Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Closer ❯ Chapter 31

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

“What?” Shikamaru’s eyes were wide and he was uncharacteristically taken back. “Are you serious Ino?”

Choji’s eyebrows were drawn down in concern. “That’s really dangerous Ino. We’ll get killed for sure.”

“Not only that, have you considered exactly how we’re supposed to find them? Fire Country is a huge place. Even if we make silent inquires, eventually we’ll be found out.” Shikamaru ‘tch’ed and shoved his hands in his pockets.

“Why do you want to find him in the first place? Itachi Uchiha is a traitor.” Choji asked gruffly.

“He’s not!” Ino slapped her leg and then gasped, putting a hand over her mouth. Oops.

Her two teammates locked their gazes on her. “What? Did you just stick up for him?” Choji asked demanded incredulously.

Ino stood from her bed and began pacing the room why the other two watched her closely. It was against the law to disobey a direct order from the Hokage. Her little slip up just cost her a month in prison and suspended pay. It didn’t bother her in the least. Screw it, she needed their help.

“What I’m about to tell you has to stay strictly between u. If someone finds out I told you, we’ll all be in serious serious serious trouble.” She began, having made up her mind.

Tension suddenly grew in her room. “Maybe you shouldn’t tell us then.” Choji said cautiously. Shikamaru wasn’t so easily frightened.

“Tell us.” He ordered. “I want to know why you’re asking us to do such an absurd thing without Asuma-sensei knowing.”

Ino nodded hurriedly. “But I can’t really tell you. I have to show you.” She explained. It was going around the rule so if they did get caught, at least she could argue the point. Even she knew that wouldn’t save them in the end. “But if…”

Shikamaru waved that off with a dismissive flick of his hand. “I get it and I’m in. Choji?”

They turned to him. He looked between the two in silent debate with himself. Finally his eyes hardened and he nodded. “I’m in.”

They say in a circle, and Ino took both of their hands. “Just think of this telepathy training. You have to clear your mind. There’s a lot to show.” She told them, shaking back her thick hair and taking a deep breath. Tentatively, she probed their minds, finding some initial barriers at first. She waited until they began to relax so they would let her fully into their minds. She began with the first vision Itachi showed her, pouring the information steadily into their minds the way she remembered. Then she moved on, to how an Uchiha would obtain their Mangekyo Sharingan, the conversation with Aio came next, then on to the reason behind the Uchiha Massacre and Danzo. She played her memories of that night she and Itachi talked for the first time, and then the time after the exchange until they knew all of her secrets. Gently, she left their minds and let out a shuddering breath before opening her eyes feeling tired.

Both Shikamaru and Choji stared at her in shock. She felt self conscious and guilty all at the same time. “I-is that all true Ino?” Choji whispered to her. She nodded solemnly.

Shikamaru swore and stood up. “Fuck Ino. You couldn’t have shown us this sooner? Why now?”

She looked away. “I couldn’t. I didn’t know what was going to happen. I thought for sure that Sasuke…that Orochimaru…” She brought her knees to her chin. She should have trusted that Sasuke had some kind of plan in dealing with Orochimaru. But he didn’t tell her anything, only asked her to trust him. She should have trusted him then maybe Reiko…

“I have a bad feeling about this.” She whispered. “Sasuke is going after Itachi for sure and they will fight. But after…I don’t know. I don’t have much faith that he’ll be back like Naruto thinks. I want to say that he will, but it’s been three years. Even when I was with him, I know he changed. Naruto and Sakura will never give up on him but they wouldn’t be able to bring him back on their own. He had hardened his heart so strongly against them that nothing they said to him changed his mind at all. They like to think that I have some sway over him, but that’s not true.” She mumbled miserably. “He thinks I’m weak and needs protection from everything and everyone he deems dangerous. So he thinks I don’t know any better.”

“Maybe if you told him about Reiko…” Choji began.

“No, that would make it worse. “ Shikamaru said quickly. “Sasuke has way more enemies than Ino does. If he were to know about his son, he would want him and Reiko would be in constant danger.”

“So you don’t think he’ll come back after he kills Itachi?” Choji asked Ino.

The blonde shrugged. “I don’t know. I want to think he will because that would be great.” She trailed off.

“But if he doesn’t, if he finds out about the motive behind the Uchiha Massacre, everything in his mind could change.” Shikamaru said. “He might honor Itachi’s request to protect the village, to understand his sacrifice. He might not. If that happens, the whole village could become his enemy.”

“But why would Itachi join Akatsuki then? What his reasons behind that?” Choji asked.

Ino shrugged again. “He showed me these things, but I know he hasn’t showed me everything. I can feel him holding back on certain memories. Like his reason for joining the Akatsuki.”

