Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Our Lives in the Hurricane Chronicles ❯ Chapter 13

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

Last Time...

Naruto and Mayu nodded; Sakura cracked her knuckles. "Time to show everyone that I'm not just a pretty face!" she thought with a determined look in her green eyes. Sakura stepped forward.

"... That was quite a long time..." Orochimaru's voice sounded. "Very impressive, Sasuke-kun."

"Mayu..." Sasuke muttered. She grinned.

"I think Naruto's plan is a wonderful idea!" she said. "Let's drop it like it's hot!"


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"Maybe I'm just a bad girl, a bad girl! When the red light comes on, I transform..." -Danity Kane
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"I'll go first!" Naruto shouted, and then charged at Orochimaru. The snake Sannin only smirked at the on coming blond.

"Matte...!" Sakura grabbed Naruto's collar as he rushed passed her, preventing him from going any further.

"Sakura-chan?!" Naruto muttered, staring back at her. "Why did you stop me?" Instead of answering her teammate, Sakura looked towards Mayu, causing the Ishikari to flinch.

"What?!" she asked, almost annoyed.

"Why would you agree to that?! If Naruto goes charging with his Rasengan in this narrow hallway, we could all be crushed!" Sakura yelled. Mayu blinked, and then looked around as if just noticing her surroundings.

"Wow... must've slipped my mind..." she mused.

"Brilliant strategist, my ass!" Sakura thought, eye twitching.

"Why am I being ignored...?" Orochimaru thought. He would have sweat dropped, but Orochimaru doesn't sweat drop. Oh no! He was much too evil for that!

"Mayu, cut the crap," Sasuke grumbled.

"Let Naruto attack, Sakura," Mayu whispered. "It's all apart of my plan." The pink-haired kunoichi reluctantly released Naruto. Mayu was so weird and unpredictable to her. There was no way to decipher what was going on in her head.

"The only person that seems to know is Sasuke-kun..." Sakura thought as Naruto, once again rushed at Orochimaru. She watched Mayu's back. She noticed that she was tense as if anticipating something. "Mayu...!" Sakura thought, eyes wide. "She was here before us! Could have she have found Orochimaru's weakness, or something?!" Her green eyes turned to Naruto; the blond shinobi was drawing nearer, but Orochimaru didn't even move! He just stood there, smirking like Christmas had come early.

Suddenly, his hand lashed out, and hit Naruto dead on. He flew back towards the ground. Although he did land on his feet, it took some time before he slid to a stop. He held his cheek; it was already started to bruise. "Oooh... forgot he was a Sannin, too..." Mayu laughed nervously. "That puts a major dent in my plan."

"MAYU!" Sakura shouted; her eyes turned white and angry. This only caused Mayu's nervous laughter to increase. "ARE YOU COMPLETELY INSANE!?"

"Calm down, busu..." Sai said.

"BUSU?!"

"Stop that, Sai-chan," Mayu told her teammate.

"Am I being ignored again?" Orochimaru thought; his eyebrow was beginning to twitch in irritation.

"I'm getting tired of this!" Naruto shouted, and then did a familiar hand sign. "SHADOW CLONE JUTSU!" Ten Naruto clones appeared in front of the ground.

They all began to charge at Orochimaru. Sasuke watched his clones take off, eyes wide. "Naruto, you idiot!" he shouted, and then turned. He grabbed Mayu and Sakura and took off down the hallway. Naruto raced after them.

"If you don't wanna die, I suggest you run...!" Naruto shouted to the rest of the group. The other ninja quickly followed after Sasuke and Naruto, wondering what the hell they were talking about. Orochimaru watched them go out of the corner of his eye, while dodging the continuous punches of Naruto's shadow clones.

"Enough of this child's play!" he thought. Orochimaru summoned a snakes from his body, swords in their mouths. The clones surrounded him, and then jumped up, preparing to stab him kunai. Orochimaru scoffed, and then the snakes all stab the clones before they got nearer. But instead of a look of pain like Orochimaru was expecting, what he saw was the clones grins. The clones waved at the snake Sannin.

"Bye bye...!" they chorused; Orochimaru's eyes widen.
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"Uh... not that I don't mind being carried," Mayu began, slightly annoyed. "But... what the hell?" Being carried wasn't the only reason she was annoyed, though. They were running away from Orochimaru. Not exactly what she wanted to do.

