paused for a moment, his face becoming serious before bursting out into laughter. "Just kidding, just kidding! I'm so grateful to you, you know. Rejection makes men stronger, and if you can't laugh about it or use it as writing material, you're not a real man."

Tsunade scoffed. "So, a man's only job is to be strong?" She looked at him determinedly. "If anything happens, you send word via toad, alright? I'll come right away."

"No thanks, you need to stay put. The village is depending on you during this time of crisis."

"There are plenty of other Hokage candidates!"

"The village won't remain stable if leadership keeps changing and there's no better Hokage in Konoha than you!"

She shrugged. "There's Kakashi and eventually Naruto."

"Kakashi still has a long way to go. And even though you gave him your necklace, Naruto has even further to go. He still is just a kid."

"You're one to talk, putting so much of your time and energy into training him like he's another Minato just because Naruto looks like him, but we both know he acts much more like Kushina."

"Meanwhile Namiko looks so much like her mother but acts like Minato. She was so quiet and gentle when I first met her, just like Minato, but it seems she developed his fierceness and Kushina's quick wit," said Jiraiya with a chuckle. "They both remind me of their parents so much, I honestly feel more like their grandfather than their godfather."

The two sannin stared at each other. Tsunade wanted to say something and began to open her mouth to speak when Jiraiya cut her off. "I really do need to get going. Take care of those two…and let them care for you."

He began to walk away and turned to glance at her over his shoulder. "One more thing: beware of the Foundation and Danzo…"

She swallowed the tears that threatened to break free. "I know. I will."

Jiraiya began to walk away. "Goodbye…"

The second he was out of sight and she was sure no one was around, Tsunade let her tears escape and fall freely down her face.

"Alright, you two check out your contacts to see if we can find out anything about the Akatsuki or Itachi. Namiko will stay with me," said Sasuke as they stopped in a clearing near a village.

"Of course, she will." Suigetsu snickered and gave a lopsided toothy grin. "Red, are you sure you wouldn't want to come with me instead? I can show you my big…sword in action."

Sasuke let a low growl of irritation escape his throat. "Suigetsu, if you want to live—"

"The only action your sword has ever seen and ever will see is from your hand, and I sure as hell don't want to watch," Namiko quipped as she walked past the three men leaving Suigetsu in stunned silence, his jaw slack in shock, and Juugo looking puzzled.

Sasuke walked past them, feeling a smidge of pride at her comeback. "Go. Now." Suigetsu and Juugo just looked at each other before going their separate ways. He waited until they were out of earshot before allowing a chuckle to slip out.

"What?" Namiko shrugged nonchalantly, a small smirk playing on her lips. "Someone had to put him in his place, he deserved it. Besides, it was hilarious to finally shut him up, even if it is temporary."

Sasuke leaned over and placed a quick kiss on her lips. "Let's head to the east." She nodded in agreement and they silently traveled through the woods.

Namiko didn't mind the quiet moments between her and Sasuke, but she knew this was different. She glanced at Sasuke, his expression set in its usual stoic mask. She knew the weight of their quest was heavy on his shoulders, but she also knew he found solace in her presence, just as she did in his.

Suddenly, she felt something on the outer edge of her chakra sensing and moving quickly. "Sasuke, we may have a problem. Two strange chakras are coming toward us. One is trying to suppress his chakra and is hiding maybe twenty meters away, and the other doesn't seem to care about his chakra signal and has stopped moving a couple of kilometers away. I can't sense Suigetsu and Juugo anymore, so there is no way to recall them for help."

"We'll be fine. Just stick close to me, and if I tell you to run, I want you to use Flying Raijin and get out of here," he whispered to her.

She looked at him in disbelief. "Sasuke, I'm not going to abandon you—"

"You're not abandoning me; I'm asking you to protect yourself." He narrowed his eyes, signaling to her that this was not a request. "How far away is your furthest mark?"