Her tall teammate nodded along. “And who took Shisui’s eye and what happened to other and who that guy with the mask was.” Shikamaru supplemented. He sighed quietly. “We don’t know enough to come to a solid conclusion.”

Ino looked expectantly at both of her teammates. “That’s why…that’s why I need to do this. Itachi started this whole mess and is leaving it up to Sasuke and Naruto, and me to work out the aftermath details. You said that I need at least one of you if I decide to do that jutsu again. I need Itachi alive. He can’t just back out of this by getting himself killed. He thinks he’s helping, but not everything is going to work out the way he is planning.”  

“But…how are we going to get to him without anyone knowing? Shouldn’t we tell Asuma-sensei?” Choji asked or rather, not so subtly pressed the suggestion.

She shook her head, hair whipping back and forth. “No. He’ll be obligated to tell the Hokage. We have to do this on our own.” Ino insisted firmly, not wanting to get Asuma involved. It would kill her if he got in trouble because of them. He was back to normal now, happily awaiting the birth of his first child. She would hate to take that away from him.

“And Naruto? Should we tell him?” Choji asked.

Ino and Shikamaru shared a look. She didn’t know if they should. He might go after Itachi himself. “In the end, Sasuke and Naruto have to work out things on their own, with their own methods.” Ino began. Which was fighting. Really, boys were so weird! “Sasuke’s relationship with me is different than his relationship with his team. He said that he had a bond of hatred with his brother and other bonds merely confused and distracted him from his greatest desires and emotions that matter.” She recited the words that had ingrained themselves in her brain. She understood it then. Sasuke never said he loved her and she never said it directly to him. But they both knew, both understood how important they were to each other. That was different than his ties with his team. It was a familiar saying. There was a thin line between love and hate. “Right now, Naruto needs to prove to Sasuke that their friendship matters and that they are equal. There is only one way that can happen for it to count.” She finished wryly.

“If Sasuke does come back, it will give Naruto a chance right?” Shikamaru asked. “If he goes and looks for him and finds him, it will give him a chance.”

Ino nodded, eyes brightening with tears. “I want him to succeed. If anyone can convince Sasuke to come back, it’s Naruto. I just want to make it easier for him and that means we need Itachi. It only a matter of time before Sasuke finds his brother. He gathered a team already, I know he has. If I know this, then Itachi knows as well. He won’t avoid Sasuke.”

“If we manage to get to Itachi, you won’t have much time to do the jutsu. We can only make a plan when we have some leads. We’ll have to keep an ear out.” Choji said.

Ino smiled. “That’s what we have Shikamaru here for.” She looked up at her tall, nonchalant teammate. “You’re getting into council meetings these days.” She hinted, raising a brow.

He gave a little smile, knowing exactly what she meant. “I’ll have to be very careful. My Dad’s on the council. One look in my direction and it’s all over.”

“You can do it Shikamaru!” Choji cheered, eyes bright with admiration.

Ino looked to each of them. “We can do this right? It’s not suicide?” She asked hopefully.

Shikamaru sighed. “It is suicide, but we don’t have a lot of options. Well, not right now. How long do we have do you think?”

Ino shrugged. “A couple of weeks, a month. It won’t be long. Once Sasuke’s mind is set, there is no turning him from it.”

“What’s it like? I wonder?”

The earth spirit looked up, smiling kindly at the boy sitting cross legged in front of him. “How do you think it is?” She asked softly, gently stirring the hot tea in her clay cup.

He frowned, accepting the cup. “Maybe like this? Except more people in it?” He looked his reflection in the smooth dark surface of his tea, blinking at himself.

“Mmm. It’s not like here at all. The world outside this realm is cold and harsh. Even if you put your ear to the ground, you’ll only hear faint whispers of us.”

Reiko looked around him. Sitting in a calm meadow, the chakra tinted winds made the trees giggle in delight and the colorful breeds of flowers sing. “Is it such a sad place then?” He asked, taking a sip of his honey sweetened tea.

The earth spirit sighed. “No. It’s a place full of life. You’ll be able to experience much more. You’ll see, feel, smell, taste, hear and touch things you never knew existed. Most importantly, you’ll be able to go back to your family.”

Reiko flushed with happiness. “They’ll be happy to see me right?” He asked excitedly.

“They’ll be ecstatic little one. They love you very much.”

Reiko nodded. “That’s why they sent me here, so I can grow big and strong.”

The earth spirit laughed, a willowy tinkle that made the trees giggle louder. “Soon, the Lotus Guardian will bloom and you’ll be on your way home. Aren’t you a little frightened?”   

Reiko shook his head. “No! It’ll be an adventure!”

