Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Closer ❯ Chapter 37

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

**AN: Some Manga spoilers contained in this chapter**

Loud footsteps crunched in the deep pockets of snow. The sky was clear, but there was that severe bite of chill in the air that made her cheeks and nose rosy. A thick knitted scarf covered her head and her lower face and she snuggled deeper into the warmth of her chakra heated cloak and hood. Her knee boots were crusted with a fine dust of ice, but her toes were toasty. Reiko was steadily keeping up with her dressed in a similar outfit.

“These roads are slippery and muddy.” He grunted, kicking a stone in his path. “Are you sure we’re going the right way?”

Ino sighed and pulled out the map Choji had given her, looking over it for the seventh billion time. “I’m pretty sure.”

Reiko stopped walking. “Pretty sure?! You’re pretty sure?” He demanded with a moodily scowl.

Ino scowled back. “Hey! It’s not like I know my way around Lightning Country! Fire and Lighting are always at odd with one another, ever since the last war!”

“But you’re a ninja! You suppose to know where you are at all times! How can you survive if you don’t have a good sense of direction?”

Ino growled under her breath and shoved the map back in her pocket. “Shut up. You’re just mad because you had to wake up early. You’re just like Sasuke! He would always bitch and moan if you woke him up and then I would have to suffer under his brooding moods all day.”

“I’m not brooding!” Reiko shot back with a big yawn after. “I just don’t feel good.”

Ino’s temper scattered when she out a hand to his head. “You have a small fever. Do you feel achy? Throat hurt?” When she looked more closely at him she saw his eyes were a little swollen and his nose was running. She touched his warm cheek. “Think you’ll be able to make it to the next village? We’re not too far off.” She asked him gently.

Reiko rolled his eyes. “I won’t die. I think it’s just a cold.” He said, sniffing and rubbing his eyes. “I’ve been sick before.”

Ino raised a brow and let her fingers trace up his cheek to his temple and then she poked him in the forehead the way she saw Itachi do to Sasuke so many times in his memories when they were younger. He even did that with Reiko when he would get too impatient during their training sessions and Itachi wanted to calm him down. “Okay. Let’s go this way.”

She kept her pace slow and about two hours later they entered a small quaint lumber village. It smelled like smoke and pine. The roofs of the cabin like houses were covered with a fine shower of snow. People were bundled warmly with bright scarves and elaborate kitted hats. They were burly looking with plump rosy cheeks and light colored hair.

The inn she chose was a small building that was more of a B&B than an inn. Their room was warm and smelled of cinnamon and apples. She helped Reiko undress from his burdensome winter clothes until he was in a thin undershirt and his dark blue boxer shorts. “Stay here in this bed and don’t move. I’ll be back with some medicine.” She told him as sternly as she could, before brushing a kiss over his warm forehead.

“Can you get me something to eat too? Some soup and pudding?” He asked, batting his eyes pleadingly at her with hopeful eyes. Gods she was such a sucker!

“We’ll see.” She had to tear her eyes away or get suckered into something more. “Don’t open the door to anyone.” She warned, before closing and locking it. She smiled slightly at the other young guest that stayed in the room across from her, secretly checking her weapons pouch under her winter cloak as she fidgeted with her clothes.

She found a pharmacy store a few blocks away. As she was leafing through the different children’s cold medicine she heard a heated conversation just beyond the aisle she was currently occupying. She would have ignored it if she didn’t hear something about a raid.

“Boss said to gather everyone tonight, at three to start. Make sure you bring some extra oil.” Someone gruffed out. Ino raised a brow. Three huh? How far away was the next village? She didn’t want her and Reiko to be caught up in these local politics. She had to keep a low cover too since she was in Lightning Country. If people saw her do her ninja stuff, they would become suspicious and she didn’t need unwanted attention from the Hidden Village of Cloud at the moment.

