8

Chapter Eight: Tell me what you cherish most...

"Crash." – talks.

'Crash.' – thoughts.

"Crash." – summon talks.

...

Naruto woke up due to a warm feeling of a beautiful woman snuggling to him… and morning sunlight hitting his eyes. He turned his head to the window and saw a small hole between the curtains.

'Mornings. How I hate them… Destroying darkness… Nothing's uglier than mornings and more beautiful than sunsets.'

"Mmm, warm." Kurenai said, snuggling closer to him.

Naruto smiled. 'How cute.' Then, right in this very moment, he just had to remember that soon he has to be in Hokage's office. It brought him back to the fact that Kurenai was almost lying on top of him. 'Damn. How in the hell am I gonna to get up from here…?! Not that I want to, but still…' He made a few attempts to get out unnoticed, but failed. 'No choice then…' He removed a few locks from her face, leaned closer and kissed her on the lips.

Yuhi Kurenai woke up that day to the beautiful feeling of someone kissing her. She took a deep breath and opened her eyes. "Hey you. Good morning."

"Mornin'. How your sleep was?"

"Better than ever."

He kissed her again. "Good to hear that." Then… "As good as it is I have places to be…"

Kurenai sighed. "How sad." She moved herself from him, giving him a room to get out of bed.

"Hey, don't be sad, I'll be back…" 'I probably won't, but you don't need to know that…' With that he sat up.

"Sure… Hey, what's on your back?" She asked, noticing a large seal engrafted into his back.

Naruto looked behind his shoulder. "Oh that? Just a little seal for some technique. Ask me later about it okay?"

"Okay."

He quickly dressed and was already on his way to the door, when suddenly stopped.

"Kurenai?"

"Yes?"

He took a pause. "Tell me what you cherish most."

Woman's eyes widened. "W-What I ch-cherish most?"

"Yes."

"I-I don't know…"

"Just think about it. Is it this village, your home, your friends, or something else?" And with that he was gone.

Time 13:00. Hokage's office…

Naruto arrived in Hokage's office, to see all of his teammates already there. "Oh, I'm the last one again? I like that."

Tsunade glared at him. "If you're late one more time, then you will be doing D-rank missions for three month!"

Naruto seemed unaffected by the threat. "Don't worry, Hokage-sama…" Tsunade flinched. "I don't think I will be late ever again." He smirked.

"Good for you. Now Naruto, Sakura, meet your new teammate Sai." Naruto finally noticed other presences in the room… and then laughed hard.

"Ahaha! Well if it isn't the dickman!" Everyone raised an eyebrow at him… except for Sai of course, who was still smiling.

"You know each other, Naruto?" Sakura asked.

"Yeah, you can say that…"

"Ahem!" Everyone turned to the Hokage. "Good to have your attention again. Now Sai here will be a temporary replacement for Sasuke." She expected an outburst from Naruto, but instead it came from Sakura.

"Are you joking, master? There is no way this guy could be even placed in the same category as Sasuke-kun!" To her surprise, Sai's face showed nothing.

"Well…" He started. "I'm glad that you think of me that way. I wouldn't want to be linked to a weak shit-for-brains Orochimaru clone that only cared for power and ran off to Orochimaru, betraying Konoha." He paused. "Especially by ugly bitches like yourself."

The next instant, Sakura's fist was in front of his face and showed no intentions of stopping… only to be caught next second by Naruto. "Uh, uh, uh! You don't want to hurt our new teammate, don't you, Sakura-chan?"

"Damn right I do!" She shouted and added. "Shannaro!"

Wrong idea. Next moment her caught fist was pressured on so hard that it actually made her fall on her knees.

"You look unwell, Sakura-chan, maybe it will be best if you're withdrawn from this mission after all." Naruto stated and added a little more pressure.

"Ahhh!"

"Enough, Naruto!" Of course, Tsunade just had to ruin all his fun.

"Sorry, Hokage-sama." Naruto said and let go of Sakura's fist… and then turned to Sai. "Hey, man! Nice to meet you! Let's be friends!" The jinchuriki extended his arm.

Sai's eyes widened and shivers ran down his spine. He… He just now… felt something. He wasn't sure what that was, but it was something at least. Cautiously he took Naruto's hand and shook it a little.

"Uh… okay…"

"Great!" Naruto withdrew his hand smiling.

"Alright." Tsunade drew attention again. "As you know, Kakashi is not medically cleared to go on missions right now, so his replacement will be Capitan Yamato." She pointed to a man in a jounin vest, standing to the left of Sai.

Naruto raised an eyebrow and tried not to snort. 'Of all possible names…'

"Nice to meet you." Yamato greeted.

"Yamato here…" The Hokage continued. "…Will be in charge of this mission. You three are to follow his every order. Understood?"

Three "Hai"s was her answer.

"Good. Now your mission is to capture Sasori's spy by any means necessary. Do not in any circumstances allow him to escape. Secondary objective is to find any information about Uchiha Sasuke, Orocimaru or Akatsuki from any sources. If not possible, just deliver the spy to Konoha gates, where he or she will be taken into custody by a team of ANBU. That is all. Any questions?"