Ino looked to the sky, clouds were growing thick and she could taste the incoming rain. Down the street, she saw a blur of orange standing next to a hulking man with unruly long white hair and familiar grin.

“Oi! Naruto!” She waved him down as soon as he and the Sannin Jiraiya (aka the perverted peeper) parted ways in front of his favorite ramen haunt. “You look happy. Anything good happen?”

Naruto grinned, linking his fingers behind his head. “Spending time with my sensei is always fun.” He said easily enough.

Nope, not the answer she wanted. “Nothing at all?” She urged, looking at him from the corner of her eye as they walked side by side down Main Leaf. “I assume you heard about Sasuke and Orochimaru?”

She saw him stiffen ever so slightly. “Yeah, but that’s Sasuke. I knew he wouldn’t let that Snake Sannin have his body without a fight.”

“He’ll be going after Itachi soon then.” She said softly. His eyes darkened a little. “I’m worried for him.”

Naruto stopped abruptly. “Ino you shouldn’t worry too much about him. Sasuke will be fine! He’ll be back!” He insisted.

So you’re not going to give me a straight answer. Naruto. You’ve got some skills. “I hope so. You’ll tell me if something serious is going to happen right?” She touched his arm, looking pleadingly at him.

He hesitated. “Of course.”

She hugged him. “Thank you.” She murmured, before leaving him staring sadly at her. Something was definitely up. She contacted her team immediately.

“Well?” She demanded as soon as she opened the front door to Shikamaru and Choji.

“Damn we just got here!” Shikamaru grumbled. Ino glared at him before shoving the door closed and turning to them, a hand on her hip.

“Well?” She pressed again, tapping her foot impatiently. “I saw Naruto today and something was definitely going on. Something they’re keeping from me.” She locked the door behind them. “I’m not being paranoid either!” She said hotly, her temper getting the best of her. The whole ‘protect weak Ino’ was getting on her nerves.

“I know something is up. Since Sasuke is going after Itachi, the Hokage is sending a team to try and capture Itachi before Sasuke gets to him. She figures that it’s the only way to get him back to the village.” Shikamaru supplied.

“She figures correctly. Even I see that.” Choji said.

“So? What are they going to do about it? Send Team Kakashi?” Ino asked with a frown. Will that be enough just to send them? We’re talking about Itachi here.

“Kakashi is pulling together a plan. He needs a team that is good at tracking things…at tracking people down.”

Ino was thoughtful mentally going through a list of teams in her head. “Team Kurenai then?”

Shikamaru nodded. “Most likely. What are we going to do? We can’t ask to tag along.”

Ino growled. How was this going to work now? “We have to get a mission.” Ino said with a nod. “Something that takes us far from the village but something easy to complete quickly.”

“And we need to come up with good solid leads. We’re on a short time schedule and we can’t wonder around Fire Country aimlessly.” Shikamaru said. “Sasuke and his team are after Itachi and Team Kakashi and Team Kurenai are after him as well. We can’t cross paths or we’ll be in big trouble.”

Ino was thoughtful. Then she smacked her head. DUH! “Aio!” She cried out. “Aio is spying for Itachi. All we need to do is find that cat and ask him.”

“But he hasn’t been around since dropping Danzo’s name. Where can we get in contact with him?” Choji asked, popping open a bag of chips.

Ino had an answer for that. “We have to go to the Uchiha compound.  To the Nakano Shrine where we first met. We might find something there.”

The boys nodded along. “We have to be careful. That place is full of ghosts.” Choji said. Shoving a fist full of chips into his mouth.

Ino rolled her eyes. “Come on.”

The place seemed to have faded more since her last visit. Choji kept a sentinel for ghosts, nervously dropping chips as they walked through the overgrown roads. Doors and shingles were falling from the withered buildings and houses. The winds, thick with rain tore through her long hair and pulled at their clothes. It made the whole compound come alive and Choji clung to both she and Shikamaru in fright.

“There, just ahead.” Ino pointed to the solitary shrine behind the old police station. The stones leading up to it was over crowded by the long dead grass and their shoes crunched loudly through it. The door slid open smoothly and the entered, finally sheltered from the coming storm. Barefoot, she led them down the trap door, into the secret place that held the most guarded of Uchiha secrets. She shivered, trying not to feel guilty about bringing Shikamaru and Choji here.

“This place is amazing.” Choji breathed, looking around the small underground enclosure. “I wonder if my Clan has a place like this?”

“I know this is going to sound weird, but whatever you find here has to be kept a secret. For their honor if nothing else.” Ino told them. “We can’t tell anyone about this place out of respect.”

