Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Glimpses of Fire ❯ Blackmail and Cursed Seal of Heaven ( Chapter 14 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

Glimpses of Fire
Author: shattered-words

Disclaimer: If I owned Naruto, it'd be called `Gaara'. So, isn't it a shame that I don't own it?

Summary: There were many things that shaped the plans of a certain Nukenin, and one was a shinobi that was as destructive as fire. AU/Mentions of Shounen-ai/Yaoi/Yuri

AN: Here is the next installment of my story. I pulled an all-nighter and am very sleep deprived at the moment, but it was worth it! I hope you enjoy the chapter, and this is dedicated to gaara252, my only reviewer on mediaminer. Thanks! Now, on with the chapter. Enjoy!

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~Chapter Fourteen: Blackmail and Cursed Seal of Heaven~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Amane's eyes widened as Neji extracted her most priced possession from his pocket, seeing the smirk that had spread over his features. She'd never felt more helpless than at that moment and she stepped forward without realizing it, and then stopped abruptly as his hand closed over the shell. “I suggest you give me your answer quickly, unless you want it in a million pieces,” he responded casually. The smirk still stretched over his face, and his pale eyes were rather unnerving.

Iwane was at a loss and she clenched her hands into fists when she saw the distressed look on Amane's face. She cursed when she noticed the dampness that gathered in her eyes as the boy threatened to destroy the shell. Her lips pressed into a thin line and almost snarled at the leaf ninja's smirk, and her chakra flared to life but quickly clamed down.

The Erizawa wanted to recover the shell, but she knew what it meant to the Itagaki. If she harmed the trinket, no matter how much she wished it would vanish, she'd never be able to forgive herself. The last thing she wanted was for Amane to be hurt. Besides, she had no idea about the Hyuuga abilities, and he looked determined to crush the shell if he had to.

Another curse left her lips as she stepped toward her companion and stuck her hand into her shirt. She ignored the other's protest and took hold of their Heaven scroll and flung it in his direction without a second thought. “Give it to me,” she growled. Her eyes burned with the promise of death, which was a rare expression seen on the girl's face. Yet any that knew her would realize that she meant business.

Neji caught the scroll easily, surprised that the girl would give it up, but then turned to look at Amane. He actually flinched as he saw that the look of pain had turned into agony, and there were tears building up in her eyes. Now he felt the sting of guilt as he threw the necklace at Iwane, who caught it with both hands. Without a word, she turned to her teammate and held it out to her.

Amane's eyes were wide and she was shocked at the fact that Iwane had given up their scroll to get the necklace back. She lowered her face as she wiped at her still dry eyes before taking the offered item and holding it tightly against her chest. “You didn't...” she began as she sniffled. She was ashamed at showing such weakness over an obviously worthless thing, but that meant more to her than her own life.

Iwane gave her familiar sheepish grin before she shook her head. “No worries,” she responded to her unvoiced statement as she winked. “I'll tell Eizan-sama I lost it. She'll believe it!” A laugh escaped her lips as she grinned again. “Come on.”

As she turned to leave, her gaze settled on the Hyuuga boy, and all traces of mirth left her face as she gave him a contemptuous glare. Then she hopped to the next branch and moved off. She wasn't angered that he had taken the scroll, since they could recover another without too much effort. What made her blood boil was the fact that he had used her friend's suffering to barter with.

`You'll pay,' she silently swore and her green orbs hardened as she wished for the Hyuuga's blood. Iwane was normally not like this, but any that associated with her knew that when it came to Amane and Eizan's well being, she could become as dangerous as the Ashikaga.

When the other had gone, Amane turned to look at Neji and frowned. “You're despicable,” she whispered before she also hopped after her teammate and friend. She slipped the necklace around her neck and sighed and made sure to stuff it securely under her shirt. Her hands clenched into fists as her nails dug into her palms, and she swore that this was the last time she became a liability to her team.

Neji watched as they went and shook his head before sighing. He didn't understand how they could give up their scroll over such a small thing. Looking at the Heaven scroll, he saw that it was the one they needed. After a moment, he shrugged before putting it in his pouch where the Earth scroll rested and moved.

He chalked up their actions as weak and girly, so he should only feel pity at their lack of shinobi skills. And despite this, he felt the guilty feeling grip his chest and he sighed again. `Damn it.'

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Sasuke couldn't move, again. His entire body was immobilized by the terrifying man that stood before him, and Sasuke wasn't entirely sure he was human. `A monster, perhaps?' He shuddered at the thought as he lifted his gaze to fasten on him as he stood in front of them. Sakura had also been paralyzed along with him.