She paid for the medicine and grabbed some food along the way back to the B&B making sure that she didn’t make any eye contact with anyone. She stuck out like a sore thumb among these jolly, plump people. Which was why she hoped Reiko would get over his cold quickly. When she arrived back to her room, Reiko was fast asleep. His deep long breaths filled in the silence of the fragrant room. She stripped out of her heavy winter clothes and pulled a chair to a small table to prepare the medicine.

It was late when she crawled beside him and checked his temperature before falling into a light sleep. She didn’t dream because she was half awake, wanting to be up when Reiko awoke. Then a loud crash ripped her from her tranquility. Reiko bolted from his rest, his body tense.

“What was that?” He mumbled rubbing his eyes. Ino put a finger to her lips and slid out of bed. In the darkness, she tossed him his clothes and told him that they had to go. When they gathered all their things, she left some money on the table and had Reiko take his medicine.

The window made a small shuddering noise when she pulled it up. She slipped into the cold night with Reiko close behind her. They pulled their cloak hoods over their heads and slipped in to the inky darkness of the shadows, blending in while chaos began picking up. The raiders she learned about earlier had torches and she could feel hoards of them scatter through the town.

She noticed the boarder towns were all like this. Someone’s gang was always trying to take control of the lucrative trading hubs between Lightning and their boarder country Frost.

“Hey you!” A raider called out to them as she and Reiko managed to slip out of the village walls.

“Lets go!” She whispered to him and they both began running. A kunai whizzed by her. “Shit!” She said and sped up, trying to get into the cover of the trees. Their pursuers aim was more than average and he managed to nip her thigh. But it was a graze that didn’t stop or slow her pace. “When we get to the trees hide. I’ll handle them.” She told Reiko.

He gave her a sideways look. “I can help! There’s only three of them!”

Ino let out a frustrated hiss. “Fine. But don’t kill them!” If it came down to it, she would make the kill. She wanted to delay that traumatizing experience for him. She still vividly remembered her first kill. She had killed others after, but her first time would always haunt her.

They parted, each jumping into the thick forest. She didn’t worry too much about Reiko. He picked up on his ninja abilities like it was second nature. The whole week they were together, they worked well. She would give him a task or an order and he did it without hesitation. He took advantage of his freedom away from the village. Alone, his Sharingan was always active and each night he carefully studied the scrolls Itachi gave to him like they were sacred scriptures. He managed to do the Yamanaka’s Mind-Body-Switch jutsu the other day and she glowed in pride about it for hours.

Two large shadows entered the darkness of the forest, but the other cautiously stayed back. He obviously has some ninja skill, or at least common sense not to run blindly into the dark forest.

I got the one in the back. She thought to Reiko. Take the other two out one by one.

Got it.

She slid a kunai from her pouch and stealthily jumped from the tree, behind her target. He sensed her and spun, and duck from her kunai laced hit. She couldn’t see his face, but she felt his chakra signature. He managed to block all of her hits and took advantage of her surprise with renewed opposition, forcing her to retreat for a second. She sent a shadow clone to gauge where he was and placed a special kunai and a seed on the ground before bolting from her hiding place with a fast sequence of seals. Her kunai glowed green and vines from her seeds crawled over the ground like snakes, and caught the man by the ankles. He fell to the ground with a heavy grunt, clawing to be free of the restraining vines. She waited until he tired himself out before relaxing her chakra link on the kunai.

“We don’t want any trouble. Just leave us be.” She told him, standing in front of his still form. Night shadows covered his face, so she couldn’t see his face. He was breathing heavily. “You can conquer your little town and we’ll be on our way.”

He grunted when her vines crawled up to his throat. “It doesn’t work that way.” He managed to choke out.

She put a hand to her hip. “It’ll work that way this time.” She said sassily and picked up her kunai from the ground. The vines stayed in place. Reiko had both of the others tied neatly to a tree. “Have any trouble?”

He shook his head and they left the others behind. “How far does this take over reach? Almost all the villages we went to had this kind of problem.”