"Those clones were different from the ones you know," Sasuke muttered.

"What do you mean, Sasuke-kun?" Sakura asked. "Naruto, what did you do?"

BOOM BOOM BA-BA-BOOM

Explosions were heard, causing the group to stop. Sasuke finally released Sakura and Mayu. "What was that?!" Nakatsu asked, looking back, as did the others. Naruto grinned, and then gave a thumbs up.

"You like that? I call it Exploding Shadow Clones! The enemy never knows what hits 'em!" he said.

"Awesome!" Mayu exclaimed. "Did you come up with that yourself?"

Naruto rubbed the back of his head, sheepishly. "Well, no... Sasuke sorta gave me the idea when we were talking once," he muttered; Sasuke almost rolled his eyes.

"Let's go back, and see if you got him," Sakura said. The group nodded, and then ran back towards the explosion. A few minutes later, "I see sunlight!" Sakura stated; Mayu whistled, impressed.

"Blew a hole right through the ground, huh?" she said.

The group stopped. There was so much smoke that they couldn't see. "Did you get him?" Sakura muttered. Sasuke's eyes suddenly widen; he quickly took out his sword. But this was the other. This sword's blade was jet black. Chakra gathered around the hilt, and electric sparks shot out of the sword itself, making the sword seem longer than it was. This beam of electric sparks blasted into the smoke, and hit something with a thud.

A cry of pain was heard. "Sasuke-kun, you got him!" Sakura cheered; she raced towards the smoke and dust.

"Sakura, no!" Sasuke called. But it was too late. The pink-haired kunoichi had already disappeared. "Shit..."

"Sakura-chan!" Naruto called out.

"Naruto, go loo-"

"AAAAHHHHHHHH!" Sasuke was interrupted by a scream.

"Okay, that's it! I can't see shit!" Mayu muttered. "Nakatsu-kun, blow this crap away so we can see what's going on!" Nakatsu nodded, and then mumbled something under his breath. The wind seemed to swirl around him.

"Talon Jutsu!" he shouted.

The wind was released from the cyclone, blowing away the smoke and dust. When it was fully cleared, the group lowered their arms. "SAKURA-CHAN!" Naruto shouted, seeing the sight. Sasuke's 'sword' was embedded in Orochimaru's shoulder and stuck him to a boulder, but Orochimaru had summoned a snake and it was had its fangs deep in Sakura's skin. She was a little ways off from the snake Sannin. "Sakura-chan...!" Naruto called out again, this time racing to her side. Yamato rushed over as well.

Sasuke walked towards Orochimaru. The closer he got, the shorter 'electric sword' got. His team followed close behind him. "His body has gotten weaker..." Sasuke thought. "It was way to easy. In fact, anyone slightly weaker than me could beat him as he is now..." He glanced over at Sakura before returning his dark eyes on Orochimaru. Sakura's eyes were closed, most likely because of the pain, not the poison. Sasuke already knew that Sakura's body was resistant to most poison.

Judging from the type of snake, Sasuke automatically knew that the poison wouldn't kill her. But if it had been anymore else... "Sakura! Sakura!" Yamato softly smacked Sakura's cheek a few times.

"Could you stop that?" Sakura muttered, trying to sit up.

"Sakura-chan! Sakura-chan! What should we do?!" Naruto questioned, panic rising in his voice. The young ninja smiled.

"This is nothing, Naruto..." she said. "Poison doesn't affect me."

Naruto was near tears, and Sakura saw this. "But a snake is attached to... you!" he exclaimed.

"Just cut it off!" Sakura ordered. Naruto quickly took out a kunai, and slashed the snakes body in half. Sakura pried the snake's mouth from her arm, and instantly started healing the wound; green chakra emitted from her hand. Pretty soon, the wound had healed.

"This body..." Sasuke muttered, watching Orochimaru's blood gush from the wound, splashing on his sword. Mayu knelt by Orochimaru's side. She stared at the panting Sannin much like a child would stare at a fascinating stranger.