When his Ryuuka no Jutsu had connected with the Kusa ninja's face, Sasuke was certain he had won or, at the very least, injure him enough so he couldn't continue, and be forced to retreat. That hadn't been the case, and it appeared that his attack had little effect on him. His face looked like it was peeling off and underneath there was paler skin visible, and he didn't look like he was in pain.

`Is he wearing a mask?' Sasuke wondered with a frown, seeing as he moved his hand to his hitai-ate. Also, he wasn't sure if Naruto was even alive, since the older ninja had deflected Sakura's kunai as she tried to stop his descent. Now he had immediately trapped them in a paralysis jutsu and they were completely at his mercy. Sasuke didn't know what to do.

Before, he had been frozen in fear and hadn't even tried to fight, not even when Naruto had been in danger. He hadn't even tried to stop his fall and he could very well be dead. Then Sakura had yelled at him. It hadn't been her words that had snapped him out of it, but they had reminded him of something important.

“Naruto is nothing like you! He's clumsy and he holds us back, but at least he has guts! Naruto's no coward!” As she had said that, he was reminded of his older brother, of Itachi's last words to him.

“Foolish little brother. If you want to kill me then hate me,” he had told Sasuke the night he assassinated his entire clan, and parents. His voice had been as cold as his blood red eyes, and it was then he realized that perhaps he didn't know Itachi as well as he thought since he had seemed to turn into a completely different person in that instance. `Hate me and live a miserable existence. Cling to life like a coward and without honor!' Those words had been enough to ignite a fire in his veins because if he couldn't stand up to this enemy now, then he'd never be able to defeat Itachi.

So, he had fought and used his Sharingan to read his movements, and using Sofushasan no Tachi had attacked accordingly. He had managed to manipulate the shuriken using chakra and wire, so it would connect with his face. Of course, Sasuke had perceived that he'd catch it with his mouth, and did the seals for his fire jutsu, and it had struck! Now, it seemed that it hadn't been enough and the Kusa-nin might have been toying with him all along.

A rumbling laugh started within the older shinobi's chest, and he let it escape his mouth. His hand shredded off the fake Kusa mark from his headband. “You really are his brother, aren't you,” he asked, his voice becoming almost viper-like. “You can see and conceal things with those eyes of yours that Itachi himself never dreamed of.” He parted his fingers to reveal the musical note on his hitai-ate, of Otogakure.

Sasuke was shocked at hearing his brother's name leave his lips as he growled. “Just who the hell are you?” he yelled, still trying to will his limbs to move, but it seemed hopeless. It was also surprising to see that he was from Oto, but he didn't understand why he would impersonate a Kusa-nin.

He lifted his hand, and he had their Heaven scroll in his grip. “I'm Orochimaru,” he replied before the scroll burst into flames. “If you'd ever like a rematch, then pass this exam as fast as possible.” The man ignored Sakura's cry as the scroll burned. “I'll see you again. If you manage to defeat the three Oto-nin who answer to me.”

Sakura growled and finally spoke up. “Orochimaru? Of the Legendary Sannin?” She had studied her brains out in the Academy trying to impress Sasuke, so of course she knew who the man was.

Orochimaru chuckled. “It seems my reputation proceeds me.” she yelled at the older ninja as he merely chuckled. She had heard his name loud and clear, and since she had studied her brains out in the Academy to try and impress Sasuke, she knew who he was.

He had once been part of the Legendary Three, that consisted of Jiraiya and Tsunade. Then he had defected from the villages for reasons known most likely only by the Hokage and other older leaf ninja, and had been labeled an S-class Nukenin. Sakura didn't understand before why he was attacking them, but now assumed that he was after the Uchiha or his blood line ability. The Sharingan was a coveted dojutsu.

Orochimaru moved his hands to form a seal as he grinned. Suddenly, his neck became like a rubber band and his head shot in Sasuke's direction as the two younger shinobi gasped in shock. Before he could complete what he planned, however, he hissed and jumped away as his neck returned to normal. A heartbeat after he had jumped, many shuriken slammed into the spot he had just been standing.

The former leaf ninja turned and narrowed his eyes on the figure that was leaning against a tree as their body heaved with every breath taken. “Naruto!” Sakura yelled and smiled, relieved to see that the blonde ninja was okay.

When Naruto lifted his gaze, his blue orbs flashed with anger. There were several bruises and cuts covering his body and clothes, and it seemed like he had snagged or hit every branch during his fall. Also, his face looked to be the most bruised.

Eizan watched as an amused smile lifted the corners of her mouth, and she shook her head. Once again, she wondered why she did such foolish things. The blonde had fallen and it was sure to be fatal. She had reacting purely on instinct and had jumped after him, and caught the boy just before he reached the ground. Then she had jumped to the ground and unceremoniously dropped him.