Silence.

"Then…" She was going to dismiss them already, but then her eyes fell onto Naruto… onto his chest to be precise. "Oh, one more thing. Naruto? Where is the necklace I gave you?"

Naruto tried hard not to laugh. 'I knew she would ask that.' He tried to make innocent face… It was hard. "Well… you see…" He scratched the back of his head and smiled sheepishly. "I kinda… well… sold it…"

Now if you say that Tsunade was shocked, it will be an understatement of the millennium.

"You what?!" In a blink of an eye she was in front of Naruto, right hand already outstretched and ready to strike.

The blond genin didn't even try to block the incoming attack… But instead of a punch, a slap came.

"How could you!" Another slap. " You stupid little brat!" And another slap. "That was my heirloom! I entrusted it to you! And you…" She went for yet another slap, but this time her wrist was caught.

"Oh? Is that so?" Unlike her, the jinchuriki sounded absolutely calm. "Then let me tell you this." He threw her arm aside. "First of all, if it was so precious to you, then you should've never… AND NARUTO MEANS NEVER EVERentrusted it to someone else. Secondly, you didn't entrust it to me. I won it in a bet, so don't tell me shit like you couldn't do this, because I could do whatever the hell I wanted with it. Now if I remember correctly, I didn't even want it at first. It was only because your imbecile of a teammate said that it costs so much I agreed."

Tsunade scowled. "Don't you dare speak like this about Jiraiya, boy. He is much more of a man, than you will ever be."

Naruto smirked. "Is that why you told him to piss off…" He was interrupted by another slap… Chakra enchanted this time. But if he was really hurt, he was damn good at hiding it.

"Out!" The Hokage screamed. "All of you!" She pointed at the door… but then added. "Yamato, wait. You stay for a moment." With that three members of a new team left and one stayed.

"What is it, Hokage-sama?" Yamato asked when the rest of the team was gone.

"I have a new addiction for the mission." Tsunade said, narrowing her eyes.

"Yes?"

The Hokage paused. "If during this mission you receive any proof that Uzumaki Naruto turned traitor… eliminate him.

Yamato's eyes widened. "Hokage-sama please, I understand you're upset, but isn't it a little extreme?"

"Are you questioning my orders, jounin?"

Yamato flinched. "I'm sorry Hokage-sama. I will do as you say… But why do you think he might turn traitor?"

Tsunade looked down. "You wouldn't understand… Dissmised."

"Hai." Yamato took off.

Tsunade sighed. 'Naruto… Why did you do this…?'

"Because Hokage is my dream!"

'What on Earth could make you sell your dream?'

"Don't worry. I won't die until I become Hokage."

'You idiot… That necklace was an embodiment of my faith in it…'

"Become a good person." 'And also become a great Hokage.'

Meanwhile with Naruto…

The newly appointed team 'Kakashi', with the exception of their leader, was walking towards the main gates.

Naruto pulled out a can of cola from behind his back. He was going to open it at first, but then turned to Sai.

"Want some?" He asked, pointing at the can.

"No, thank you." Sai answered with his usual smiling face.

Naruto shrugged. "Your loss." He quickly opened it and drank in one try. "Ahh! A drink of gods!"

Sai said nothing… Sakura on the other hand…

"Um… Naruto?"

"Mmm?"

"Can we talk…? In private I mean?"

Naruto raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

Sakura growled. "Yes or no."

"Alright, alright… geez. No need to be angry." Naruto said, walking into some dark alleyway. "Wait at the main gates, Sai."

Sai answered nothing but walked away still.

After walking almost to the middle of the alley, Naruto suddenly stopped and leaned onto the nearby wall.

"So, what do you want?" He asked, crossing his arms.

Sakura bit her lower lip. "Naruto… Why are you so cold towards me?"

Naruto readjusted his sunglasses, which almost fell off just now. 'So this is what it's all about… Try to be gentle? No, there is no need anymore…' He turned to the pink haired kunoichi with a cold stare. "And what exactly did you expect?"

Sakura looked down. "Well… I…"

"Oh, no! Don't say! Let me guess…" With that he did one handseal, and with a puff of smoke there stood still the same Naruto… only he was wearing his old orange jumpsuit and a wide goofy grin.

"Da…" He wanted to shout Dattebayo at first, but then remembered… 'Whew. That was close. Of course he could not appear here, but you can never be too careful.' Then he remembered about his conversation with Sakura. 'Think quickly. If not that, then… of course…' "Sakura-chan! Please go out with me!"

Kunoichi's eyes widened. But before she could reply, his smile disappeared, and the cold appearance returned.

"Is that what you wanted?"

"I…"

"It doesn't matter what you wanted!" He screamed at her, making tears burst through her eyes. "Old Naruto is gone." He walked closer, to the point when his face was inches away from hers. "And he won't be coming back any time soon." With that he walked past her and exited the alley.

Time 13:56. Konohagakure main gates…

Yamato arrived at the main gates… to find that he was actually the last one to arrive.