“Who knows? All we can do is stay ahead of them until we reach Seto Rock Desert. The next village is just over this ridge.” She was getting tired but was glad the Reiko seemed better. Four hours later, she sank into a warm bed in the next village.

It was daylight and he was bored being stuck in the room while his mom slept. She told him to stay in, but it was daytime and the sounds were tempting him out! This village was bigger than the others they stopped in. So with one last look over his shoulder, he crept out of the room.

The sky was clear, blue and warmer than yesterday. He had a little spending money and bought some sweets. He settled on a stone bench, eating his syrupy dangos when he heard someone yell from across the way.

Was it another gang takeover? Seriously, four villages in four days was crazy! Where were Cloud Ninja when you needed them? At least there was police here. The other villages just had neighborhood watches. He looked over the street and saw some people gather to see what the commotion was. He should have just stayed out of it, but he ignored his common sense and went to see that the big deal was.

Someone was surrounded by angry looking villagers. “Really! I don’t have it right now! I’ll get it to you by tonight! Give me until then!” The older man in the middle cried out.

Someone tsked tsked. “We gave you a week Kyohei.” They said. “That’s more than anyone gets. I wanted to go soft on you since you were part of the gang, by now you’ve gone and pissed me off.” It was a young adult with shiny brown hair pulled into knot tied with leather. He had on a gold and royal purple jacket over his black mesh shirt and ninja pants.

The villagers stood by and watched in silence as the pleading old man Kyohei was dragged from the streets by a group of tough looking men, all hair and scars. The Boss man waved everyone away dismissively but Reiko remained, curious about him and his golden eyes. “Damn. I thought for sure that he would have it by now. I doubt he even knows where it is.” The man said to one of his followers, rubbing his scarred chin.

“He hid his family. The guys are looking for them right now. The wife has ties to Water Country.” His red headed follower said. “What do you want to do now Boss? Our runners will be here tomorrow. If we don’t have the stuff, they could go to Hitomaru and we’ll lose business.”

The boss shot him a peeved look. “I know that. You don’t need to remind me. How’s the takeover in Spire Rock going?”

Spire Rock. Reiko’s eyes widened. That was the last village he and his mom traveled from. So this guy is responsible for the other villages as well. Just what kind of business was this guy involved in?

“It was sacked in five hours. Some people escaped, but with all the other boarder villages under our control, they really have no place to go.”

Boss man looked pleased. “They’ll send me more runners so I don’t really care if we lose some right now. That Blue Tar is so popular these days.” He mused.

“Blue Tar?” Reiko gasped and spun around to see Ino standing a few feet away from him with a hand to her hip. She was scowling at the Boss man and his two followers. “Really Yasuo, drugs? I thought better of you.” She sauntered up, keeping eye contact with the Boss. Reiko was confused. Ino knew him? And then he flushed. Was he going to get into trouble for leaving the room?

Boss aka Yasuo looked very surprised. “Princess? Is that really you?”

Ino folded her arms and tossed her head back to free her face of her long side bangs. “After Sasuke let me go, I was surprised I didn’t see you. So you’re the one taking over the village towns next to the boarder.”

Yasuo grinned. “Impressed?”

Ino snorted. “Some of your men came after me last night. You should really train them better.”

Yasuo chuckled and told his men to leave him for a while. But Reiko felt them linger close by in the shadows. “They’re newbies.”

Ino looked around her, unimpressed. “So this is what you’ve been doing. I thought for sure you would go and try to find some fellow Sound Nin and wreak havoc, but instead I find you here in Lightning.”

Yasuo still had a huge sinister looking smile on his thin, manicured face. “Yeah. I decided to get into smuggling and drug distribution.” He said nonchalantly.

“That’s illegal! You shouldn’t be doing stuff like that!” Reiko protested heatedly.

Yasuo looked over him in interest. “And killing is better?” He shot at him. Reiko’s lips thinned and he narrowed his eyes. “It’s all the same to me.”

He opened his mouth to argue. “Hush Reiko.” Ino told him with a stern shake of her head. He huffed and folded his arms moodily. She looked back up. “I’m not here to interfere.”