Namiko blew out an irritated breath. "Sixteen kilometers. I mark every five kilometers, you know that." Her expression softened, silently pleading. "Don't make me do this…"

He activated his Sharingan. "You're still weak after Orochimaru. I'm not blind to your dizzy spells or exhaustion." He looked at her softly, his hands itching to touch her but refraining as he noticed a person standing along the tree line, still hidden in the shadows. "I need you to promise me." She chewed on her lower lip nervously before nodding.

Sasuke called out to the person. "Show yourself."

A man stepped out of the forest, walking slowly toward them, dressed in a black cloak with red clouds with an orange spiral-like mask covering his face completely. "So, you're Sasuke…huh, you do look like Itachi!"

Sasuke shot a glare at the man and he immediately fled back into the trees. "Whoa! Scary!"

"Sasuke, the other one is coming in fast!" yelled Namiko just as they both looked up to see a man with long blond hair flying on some sort of large, white bird-like creature.

Sasuke grabbed Namiko by the upper arm and yanked hard, pulling her into his chest as he saw two smaller bird-like creatures flying directly toward them. The birds flew into the ground, causing an explosion to rock around them, and smoke billowed.

The blond scoffed confidently. "We did it. We just took down Sasuke."

"Nicely done, Deidara," the masked man happily praised.

The smoke began to clear, revealing Sasuke and Namiko standing surrounded by a large white snake as a shield. Namiko looked up at Sasuke. His chakra changed ever so slightly, tainted almost. Nothing drastic, but it was like the edges of his chakra were singed when the white snake surrounded them. 'I don't like this. His chakra feels too much like Orochimaru's. I've noticed something similar when he uses the curse mark, but this is like a parasite to his chakra. Now isn't the time to talk to him about it, but we do need to talk about it soon.' The snake disappeared in a puff of smoke but the two didn't move from their position.

"I can't believe Orochimaru lost to a brat like that," said Deidara and Sasuke's eyes narrowed almost imperceptibly. "Ha! Quite a challenge in those eyes, huh, Tobi?"

"I guess we'll have to apologize to Itachi later." Tobi shrugged.

The corner of Sasuke's mouth tilted up into a smirk and his Sharingan swirling slowly. "Tell me where Uchiha Itachi is and I'll let you live."

"Sharingan…well, you're Itachi's kid brother alright. You were only able to kill Orochimaru thanks to your Uchiha blood. You're just blessed with good genes and that's all, so stop acting so smug!" yelled Deidara.

Sasuke rushed toward the duo, slicing through Tobi as Deidara leaped out of the way and into the treetops. "That's one of you down. Now, chatterbox, you're going to tell me about Itachi."

Namiko was still standing in the crater when she saw Tobi's body begin to move. "Uh…Sasuke?"

Sasuke turned to see Tobi standing in one piece. 'I know Kusanagi made contact with him. What is going on?'

"What are you doing, Tobi?!" bellowed Deidara, "Don't let your guard down just because he's a kid!"

Tobi waved his hand frantically. "His Teleportation Jutsu makes him too fast for the both of us!"

Deidara shoved his hands into two bags on either side of his hips and pulled out something small. Namiko felt him kneading his chakra into something, but no idea what. He threw handfuls of small white spiders toward them as he called out, "Stay back, Tobi."

Tobi scrambled to get away and Namiko flashed back out of range of the projectiles. Sasuke simply waved a hand, launching countless Chidori Senbon through the tiny spiders, several of which landed near Deidara and Tobi as well, who began panicking. "Whoa! Time out, partner! Don't blow him up yet! Behind you!"

Deidara looked above to find Sasuke about to attack, Kusanagi in hand ready to strike. He quickly tossed a larger spider creation towards Sasuke and set off the explosion. Namiko's eyes widened in panic for a moment but quickly reassured both parties were fine by their chakra.

However, it was obvious that Tobi did not know that as he collapsed to the ground in tears. "Deidara! He may have been strict but he was a good partner. I'll never forget him! Deidara!"

Deidara landed next to Tobi. "I'm fine! Will you shut up already?!"

"Hey! You're alive!" cried Tobi happily.

Namiko looked at the Akatsuki duo curiously. 'There's something majorly off about that guy in the mask. He acts like he has no idea what's going on. How on earth did someone like him end up in the Akatsuki?'