"Does it hurt?" she asked, innocently. Orochimaru turned his eyes towards the girl, his chest rising and falling at a rapid pace. He opened his mouth and a snake popped out as if it were his tongue. Mayu quickly caught the snakes neck... The blade sticking out of its mouth was centimeters away from her eye. "Well, that wasn't very nice..." she stated, losing her child-like stare; she jammed the blade and snake into Orochimaru's gut, causing him howl out.

Mayu stood up, not caring for the blood on her hand. She narrowed her eyes. "Orochimaru..." Sasuke began; the snake went back into Orochimaru's body. "Those clones hurt you badly, didn't they?" Orochimaru didn't bother to turn his eyes up. Sakura, Naruto, and Yamato walked over. "So bad, in fact, that you left that other body."

"What are you talking about, Sasuke-kun?" Sakura asked.

"Look to the left and you'll see his skin."

"Ew..." Nakatsu muttered.

"Using that technique over and over again, with barely enough time to regain the lost chakra..." Sasuke continued. "... You're going to die. You're so... weak, and I'm stronger than you. Most of the people here, in fact, are stronger than you." Orochimaru finally turned to glare at Sasuke.

"Big words coming from the last of the Uchiha," he muttered; Sasuke only smirked.

"Last, huh?" he said. "Funny thing about that is... the last, in anything, seems to be so much stronger, so much better, than what the world thinks. To the world, perhaps you are as great as a Sannin, but... you're nowhere near the level of strength of those considered to be 'last'."

"Sasuke..." Naruto thought, staring at the Uchiha's back.

"And your methods to getting stronger are so stupid, it's funny..." although he said that, Sasuke wasn't laughing. "Clinging to life by drugging yourself and switching bodies is a fool's way out of death. You will never be immortal, and preaching about it to others to help you gain their bodies is just cowardly. It's like Mayu said... you, this fight, everything about you is 'a disappointment'. Do you even have a goal anymore?"

"Enough talk, this is stupid," Mayu muttered, annoyed. Sasuke sighed, and then slowly removed the sword from Orochimaru's body. He turned his back to the snake Sannin. Everyone else looked on in confusion.

"Turn your backs," Sasuke said.

"Why?" Naruto asked.

"Just do it, dope..."

"TEME...!"

The others shrugged, and then did as they were told. They still didn't know why, but they did it anyway, Naruto grumbling all the while. Mayu, though, was the only one who didn't turn. She stared into Orochimaru's eyes, and he stared up. Blood dripped from her hand as she stared with a blank look. "You... It was you," Orochimaru glared. "You took Sasuke-kun away from me!"

Mayu merely chuckled as she looked away. "I can't believe it..." she whispered. "After all these years of wanting to kill you, to make you suffer... all these years. Hate, fear, death, sorrow... Orochimaru, you've caused all these things, and yet... I don't want to kill you anymore. Naraku was so much better than you. Hell, he was even hot, compared to you. He's probably the best villain ever. He'd take that award home in a second."

"What the hell is she talking about?" Naruto whispered; Sasuke only 'shushed' him, causing the blond to grumble. Mayu sighed heavily as she raised her leg above; chakra gathered in her foot.

"Even though I might not be able to use that strength, I still know the exact place to hit, so that you will die," she stated; Sakura jumped.

"WHAT?!" she thought, turning her head slightly. "DIE?!"

"Glad I took that human anatomy class junior year." Mayu brought down her leg. Her heel hit the middle of his chest. The force of the impact caused the ground underneath Orochimaru to crumble, leaving a huge dent. The snake Sannin choked for a few seconds, and then just sorta... collapsed. "Well, it's over!" Mayu said.

"MAYU, ARE YOU INSANE?!" Sakura yelled, fully turning around. "YOU KILLED HIM!" The others turned around, too.

"Good job, Mayu-san!" Sai said. "Most of his upper body bones are broken."

"DON'T CONGRADULATE HER!"

"Yeah, I hit this spot called the Xiphoid Process," Mayu stated. "Crush that, the rib cage will fall apart. Most likely, one of the ribs punctured his lung, and that's why he was choking."

"Are you guys listening to Sakura?" Yamato asked, gaining an angry nod from the pink-haired kunoichi. "We were not supposed to kill Orochimaru. The mission was for us to bring him in for questioning."