“Understood. Personally, I don’t really want to know all the Uchiha’s deep dark secrets.” Shikamaru said, kneeling by a wicker basket and shifting through the papers. “I don’t even want to know about my own Clan’s deep dark secrets.”

“You’re going to have to sooner or later. You’re Clan heir after all. We all are.” Choji hummed.

Tch. “I know. Troublesome.”

It was a good hour into their search before Choji found something. “It’s a map of old Uchiha hideouts here in Fire Country.” They all huddled around it. “See here?” He pointed to a green spot on the map.

“Yeah, it’s an old miners town. What about it?” She frowned, looking over the map mentally taking in some of the red dots in places she was familiar with.

“Look. See what it says here? Elder Cat.” Shikamaru pointed out. “Aio hasn’t come yet and he probably won’t. But we can get to his hideout where the other ninja cats are and ask for him. Maybe Elder Cat herself might know.”

Ino nodded. She might want to help them out as well. “So now we just need to get a mission around that area. I can do that.”

“This is the first step. The first step into a whole new life. Come on Reiko, you can do it.” Anyone who saw him would have been amused by the way he was coaching himself with a troubled and hesitant frown. His bagpack felt heavy on his shoulders and the sky looked like it was going to swallow him up. There were dark dark grey clouds in the sky and he could smell the hint of rain in the air.

“Come on, just one step and you’re on your way.” He whispered to himself, shaking as he forced a foot forward. Then another and another until he was free from Earth Temple. He let out a long bated breath, heart beating wildly in his chest.

“You know what to look for right?” One of the bald monks asked him. Reiko nodded. “All you have to do is follow the directions. It’ll take a week at the most, but the Earth Spirits will keep a watchful eye on you throughout your journey.” He said kindly, patting his shoulder.

Reiko looked at the road he would be traveling on and then at the sky. He didn’t know when the rain would fall, but he felt like he wanted to race it! He was fast like the lightning and he loved running! They said it would be a week, but he bet he could arrive home in less time. After all, it was going to be his first and best adventure! He had food and clothes and a few weapons in his bag, enough to sustain his journey.

“Got it! See you old man!” He waved at him and began jogging to the road. It felt good to run, to feel the cold winds caress his cheeks. His luxurious rain cloak was flying behind him and so was his sleek ponytail. He ran and ran until his lungs burned pleasantly and saw the first village peek through the grey sunshine. It was getting dark and he managed to rent a room with an elaborate lie that he was traveling with his parents and they were going to hit the public baths before they came to bed. He smiled charmingly, knowing early on that people often liked the way he looked (liked his smile the best) and treated him nicely and eagerly. All he had to do was drop a compliment and smile and girls and women would fall over themselves to get to him.

The first night alone on his own wasn’t too bad. He had some trouble falling to sleep at first, but his exercise earlier in the day finally wore on him and before he knew it, he was fast asleep. When he woke, he had a disturbing feeling that he wasn’t alone. Reiko bolted up, stumbling in his warm blankets and dashed to his bag without thinking.

“Don’t bother kid. If I wanted to hurt you, I would have done it already.” A lazy voice scoffed. Reiko blinked in astonishment at the big black cat sitting on the windowsill of his room, gazing interestingly at him with big sparkling green eyes. “What? You’ve never seen a talking cat before?”

Reiko shook his head truthfully. Animals outside the Realm could talk? Strange indeed. “W-who are you? Why are you in my room?” He pulled a shiny new kunai out of his bag, holding it in front of him with both hands.

Green eyes lazily looked at the weapon. “Tch, do you even know how to use that thing?” The cat mocked. Reiko’s pride quickly came forth.

“Yes I do! Wanna find out?” He threatened. He didn’t but how hard could it be? The pointy end went into the enemy. And he was bigger than the cat and probably faster too! Then out of nowhere, his hand began to burn and the weapon was loudly knocked to the floor. Reiko hissed and brought his hand to his chest looking in shock at his kunai lying helplessly on the floor. “You scratched me!” He accused, more shocked then angry turning his attention to the smirking feline. He moved really fast too! He didn’t even see him coming.

“We have a lot to work on kid. I hope you inherited your father’s genius. It would make things much easier.”

Reiko stilled. “You know my dad?” He asked incredulously. No way!

The black cat sighed. “No, I never met him face to face, but I heard a lot about him.” He seemed sheepish about it.

Reiko was leaning forward eagerly. “Can you take me to him?”

His heart sank when the cat shook his head. “It’s not your dad you’re supposed to be looking for. It’s your mom and unlike your dad, I actually met her.”