Yasuo raised a neatly trimmed eyebrow. “Then why are you here Princess?”

Ino smiled a small smile. “I’m looking for someone. We’re trying to get to Seto Rock Desert.” Reiko was surprised that Ino told him that. Yasuo motioned them to follow him and Reiko followed close behind Ino, unsure what to think. Ino knew Yasuo, but he could tell she didn’t trust him. He could also tell that she was glad she found him too. He guessed that her contacts went beyond Leaf and Fire Country.

“Seto Rock? That’s not too far from here. A day or two at most. Who are you looking for?” Yasuo took them into a small tea house. The proprietor there recognized him and quickly sat them. Reiko moved like a robot, wondering what the heck Ino was thinking and why Yasuo was going to help them. It was making him uneasy. People looked their way with unhidden curiosity.

The room was to the back with a long kneeling table with pillows for seating. Ino’s lips quirked. “Who else? I’m sure you heard about Orochimaru and Itachi?” She said after settling on a velvet pillow across from Yasuo.

Tea was set in front of them, but Ino didn’t touch hers so Reiko didn’t either. “I heard. So you’re looking for Sasuke huh? I’ve been hearing some disturbing things about him.” Yasuo sipped his tea. “You think he’s here in Lightning?”

“I know he is. What have you heard?” Ino leaned forward in anticipation.

Yasuo shrugged. “I heard his bounty tripled since last week. Kid must have done something big for that to happen.”

He did, Reiko thought with sadness. He was part of Akatsuki now. He was part of the organization that was after Naruto. From the corner of his eye, he saw Ino’s blue eyes darken a little. “There’s going to be a lot of people after him.”

“And you are going to do what when you find him?” Yasuo had a cunning look in his eye.

Ino smirked, reading his expression like a book. “Talk. What? You think I would actually turn him in for his bounty?”

“It’s a lot of money Princess. Some of my guys are out there looking for him.” He shrugged and leaned back on one hand while he held his small tea cup with the other. “They probably won’t find him, and if they did, they’ll probably die.”

“Then why send them in the first place?” Reiko asked. “If they’re going to die?”

Yasuo smiled, golden eyes sparkling like his question amused him greatly. “Why not?” His eyes lingered on Reiko for a moment. “Who’s the kid? He looks a lot like you? Your little brother?”

Ino snorted softly. “He’s part of my clan.” Was all she said. “So what’s the closest town to Seto Rock?”

Yasuo studied her a bit before sighing. “Chi Waters. East of here.”

Ino smiled and downed her tea. “Thanks Yasuo. You keep up your good work here then. Good luck with your operation and all.”

Yasuo grinned. “I know I was an ass to you when we were in West Base and all, but it was nice seeing you.”

Ino grinned. “Awww Yasuo you big teddy bear.” She stood and motioned her son to follow.

Reiko gave Yasuo a fleeting look of confusion when he exited the room, feeling like he was left out of a big secret just now.

Chi Waters was a nice place. Richer than the previous villages with a sprawling entertainment center with flashing lights and glowing red lamps. It smelled a lot life how Leaf used to be and she could feel how carefree these people were. No one took a second glance at them which made her feel better. They could easily get lost in the masses here. She spotted a few Cloud Ninja here and there but she and Reiko were dressed in civilian clothes.

“This is Chi Waters?” Reiko looked down at the map with a frown. “It’s not the closest village to Seto Rock! Why did Yasuo lie to us?”

Ino raised an eyebrow. “He didn’t lie per se.” She admitted. “But we should find someone here to help us.” To say she was surprised to see Yasuo was an understatement. She went to find Reiko (and yell at him for disobeying her) and instantly recognized his voice. She watched him for a while before approaching. With Orochimaru gone, she didn’t know how Sound Country was faring without their Feudal Lord. Yasuo probably took his chance to leave but she didn’t know why. He seemed happy being a Sound Nin and followed Kabuto and Orochimaru’s ordered without talking back.