"Tsunade-sama specifically told us not to kill Orochimaru because he could have hundreds of people under his control!" Sakura stated. Mayu blinked, Sasuke blinked, Nakatsu blinked, Sai blinked.

"Oh," they all muttered.

Naruto just shook his head. Sure, he didn't know the full details of the mission, but he was sure that the others knew. "Guess I was wrong..." he muttered.

"Why do you guys seems to okay with this?! What are we going to tell the Hokage?!" Sakura asked.

"I know! I know!" Mayu raised her hand as if she were back in school. "We can say he had a heart attack on the way, ya know, cuz he's old." It was silent for a full minute after that... After that, all hell broke loose, and because of that, no one noticed the trembling of Orochimaru's body.

"WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU?!" Sakura started breaking hell. "WHY... AM I THE ONLY ONE THAT'S SURROUNDED BY DUMBASS PEOPLE?! WHY?!"

"DUMBASS?! I DON'T KNOW WHO YOU'RE CALLING A DUMBASS, BUT IT SHO' NUFF BETTER NOT BE ME, BITCH!" Mayu continued this vicious cycle.

"BITCH?!"

"YES, BITCH! YOU'VE BEEN WORKING MY NERVES EVER SINCE I RETURNED TO KONOHA!" Mayu shouted, pointing a finger. "PUNCHING ME IN THE FACE! WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT FOR?!"

"YOU WERE GONNA HURT SASUKE-KUN!" Sakura shouted back, her face had turned red in anger. "AND I'VE BEEN WORKING YOUR NERVES?! I THINK IT SHOULD BE THE OTHER WAY AROUND!"

"THAT HAD ABSOLUTELY NOTHING TO DO WITH YOU! IF IT HADN'T BEEN FOR YOU, I WOULD HAVE SUCCEEDED IN KILLING HIM!" Mayu wasn't backing down. "BTICH, PLEASE!"

"M-Mayu... I thought we were-"

"SHUT UP, UCHIHA!"

"DON'T TELL SASUKE-KUN TO SHUT UP!"

"I DO WHAT I WANT! AND NO PINK-HAIRED BITCH IS GONNA STOP ME!"

"PINK-HAIRED?! YOU HAVE PINK, TOO! DON'T GO DISSING MY HAIR!"

"Argh... I think they're both PMSing..." Yamato thought with a sweat drop. "Not at the same time... not now..." That's when Sasuke and Naruto noticed the rapid trembles from Orochimaru's both. Both boys saw something white jump from his mouth.

"Uh... Sakura-chan..." Naruto started. That's when the rest noticed the white blob growing... right behind the two females of the group.

"SO YOU'RE SAYING THIS SHIT IS NATURAL!?" Mayu laughed out.

"Sakura... Mayu..." Sasuke tried to get their attention; neither one paid attention.

"ARGH! YOU'RE SO ANNOYING! WHO WOULD FALL FOR YOU?!" Sakura screamed.

"AND YOU'RE A MOODY BITCH! WHO IN THEIR RIGHT MIND WOULD FALL FOR YOU?!" Mayu screamed back, just as high. The two had gotten so close to each other that their foreheads were touching--well, would have been if Mayu hadn't been wearing her headband.

"SAKURA! MAYU!" Yamato finally shouted. Both females turned to the oldest member of the group with glares that could freeze hell, itself.

"What...?!" they growled out in unison as if they were a couple of lionesses. Sai was the one bold enough to answer.

"There's... a giant white snake behind you," he said calmly. "I believe it is Orochimaru's true form. And I must say... that's a very bad wig..." Both girls slowly turned to face the giant white snake. Sai obviously couldn't see right because what they saw were multiple snakes combined to form one giant snake. The girls' horrified faces were almost funny.

"There! Happy, now?! You got your living, breathing Oro-teme!" Mayu muttered, gesturing towards the snake with her hand.

"Shut... up!" Sakura muttered back as they watched stared at the giant Orochimaru-looking, giant snake head.

The white snake lifted it's tail, and rapidly approached both girls, who seemed frozen in place. Luckily, the boys, Naruto and Sai, quickly grabbed them and jumped out of the way. "Thanks, Sai-chan..." Mayu muttered, getting out of his arms. Orochimaru chuckled evilly, and then just down right laughed loudly.