“Really? You know my mom?” Reiko asked, sudden longing hitting him. As much as he would have loved to meet his father, it was his mother that he really wanted to see. He didn’t remember what she looked like since he had been just a baby when she made the exchange, but he remembered…remembered how it felt to be with her. Warm and loved, precious and afraid as well. The Earth Spirits told him that they must have had a special bond for him to remember so strongly. He always dreamed about what she would look like. They told him he looked a lot like her he thought proudly.

“Yes. I’m here to take you to her village. She doesn’t know the contract was fulfilled so she’ll be really really surprised.”

Reiko flushed. “Really?” He asked wistfully. He could imagine how shocked she would be to see him. Maybe she would hug and kiss him. He would like that a lot.

The black cat nodded. “Really. And on the way, I’ll show you a few ninja things so you’ll be able to protect yourself in the future.”

Reiko gasped. “Ninja things? Like jutsus and stuff?” He read books on ninja and knew the basic history about each of the great nations, but he never saw ninja or jutsus. Could he really be able to be like them? “That would be so cool!” He exclaimed with growing excitement.

The black cat grinned, showing him his white sharp teeth. “I’m Aio by the way. And you’re Reiko.”

Reiko nodded. “Reiko Yamanaka. Nice to meet you Aio.”

Aio studied him for a bit. “Yamanaka eh? Well I guess that’s for the best. Come Reiko, we have lots of stuff to cover.” Reiko jumped to his feet and insistently began rummaging through his bag and pulled out a pair of freshly pressed clothes. “Tell me, have you discovered your eyes yet?”

Reiko’s blood ran chill and he roughly finished pulling his shirt over his head. “W-what?” How could he know about that? No one was supposed to know about that! The Earth Sprits had been disturbed when they saw his eyes change color. They way they regarded him made him feel like he did something bad. He asked Elder Willow about it, but all the Earth Spirit said was that his eyes could be used as a good or bad weapon. He had to make the choice. Reiko mulled over his words, often sitting in seclusion making his eyes turn red and green and red, green and red until it was second nature to him. He could see so many things when his eyes were red. He saw the way chakra painted the air, saw how the trees and flowers would move before the winds came and so much more. How could a power like this be so bad? Yet it made some Earth Spirits hesitate around him. They never gave him a straight answer in the end.

“From your expression, it seems that you have. Guard that talent well boy, it will serve you in the future. It dark times, sometimes the Sharingan will be your only ally.” Aio said sagely.

Reiko gulped at the seriousness of Aio’s tone and expression. “Sharingan? It’s that what it’s called? Do you know a lot about it? How does it work?”

Aio licked his paw, suddenly looking bored. “I can’t tell you all of that because it’s not my place. But since you have it at such a young age, it shows me you have great potential. Teaching you the basics ninja talents will be easy on me and easy for you to grasp. When you get to your mother, I’m sure she’ll teach you more. Get ready to go.”

Reiko eagerly finished dressing in his clean traveling clothes. He was glad he wasn’t going back home on his own, and even though it was cat teaching him cool ninja stuff, he was sure he would be good at it. “First things first, you know about chakra right?”

Reiko nodded. “They let me meditate and condition my coils when I was growing up. I never did any jutsus though, are they gonna be hard?”

Aio chuckled at his feet. “One step at a time kid. Let’s do something easy. Jump to the trees and follow me. You know what stealth is right? I have really sensitive ears so try and follow me without making a sound.”

Reiko enthusiastically did what he was asked. It was hard at first. Aio kept yelling that he could hear him and to try harder. He had to keep hidden too, in the shadows. But after a few hours, he had gotten better and Aio called him back. “You still need some work, but for now you’ll be okay.” He took a break after that, keeping light chatter going as they ended their second day.

“You’re fast kid. I actually had to keep up with you!” Aio exclaimed as they bedded down once again. This time they were camping under a limitless blanket of stars. “We should make it back into Fire Country by the middle of tomorrow.”

“How much longer after that?” Reiko yawned, snuggling deeper in his sleeping bag, his mind filled with everything about today. He didn’t know if he could ever go to sleep!

“Humm, maybe three or four days.” Aio yawned back, curling next to the fire. “We’ll do something exciting with your eyes tomorrow if we run into some ninja. You’ll like it.”

Reiko wondered what it was. So far, he had soaked up all the lessons Aio taught him, eager to learn more and more. They were easy to pick up. He could even throw a kunai at a tree without missing now! He could just imagine how awesome he would be when he would attend the academy in his mother’s village. Wow, to be a real ninja was going to be a dream come true. The only thing more exciting than that was meeting his family. He wished they were back at the village now, but Aio said they would make it in three or four days so he was going to have to wait. His dreams that night were filled with anticipation.