"Are you ready to leave?" He asked.

Three "Hai's".

"Good. Let's move."

Four shinobis ran off. New team Kakashi just received their first mission.

'And probably the last one…' Naruto thought.

Flashback.

After leaving the alley, where he talked to Sakura, Naruto quickly looked around and then entered another one. This time he walked almost to the end.

A pair of white eyes stared at him from the shadow. "Were you followed?"

Naruto smirked. "Who knows, maybe."

Neji sighed. "Stop fooling around, Naruto! This mission is crucial! Are you finally going to try that?"

Naruto's smirk disappeared instantly. Instead of it the most serious look appeared. "You know I don't have a choice. I have to try that now… Because if he meets Itachi, then everything will go to hell, and I will have to find another way…" He gritted his teeth. "And I might not make it in time…"

Neji looked down. "Yeah, I know… So, is this it?"

"Probably… Lay low for now, even stop recruiting people. The last thing we need now is unwanted attention. I'll contact you, if I succeed… and I'll return if I fail. Until then…" The jinchuriki turned around and started to walk away.

"Good luck… my friend…" Neji whispered, disappearing into the shadow.

End Flashback…

At some hotel's hotsprings…

"Aaah! That's a nice relaxing!" Naruto stated, getting out of water.

"Yeah, sitting in a hot springs naked really builds a companionship spirit." Yamato turned to Naruto and Sai and gave them his scary look. "Right?"

Naruto faked fear. "S-Sure." 'If this jabroni ever looks at me like that again, he's dead.'

"Oh…" Sai exclaimed. "I see that I wasn't wrong about your penis."

Naruto raised an eyebrow. 'What is this guy's prob…' Then a devilish smile crept to his face. 'You asked for this.'

"I'm glad I didn't disappoint! Wanna have a closer look?" He said loud enough for both sides to hear.

People around laughed… all except Sai, whose eyes were wide open. 'Just now… I felt something again.'

Next morning…

"Waaahh!" Morning sunlight woke Sakura up. "What a beautiful morning." She walked to the window and saw Sai, sitting lonely near the river. 'Sai? What is he up to?' She dressed quickly and made her way towards place, where Sai was.

At first, when she came near him, it seemed like he was writing something, but after a further look, it was clear that he was actually painting.

"You're painting I see." She said, slowly approaching him.

Sai looked over his shoulder. "Oh? You came to hit me again?"

Sakura smirked. "Actually I was going to."

"…I see…"

"Don't worry, I won't do that. Just don't say disrespectful things about Sasuke-kun again."

Sai narrowed his eyes. "I heard he hurt you and Naruto when he left the village. And you are going to risk your life for him?"

Sakura stood silent for a few seconds. "I will do whatever it takes to save him… even work with you."

"Do you like him?"

Sakura was shocked from sudden question. "I…" She closed her eyes. "Yes. Yes, I do."

Silence.

"Alright, I won't say anything bad about him from now on."

Sakura was about to thank him, when…

"Sai, Sakura!" Yamato shouted from behind them. "Get your things, we're leaving."

"Hai!"

Next day. Forest area…

Morning came quickly, and now Naruto was facing Yamato with unsheathed sword in his hand.

"Do you think you can take me on by yourself?" ANBU member taunted.

Naruto looked left and right. "Who? Me? Of course not." He answered and made a dash towards Yamato.

'Rushing head on?' The jounin thought, preparing to counter. 'Maybe Kakashi-sempai was wrong?'

Flashback…

Hatake Kakashi was still recovering from his previous fight, but he could at least speak. Suddenly, the door in his room opened and his old protégé stepped in.

"You wanted to see me, Kakashi-sempai?"

"Yes I did, Tenzou."

"Please, Kakashi-sempai. It's Yamato now."

Kakashi rolled his eyes. "Alright, Yamato. I wanted to talk with you about Naruto…"

Yamato raised an eyebrow. "What about him? From what I heard, he's a loudmouth loser and…" Kakashi interrupted him.

"Yeah, that is what I also thought… And it has gotten me into a hospital bed."

"Oh…"

"Word of advice, always keep your eyes on him and never underestimate him…"

End flashback…

Yamato snapped out of his daydream, when Naruto appeared inches before him, sword in left hand in a reverse grip, preparing to strike. 'Let's see what he got!' The jounin thought, preparing to counter the strike… only it never came. Instead the blond boy turned around, lowered onto one knee and thrust the sword hilt into the ground, blade facing up.

Yamato stood still, confused. "What are you doing, Naruto?"

"Oh, nothing really…" Naruto said, making jounin's eyes widen… because his voice was coming from behind!

Yamato had no time to react, as second Naruto rushed past him, grabbed his head and RKOed him onto the sword.

First Naruto stood up and dusted himself. "Damn I'm good!"

Second Naruto also got up. "What do you mean you're good? I did all the work!"

First Naruto raised his arms in defense. "Okay, okay, chill man. You're cool, okay?"