She had slapped him a few times to get him to come around, and he had most likely seen her blurred figure as she had jumped back into the overhead branches and disappeared. Next, she had watched with interest as he had rushed back to the battle, and she knew that the Five Elements Seal that Orochimaru had placed on his already existing one was still affecting him.

Naruto wiped his sweat covered brow and smirked at his two teammates, but wondered why they weren't moving. He realized that the snake must have placed them under a paralysis jutsu, but he was distracted as he turned his attention toward him.

“How did you recover so quickly?” His lips pressed together as his eyes narrowed. Orochimaru had felt her presence nearby, but since she hadn't intervened he had left her alone for the time being. Now, he couldn't ignore her any longer. “Come out, come out where ever you are,” he said in a sing song voice as he formed the seals for Kuchiyose no Jutsu.

Meanwhile, the Suna kunoichi cursed when she heard his words and realized she was about to become part of this battle. Moving, she started to leave, but gasped as a huge snake appeared, blocking her escape. “Kuso!” she cried out as she landed on a tree branch and jumped the other way. It lunged after her and she realized it was fast.

Eizan twisted in the air, her kick connecting with its massive maw and it was driven back, but it kept coming after a few seconds. When it opened its mouth to swallow her, she narrowed her eyes and quickly performed hand seals.

`Katon, Housenka no Jutsu!' The fire balls hit it around its mouth and eyes so it was momentarily blinded. She threw several kunai and shuriken at it, and most of them embedded into its head and both eyes.

It fell with a dying shriek before disappearing in a puff of smoke, but before she could even breathe a sigh of relief, another serpent slammed her from behind. She cried out as blood flowed from the corners of her mouth, and she saw that it intended to pin her against a large tree trunk and crush her.

Eizan quickly flicked out a kunai and jammed it into its scales and used the hold to flip onto its snout. She was met with two huge yellow eyes, and a moment later it had hit the tree it had been aiming for.

She ran along its head before hopping over it and kept on going down the length of it at top speed. Her figure was a blur of motion as she left the reptiles' body and jumped from tree to tree. A moment later she entered Orochimaru and the Uchiha's battleground and came to land behind the two paralyzed leaf-nin.

The raven haired girl wasted no time as she brought her hands together in a seal. `Kai!' She tapped both their backs to dispel the technique.

Now she was moving again since she didn't want to linger anymore than she had to. Her intention was to flee but she was forced to stop as the second snake she had avoided appeared before her. The kunai was still sticking out of its maw between the scales.

`Damn!' She growled and started to perform a jutsu but was stopped. A gasp left her mouth and she flinched when something slimy wrapped around her waist. When she was yanked up viciously, she cursed again. “Kuso!” She came to dangle before Orochimaru and she saw his malicious grin. Lifting her hand in greeting, she didn't let his grin faze her. “Yo,” she simply responded. “May I help you?”

Sasuke had been wondering who had been fighting against the snake Orochimaru had summoned and sent off. There had been a smirk on his lips and it had turned into a grin when seconds later they saw and heard someone use Housenka no Jutsu and the dying shrieks of the snake followed. Moments later, the Uchiha had felt a presence appear behind him, and they broke the hold Orochimaru had over them before moving on almost immediately.

He hadn't been able to see who it was since they were moving too fast. For a quick moment he wondered if it was a Konoha ninja but they hadn't seen anyone with that type of speed from their village before expect for Lee. He turned as he was able to move and saw as the person's escape was stopped by another snake. It was quite surprising when Sasuke saw that it was the shinobi from Sunagakure, Ashikaga Eizan.

`What the hellis he doing here?' he wondered as he saw Orochimaru catch him the same way he had done with Naruto.

Meanwhile, Eizan was busy trying to melt the Sannin with a glare, but was actually trying to contain her fear. She knew who this man was, and remembered the shiver of terror she'd felt before entering the forest.

“Well, if it isn't little Eizan,” he muttered. It was her turn to hiss as he called her little, since she was quite defensive when it came to her stature. He clucked his tongue against the roof of his mouth, but it was a wonder he managed it when most of it was wrapped around her waist. But then again, he was able to talk while doing the same thing. “Don't you know it's very bad for a Chibi like you to intervene in such a dangerous fight?”

Eizan could almost feel the hairs on the back of her neck bristle at the moniker he placed on her, and her fear was momentarily replaced by anger. “The only thing Chibi around here is my patience,” she growled, as she took a swing at him. “Now, what the hell do you want?” She crossed her arms over her chest when he avoided her punch easily.

Sasuke didn't know whether to be stunned or amused at the boy's defiance toward Orochimaru. He had been terrified of the man upon first encountering him, and so he smirked as he wiped a smudge of dirt from his cheek with the back of his hand. When he glanced at Naruto, he frowned when he saw his blue eyes fixed on Eizan, and the worry etched into his tanned features. At times, his blonde teammate cared too much for people.