She quickly flashed over to Sasuke as he landed safely without a scratch on him. "His jutsu seems to be some sort of exploding kekkei genkai. He uses that clay and kneads his chakra into it causing the explosion at his will, but it uses Earth release at its core," she explained quietly. "Considering your specialty is Lightning release, you can handle this," she said with a smile.

Sasuke kept his focus on the Akatsuki. "Just remember you promised me you'd stay out of the way and listen to me if I ask you to leave."

"I'll do my best," she said as she trained her focus on their opponent as well.

Deidara dug around in the pouches at his side before molding the clay and holding a figure in his hands for a moment before a puff of smoke surrounded him and Tobi. As the smoke cleared, a large clay dragon stood behind them and Deidara swiftly jumped atop the massive creature. The dragon's tail popped out dozens of small egg-like explosives.

Namiko's heart sank a little at the feeling of the chakra flowing through the dragon. It was like a covered pot about to overflow and she suddenly was worried. The boiling chakra inside the dragon was far more intense than the small ones. "Sasuke, this is a lot stronger than those tiny spiders. You need to keep your distance if you can."

"I will," he replied, sparing her a glance before he charged toward the two Akatsuki.

The dragon opened its mouth to expel another, albeit a much smaller dragon. The smaller dragon flew straight at Sasuke, over him as he changed direction, then dropped and exploded right behind him. He slid to a stop after the explosion's impact. 'It's like a guided missile. Hn. First things first then.'

Namiko stood a good distance away, nervously biting her lip. It had only been five days since she nearly died, and while the amount of her chakra was nearly back to the level it had been before Orochimaru poisoned her, she was unable to control it properly. Her chakra sensing was easy enough to use because she'd used it nearly twenty-four hours every day for the last four years; it was as easy as breathing. However, she was in no shape to be in the middle of a major fight like this one.

She looked back in time to realize all of the clay eggs had disappeared and saw Sasuke turn his Chidori into a sword to swipe at the clay dragon, only for Deidara to be just out of Sasuke's reach.

"You copied that off Kakashi," yelled Deidara as he began concentrating his chakra again. "I will give you credit for the change in chakra form." The dragon opened its mouth again to launch another smaller dragon. "Warning, this one's got more bite than the last one!"

The small dragon shot directly toward Sasuke and blew up on impact with the ground. Sasuke was able to dodge swiftly thanks to his Sharingan, but landed on an explosive and it detonated without hesitation. Namiko felt the curse mark's impact on Sasuke's chakra.

The ground near Deidara crumbled and Tobi popped up. "Partner! I've set up all the clay land mines and we're good to go!"

'Land mines?! They're trying to keep him from moving anywhere.' Namiko was trying to figure out some way to help but was coming up blank.

"This next one is going to be bigger than the last!" shouted Deidara as the dragon spewed another guided missile dragon from its mouth.

The impact shook the ground, but as the smoke cleared, Sasuke's Kusanagi came spinning and sticking into the ground, lighting chakra coursing through it. Sasuke stood in the middle of a crater, a glowing purple cage of some kind was wrapped around his body. His left leg had blood running down it and he was leaning on the opposite side to take the pressure off.

"You still think you can dodge my attacks with that wounded leg?" Deidara smirked confidently. "This next one's gonna be huge!" The next guided missile dragon from the larger dragon could barely fit, stretching its mouth to the limit. Sasuke took flight and created another Chidori sword, slicing through the large dragon, and using two large shuriken to pin Deidara to the clay dragon as it fell to the ground, straight toward the land mines.

Explosions rocked through the forest and Namiko crouched down to avoid the shockwave. Sasuke landed in a nearby tree just in time to see Deidara burst through the cloud of smoke. Deidara locked eyes with Sasuke, noticing the pattern of his Sharingan was no longer the three tomoe he had earlier.

Hate burned in Deidara's blue eyes. He soared up high and began shoveling his clay into his mouth. "I saved the best for last. This'll kill you, Uchiha brat!" Deidara slammed his hands into the necessary sign. "Tobi, run! Now!"

