Chapter 29: The Possibilities

Having decided on their next course of action, Naruto, Shizuka, and Gaara ran out of the infirmary and into the unknown. Speeding through the mostly empty hallways, they ended up running into a few Sound shinobi that were spread out through the area, only to dispatch them with ease either through a well-placed kunai strike to the neck or chest, or Gaara's sand.

"Jeez, they're just popping up like roaches," Shizuka mumbled as she threw a chakra powered kunai right into the neck of a Sound shinobi who tried to attack her brother from behind. "Every time you think the coast is clear, another couple of them appears from the shadows."

"They're only a distraction sis," Naruto pointed out as he decked a female enemy with a right hook to the face. "They're delaying us! Making it harder for us to catch up to the group that took Sasuke!"

"A smart move, all things considered. . ." Gaara added, being strangely complimentary as he finished off his attackers with a quick use of his Sand Coffin. ". . . However, their plan would have worked better if they left stronger fighters behind."

Hmm, I almost find it insulting that we have to waste chakra on these small fry. . . Shukaku grumbled as the three royals took stock of their surroundings. I was expecting more!

"You almost find it insulting?" Gaara dared to ask as Naruto started running ahead, again.

Blood was spilled wasn't it?

". . . Touché" The redhead reluctantly thought as he watched Shizuka chase after her brother, leaving him to play catch up.

"The people that took Sasuke couldn't have gotten too far," the princess mused out loud. "With the barrier being active and Father's other contingency plans put in place, they should be slowed down somewhat."

"All the more reason to catch them then. . ." Her brother countered. ". . . After all, with all the mayhem that's going on around us, it'll be easier for them to get lost in the crowd."

"That is a fair point. . ." Gaara had to admit as the three turned the corner, only to see a small troop of Sound shinobi waiting for them just up ahead at the next intersection. ". . . Well that is annoying."

"Says the guy that can crush his enemies with his sand in seconds," Naruto mused as a sudden gust of wind suddenly swept their opposition down the hallway. The sudden attack immediately put the three more on guard than ever before, only to relax when Temari and Shikamaru appeared from around the corner. ". . . Well, this is a nice surprise."

"Hey, you three weren't who we expected either, but I'm certainly glad we ran into you guys," said Shikamaru as Temari looked over the damage she caused. "Are you guys alright?"

"We're all fine, for the most part," Shizuka mumbled. "We were chasing after the shinobi that kidnapped Sasuke from the infirmary when we ran into you guys."

"The infirmary?" Temari asked, then her eyes widened, as if something finally dawned on her. "If the Sound shinobi got to the infirmary, then they must have taken out the medics and all the patients while they were at it . . . Oh no, Kankuro!"

"Don't worry, your brother is fine," said Naruto, but his words didn't seem to ease the Wind princess as she continued to look at him with wide eyes. She only seemed to relax when Gaara stepped forward to reassure her, a role that he himself wasn't used to filling. "In fact, the Sound didn't appear to attack the infirmary for the sake of outright destruction. They just came in, knocked out most of the room's occupants, took Sasuke, and got out."

"Well this is troublesome. . ." Shikamaru mumbled, bringing a hand to his chin. "The barrier should stop Sasuke's captors from taking him out of the village, but with the village being as large as it is, finding them will be like looking for a needle in a haystack. . . Well, if they avoided running into any shinobi from our side that is."

"Here's to hoping that we're just that lucky," Naruto mumbled, taking the lead as he ran forward. "You two were on the arena floor when everything started going crazy. . . What exactly happened back there?"

"Well, the VIP box was blown to smithereens, but it looks like everyone that was inside it survived, for the most part," Temari started to explain as the rest followed after them. "The arena started emptying out while your dad started fighting some snake-looking creep."

"Snake looking creep?" Shizuka asked as she turned to her fellow blonde. "Did he have long black hair and pale skin that looks like it has never been touched by the sun?"

"Well, yep, that's a pretty exact description of him," Temari mused. "Why do you ask?"

"That snake looking creep you mentioned is likely Orochimaru!" Naruto explained as the five turned another corner, now spotting a clear exit just up ahead.

"Orochimaru?!" Temari asked as Gaara remained silent, letting her speak for the both of them. "As in, one of the Legendary Sannin Orochimaru?"