Early the next morning, Reiko was beginning to fill his workout. He had a hard time dragging himself out of sleep and was sluggish packing up the camp.

“I forget you’re only ten. Sorry.” Aio told him, ears a little low. “There’s a resort not far from here. We’ll stop there for a little rejuvenation.”

Reiko frowned and pulled out his well worn map to find the place Aio was talking about. It would take them off the road to get to it.  “But that would take to long!” He practically whined. They were making good time and now Aio wanted to deviate from their path?

“Kid, you can’t push yourself too much. You’ll never become an effective ninja if you don’t know how much is too much.” Aio flicked his tail, frowning back at Reiko. “We’ll only stay there for a little while and then we’ll be back on the road.”

Reiko hesitated. “Fine. But only for a little while.” He pouted and folded his map back up and stuffed it messily in his bagpack. “Can we go to a good restaurant to eat after?” He asked hopefully, falling to the side of Aio as they parted from the main road.

“Sure. What do you like to eat?”

Reiko grinned. “Tomatoes! Little tomatoes that you can just pop in your mouth.” His jaw tightened in pleasure, imagining the juices flood his mouth. “And pudding. Vanilla. Can we get some of that too?”

Aio said that they could! Reiko was feeling happier about this little side trip. They went to a public bath first. After storing his clothes and stuff in one of the lockers he slipped his key-necklace around his neck and tightened his towel around his waist. There weren’t too many people in the bath, mostly old guys who ignored him. The water smelled weird, like rotten eggs but Aio convinced him to get in. He hissed as he lowered himself inch by inch, his muscles clenching at the heat. His body slowly got used to the hotness of the spring. Aio was already submerged up to his green eyes.

“I thought most cats didn’t like water.” He mumbled, wetting a washrag and placing it on his head.

“I’m not like most cats. I love swimming and hot springs.” He burbled. “Clears the senses, relaxes the mind and makes your blood pump.”

Reiko raised a brow. “Relaxes you and makes your blood pump?” He mused.

“I mean it gets your blood circulating.” His sharp green eyes narrowed a little. “What’s that around your neck?”

Reiko glanced down, eyes softening as he fingered the silver leaf. “My mom left it with me. It’s a cedar leaf.” And he never took it off. Not when he was sleeping or bathing or anything. It was very important to him since it was the only thing he had from her.

“A cedar leaf eh? You know what it stands for?” Aio murmured thoughtfully.

Reiko nodded. “I live for thee.” The meaning made his heart thump happily. Just a few more days Mom…

Aio’s eyes glittered and he snorted. “Cute.”

He felt a lot better after the spring and eating a big lunch. He was skipping through the village happily, looking around at everything it had to offer when he accidently ran into someone. He rubbed his forehead. Owwwchiee!

“Hey!” The young man protested, sending him a small glare before brushing off his clothes like Reiko got them dirty or something. Reiko met him glare for glare. “Watch where you’re going brat!” He barked, purple eyes glittering down at him. He was tall and slender with sharp teeth like a shark and white hair with a strange purple tint to it. Behind him was a massive sword with a big hole in the middle of the broad blade.

Reiko humphed and folded his arms in front of him with a pout. “Jeeze it was an accident! Sor-ry!” He shot back.

The young man was still glaring at him before he broke out into a smile, totally taking Reiko off guard. “You’re lucky that pout reminds me of someone or I would have kicked your skinny ass!” He ruffled his hair and Reiko pushed his hand off of his head, annoyed. “But for reals, watch where you’re going. People aren’t as nice as me.” And then he gave a lazy salute and toothy grin before leaving.

Reiko watched him go. “Yeah, you’re totally nice.” He muttered before turning around and heading to a booth where a shadow puppet show was beginning. Aio had gone off somewhere and told him he’ll find him when it was time to leave. Reiko decided to wander and take in the rest of what the resort had to offer. He bought sweets and a few toys before Aio came running to him.

“We got to go!” He said, obviously panicked.

“Alright. What’s with you?” Reiko stuffed all his newly acquired items in his bag before running alongside the swift moving cat.

“Come on! I’ll tell you after we leave this place.”

Wonder what’s got his fur sticking up? He looked a little frightened and concerned; something Reiko never seen him act like before. His feet soundly hit the grass, running from the resort, bagpack steadily hitting his back. He unknowingly passed a tall looking man with red hair and red eyes who was actively talking with little forest animals. His lungs began to burn.

“H-how much farther?” He huffed, his legs slowing.

“Not much further just—” Then the ground under them vibrated harshly and the first smell of fire reached his noise, followed by a loud boom. Reiko halted, looking into the distance to see a mushroom plume of smoke and fire billow into the bright blue sky.