She always wondered what happed to him and here she found him, in Lighting running a very successful illegal operation. She was aware that his followers carpeted the city and were probably listening to them. They would hear about Sasuke and try and follow her to get to him. But Yasuo was smart and Ino was smart. Their secret talk informed her that there was someone here in Chi Waters that would help her find him.

Still, she didn’t know why Yasuo would want to help her. She had to keep a look out for potential trouble.

Reiko stared at her confused. “I’m missing something.” He muttered. Ino laughed. It took a good three hours to walk the entire length of the busy village. She still didn’t find anyone worth talking to. There had to be someone! Her blue eyes passed over the citizens carefully. Then Reiko gasped beside her.

“What?” She pressed, following his finger pointing to a restaurant window. Her heart hammered hard making her pulse throb in her neck. Is that…Suigetsu? She was rooted to the spot, just watching him spoon some custard into his mouth. Someone jostled her and she came back to reality. “Let’s go.” She said hurriedly and bolted into the warm restaurant. She ignored the waitress who told her she had to wait to be seated. Gods, what was she going to say to him? Was Sasuke and the others close by then? She was practically jumpy with anticipation and nervousness. She ran a shaky hand down her hair and her clothes, smoothing out any imperfection before taking a deep breath.

Cool, be cool Ino. She put a hand to her cocked hip and forced herself to stop being a cowardly sissy. The front of her winter cloak opened to reveal her black pants and pale purple shirt over her long sleeve mesh that hooked over her middle finger. “You make that look so good.” She finally said, proud that her voice didn’t waver. He glanced up and she waited with bated breath for him to recognize her. His spoon dropped to the table with a loud clatter and his pretty purple eyes widened in realization.

“Sexy?” She let a small smile blossom on her lips. She always liked that nickname he gave her. “You—are—I mean---damn!” He let his eyes wander appreciatively down her tight fitting winter uniform that outlined her slender form.

She was grinning now, not bothering to hide her delight at finally meeting him outside of his tank. She had missed him when they left West Base. He had always been there when she need to talk to someone or get away from Kabuto. “It’s been a while ne?”

“A while?! It seems like it was way longer than that!” He grinned too, showing off his sharp teeth. Reiko nudged his way to her side to be acknowledged.

“Suigetsu! Do you remember me?”

He was shocked for a second time. “Reiko? What the hell?”

Ino slid her arm around Reiko’s shoulders and pulled him close. “It’s a long story. Is Sasuke here?”

Being cooped up in this place was making him irritable. His healing ability seemed like it had been stymied since his battle with the Eight-Tails. The masked guy, Tobi of Akatsuki was nowhere to be seen but Sasuke had a feeling that he was being watched anyways. He was in some kind of atrium built into the back of a mountain. Cave pillars stopped them from being crushed.

There was little furniture. Karin was reading and Juugo was huddled in a blue blanket, napping against one of the pillars. His youthful face was relaxed and his chakra was calm. Sasuke was in a curved bean bag like leather chair that sat low to the ground. He rocked back in it a few times before he decided that it wasn’t going to get comfortable anytime soon.

“What’s with Suigetsu?” He wasn’t anywhere near. While he was recovering, he didn’t keep track of his team, trusting that they would all stay together.

“Suigetsu? Dunno?” Karin said dismissively, glancing his way. “He went out about two, three days ago. I hope he doesn’t come back.” She scowled and returned to her book.

“I can hear you!” Suigetsu’s voice rang through the door and he kicked it open with a triumphant grin in his face, his sword gleaming in the low candle light.

“You’re still carrying that Throat Cleaver?” Karin looked unbelievingly at that Mist nin.

Suigetsu rested his massive blade across his shoulders with one hand and the other was on his waist. “You left it behind, so I had to go and get it back.” He shot at her cockily.

“Like I’d hold on to your shit while fighting the Eight Tails.” She sneered, going back to her book.  