The older shinobi chuckled. “You have quite a mouth on you,” he drawled before grinning. “Your defiance is what makes you a good candidate for Otogakure.” He pulled her closer as he reached out to caress her features. She flinched and pulled away in disgust, but his hands clamped around her jaw. His fingers bit viciously into her face as she winced. “You do remember my offer, don't you?”

When she hesitated, his smirk turned sinister. “Hai, you know it was me on that playground.” By this time, his voice had lowered to a whisper so only she was able to hear his words. Now she felt his lips brush against her left ear as she shuddered, her whole body starting to tremble. “You remember the fear don't you...Arisa-chan?”

From where he stood, Sasuke couldn't hear what Orochimaru was saying, but he saw the effects it was having on Eizan. He had managed to terrify the Suna boy and he almost felt sorry for him.

Sasuke's head snapped to the side as he saw Naruto rush forward to try and help Eizan. Orochimaru noticed him as he smirked, tightened his hold on the boy's slender waist as he jumped back. “Naruto, stop!” he yelled too late, and the snake that had all but been forgotten attacked the blonde. He cursed and moved toward Naruto to help him.

Eizan could feel her whole body trembling as she vividly remembered the terror that had gripped her that day. She had fled and hadn't wanted to stop since she was sure he would follow, and he had. His words left no doubt in her mind and she knew it had been him on the playground back in Sunagakure.

She should have paid attention to the warning signs earlier. After feeling the cold hand of fear grip her when she had seen him earlier in his Kusa-nin disguise, she should have realized it was him. Also, if she had known he was from Oto, she never would have interfered since this was probably part of the plan that Gaara had briefly told her about. Even so, she wondered what the details of it were, since Gaara had only told her that she should be prepared to fight and kill when he instructed.

Now it was too late, though, and the fear stilled her movements and paralyzed her very mind. At least until she heard Sasuke yell Naruto's name. Turning, she saw them engaged in battle with the snake from before. It almost made her smile when she realized that the loud ninja had rushed into danger to try and help her.

“Eizan-nii-san!” Naruto jumped back as the snake snapped at him, not wanting to be swallowed again. That was one experience he didn't want to go through again. He remembered that Kabuto guy telling Sasuke that the Suna-nin was named Ashikaga Eizan. Even if the information had listed him as dead the picture had been identical, so Naruto knew it had to be him.

“Get your hands off him, dattebayo!” he yelled and jumped toward Orochimaru, but the snake blocked him off again. Sasuke yelled at him to stop being foolish and concentrate on killing the snake first. He cursed but did as he was told.

Her mouth had parted in surprise when he had called out her name in the same way that she had always called out to her brother. The smile lifted her lips and she felt her fear leave her. Then Orochimaru's hold tightened until it was almost painful as she groaned and turned her glare on the snake man.

Orochimaru frowned as the blonde's voice seemed to snap the girl out of the terror he had put her in. When she turned to glare at him he saw the defiant look light up her eyes as he formed a seal. This was the same one that he had done before Naruto showed up and knew that he had to do this now while he had a chance.

The Kyuubi brat seemed to have influence over not only Sasuke, but Eizan as well. He knew that he also had to separate the girl from her teammates, since they appeared to be changing her as well as filling the void inside her. It was only a matter of time before he wouldn't be able to influence her and his plans would fall apart. However, he was sure that right now he could influence her into staying at Otogakure; he just had to get her there.

He felt the chakra signals that were approaching and knew he had to do it now. When he opened his mouth, his fangs elongated and he wasted no time and bit into Eizan's neck. He heard her gasp quietly, knowing she was likely to fight against it, but not for long. Orochimaru had planned on marking Sasuke as well, but Naruto had intervened but at least he was able to mark this one.

His fangs retracted and in a matter of seconds, the bite mark disappeared and three black tomoe appeared on her neck. The whimper of pain that came from the girl indicated that she was starting to become affected by the Ten no Juin.

A split second later, he felt a wind jutsu slam into his back as he stumbled and grunted. Another figure darted by and tore Eizan from his grip, and he would have held on but felt a sharp projectile press against his tongue. He released her since he had already left his parting gift on her, but he could tell that she was fighting it even now. From what he had seen of her will power, he knew it would take a while for the curse seal to take over. It probably had something to do with her fire abilities, but he wasn't sure. Either way, he knew she'd fall under the power of the seal sooner or later. It was just a matter of time.

The one that had taken Eizan from Orochimaru came to stop a few branches away, and was soon joined by the ninja that had performed the wind jutsu. Both were holding the limp kunoichi between them, who looked ready to collapse if she was released. “Don't you dare touch Eizan-sama,” the one on the right growled. Her emerald orbs were like stone and her lightly tanned features were twisted in anger.