"Did you really think you could defeat me by exploding clones, a glow up stick, and a kick?" he taunted. It was weird to see a snake laughing. Its head was jerking back every second... Very creepy.

Sasuke was taken aback. Glow up stick?! How dare that snake call his super, special, awesome sword a 'glow up stick'?! Sasuke wasn't the only one slightly annoyed. Naruto thought that his exploding clones were great, especially in this situation. Maybe he didn't think it all the way through, like he should have, but it still turned out good in the end. Of course, Naruto was the one to start yelling. "Why, you...!"

But before he could finished his insult, one of the white snakes lashed out towards the group causing them all to move out of the way. The part of the ground that was hit began just another hole, leading to another floor. Orochimaru barely gave the group enough time to dodge his next attack. This time sending out seven snakes instead of just one. Sasuke narrowed his eyes. "I've had enough of this..." he thought, disappearing.

Blood suddenly splashed on all the members of the group. A cry of pain was heard, sounding just like Orochimaru. Everyone looked up in surprise. Almost half of Orochimaru's snake-like body had been reduced in size. "That kid's fast..." Yamato thought, just as Sasuke reappeared in the same spot.

"Um... ew..." Mayu muttered, wiping the blood from her face. She only succeeded in smearing it.

"You're welcome..." Sasuke grumbled, sarcastically.

"It's still alive!" Sakura exclaimed.

"Oh, now you want him dead," Mayu said, causing the pink-haired to glare at her.

"Don't worry! We'll take care of this!" Naruto said, and then charged towards the giant snake... but he fell...

"Please tell me... the hero did not just trip," Mayu groaned, smacking her forehead protector with the palm of her hand.

"N-No... I ca-can barely mo-move my-my body!" Naruto muttered, still on the ground. Sakura's eyes widen. Yamato, as well as everyone else, tried to move, but found they couldn't.

"But I can move just fine..." Mayu thought. She looked at Sakura to see that she was moving her arm just fine as well. "What's going on? Something that only effects guys?"

HIIIISSSSSSSSS

The sudden noise made Mayu's head turn in the direction of Orochimaru. He was, again, jerking his head, laughing evilly. "So... you've all succumbed to the poison. The scent of these white snakes have the ability to even sully the air around," he stated.

"So that's it, huh? Sakura is able to resist even these kinds of poisons..." Mayu thought, frowning. "Meaning... as I am, I can, too."

Meanwhile, the guys had fallen to their knees because of the paralyzing effects. "Damn it... This is definitely not good..." Yamato thought.

"With Mayu-chan and Sakura-san going in alone... the outcome could be..." Nakatsu thought, almost horrified.

"Mayu... no!" Sasuke thought, staring up at the two remaining members; his eyes turned to Orochimaru. "He'll play with them!" The giant snake seemed to smirk.

"I'll kill some, and leave the rest..." he hissed. "And then I'll take my Sasuke-kun back!" His mouth suddenly jerked forward, right towards Sai. "FIRST, I'LL GET THE LITTLE TRAITOR!" Sai could only widen his eyes as the giant mouth came towards him. Luckily, though, Sakura jumped into action! She ran full speed at the snake, practically flew through the air, and then kick Orochimaru in the face, using her super strength, of course. The force of the hit caused Orochimaru's whole body to go flying into the nearby wall.

Sakura landed on the ground with a soft thud. "You forgot two!" she taunted. A giant piece of debris had landed on Orochimaru's head, so the only thing he could do at the time was wag his tail. "Sai-san... are you okay?" Sakura asked turning towards the pale ninja.

"Thank you, busu..."

"I AM NOT-"

"SAKURA, ABOVE YOU!" Mayu called.

Sakura looked up just in time to see Orochimaru's mouth descending. She quickly lifted her hands, just as the snake made contact. "SAKURA-CHAN...!" Naruto shouted, not seeing what happened because of the mass collection of dust that appeared with the impact.

"Hahahahaha--huh!" Orochimaru sounded surprise. He was suddenly lifted up slightly, revealing Sakura. She was holding him off, but just barely.