“I carried the two of you when you were on the verge of death.” Juugo spoke, slightly annoyed with them. Sasuke could hear it in his voice. He was getting tired of their petty bickering too. They were always at each other’s throats. “Quit bickering.” He said, opening his eyes.

“That’s patronizing of you.” Karin muttered, a small flush on her cheeks.

“Ah well. Whatever the case, I got it back.” Suigetsu looked lovingly at his sword, frowning a little at the large cut that the Eight Tails did on the tempered metal. “Without this baby I can’t sleep at night.” He pointed it at Karin, the sharp blade inches from her face. She glowered at him.

Sasuke stood to stop what was sure to be another Suigetsu-Karin argument. “Now that we’re all here, get ready to leave.” He turned to the window to look out at the barren landscape to the West.

“Huh? Are you injuries okay?” Suigetsu asked behind him. He wasn’t completely healed, but he was fit enough to begin the journey to Leaf’s destruction. He could imagine it all. People screaming, looking at him and seeing his Mangekyo Sharingan before he crushed them. It would lull him to sleep at nights, their imagined screams. Even then, it wouldn’t be enough for him, not until they all died. Not until Leaf paid for Itachi’s sacrifice. This was his new calling.

“Yeah. We’re heading for Leaf.” He turned to the Mist nin. Suigetsu was studying him. “What?”

Suigetsu let his heavy blade drop to the floor and he leaned against it. “Before that, we need to go somewhere.” He had some kind of mischievous look in his eye and he dug into his weapon pouch and pulled out his paper flower. “Someone needs to talk to you.” He said, holding out the flower. Sasuke looked at it for a second, before his eyes flew to Suigetsu’s mocking face. His whole being felt numb when he saw that look Suigetsu was giving him.

“Where?” He managed to ask. He wasn’t messing with him right? He would kill him if he was.

“Chi Waters. And she’s pissed.”

So she heard? What did she hear? Did she know that he finally killed Itachi? What would he say to her? What would she be like? It had been a year since they parted at West Base, and he forced himself not to think about her when he got to Leaf. He planned on finding her and getting her out of the village before he decimated it. She would hate him, but he would make her understand what he did and why he did it. She was the only one worthy of Itachi’s sacrifice and he would tell her that. No matter what, he would never let her go again. Even if she hated him for the rest of her life, it would be enough just to have her by him. She was his.

“Who?” Karin got to her feet. “Who are you talking about?” She demanded.

“She’s staying at Starry Nights Inn.” Suigetsu ignored Karin and so did Sasuke.

“Gather everything. I’m going first.” He instructed grabbing his cloak. Karin was blustering behind him and he could feel Suigetsu’s serious gaze on his back.

He felt a tremendous relief when he escaped the confines of the Akatsuki base. The chakra in there was always wreaking havoc on his senses. The cold winds hit his face as he jumped down the mountain and hit the ground running. Chi Waters…it wasn’t too far but it was going to take him until nightfall to get there. His dark mood lifted the closer he got to the village. In the distance, he saw the glow of the lights begin to bleed through the trees. He couldn’t feel anyone close to him until he saw the village sign come into view. Then he felt the whole buzz of the large village greet him. He pulled his cloak over his head and changed his eyes back as to not draw attention.

He dropped from the trees, in front of someone who seemed to be waiting for him. He could tell it wasn’t Ino.

The shadowed figure pulled down his cloak hood and Sasuke’s eyes slightly widened in surprise. He recognized the man. “Yasuo huh?” He greeted coolly. He had been Ino and Rei’s escort (jailer) back when he was with Orochimaru and Kabuto. It was his job to keep a close eye on them both and report to Orochimaru.

“Sasuke. I figured I’d find you here.” He said, his thin face taunt with wariness. He still looked the same. Mousy brown hair, trimmed facial hair with a small scar down his chin. He was dressed in a dark robe, with ninja fatigues under.

“What do you want? Why are you here?”