Sasuke and Naruto had defeated the snake and now turned to see that Eizan's teammates had appeared, and seemed to have already rescued him. They were holding him up since he was trembling so much he probably wouldn't have been able to stand on his own. The only one of their group that had seen what Orochimaru had done was Sakura, but for the moment she ignored both boys and looked up at the exchange between the Suna-nin and the snake.

Sasuke had heard the honorific they used for the shorter ninja, and wondered if that meant that he was stronger than the other two. If that were the case, then he certainly understood why Eizan was the leader. He hadn't seen what had happened with him and Orochimaru, but he had caught sight of the seal he had made. It was the same one that he had tried to use on him before Naruto interrupted. He wondered if he had managed to perform it on him before his teammates arrived.

The one that had spoken had their shoulder length black hair pinned at the back of his head, and his dark green eyes flashed dangerously. He looked at the one at Eizan's left, and the Uchiha saw that his waist length hair was pulled into the same braid that he had seen on him the other day. He also noticed that while his face was expressionless, his ebony pools were like molten lava. Sasuke let his own black eyes pass over their bodies for several seconds, trying to determine which one had the scroll, but he couldn't tell.

Orochimaru hadn't been affected by the attack and would have avoided it if he hadn't been busy with the lovely Eizan. “Well, if it isn't Eizan-kun's teammates,” he replied with a bemused expression.

He had gotten the impression that the others had confused her for a boy and went with it since that would keep her a bit separated from the blonde. If he thought she was a boy, then he wouldn't be as defensive about her if he knew she was really a girl, but he wondered how they could confuse her for one. Then he remembered the boy he had seen when the second part of the exam started, the one named Takejiro and had to admit that even he had confused him for a girl.

Now, while this was getting rather interesting, he knew that he couldn't linger any longer. The bodies of the three Kusa ninja they had killed and replaced would have been found by now. “Remember Chibi,” he fixed his gaze on Eizan. He saw her flinch as he spoke to her and his smirk turned into a grin. It seemed that the blonde boy hadn't been around Eizan long enough to leave a lasting impression, but he knew that he had to take both her and Sasuke away and taint them with his colors soon. “I'll come back for you soon.”

Amane's lips twisted in a sneer as her eyes narrowed. “And you'll die trying,” she snarled as her hold tightened on the younger girl. She would do everything in her power to keep her friend out of this mans' clutches, and she didn't have to look at Iwane to know that her expression said the same.

The Sannin merely laughed at her words as he started to sink into the bark of the tree. “Oh trust me, I've already won,” he replied cryptically. “All that's needed is the final piece of the puzzle.” His gaze now shifted to Sasuke as the boy shivered. Then he disappeared from sight, but his laughter lingered for several seconds until that faded as well.

The raven haired boy glared at the spot he had seemed to merge with the tree before he was gone. He could no longer feel his chakra and he finally allowed himself to relax and take a deep, calming breath. Now he turned to make sure that Naruto and Sakura were unharmed since he needed them to pass the exam.

While he would never admit it out loud, he actually worried about their well being. He was an Uchiha and thus couldn't show such emotions. Now, that he was sure they were well, he turned to look in the direction of the three Suna ninja.

Iwane moved to set Eizan against the tree trunk with Amane's help since she still looked unsteady for the moment. She was very disturbed to see her trembling as she hung her head, and one hand clutching her neck. Without looking at her features, she was sure her eyes were staring blankly ahead, at nothing.

“I think she's in shock,” the Erizawa muttered quietly as the wind user stood before them. Her eyes had yet to leave the Konoha Genin, since she didn't trust any of them. She refused to drop her guard with Eizan in this state, and while it didn't appear that way, she knew Iwane long enough to know she had yet to drop her guard. It was rather hard to tell when she did since she was so whimsical at times.

For a few moments, she tried to snap the other girl out of her trance but she didn't seem to want to react. `This exam is turning into a disaster', Iwane couldn't help but think.

Naruto wiped a bit of blood from his face before hopping toward them. His clothes were a mess, splattered with the snake's blood and his own, but he knew they could only get worse as the days wore on. He stopped when Amane flipped out a kunai and stepped toward him, blocking his view of the other two Suna Genin. “Uh, I just wanted to see if he was okay,” he said as he scratched the back of his head. “I think he saved me when I fell.”

Amane arched an eyebrow when the blonde referred to Eizan as a `he' but didn't correct his mistake, and glared at him instead. “Eizan-sama's condition is not your concern.” She took a single step toward him, and lifted the weapon menacingly. “Now, back away.” Eizan's voice stopped her before she attacked the Konoha Genin.