"This is bad..." Yamato thought. "They need back up..."
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Yamato's clone closely watched over the still unconscious Kabuto. His dark eyes never leaving the glasses-wearing ninja. Suddenly, his eyes widen. He pressed his hand to his ear, and then looked towards where dust was coming from the ground. "Alright," he said, and then took off. "Hopefully, Kabuto will still be unconscious after all this," he thought, racing towards the hole in the ground. "Sakura did kick him pretty hard."

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"A-A little hel-help, here, Mayu!" Sakura grumbled, struggling to keep Orochimaru's heavy body off her.

"Oh... right..." Mayu muttered. She ran and kicked the snake's body, much like Sakura had done earlier. Sakura sighed heavily, feeling the weight, literally, lift off her shoulders. "Looks like we're the only ones that will be able to do something because of that paralyzing venom," Mayu stated as Sakura stood. The pink-haired kunoichi nodded her head in agreement just as Orochimaru got up and shook the rumble from his body.

"Attacks to his body don't seem to be working, though..." Sakura mentioned as Orochimaru just stared at them. She narrowed her green eyes. "If I can not defeat him, then that's fifty push-ups and fifty crunches..." she mumbled under her breath.

"What?" Mayu looked at her surprised. She could have sworn she heard something like that somewhere else.

"Listen to me," Sakura said, ignoring Mayu's question. "You get Sai-san and the others away... I'll hold him off while you're doing that."

"Don't have to tell me twice! I hate snakes!" Mayu muttered, picking up Sai's limp body. She quickly moved towards the next paralyzed body, which happened to be Nakatsu. Orochimaru saw this, and sprang towards them. Sakura swiftly ran in between them. She prepared to punch as Orochimaru's head moved closer.

"NOW!" Sakura shouted, but just as her fist was about to make contact, Orochimaru's head jerk back. Her eyes widen as her fist hit the ground.

The force of her punch caused a giant hole, revealing the next floor of Orochimaru's hideout. "Mayu...!" Sasuke muttered as she picked him up.

"Oh, don't you dare start complaining about me carrying you again, okay!" Mayu grumbled, dragging Sasuke's body to the wall with the rest of the team. "You five can't do anything right now. Nothing at all, so shut up and let us protect you!" She grinned lightly. "Besides... it's what Sakura's always wanted." She turned to the pink-haired girl, watching as she, again, dodged Orochimaru's massive tail.

"Sakura... chan..." Naruto murmured as he stared at his teammate. Mayu knelt down next to Sasuke.

"Let me borrow this," she said, taking the sword away from him.

"What are you... going to do with my sword?" Sasuke asked; Mayu narrowed her eyes. She stood up, and turned her back to him.

"Are all Uchiha possessive, jeez!" she muttered, causing Sasuke to look at her in slight confusion.

"Mayu...!" he warned.

"What do you think?" she whispered, getting into a sword stance. "I'm going to protect you. You're the one he wants, after all." Sasuke watched her. That stance... was so basic, he noted. She could attack or defend at any moment... but... it wouldn't be very effective. And besides, with her constant movement with her arm, that left her at a disadvantage.

"What could she be thinking...?" Sasuke thought.

"Damn it! No matter how many times I hit him, he won't stay down!" Sakura thought, panting heavily. "I don't know how long I can keep this up!" Blood ran down both of her arms. A couple of those snakes had sunk their fangs into her. Orochimaru had disappeared. He was now using the holes in the ground for his advantage. "There's no telling where he'll appear..."

"Why aren't her punches working? The most they're doing is throwing him around," Mayu thought; she almost sighed. "If only I had paid attention in Biology when they were talking about snakes..." Mayu knew already that aiming for the heart wasn't going to do anything. His entire body was made up of many snakes, so you wouldn't know where to hit, even if you tried. "The only part of that body where you know where an organ is... is his--Wait a minute! That's it!"

Mayu took off running towards Sakura. "Hey! I got a plan!" she called.

"Matte, Mayu! Stay near the wall!" Sakura shouted. Suddenly, the ground started trembling, and evil laughter erupted from the ground, itself! The earth beneath Mayu crumbled, causing her to stumble. Orochimaru, suddenly, shot up out of the ground, taking Mayu up with him. Luckily, she had used Sasuke's sword to keep from falling in his mouth.

The sword is what kept Orochimaru's mouth open. Mayu had grabbed onto the blade. She looked down, and saw a slimy tongue coming her way. "Well, that's not good..." she muttered.