A satisfying smirk appeared on the second Naruto's face. "Damn right I am!" Then… "You're cool too by the way…"

First Nruuto smiled. "Really? Thanks, man! I'm Uzumaki Naruto!"

Second raised an eyebrow. "No shit?! I am also Uzumaki Naruto."

"Fucking cool, man! We're Uzumaki Naruto!" First shouted.

"Yeah! And we're…" Second shouted back.

First and second turned back to back, one with raised arms, and the other with crossed. "AWSOME!" They both shouted together before erupting in mad laughter, rolling on the ground.

"I thought I asked what are you doing, Naruto." Yamato said, walking out of the bushes.

First Naruto raised an eyebrow and straightened up. The second one dissolved into darkness. "Yamato-taicho? Nice to see you!" 'Shocking only…'

"I see you took out my clone." Yamato said sarcastically. "Great job! How did you know it was a clone?"

An annoyed expression appeared on Naruto's face. 'I didn't, you imbecile.' He walked back to the body that was still hanging on the sword. 'What the… a clone? A wooden clone… No wonder I didn't know, never had experience with them before… Won't happen again.'

That was the moment when Sai and Sakura rushed into the scene.

"Naruto!" Sakura started. "Why did you run off alone? Why not work as a team?!"

Naruto's look hardened. "Listen carefully, Sakura, because I will not say it again. Firstly, I don't want this guy's…" He pointed at Sai. "…help. And secondly, I don't want to see you anywhere near battlefield."

Sakura's eyes widened… Sai's showed nothing.

"How can you say this!" The kunoichi began. "I'm a shinobi like you, and…"

"No." Naruto interrupted her. "You're a healer, the only one we have at the time. That means you're our only chance to recover from injuries we might receive. So you would do well to shut up, stay put and wait for a battle to end."

Hearing this, Yamato narrowed his eyes. "You may be right in some way, Naruto… But Konoha's way is to work as a team."

Sakura smiled at this. 'Thank you, Yamato-taicho." Sai still stood silently.

Naruto sighed. 'As to be expected from Kakashi's subordinate.' Then he turned to his team leader. "Really? Tell me then, Yamato-san, doesn't work as a team means that you are overwhelming enemy at least two to one?"

Jounin thought for a moment. "Well… yes, probably."

Naruto smirked. "Then question two, how often in your practice have you overwhelmed your enemy, huh?"

Yamato's eyes widened. But before he could reply, Naruto continued.

"By the look on your face I guess it was not very often. Even quite the opposite I think." The jinchuriki paused. "You see, every other ninja villages are using the exact four men pattern for their teams also. So in reality when two such teams are engaged in a fight it all comes down to one on one fights. And usually, if one of team members falls, it immediately gives another team the advantage of numbers… Which usually preludes victory." Naruto ran his hand through his hair. "You know, it's kind of mystery to me why Konoha is so stuck up on teamwork. On my journey I visited some of the other villages…" Yamato interrupted him.

"Which one?"

Naruto smirked. "Some. Now where was I…? Oh yes. You see, I saw their genins in training, and they actually teach their children to fight against a handicap." Then he sighed. "Which brings me to sadly remember my time in the academy…"

"When you failed again and again?" Sakura taunted.

Naruto ignored her pathetic attempt to angry him. "No… When Iruka-sensei said only together you can accomplish anything. Watching these children made me understand… It's because we are inferior." He said, looking down.

Sakura, Yamato… What the hell even Sai was speechless… Not that he talked before, but still.

"Anyways…" Naruto's voice interrupted silence once again. "Let's head towards the bridge. And please don't screw up. This mission is too important." He said, walking away.

Sakura's face softened. 'He still wants to save Sasuke-kun.'

"Why he wants to help the Uchiha so badly?" Sai finally asked.

Sakura looked at him for a second and then turned back to Naruto's retreating back. "Naruto sees Sasuke-kun as his brother…"

"I see…" Sai answered.

Sakura smiled. 'Don't worry, Naruto. We will save him. Surely.'

Yamato on the other hand… 'Maybe Kakashi-sempai was right after all…'

Near Heaven and Earth Bridge. Twenty minutes till the deadline…

"Alright." Yamato said. "The mission is to capture Sasori's spy by any means necessary. Here is the plan. I'll disguise myself as Sasori to get closer to the spy. You three wait here. Come out only when I give my signal. Any questions?"

Silence.

"Good. Now…" Yamato made a handseal. "Mokuton-henge no jutsu." He spelled and wood around him shifted into an exact copy of Sasori. "Does it look similar?"

Naruto chuckled. "Hard to tell… You forgot bunny ears and lipstick…"

Yamato growled. "I thought it was you, Naruto, who said not to screw up."

"Hai, hai. Sorry."

"Alright. Now the voice. I'll try to change it and you will tell me when to stop."

Naruto raised an eyebrow. "Why me?"

Yamato looked at him skeptically. "Because you were the one who fought him."

Naruto shrugged. 'I'm sure Sakura heard it too, but…' "Okay, go on."

Yamato started to shift his voice… until it became like that of a little girl.

The temptation was too much. "That one!" Naruto screamed and erupted with laughter.