Yasuo sighed and folded his arms. “I’m afraid that I accidently put Ino and the boy in danger. I thought something like this would happen, but I didn’t expect so many to be after her.”

Ino and the boy? Who was the ‘boy’ he was talking about? Suigetsu never said anything about it. “Who?” He demanded.

“Some of my former recruits. When they heard that she was trying to find you, they decided to tag along. After all, your bounty these days is quite sizable. Some of them were former prisoners and test subject of Lord Orochimaru so they know who she is. What she is to you. Word spread quickly.” He explained sounding almost apologetic.

Sasuke looked impassive, but inside he was sizzling with anger. “I’ll take care of it.” He told him and walked past. He had to get to her quickly. To find out who this ‘boy’ was and to deal with Yasuo’s wayward men. Finally being able to see her after so long was making him burn with anticipation and adding a few bodies to his kill count was just a bonus.

“I gotta come too. They’re my men after all.” Yasuo was behind him and Sasuke let him follow. They didn’t find her in the village, but they heard people muttering that there was some kind of gang war just outside the walls. The Cloud Ninja didn’t want to interfere, after all Chi Village was a vacation spot for them. A place where they wanted to escape their duties for a while, so they didn’t want to be bothered with trouble.

The moon was bright in the sky and lit the landscape with its milky glow. He saw footsteps in the snow, showing him that it was a large group. He and Yasuo dashed behind a large boulder when they saw the first of the men. There had to be about fifteen of them. He could see their labored breathing fog the chilly night air.

“Are you just gonna watch?” Yasuo was eying him, looking like he was in silent debate with himself to go and interfere or not. But Sasuke was almost mesmerized by her movements as she moved through the men effortlessly. From his place he could see her long sunshine blonde whip around her like a ribbon dancer. Her vampire scythe made a deadly picture, arching through the air with a deadly hiss. And her eyes, they glowed electric blue as her cursed seal markings ran down her porcelain flesh like ink made from the stars.

He could have ended the battle with one move, but he let her have her fun. He saw the amused smile play on her lips as she easily handled each man who was came after her. His eyes wandered to the boy. He was too far away to see his features because his eye sight was going shot from using his Mangekyo Sharingan with the Eight-tails. He moved swiftly and skillfully against the three pitted against him. His kunai skills were impeccable and his foot work was impressive. But he didn’t know he and Yasuo wasn’t the only one watching the battle with interested eyes.

He always relished in the link he shared with his cute student. It was a bond like no other and made him feel like the closets person to her. She was like his own living weapon and his growing powers were amplified by her skills. He could tell that she had grown stronger since he last seen her in Fire Country after the Three-tails escapade. She handled her summoned weapon with ease now, joyfully cutting through her enemies like butter but not killing them.

Kabuto was aware of everything around him when he was in his Dragon Sage Mode*. He knew that Sasuke and Yasuo were close by, enjoying the show. And he could feel the raw potential of power in the young boy who traveled with her. He looked like her and he assumed that he was part of the Yamanaka clan. The way he battled demonstrated considerable skill on his part. He wondered who he was to her, if she took him on as her own personal student. If she did, she chose wisely. He too might have to take the child under his wing when the time came.

He had been actively searching for her since leaving Ryuchi Cave with his new powers. If he grew in power when in Sage Mode, he wondered if she would to. Now, watching her in the cover of the shadows, he invoked that bond. She faltered a second before screaming and dropping to her knees, a hand to her arm. Her whole body throbbed with light chakra. He could hear it, he flickered his tongue out, taste it. Her lithe form trembled with his new overwhelming power.

Show me Ino…show me…He silently willed her, reaching into her mind effortlessly.

Kabuto…her thoughts were distressed.

You know what you have to do…show me and I’ll leave…

Another scream pierced the air and the light chakra pulsing from her seal exploded all around her like she was a drop in a pond of water. Waves and waves of it rolled off of her and he tensed in anticipation. Her eyes were no longer blue, but white. Pure white with godly light acting as a beacon. Her whole body quivered and she stood on shaky legs. The men around her didn’t know what to think and the boy was looking petrified by what he saw. The three men who the boy was fighting joined the others who surrounded her.