“What’s that?” He cried to Aio, shivering at the sense of chakra wafting to him. It must be something powerful for it to reach me when I’m so far away. His curiously got the best of him and he began running to it to see what it was.

“Wait! Reiko don’t go that way! There must be a battle going on or something! Hey! Kid!” But Reiko ignored him and continued running, finding his weariness replaced by excitement. I have to see this! I want to know how real ninja battle! He could see something big and white circle the skies, but it was too big to be a bird. The next explosion made his insides tingle with the release of power. He changed his eyes to see the chakra in the air. It had a green tint to it, signifying earth affinity, but to the bottom…he had to get closer to see!

He moved through the dust and heated air, wrinkling his nose at the bitter stench of sulfur and smoke. His eyes helped him weave through the trees expertly until he could see what was going on just below a recently made crater. He was still far away, but he could see three people below him. Two in red and black cloaks and one without a shirt on. He squinted, zeroing in on them. The one in the air (flying on some kind of deformed looking bird) was vomiting something white. Reiko’s skin prickled when a huge gigantic man began to form in the white stuff. The towering statue, or clone, or whatever the heck it was had blonde hair and dead blue eyes. The lone man who the statue-thing was going after ran into the forest, right toward him. Reiko scrambled back eyes going wide at the huge plumb to Earth chakra blossoming over the area like an exploding super nova. No! Don’t come this way you idiot! He mentally screamed, racing the opposite direction to get away.

“Reiko! Come this way, away from the breeze and hold your breath!” Aio screamed at him in which Reiko immediately obeyed. He got a safe distance away before stopping and turning around to see what had happened. The chakra was shrinking back, becoming smaller. The white bird-like-thing in the air was hovering in one place, but Reiko could faintly see purple chakra.

“I’ve never seen purple chakra before. What kind is it?” Reiko whispered to Aio who was by his side.

“Its concentrated dark chakra. Unnatural. Deadly. Reiko, we need to get away from here! This battle it too dangerous for you to be around!” Aio hissed before coughing.

“But I want to see!” Reiko snapped hotly, jerking away from the cat and defiantly moved closer. “I’m fine here! I’m far enough away to just watch!”

“Reiko!” Aio scolded. “Don’t you want to get back to your mom? I thought you didn’t want to linger in one place long!”

Reiko ‘tched’ looking at the seething cat. “But—” He didn’t have time to finish. Someone harshly grabbed him by the collar and yanked him back. He choked as the fabric of his shirt cut into his windpipe. Reiko’s ribs felt bruised by the unknown assailant’s fingers, but nothing compared to how thick the air suddenly became. He was hustled away to a riverside and dropped unceremoniously in the rocks, coughing. Aio was deposited next to him, unmoving. He blinked away his Sharingan, blearily looking at the back of a familiar person while he rubbed his tender neck and then his ribs.

“Why—”

“Shut it kid.” Shark-teeth quickly unrolled a scroll and kneeled, pouring something on the thick parchment. Reiko looked back to the direction of the battle and saw how bright the environment became and how something strange dominated the sky. The brightness made him nauseous and he gagged. He was forced to close his eye lest his retinas burned.

“Don’t go puking on me brat! Or I’ll really kill you!” Shark-teeth warned over his shoulder. “Summoning jutsu!”  There was a clear ‘poof’ and the riverbed filled with a huge purple snake. Reiko saw its eyes and his chest froze with a big gasp.

“Reiko, whatever you do, don’t use your eyes in front of these people.” Aio weakly murmured next to him, lying wounded on his side, curled.

“But—” Reiko looked into the eyes of the snake. “It has a Sharingan.” He whispered to the black cat.

“They will kill you Reiko. Don’t.” Aio’s warning made his blood run chill and he nodded vehemently. “Good boy.” And he closed his eyes. Reiko touched Aio and felt him breathing. His eyes teared in relief and he gently picked him up and cuddled the heavy cat close to his chest. He didn’t know what had happened to him, but somehow Reiko knew it was his fault.

“T-this is Orochimaru’s summon, Manda, right?” Shark-teeth looked on in disbelief. Reiko’s eyes widened. Snakes can grow this big? It was huge! The snake’s eyes changed back to normal, its Sharingan gone. Someone stumbled from its mouth, wobbly falling to his knees. He looked pretty beat up. Even one of his shoes was missing. Shallow wounds and bruises marred his skin and his dark hair fell lifelessly over his eyes. Reiko cautiously reached out and felt how much chakra he used. His coils were almost empty. The teen that brought him there, squatted in front of the battered new comer.

“Who did this to you?”