Everyone sweatdropped. "Be more serious, Naruto!" Sakura stated.

Naruto sighed. "Alright, alright. Continue." He said with a straight face.

And continue Yamato did, until his voice was a perfect copy of Sasori.

"Stop." Naruto interrupted. "This is it."

"Good. Well, here I go." Yamato straightened and started to move to the center of the bridge, where Sasori's spy was already standing.

On the bridge…

"…It has been five years, Sasori-sama." The spy has finally removed his hood to reveal… Yakushi Kabuto.

In the nearby bushes…

Naruto smirked, seeing the spy's identity.

"It's Kabuto!" Sakura exclaimed. "No way. He was Akatsuki's spy all along…"

On the bridge…

"Were you followed?" Yamato imitated Sasori.

"No, it's safe."

"How are you?"

"When your jutsu was lifted, and I remembered who I really was, it left me somewhat disoriented… I'm still somewhat heavy headed."

"I have some questions for you…"

"I have little time, so make it brief. It was a great risk to slip away from Orochimaru to come here."

Yamato narrowed his fake eyes. "Tell me about the location of your base and about Uchiha Sasuke."

Kabuto made a small smile. 'Those Konoha people are degrading. What a bad choice of an impostor. The real Sasori would've never cared about Uchiha Sasuke. Still, he said play to the end…' "We have many bases to keep ourselves from being discovered, we change bases on a weekly basis. But we have some various methods, which can sometimes be cumbersome… Our current base is hidden on a small island in a lake to the north. We will move from there in three days. Uchiha Sasuke is also there."

In the nearby bushes…

Sakura tried her hardest to hear the conversation. "Damn, I can't hear to well because of this wind. How about you, Naruto?"

No answer.

"Naruto?" She turned to her left to see no Naruto there. "Where is he?" She then turned to Sai, only to see the same confused expression that was on her own face right now.

On the bridge…

Kabuto suddenly shifted and threw a kunai backwards… A small rabbit appeared.

"Just a rabbit…" Of course Kabuto knew it was not just a rabbit. 'You'd better hide yourself more carefully, Orochimaru-sama…' He turned back to Sasori. "We probably won't have any more time, Sasori-sama. Please give me the item we were talking about."

"…Very well." 'It's now or never!' Yamato thought, drawing a kunai… only to stop the next moment.

"Your conversation seems quite amusing. You wouldn't mind if I join you, would you?" A smooth hissing voice said from behind Kabuto.

In the bushes…

"Orochimaru!" Sakura gasped.

'So that's him…' Sai thought.

Naruto was still missing.

On the bridge…

'He has been followed!' Yamato's eyes widened in shock… But all was not lost.

Kabuto successfully escaped from Orochimaru's grasp and landed beside Yamato. "I almost wasn't able to step back in time, but thanks to you taking out your kunai, Sasori-sama, I was."

"Kukuku… Hello, Sasori. I want to thank you for that boy you have given me. I was able to make quite good use of him." Orochimaru said smiling.

'Damn, what to do!' Yamato thought to panic. 'I can't take Orochimaru on by myself. If I call my team, then Kabuto will learn about my identity and capturing him will be difficult. Even if I team up with Kabuto, then my fighting style will still give me out. What to…' But he wasn't able to finish the last thought, because he was suddenly attacked… by Kabuto. 'What the…?'

"Senei ta Jashu!" Next moment Yamato was captured by Orochimaru's snakes… Only to turn into a wooden statue.

The snake sannin raised as eyebrow. "A Mokuton Kawarimi? So you're still alive I see."

"Orochimaru-sama? Is this the real Sasori?" Kabuto asked.

"Of course not… Kabuto, you were Sasori's subordinate and haven't even seen his real face?"

"Well, he was always in that puppet of his…" Kabuto turned to Yamato. "So, who is this? We came here to kill Sasori, so this is quite the mishap."

"I'll tell you later who this little boy is…" Orochimaru answered. "…But first things first. Why don't you call out those two little mice hiding in the bush?" He said, smiling widely.

Yamato furrowed his eyebrows. 'Two?' Then he gave a signal. Only to witness with wide eyes how Sai and Sakura came out of hiding. "What's the matter? Why are there only two of you?"

"Well… Yamato-taicho, you see… um…" Sakura tried to find words… Only to be interrupted by Orochimaru.

"Oh? I missed someone?" His smile widened. "Come out, come out. Where are you?" He singed.

"Right behind you." A new person singed back right above Orochimaru's shoulder.

Snake sannin's eyes widened as hard as they could, and next thing he knew, he was somersaulting backwards.

"Uzumaki…" He hissed. "What the hell are you doing here?!"

Naruto made a mocking pout. "Sob… Sob… I'm hurt, Orochimaru-chan. Where is "Kukuku, hello, Naruto-kun?"

Everyone present… except Orochimaru and Naruto himself of course… had a 'What the fuck?' expression on their faces.

The snake sannin scowled. "I said, what are you doing here?!"

Naruto smiled brightly. "Oh, don't be like that, give me a welcoming hug!" He said, extending his arms.