“A... Amane-kun, t-tomare,” she muttered, hand still clenched over a place on her neck. The older girl flinched at the way her voice trembled, but backed off. Even then, she refused to let the blonde ninja pass since Eizan's well being was her only concern at the moment.

“I am fine, Uzumaki-san,” the kunoichi replied more steadily as she rested her head against the tree trunk behind her. She sighed and closed her eyes for several moments, and anyone might have missed the strain on her face. Iwane didn't and she frowned at the way she had been clutching her neck all this time. Her sharp eyes had seen the man bite Eizan in the same place, but she didn't know why.

Naruto was startled since no one had ever spoken to him with any respect before, so he actually blushed. With a sheepish smile, he scratched the back of his head again. “Call me Naruto, dattebayo,” he said as his familiar foxy grin returned to his features.

He had seen that the boy's trembling had lessened considerably and he was relieved. What he failed to realize, was that Eizan was forcing the shaking to subside. “I'm glad you're fine, and thanks for saving my butt back there.”

Eizan waved a dismissive hand as she maintained her eyes closed. Beads of sweat were forming on her forehead as she fought against the seal. If she let her guard down for even a single moment, she knew it would consume her. “I was more than happy to save your cute little butt,” she commented with a smirk. She cracked one eye open to see his blush deepen and she chuckled despite the strain she was under.

The blonde was flustered by his words since no guy, or anyone for that matter, had ever said such a thing to him. For a crazy moment, he wondered if the Suna boy was flirting with him. So, to hide his embarrassment, he glanced at Sasuke.

He saw as Sakura standing quietly besides him as she observed everything that was happening, and Sasuke was doing the same thing. “Don't worry about Sasuke-teme, dattebayo,” he said as he returned his gaze to Eizan. “He always has that face. I'm sure he's also grateful to you for saving his ass.”

Sasuke clenched his teeth at his words and left Sakura on the tree branch by herself as he hopped over. He landed besides Naruto and openly glared at the three Suna ninja. “Shut up, dobe,” he said to his blonde teammate before fastening his ebony orbs on Eizan. “Why did you help us?” His tone was suspicious, since he didn't trust any of them, even if he had saved him.

Eizan chuckled as she ran a hand through her short, wild black hair before shaking her head. “I didn't. I helped Naruto-san,” she muttered. She didn't notice the light haired boy brighten as she called him by his first name as he had asked her to. A soft cough escaped her lips and she cleared her throat as she struggled to her feet, and held out a hand to stop Iwane as she tried to help.

“I only broke the paralysis on you in the hopes that it would divert Orochimaru's attention away from me.” She gave a shrug as she leaned heavily against the tree. “Obviously, it didn't work.” It was half true, but there was no need to tell him that. A surge of pain passed through her as she straightened and she winced and fought to stay in control. “Come on, let's go.”

Sasuke saw the grimace of pain play across his face and briefly wondered if it had anything to do with the seal Orochimaru had formed. He wondered if that meant that Orochimaru had managed to perform that jutsu on him while they fought the snake.

As Eizan moved to depart he impulsively stepped toward him. He stopped as the other two boys appeared before him suddenly, and they were already forming hand seals. Sasuke had thought the green eyed shinobi had been off guard.

`A wind and earth jutsu,' he observed and knew that he wouldn't be able to dodge both. He had seen their speed in the classroom and knew they were faster than him. Sasuke didn't even know why he had moved forward in the first place, so decided to wing it. He locked his gaze on Eizan and issuing a challenge was the only thing that came to mind. “Fight me,” he said to the shorter boy, ignoring Naruto's protests.

Eizan stopped as she had been about to jump away and turned to look at him. “What was that?” she asked as an amused smile turned up the corners of her lips. She had seen most of his fight against Orochimaru and had to admit that he could become a worthy adversary. However, not only was she in no condition to fight, but Gaara would be upset if she fought his desired opponent. “I have no interest in fighting you, Uchiha-san.”

While he hadn't intended to challenge him at first, Sasuke was still angered by the others response. He stopped forward again but was stopped once more by the other two Suna-nin. “And why is that?” he demanded as his black eyes flashed dangerously before narrowing. He realized that since Orochimaru had destroyed their Heaven scroll, they needed to recover both of them now.

She smirked at the expression that crossed his features for a brief moment, and then she gave him a very Iwane-like grin before resting her right hand on her hip. “Because I'm more interested in fighting against Naruto-san,” she responded, winking in the blonde's direction before hopping off. Amane and Iwane turned as one to look at said boy with different expressions of surprise on their faces. Then they too left, following the retreating ninja.