Seeing the other Akatsuki member flee dramatically, Sasuke turned to Namiko. "You need to go!"

Concern flooded her face. "Sasuke, I—"

"You promised me."

Namiko bit her lip anxiously before nodding and disappearing into thin air. She popped out at her furthest mark, a tree about sixteen kilometers from where they had been. She gripped the tree's rough bark as she tried to regain her bearings from the dizziness she felt.

She could still sense Sasuke's chakra from this distance, though he seemed to be burning through his chakra faster than normal, causing her to furrow her brow in worry. She could feel a massive structure of chakra near Sasuke, its presence was smoldering. She jumped to the top of the tree and looked in that direction and saw a giant clone of Deidara.

The clone took several steps before blowing up like a balloon and popping, seemingly vanishing into thin air. Namiko knew differently though. The chakra from the clone didn't disappear, it spread like wildfire, consuming everything in its path. She could feel the lives of multiple animals being snuffed out, but it seemed that even though Sasuke was in the dispersal zone, he was fine.

'I guess I have no choice but to sit and wait. Ugh! I hate this so much. I want to fight but my chakra is too messed up to do anything confidently.' She froze as she focused harder on Sasuke's chakra. Sasuke was right in front of Deidara, and the consuming chakra she felt kill those animals was now encapsulating Sasuke. No escape.

'He still has quite a bit of chakra left; he's smart enough to get out of this. I need to trust him. Breathe.' She took a deep breath in as she felt Sasuke's lightning chakra surround his body before his chakra suddenly plummeted. Deidara's chakra had also dropped to almost nothing.

"Something's wrong…" She groaned, frustrated with what to do. 'Right now, I'm the only one with a decent amount of chakra. He can get mad at me later.' She used Flying Raijin and flashed back to Sasuke's side, her hand gripping his wrist as she tried to overlook his expression of surprise and irritation.

"I told you to leave!" snapped Sasuke as he jerked his wrist from her hand. His breathing was labored and he had cuts and burns all over his body.

Namiko began to open her mouth to argue, but Deidara cackled wildly. His shirt was gone and he pulled a thread on his chest to reveal a mouth and began shoving his clay inside. "My ultimate art! I shall detonate myself, leaving a scar on the very earth! With my death, I will become art!"

Black cracks streaked across his skin. "And when I do, Uchiha Sasuke, you will finally die!" Deidara smiled maniacally. "The blast will cover a ten-kilometer radius! There's no way to escape! Now are you afraid? Cower in awe! Recoil in despair! Cry your heart out! Because my art—" Deidara's body began to fade away, leaving behind the streaks that collected into a compressed black ball of chakra.

'I have no choice.' Namiko pressed her lips together. She didn't know if this was going to work or not, but it was a risk she had to take. "Sasuke, I'm asking you to trust me on this…"

"—is an EXPLOSION!" The black ball of chakra that was formerly Deidara began to glow brightly, causing Sasuke to close his eyes and turn his head from the blaring light as Namiko grabbed firmly onto his wrist and yanked him away.

Suddenly, he felt like his body was being crushed flat before the pressure let up as quickly as it started. He landed on hard soil with Namiko as several chains shot out of her back, creating a shield around them.

A deafening explosion sounded, and Sasuke braced himself before realizing that the noise had come from much farther away than right next to him. He lifted his head just as the blast wave shook the ground around them. He pulled her into his arms and she tucked her head under his chin.

After the dust settled, Namiko retracted the chains and rolled over onto her back with a relieved grin on her face. "I can't believe that worked!"

Sasuke sat up, wincing. "Did you just use Flying Raijin on us both?" he asked, not bothering to hide his shock.

"I did…are you okay? I just wanted to get you out of the blast range and—ow…" She sat up and immediately put her head in her hands, hissing in pain.

"What's wrong?"

"My head just hurts. This happens sometimes after I use Flying Raijin. I'll be fine after I rest." Namiko looked up at him and gave a reassuring smile.