Rage started to grow inside of the third Hokage's apprentice. "Why are you here with them?!" He pointed at the rest of team Kakashi.

Naruto looked over his shoulder and then turned back, smirking. "Oh, Orochi-chan, are you jealous? I thought you dumped me for that Uchiha prick?" Then smirk turned into a reassuring smile. "But don't worry. For the sake of old times I'm all yours today!" He paused. "At least tell me how's he in bed…"

"Good…" Orochimaru's eyes widened in realization of what he just said. "NO! I'M NOT GAY!"

Naruto pouted again. "Sob… How… Sob… How could you say this?! And this after everything we had together…"

"Enough!" Orochimaru screamed in rage. "Why are you here with Konoha shinobi?!"

"Oh, that's because I am a good Konoha shinobi and have a mission to bring your new boyfriend back to Konoha."

The last statement caused a different reaction out of the snake sannin… He laughed hard. "HAHAHA! You… HAHA… You're as much of a Konoha shinobi as I am!"

Yamato narrowed his eyes at this.

"Don't laugh! You meanie! I will rescue Sasuke-chan, and then we will resurrect his clan!" Naruto said cheerfully. "You actually can join. We could have a threesome!"

"Stop this, Uzumaki! You know, I won't give him back!" Orochimaru drew his Kusanagi sword from his mouth.

"Oh, don't be like that, Orochi-chan…" Naruto put his hand behind his back, making Orochimaru to stiffen. But he took out a cola can. "Come on!" He pulled another one with his left hand. "We can still kiss and make up…" He pushed down his sunglasses, showing his red eyes, and extended one arm towards Orochimaru. "Just give me what I want."

Orochimaru's eyes widened. He knew exactly what Naruto was talking about… And he didn't mean Sasuke this time. "Never!" He stated and took a battle stance.

All playfulness disappeared from Naruto's face, leaving in its place only a small confident smile. "Well, that's too bad…" He smacked both cans over his head and emptied the insides into his mouth. Then he threw empty cans away and outstretched his left arm. "Because I'm taking it anyway." Dark substance started to swirl around his outstretched arm, and in a few seconds a sword appeared. "I like it more like that anyway! HAHAHA!"

The snake sannin prepared for battle. "Kabuto!"

"Hai, Orochimaru-sama?"

"You take care of the nuisances. I'll stall Uzumaki. Be quick. I'm not sure if I can hold him off for long, especially in my current state."

"Understood." With that Kabuto attacked.

Naruto smiled at Orochimaru. "Orochi, darling! Why don't we find a more comfortable place?"

With a scowl Orochimaru jumped away, and Naruto followed.

'He's going to take on Orochimaru alone?! Is he nuts…? But what with this 'I can't hold him off for long' thing?' Yamato thought. 'Still, I can't leave him on his own…' He finally made up his mind. "Sai! Go help Naruto!"

"Uderstood." Sai jumped off. 'Excellent. Time for my real mission to start.'

Nearby plain…

Naruto and Orochimaru stood again facing each other… swords in hands of course.

The jinchuriki made a deep breath. "Aaahh! Nice clean air! I like it!"

"Enough talk, Uzumaki!" Orochimaru screamed in rage.

Naruto smirked. "Why so impatient? I thought you were a talkative type."

The snake sannin narrowed his eyes. 'The bastard! He knows I'm becoming weaker by the second, so he stalls for time. I have to act quickly.' With that Orochimaru lunged at Naruto, using all of his incredible speed… but when his sword was mere inches away from Naruto's neck, the blond jinchuriki just disappeared in a flash of black, leaving Orochimaru to stand alone on the large plain.

Orochimaru gritted his teeth. 'Damn that bastard and that jutsu of his!' He shifted a battle stance. 'Concentrate. Where he would appear…' He thought, until he felt someone's elbow on his shoulder.

"Hey, whacha looking at?" Naruto asked, resting his left elbow on sannin's right shoulder.

Without even turning his head, Orochimaru did a horizontal slash… but hit nothing again.

Naruto appeared right before his opponent. "Come on! You can do better than that." He taunted.

Orochimaru struck again, and this time Naruto didn't disappear… he just sidestepped. Quickly overcame by fury, Orochimaru struck again and again, missing every time.

'This is insane! I may not be one hundred percent, but to evade my strikes like that?! What is he?!' With that he stopped his intense… and useless onslaught. "How are you doing this!" Orochimaru demanded.

Naruto shrugged. "I don't understand what you're talking about."

Orochimaru growled. "I'm talking about you dodging my attacks like that!"

Naruto smirked. "Oh, that's quite simple. I already analyzed your fighting style."

Orochimaru's eyes widened.

"You see, you actually are a poor swordsman. Yes, your sword is good and all, but it's actually not even that good either. And all you do is just lunging at me as fast as you can, hoping I wouldn't be able to block or dodge. Well, I've got a newsflash for you, you're not that fast. HAHAHA!" With this Naruto lunged at Orochimaru himself, zigzagging on his way. The sannin tried to counter with downward diagonal slash, but Naruto in one swift motion drew his own sword from its sheathe and did upward slash to batter the Kusanagi sword away.