"MAYU!" she heard someone shout. Mayu felt the slimy tongue touch her leg.

"Oh, hell no!" she gasped.

She quickly swung herself up, and used Sasuke's sword as a beam and jumped up. She jerked her arm up. Because of this motion, the sword came up with her.

"So that wasn't a stance...?" Sasuke thought, watching her. "She was actually linking my sword to her, so she wouldn't lose it." Mayu quickly ran down Orochimaru's body, quickly slashing at the snakes trying to stop her. Unfortunately, Mayu didn't see the snake behind her.

"Mayu, watch out!" Naruto called out to her. But it was too late; the snake had managed to sink its fangs into Mayu's side.

She screamed loudly as the snake flung her up in the air. Sasuke stared in slight disbelief as Mayu came crashing to Earth. She struggled to get back up, but in the end, she collapsed. "MAYU!" Sakura shouted, seeing her body; the girl didn't move. "Why?! She should be resisting any poison!" she thought, her hand hovering over her mouth. "Sasuke-kun...!" Her green eyes turned to her former teammate to see that his eyes hadn't left Mayu's body.

"Get up..." he thought. "Get up! Something like that won't kill you! GET UP, MAYU!" he shouted; his voice sounded desperate. Orochimaru just chuckled.

"I don't know how the pink kunoichi managed to overcome the effects of both poisons, but an Ishikari couldn't possible resist the second, more stronger venom! Hahahahaha!" he laughed. Kabuto had given him more information once they reached the hideout, so that's how he knew--well, assumed, actually. Kabuto had told him that no matter who's body one enters, it's never as strong as the original person who performed the abilities. "Oh well, mind as well get rid of the trash!" Orochimaru lunged at Mayu's body!

"NO! GET AWAY FROM HER!" Sasuke shouted. Electric currents actually seemed to come from his body! The electric currents race towards Orochimaru at high speed. The snake only had enough time to look and see the attack coming. The lightning attack hit him dead on, knocking him off course. Orochimaru's body shook and thrashed around, sparks of electricity still emitting from it. Sakura dashed over to Mayu's body, and sat her up.

"Mayu! Mayu!" she exclaimed as she healed her snake bite. "You can't die! You're Sasuke-kun's anchor!" she thought, tears came sliding down her cheeks. "Mayu! Don't die!" Sakura, in her emotional state, flung her body over Mayu's. That's when she heard it... The faint sound of... "Snores...?" Sakura thought, lifting her head, and turning towards Mayu's face. There, she saw an comical air bubble coming from Mayu's noise, indicating that she was sleeping.

Sakura's sad face instantly transformed into an angry, irritated look. She practically drilled her fist into Mayu's head. The bubble popped, and then Mayu sat up. "My head hurts..." she muttered, rubbing her nose. "Oh! Sakura! When did you come over?" The younger kunoichi's eye twitched.

"BAKA!" she shouted, punching Mayu in the head, again and again. "BAKA! BAKA! BAKA! BAKA! BAKAAAAAAAAA!"

"WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT?!" Mayu screamed, jumping up. Sakura ignored her as she stood. Instead, she looked over to her former teammate. The great Uchiha was knocked out, swirly eyes and all.

"I think he fainted from relief, which is weird..." Sakura thought with a sweat drop. She could not believe that's what he'd been reduced to! But even so... "Even so..." she muttered, look at Orochimaru's twitching body. "That attack... was so strong. That level of strength is way above my level. Sasuke-kun has really gotten stronger. Much stronger," she mused in thought.

"Ey! Are you gonna tell me why you hit me several times?!" Mayu shouted, pointing a finger.

"You're lucky that's all I did!" Sakura 'humph' as she turned her back to the other girl. Mayu practically glared. "How the hell did you fall asleep, anyway?!"

"I can't help it if I fall asleep after getting hit on my head at a certain spot! Ask Sasuke! He's knows all about hitting that spot! Always hitting me just because I piss him off-" laughter interrupted her.

"My, my, my! It seems you have gotten stronger, Sasuke-kun!" Orochimaru said, causing all heads to turn in his direction. He looked as if he was struggling to gain his posture. "Stronger than I realized, in fact... IT MAKES ME WANT YOU EVEN MORE!"