“What the fuck?” One of them breathed. Ino spun to him and reached out her hand. A white and blue chakra hand emerged and penetrated his chest before yanking out his ghostly soul. The body dropped to the snow covered ground with a heavy thump and his soul was screaming to be free. Behind her, something big and dark began to grow. He wasn’t exactly sure what it was. It reminded him of the Third and Fourth Hokage’s Dead Demon Consuming Seal. But she wasn’t sealing the soul, she released it. She raised both hands and two more men had their souls removed and she did the same thing. She released them. He smirked. Leaving the souls bodiless and forever wandering the Earth was a cruel fate. She stretched her arms to the side and two kunai slid into her hands. She crossed her arms and threw them, each landing on opposite sides before she rapidly went through some seals. Her mouth moved, but no sound came out. In her mind he saw what she was summoning. Two massive Cobra Lilies roared to life, their sizes topping the trees. He never saw them so big before! The carnivorous giants whipped their thorned vines against the ground before their thick limbs curled around the screaming men and tossed them into their gaping mouths. The sickening crush of bone and flesh was music to his ears.

Perfect…keep growing strong Ino.  He saw her turn to his direction, her eyes glowing that uncanny white. For a second, he knew she could see him in the shadows. Today was but a taste of what is to come my cute little apprentice. Soon, no one will stand against me…together we will be unrivaled!

And then he withdrew his power.

Sasuke didn’t know what to think. That power still crackled in the air and there was silence. Dead silence. Her Cobra Lilies hissed before leaving in a poof of summon smoke. Her two special kunais fell lifelessly to the cold ground with the bodies of the three dead men. He had watched in shock as she pulled their souls from their bodies. That dark figure behind her had been the shadow of Shinigami, the Death God.

“What the hell was that?” Yasuo breathed next to him. Her seal was interesting. Even though he didn’t have his anymore, he remembered the power that came with it. With dark chakra, physical powers increased, but with light chakra it seemed spiritual powers increased.

“Mom!” Sasuke’s whole world stilled when he heard the boy call out to her. He could hear himself breathing and feel his blood run chill. He stood in infinite silence, transfixed on every step the boy took running to Ino. He couldn’t move and he couldn’t think. Was even breathing now? The boy didn’t just call her…

“Ino! Are you okay! You’re not hurt right? What happened? Mom!” The boy was shaking her by the arms, peering up at her with a worried expression. Sasuke forced himself to move. Ino was standing completely still, her power still swirling around her feet. Her head was bowed and her bangs covered her face. His heart stopped beating for a second time when the closer he got, the brighter the boy’s eyes got. They glowed like his, glowed red. Blood red.

Closer, and closer he inched until he could reach out and touch her. A thousand sensations swarmed his mind. She was felt like she was on fire. Whatever trance she was in was cut short when she sucked in a harsh breath and her head snapped up. Her eyes stopped glowing and the white light faded back into the blue orbs he was so familiar with. But she looked like she was seeing through him, like her mind was still in some other place. He pulled her into an embrace because he knew instinctively that she was exhausted. Her chakra was low and her body was unused to what just happened right now. When he glanced down at the boy he felt as if he knew him from somewhere. He looked frightened and there was blood smeared across his pale face.

Sharingan met Sharingan. “Who are you? What is your name?” He demanded, lifting Ino’s unconscious form into his arms. Her weight seemed to anchor his body in place while his mind whirled.

The boy blinked a few times. “You don’t remember? It’s me…Reiko.” He whispered, letting his eyes fade into green. “I found my mom.”

*Dragon Sage mode can also be White Snake Sage mode.
According to Naruto Wiki, “In Japanese mythology, dragons and snakes are pretty much the same thing. Snakes are just weaker versions. Kabuto ‘becoming’ a dragon instead of a snake simply means he upgraded, not that he changed species.”