"Pathetic." Naruto stated, fully intending to use the opening. "Streak!" Calling technique name, he slid towards his opponent executing hard horizontal slash.

Next thing Orochimaru knew, his body was cut in half, clearly separating its higher and lower parts.

"Challenging me to a sword fight was not your greatest idea." Naruto said, sheathing his sword again. "Too bad really. I was going to…" Words died in his throat, when he turned around… Orochimaru opened his mouth wide with the help of his hands, and out of it… another Orochimaru came.

Now the blond jinchuriki had a strong wish to vomit. He really had to admit… "That was, without the shadow of doubt, the most disgusting thing I have ever… AND NARUTO MEANS EVER, had the displeasure of witnessing!" Naruto coughed few times. "Hmm, interesting…"

Orochimaru grabbed his sword and prepared to fight again. "It's not over yet!"

Naruto smirked. "Of course it isn't." He disappeared in a flash of black… appearing on Orochimaru's left side, strike already in motion.

Only sannin's years of experience allowed him to escape critical damage, putting his arm in the way of Naruto's sword and quickly somersaulting backwards… The thing he did not expect was for Naruto to disappear again, and reappear near sannin's soon to be landing zone.

"Shit!" Orochimaru said, still in midair.

"Nice said." Naruto answered, and with a quick three 360 slash, Orochimaru's head was separated from his body.

This time the jinchuriki did not look away. "I wonder if he'll come out of his ass this time…" Naruto stared in expectation… but no. Instead of what Naruto predicted, out of Orochimaru's severed neck came several snakes and formed a new head.

Naruto made a sad face. "Now that's disappointing."

Orochimaru picked up his sword again… But this time he didn't lunge at Naruto. Instead he lowered himself to the ground and opened his mouth.

Naruto shook his head. 'Let me guess… Snakes will come out.'

This time, true to his predicament, many snakes came out of Orochimaru's mouth.

Naruto slapped his forehead. 'I told you so… Enough.'

Naruto disappeared in another flash of black and reappeared slightly behind Orochimaru in a crouched position. "Rapid Slash!" With speed impossible for a human eye to follow, he rushed past Orochimaru… many slash trails followed him.

"It was nice and all, Orochimaru, but I have a mission to accomplish. And if you will be this boring, then I have no desire to waste any more time on you." He sheathed his sword and with a loud "Click" Orochimaru's body burst into a fountain of blood.

"If you smell what Naruto's cook-i-n-g… What the hell?" He turned around again, to see few severed snakes instead of Orochimaru's dead body. "Now I really want to bang my head on something hard."

At the edge of the plain…

Sai stood, hiding behind a tree, waiting for the right time to act.

'So this is Uzumaki Naruto's strength… Danzou-sama will be most pleased to learn about this…'

Heaven and earth bridge…

Kabuto and Yamato were engaged in close combat. Sakura waited for the right time to act.

"You were supposed to be Sasori's spy! Why are you not affected by his jutsu?" Yamato asked, dodging chakra scalpel.

"Oh, that one. Orochimaru-sama freed me of it a long time ago." Kabuto answered.

Yamato narrowed his eyes. "Okay, then what about Orochimaru can't hold down Naruto? I thought the gap between their powers was at the size of this bridge?"

Kabuto raised an eyebrow at this. "So you really don't know?"

"Know what?"

Kabuto smirked. "I can tell you this, but I completely don't feel like it." With that he lunged at Yamato, and Konoha jounin lunged back. But they were stopped in their tracks, when a large cloud of smoke appeared at the site of Naruto and Orochimaru's fight.

'Oh, this is bad! I have to finish this quickly…'

The middle of the plain…

"Orochimaru. Why have you summoned me here? I don't see the required amount of sacrifices for me we agreed on… Do you know the punishment for that?!" Manda's booming hiss echoed through the area.

Orochimaru panted hard on the top of Manda's head. 'I really didn't have a choice this time. Have to cast a genjutsu on him…'

Down on the ground, Naruto's face lit up. "Yay! It's Manda-chan! Let's have a threesome!"

Manda narrowed his eyes. 'That voice…' He looked down. "YYOOOUUUU!" The giant snake roared loud, which confused even Orochimaru… but not confused Naruto at all. "Orochimaru, I don't require sacrifices from you for this one."

Sannin's eyes widened, but he was not actually the man to look gift horse in the mouth. "Alright."

With that Manda lunged at Naruto, only for him to disappear again.

"Grrr! Stop running! Stand and fight!"

"If you say so…" Said someone below his jaw.

"Shit!" The snake boss tried to jump backwards, but was not fast enough. A silver shockwave came out from the ground and cut the great snake's head off.

Naruto erupted from the ground himself… only to witness that instead of Manda's body it was just his skin. "This skin thing really starting to annoy me, and…" He wasn't allowed to finish, because…

"I've got you now!" The great snake lashed out at him from behind.

"Ops." Was all Naruto had time to say, before Manda's jaws clenched around him.