"We'll go back to our rendezvous point at the inn a few kilometers back and wait for the others." Sasuke stood slowly and held out a hand to her. "Do you sense them?"

She shook her head. "The blond one died in the blast for sure. I felt the other in range of the blast before I used Flying Raijin. I don't feel him now, so most likely his body was completely destroyed like the blond's was." She stood and the two walked slowly back to the village, which thankfully was away from the blast zone.

When they arrived, they found Suigetsu and Juugo both sitting in the room. "What the hell happened to you two?" asked Suigetsu. "We heard that massive blast and decided to come back here."

Sasuke sat down on the large futon in the middle of the room. "The Akatsuki. Unfortunately, we didn't get any information about Itachi."

Namiko dug through her pack before pulling out a first aid kit. "Juugo, do you mind helping me? I don't think I have the ability to control my chakra properly right now to use healing jutsu." The gentle giant nodded and helped her dress Sasuke's wounds before settling back against the open window. Sasuke's cuts and burns weren't severe, but they still needed to be covered to protect him from infection.

"Man, you guys got all the action!" whined Suigetsu. "I was hoping to run into one of those Akatsuki, especially Kisame." His expression changed, bloodlust filling his eyes. "I can't wait to slaughter him and take Samehada for myself. I'd just chop him into bits—"

A chill went down Namiko's spine as she felt Juugo's chakra shift and she watched the curse mark begin creeping across his skin. "Sasuke!" Suigetsu quickly grabbed Juugo, attempting to hold him back.

Sasuke quickly activated his Sharingan, locking eyes with Juugo, and commanded, "Calm down." He watched as his marks retreated.

Juugo apologized profusely. "I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to lose control like that…"

"It's fine, honestly. Thankfully Sasuke can help you," said Namiko as she turned her focus back to Sasuke to find him struggling to stay awake. She smiled tenderly at him. "Just rest and we'll start again tomorrow."

Sasuke hesitated. "You need to rest too. You can't tell me your chakra isn't low after using Flying Raijin three times; I can see your chakra has dimmed a lot."

Her demeanor deflated. "I know, but—"

"Rest. We'll keep watch," said Juugo. "My urges are gone now."

"Go on you two, you need it," agreed Suigetsu.

Namiko sighed in defeat before lying on her side on top of the futon's blankets, facing Sasuke. He couldn't keep his eyes open any longer before finally lying on his back and quickly drifting off to sleep.

Naruto, Hinata, and Yamato had been approached by Kabuto who gave them a book containing information about the Akatsuki before a bright light and a loud noise quickly cut them off, allowing Kabuto the opportunity to flee. The massive explosion from Deidara reached far and wide, causing the Konoha teams to shift their focus to find out exactly what happened. Kakashi communicated through the ninken that everyone was to head toward the explosion.

All eight shinobi stood at the edge of a large crater. Sakura gasped as she examined the depth of it. "What on earth happened here?"

"There's evidence that Sasuke and Namiko were here until just before we arrived," stated Yamato.

"There's a trace of Sasuke and Namiko here, plus a bunch of others," explained Kiba.

Naruto stepped forward, anxious about the fate of his best friend and his sister. "So, why are we sitting here? Let's follow their scent!"

"Impossible." Kakashi shook his head. "Their trail goes cold here."

Kiba smirked before closing his eyes and focusing his chakra in his nose. "Sensei, you're forgetting my nose is sharper than a dog's." He grinned confidently. "And I've found them both…"

A/N: Deidara is dead and Tobi is (of course) still alive and kicking. Sasuke still doesn't have control over his Mangekyo Sharingan just yet, so how will this affect his battle with Itachi? Uchiha vs Uchiha is the next chapter! The one chapter that changes almost everything…
Anyway, I may need a bit of extra time for the next chapter. I'm going to attempt to get it done by next weekend, BUT we closed on our new house and I have a lot of stuff to pack and work on at our new house before we move. So less time to write. (It's temporary, I promise!)
I'd love to hear your thoughts about this chapter. See you all soon!
Love, Eriisu

PS: Comments are my tip jar!