The snake twitched. “You called upon my greatness…you damn brat.” It hissed weakly, teal eyes narrowing at the guy who fell out its mouth. “Those eyes…did you control me with those eyes? My greatness…” It burbled before stilling. The brightness of life in its eyes slowly faded until Reiko felt its life force grow dark and cold.

“Oh? He croaked.” The white haired teen said in disappointment. Did Reiko hear the snake right? The dark haired guy controlled him with his Sharingan? Those eyes could really do that? They could control such a massive, ancient, powerful beast like this summons? Elder Willow’s warning about his eyes being a good or bad weapon finally sunk in. “Manda was Orochimaru’s best pet, wasn’t he? You know, you should really treat animals better.”

Reiko gulped and looked down at Aio in his arms. They will kill you…

“You even used a genjutsu on him against his will.”

The dark haired guy’s eyes still glowed bright red with his activated Sharingan. Reiko could only silent look on him with growing dread. If he killed that big snake, then he could kill him like nothing. Maybe he could get away…somehow. He could try and find someone who could help Aio and then…then they could get back on their journey. “It was at the last moment. I didn’t have time.” The dark haired guy said tiredly.

The rocks crunched and Reiko saw two other people running to meet the other two. “He’s here after all!” A girl with black rimmed glasses exclaimed. She was running beside a tall man with red hair and red eyes. “Did you fly?” She called out. Oh no, more people!

“You got inside Manda with a space-time ninjutsu to escape, and that I can understand…but why are you all messed up?” Shark-teeth asked the Sharingan user.

The dark haired guy coughed a little. “Just before we flew off, Manda and I were hit by the blast. My opponent was from Akatsuki so he was stronger than I expected.”

Shark-teeth looked concerned. “You should rest a little. Right Karin?” He asked the only girl in the group.

Karin scowled and pointed at the Sharingan user. “Weakling! And to think you’re the one who killed Orochimaru!” Reiko started backing away, giving the forest fleeting looks of desperation.

The dark haired guy scowled back, looking annoyed. “Orochimaru was already weakened. That’s all there is to it.” It seemed to shut Karin up. The tall red haired guy helped the weak guy up and Reiko tensed when his red eyes landed on him. “Who’s that?”

Reiko tightened his hold on Aio, trying not to feel scared. So much for leaving unnoticed. Shark-teeth turned to him. “Oh? A kid I met earlier. He was being an idiot and almost got caught up in your battle.”

Reiko flushed. “Why did you bring him here?” Karin demanded, eying him condescendingly like he was a little insect.

Shark-teeth grinned. “He reminded me of someone, ne, Sasuke?”

Sasuke, that was the Sharingan user’s name. Sasuke’s eyes turned black, but his intense gaze lingered on him in an unnerving way. Like he could see all his secrets. “What’s your name?” He asked, well more like demanded. Reiko looked into all their expected faces.

“R-Reiko.” His tongue stumbled foolishly. “I-I just wanted to see. I didn’t want to get in the way.” He stuttered, mouth going dry. “I’m looking for my mom and stopped at the resort for a little bit. Then I felt the ground shake and—”

“Enough.” Sasuke said. “What are you going to do with him Suigetsu? He can’t stay with us.”

Suigetsu aka Shark-teeth shrugged. “I wasn’t planning on keeping him. Saving him was a moment of insanity on my part. I blame Sexy for it. He looks like her and I miss her terribly.” He feigned heartache, putting a hand over his chest. Sasuke sent him a death glare but Suigetsu just grinned it off and pulled out a paper flower from his weapons pouch.

Karin snorted. “Sexy?” She bit out icily, like the name was poison in her mouth. She warily looked Reiko over. “Send him away.”

“But my cat! H-he got hurt and…and…” His eyes filled in desperation. “He was helping me find my mom!”

Suigetsu’s eyes widened. “Hey! Don’t cry!”

“But Aio is hurt! I need him to help me! Only he knows where I can find my mom now! All my stuff was burned in that explosion!” His clothes, his food, his new toys…everything! Now he was lost! He should have kept his map in his pocket and not in his bag! He angrily wiped his eyes.

“Not our problem.” Karin said dismissively.

“Awww, Sasuke! Look how pathetic he is!” Suigetsu said. “We’ll help out just a little bit okay? Until his kitty is better.” He looked at Sasuke pleadingly.

Sasuke looked too tired to argue and mumbled an ‘alright’.

“What?!” Karin roared. “I’m not healing a dumb cat!”

“Karin.” Sasuke barked with surprising anger. The girl flushed and folded her arms.

“Fine. Let’s get out of here before I change my mind. Suigetsu, you better keep an eye on him.”

Reiko sniffed a few times before getting to his feet, holding Aio close to him. Mom, I guess we have to wait a little longer to meet…