"Did you get him, Manda?" Asked a very tensed Orochimaru, standing on one knee.

"Get who?" Asked Naruto and rested his elbow again on sannin's shoulder, making his eyes widen.

"YOU HEATHEN! GET OFF FROM MY HEAD!" Manda roared and shook his head, trying to shake away the unwanted rider.

'Heathen?' Orochimaru thought.

"Sure thing!" Naruto answered and jumped high into the air and turned to face his already two opponents. 'I know that this Sai is watching me right now, but who cares!'

"Hey, you overgrown purple piece of trash! What do you say we finish this?" The jinchuriki answered and raised his already unsheathed sword above his head. Immediately dark energy started to swirl around the sword.

Manda's eyes narrowed. "Orochimaru!"

"Yeah, I know!" Snake sannin did a set of handseals. "Sanjuu Rashoumon!" Instantly three weird gates appeared.

Naruto smirked. "Oh? Is that how you're blocking my attack? Well then…Art is a blast!" He swung his overcharged sword down hard. "Dimension Slash!"

An extremely large shockwave appeared out of the sword and flew straight towards the gates and snake boss… then…

"KATSU!"

Two techniques collided, creating a bright flash of light.

At the edge of the plain…

Sai's eyes widened. 'Damn! I have to find cover!' He jumped off.

Heaven and earth bridge…

'What the hell was that?!" Yamato replied.

Having already known what had just happen, Kabuto decided to use this little confusing moment and managed to hit jounin's leg with his chakra scalpel.

"Damn!" Yamato hissed.

"That was fun and all, but I have to run. Ja ne!" Kabuto jumped off. 'Still, that was Orochimaru-sama's Sanjuu Rashoumon. And in one second… I never imagined that his power would be so great. Just yet another reason for me to…'

Middle of the plain… or what's left of it…

Naruto swiftly landed on the ground and witnessed his handy work. The gates were gone. Orochimaru was lying face down on the ground… And Manda had a large gash in his side.

"Damn, I'm good!" The jinchuriki stated and started to slowly close distance between Orochimaru and himself.

"You will pay for this… traitor…" The snake boss threw him one last glance and disappeared in a puff of smoke.

"Yeah, yeah… Man, if every time I heard that they'd give me… anything, I would've been a millionaire… Wait, I already am, hahaha!" He finally towered over the rogue sannin's body. "Stop playing dead, you piece of trash!" He kicked Orochimaru in the ribs. "I know you're not dead." Naruto pointed the tip of his sword at Orochimaru's throat. "Tell me what you cherish most… Give me the pleasure of taking it away."

Orochimaru opened his eyes and coughed some blood. "And what are you going to do now… cough? You, cough, know you can't kill me now, cough…"

Naruto smirked. "Yeah, you know me all to well." He dismissed his sword. "But know this… It was the last time I had to let you go." With that the blond jinchuriki disappeared in another flash of black.

'Damn!' Orochimaru thought. 'I have to take Sasuke-kun's body as soon as possible…'

"Orochimaru-sama! Are you alright?" Kabuto landed near him.

"No, Kabuto. I was just literally crushed… and this body is rejecting me. So you see, I'm not alright."

"Let me treat your wounds, Orochimaru-sama…" The sannin interrupted him.

"No, you can do that later." He stated, sitting up. "We have to greet our guest right now."

Kabuto turned around to see Sai staring at them. "Ah…" He smiled.

Heaven and Earth bridge…

Naruto landed near Sakura, who was right now healing Yamato's leg.

"What happened?" He asked.

"Kabuto got away…" Sakura answered.

"Yeah, I can see that much…"

Yamato glared at him. "Better yet what happened with you?"

Naruto smirked. "Oh, the same. Orochimaru got away."

Yamato scowled. "This is not the answer!"

The black clad genin raised an eyebrow. "It's just the exact thing you've told me…"

Yamato's eyes narrowed. "Alright, then what was that jutsu?"

"Which one?"

"Before that flash of light."

Naruto gritted his teeth. 'Damn… what to do?' Then a sudden idea hit him. 'Another idiotic idea… Brilliant! Just what I need. Let's hope they were not watching close enough.' He smiled. "Oh, that one? That was Orochimaru's." Yamato's face shifted. 'Great, he bought it.'

Yamato decided to change the theme. "Then where is Sai, and what happened after the light died."

Naruto thought for a moment. "Well, when the light died… there was nothing, no Orochimaru, no Sai, just nothing."

"Damn!" Yamato hissed. "Sai must have betrayed us… Well at least we know about Orochimaru's base locations."

"That's good." Naruto stated and sat down on some rock to rest until Yamato is healed.

"Alright." The jounin exclaimed. "Once I'm healed we're going straight towards Orochimaru's base… and Naruto."

"Mmm?"

"Next time don't try to fight Orochimaru alone."

Naruto smirked. "Oh, don't worry, I won't…" He answered to ANBU member's relieve… that until he continued. "…because next time you will fight him."

Yamato's eyes almost flew out of his head…

...