"One and the same," Shikamaru confirmed. "Though he's not as well loved here in the Fire Kingdom today like his fellow Sannin are. He destroyed a lot of good will over the years."

"Let's just say kidnapping civilians and shinobi from off the street to subject them to harrowing experiments can put a damper on one's reputation among their comrades and leave it at that shall we?" Shizuka mumbled, shaking her head when Temari looked at her with a piercing gaze, practically asking her to say more with just her eyes. ". . . When Orochimaru's crimes came to light, Lord Hiruzen of the Sarutobi Clan took a legion of shinobi with him to personally apprehend him. The battle was fierce, and there were casualties, but Orochimaru eventually escaped . . . He has popped up from time to time, and his movements have been closely watched whenever possible, but that creep is exceptionally good at hiding his tracks when he needs to."

"Lord Hiruzen?" Gaara asked. He was familiar with the name, but not sure about the significance.

"Lord Hiruzen served as our father's regent when he was still a child. He's also the Legendary Sannin's original sensei," Shizuka further explained. "When he found out about his old student's experiments, he took it upon himself to go after him, but failed in his first attempt . . . Now that Orochimaru is back in town, I'm sure he isn't going to waste no time in joining the fight to correct what he considers one of his greatest mistakes."

"He already did," Shikamaru piped up, jumping back into the conversation. "I saw him assisting your dad as he was fighting Orochimaru on the rooftops. . . He may be incredibly old, but that man can still fight better than people half his age."

"Does Orochimaru have back up with him?"

"None that we could see so far, but there was something about him that caught my eye," Shikamaru mumbled as the five ran out the building to see that they had emerged in an area that was still untouched by the action going on. "He was dressed in the same robes that the Wind King usually wears when he's on a foreign progress. . ."

Well this just keeps getting better and better . . . Shukaku mused as Temari looked at Shikamaru like he suddenly grew a third head. . . Sounds like this sannin fucker did something with your pops. . . You have my regards.

Gaara ignored the tanuki as he digested what he just heard. Of his siblings, he, by far, had the worse relationship with their father, for obvious reasons. He was, after all, the reason why Shukaku was sealed inside him in the first place, as well as why his mother lost her life as a result. He was never much of a father to them, but he was still their father, so hearing anything that implied that he was in some kind of danger definitely sent his emotions into a twist.

"What is the likelihood that Orochimaru left our father alive?"

"Considering Orochimaru's heinous reputation, that likelihood is pretty nonexistent." Naruto declared, his words making Temari uncharacteristically stumble to a stop. Everyone stopped when she did, even Naruto, who figured his words wouldn't be taken lightly by the Wind royals.

"Pretty nonexistent huh?" Temari asked, her face stoic, though her eyes conveyed the myriad of emotions that she was currently experiencing.

"According to our father, when Orochimaru targets someone, they end up never being the same," Naruto added, shaking his head. "For the most part, he kidnaps people because they have something in their shinobi repertoire that interests him . . . A unique chakra signature, a rare kekkei genkai, stuff like that. Orochimaru wouldn't care that your father is one of the kings of the Big 5. All he would care about is whether or not your father has something in his arsenal that would interest him."

"His Magnet Release. . ." Temari mumbled, realization dawning on her face as she locked eyes with Gaara. "It's the only possible thing in his arsenal that could warrant Orochimaru's attention. For how long, I have no idea."

The Magnet Release is infamous for being exceptionally rare. It's not even consistently present in the families that have proven to have such a bloodline. Orochimaru could have simply captured your father to study him, but your father doesn't seem like the kind of person who would like being a guinea pig. Shukaku mumbled, sounding contemplative for once.

"He would rather die than live through such a fate." Gaara agreed, realizing that his father really was the kind of man that would likely accept such a future if faced with it. ". . . Sounds like death is inevitable whenever someone deals with Orochimaru."

"It does, doesn't it?" Naruto mused as he looked off into the distance. At that point, Gaara was wondering if the blonde was thinking about his own father meeting such a fate in his current battle with the infamous Sannin. "Well, we can't keep thinking about that for long. If Orochimaru gets his claws into Sasuke and his Sharingan, the entire world is likely fucked."

"If we're going to save Sasuke, we need to track him and his captors down," Shizuka reminded him. "However, where do we even begin? There's no sign that they even came out this way."

"I think we can help you with that!"

A/N: Please review!