Naruto blinked, clearly stunned by the boy's words, who was an inch under his own height. He could only blush again and scratch the back of his head with a sheepish laugh. Sasuke's glare had settled on him, but he didn't seem to notice as he started after the three Suna shinobi that had already left their sight. Sakura, who had been a silent witness through the whole exchange, didn't miss the glare. She was worried and wondered what they would do now that they had lost their scroll.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Amane stopped besides Eizan when she came to land on the ground, after putting almost half a mile between them and the other Genin team. She frowned as she looked at her, and she was clearly still shaken by the encounter with Orochimaru, but she knew the fire wielder was forcing herself to be still since she could hear her heart beating wildly. Every once in a while she saw her body stiffen with pain and her features twist momentarily before she regained control. The wind user was sure that Iwane's sharp eyes had caught them as well.

Eizan turned to look at her with a weak sheepish smile tracing her pale, sweaty features. She shook her head to indicate she was fine, but then she suddenly swayed dangerously. The two girls moved quickly to keep her from toppling over.

“You're not well,” Amane muttered. A frown creased her own features as she saw the blood that stained her hand. `When did she get this?' she wondered, seeing the dark spot on the front of her shirt, close to her waist. She realized that it must have happened when she had defended them from the Kusa-nin's attack. Her teeth clenched in anger, but at herself.

Iwane narrowed her eyes as she met her teammate's gaze over the shorter girl's head since she was currently slouched forward and leaning heavily against them. Their leader had never been this shaken or wounded before. While she had gotten minor injuries on missions, they had never been serious. Her eyes narrowed as she saw not only the wound soaking the front of her shirt, but more blood staining the back of it. That must have happened before they had arrived to get her away from Orochimaru.

The smaller girl looked ready to collapse if they were to let her go. “We should rest,” Iwane said firmly. Even Eizan knew not to argue with the earth user when she used that tone of voice.

As she nodded, they moved to help her sit down against a nearby tree, and that's when Iwane saw the three black tomoe on her neck like a bruise. She frowned and opened her mouth to ask her about it, since they were in the same place she had been bitten.

She was cut off before she could as the pyro-girl froze at the same time that Iwane's eyes shifted to the side. Amane let go of Eizan as the other held her up before crouching down and pressing an ear against the earth. She felt the vibrations of someone near by.

“Three of them, a few meters away,” she replied in a low voice, not wanting to alert them of their presence. Straightening, she turned to look at Iwane and motioned toward Eizan. When she nodded, the taller girl moved her hands to form seals. “Suiton, Illusion of Rain,” she muttered one of the few water jutsu that she knew. She seemed to fade away as if she had turned into mist.

The team of Konoha ninja they had sensed were getting ready to rest, one of them starting to move to secure food. When the Genjutsu settled over them, they blinked as the sky darkened above them. They looked up as the rain started to descend on them and while they didn't realize, they had become paralyzed by the technique. The brown haired girl didn't know what scroll they had, it didn't matter since now they needed both. Her teammates watched from a distance as Amane disposed of them with a vengeance. Eizan lifted an eyebrow and glanced at the taller girl.

Iwane gave her a helpless grin and she muttered something but one look at the other's face made her tell the truth. She saw her onyx eyes harden but knew that she would be angrier at the Hyuuga for bargaining with the shell. Turning to look back at Amane, Eizan understood the ninja's frustration at having lost the scroll.

When the three shinobi had been thoroughly knocked out -a bit harsher than was necessary- Iwane and Eizan approached. They saw as she wiped blood from her face, grinning a bit maniacally. She flung something in her leader's direction and the fire user saw that it was a scroll with the kanji symbol `Chi' on it.

“Now we just need to get back the Heaven scroll,” Amane heard Eizan say. Her attention snapped toward her but the other simply gave her grin before she sighed. Crouching on the ground for a moment, she tried to get her heart beat to slow down. If she allowed herself to continue in this berserker mode, then she knew that she'd collapse sooner or later. She had to pace herself now that they at least had one scroll.

Eizan tensed a moment later as Iwane flicked her gaze to the side, and Amane hopped up as she caught something in mid-air as it sailed toward them. She had been about to fling it as she heard someone retreating quickly, since it could be a hazard. However, she froze as she saw the object in her hand. It was a scroll with the kanji sign `Ten' on it. “What-?”

Iwane grabbed it out of her hand and looked it over carefully, eyes narrowed. After a few moments, she looked at Eizan and nodded to indicate that it was authentic, but she clearly didn't understand. “It was the Hyuuga,” she said, looking at Amane as the taller girl frowned. “I don't get it.”

A sigh left her lips as Eizan took both scrolls and stuffed them into her shirt, between her vest and chain mail shirt once again. “Let's not think about it,” she commented and moved to plop down besides a tree. She was exhausted and could gradually feel the pain starting to worsen as time pass by. Soon, she wouldn't be able to stop herself from falling under.

“We'll rest here for a while.” Her voice was little more than a gasp as she swallowed the lump in her throat before closing her eyes. Also, she couldn't help but wonder about why the Hyuuga had returned the scroll.

`Did he already have a Heaven scroll?' The thoughts were quickly dispelled as a new wave of pain swept through her body. She knew that by this time Gaara's team would have already arrived a long time ago, and would most likely be the first team to finish. They wouldn't be able to reach it for at least another day since she knew that whatever Orochimaru had done to her, it would soon take what strength she had left.

Amane remained where she stood and glanced in the direction the boy had been, not having seen him but heard as he had approached them. She also wondered why he had returned the scroll to them. Even if he already had a Heaven scroll, he still could have kept it in case his team came across an enemy they couldn't defeat. With a sigh, she shook her head and decided not to think about it now.

There was a stream nearby, since she could hear the sound of running water. Turning toward her two teammates, she saw that Iwane was already leaning against the tree. “I'll secure food,” she mumbled so they almost didn't hear and went off. She heard the short haired girl call after her to be careful as she smirked. There was no way she would become useless again.

Reaching the stream, she caught enough fish for the three of them before wiping her brow of perspiration and glancing up. The night was quickly ending and dawn would come in a few hours. She knew they would sleep in turns and only for two hours each before moving again.

They still had four days left, but she knew Eizan would want to reach the tower soon. One of the reasons was that she most likely didn't want to meet up with the snake again. Amane didn't blame her because the man had also caused her very blood to run cold in her veins.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Naruto sighed as he fell on his rear, wincing as he accidentally jarred a wound on his side. He didn't remember it, but assumed that he must have hit something as he fell. The only thing he was grateful for was that he hadn't hit the ground, and he had Eizan to thank for that.

It bugged him that the other boy did save him. The last time he had seen him had technically been after their meeting at Ichiraku, and they hadn't parted on such good terms. After a moment, a grin split his features as he assumed that now they might be able to become good friends. Apparently, he had completely forgotten that the other ninja was interested in fighting him.

Meanwhile, Sasuke was watching his teammate from his position on top of the root of a large tree. They had agreed that resting on the ground would be the best option and that way the tree's roots would ensure that any enemy would have to attack from one direction. There was the possibility that they could use exploding notes but the person keeping watching watch would make sure to wake the others up before they were hit.

Naruto would take the first watch, since he had told them it would be pretty hard to wake up if he slept now. The shifts would be two hours and Sakura would take the second watch and Sasuke would take the last one. He was a light sleeper, so he wasn't too worried.

Right now though, the prospect of sleeping was furthest from his mind as he frowned and glared at the ground now. His arms were crossed before his chest as he remembered the conversation between himself and the shinobi from Suna.

`I'm more interested in fighting Naruto-san.' the other boy's words caused his blood to boil for some reason. He had dismissed him so easily, and had even sounded amused when Sasuke had challenged him! While he had done so to cover his slight impulsive movement, it still bothered the Uchiha since he never felt so...strongly about anything, besides killing Itachi. After a few more moments to ponder this, he put it out of his mind since there were more important things that needed to be done.

The loud blonde stretched and leaned against the truck of the tree as Sasuke turned his glare in his direction now. He moved to settle on the ground by the root he had been sitting on. They would all lay close together since it'd easier to pick them off if they were lying separately.

“Hey, don't you dare fall asleep during your shift, usuratonkachi,” he called to Naruto as he folded his arms beneath his head as a makeshift pillow. He only received a glare in response before the other flicked him off. Sasuke found that he couldn't help but smirk as he closed his eyes, and before long he had settled into a light slumber.

Not far from where they were, three pairs of eyes watched them from their position in the trees overhead. They made no movement to continue on as they noticed that the blonde was awake as he glared around the still darkened area. The spiky haired boy smirked and didn't turn to look at his companions, another boy with bandages covering most of his face and a kunoichi.

“We will attack when their weakest member is on guard duty,” he said with a sinister chukle. The other two merely nodded as the girl smirked. And the bandaged ones' face was so covered that one would not tell his expression, but his one visible eyes narrowed the slightest bit. They would no doubt attack just before dawn and then the fun would begin.-

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Translations:

1. Katon, Ryuuka no Jutsu: Fire Style, Dragon Flame Jutsu
2. Sofushasan no Tachi: lit. “Manipulating Windmill Triple Blades”.
3. Kuso: as far as I know, it means crap.
4. Kai: release, used to dispel an illusion or to release certain types of jutsu.
5. Ten no Juin: lit. “Cursed Seal of Heaven”.
6. tomoe: the comma like markings on the curse seal and on the Sharingan.
7. usuratonkachi: Sasuke often ends his statements to Naruto with this, which is a unique way of saying `you idiot'. In the dub it is usually translated to “you total loser” or simply “loser”.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

End Chapter Fourteen