Orochimaru went completely around the two girls, and slithered towards the boys. "Oh no!" Sakura exclaimed, watching as the snake moved quickly towards them.

"THAT BODY WILL BE MINE!"

"WOOD RELEASE: WOOD LOCKING WALL!" a voice shouted. Suddenly, a half-dome of wood covered the five boys, entirely. Orochimaru's head stood no chance against the wood shield. He bounced right off..

"But that's...!" Sakura muttered, looking around. Yamato's clone jumped down onto the half-dome. "His clone...?" she thought.

"But I thought they couldn't move!" Mayu stated.

"I'm here to help," the clone said.

"But you'll be paralyzed, too!" Sakura stated.

"Don't worry, this dome will prevent anymore toxin from the air to enter their bodies," the clone stated, nodding his head. "Pretty soon, we will recover, but until then-"

"That's where you're wrong old man!" Mayu interrupted with a grin. "Me and Sakura will defeat Oro-teme well before they recover. You just watch!" The younger kunoichi looked at Mayu in surprise; Mayu returned her eyes to Sakura. "Don't worry, I have a plan! Not sure if it'll work, but... let's just hope the rumors are true."

"What do you mean?" Sakura whispered.

"No matter what, Sakura, don't pay attention to me," Mayu whispered back. "You just focus on aiming a powerful punch to the back of Oro-teme's head, alright?"

"But what are you gonna do?" Sakura asked, curious.

"Don't worry about it! Just know when I distract him, you attack!"

"Do you really think it'll be that easy?!" Orochimaru stood--well, as much as a snake could. "I will have Sasuke-kun's body, and two little bitches aren't going to stop me!"

"Little?!" Mayu screamed.

"Bitches?!" Sakura screeched. Orochimaru almost back up in slight fright.

"How can I take this seriously anymore?" Yamato thought, resisting the urge to roll his eyes. "Two PMSing females is too much to handle...!"

"Let's take him down, Mayu!" Sakura continued, glaring at the giant white snake.

"You got it! Call us bitches, will he?!"

"You think you can stop me?!"

"YOSH!" Sakura exclaimed, and then charged; Mayu did the same. Orochimaru slithered forward as the girls raced towards him. "Here we go...!"

Sakura pulled her fist back, and then released. Orochimaru didn't even try to dodger her attack. He was throw back by Sakura's force. She turned back to Mayu. "Good punch, Sakura, yeah!" she cheered.

"Why didn't you back me up?" Sakura questioned.

"Oh, no reason," Mayu answered, causing Sakura to sweat drop. "Besides, I had to make sure--Remember what I said, Sakura!"

"Got it...!" was her respond. Orochimaru chuckled, and then laughed again. "I'm really getting tired of that laugh..." Sakura muttered.

"Glad I'm not the one only one this time," Mayu agreed, nodding her head.

"You impudent fools! When we you learn?! I am undying! You can not defeat me!" Orochimaru crackled. "I'm out of your league, not even your precious Hokage has what it takes! What makes you think you stand a chance, hm? I will have Sasuke's body, and I will kill you!"

"Che..." Mayu smirked. "If you wanted Sasuke's body so bad... all you had to do was ask. I'll give it to you."

"Huh...?!" Orochimaru slightly confused.

"Nani...?!" Sakura thought, staring at her comrade in surprise. "Mayu, are you insane, after all?!"

"What could she be thinking?" Yamato thought, watching from afar. He had heard from Kakashi-sempai, himself, that this girl was a great strategist. When he asked how, Kakashi only laughed.

"Oh, you'll see..."

"Hmmm..." Yamato continued to watch.

Mayu penetrated the ground with Sasuke's sword. "Watch closely, and you'll have your body," she said. Mayu's hair changed from pink to blond, her eyes changed from green to blue. Orochimaru looked on in slight interest.

"What is she doing?! Now her body won't resist the poison at all!" Sakura thought. And she was right. As soon as Mayu's colors stop changing, she fell on her knee. "Mayu...!"

"Hold tight... I got it," she murmured. "Only have a few seconds..." She quickly formed hand signs. "SEXY JUTSU!" Smoke surrounded her. When the smoke finally cleared, there, in Mayu's place, stood a blond-hair, blue-eyed Sasuke... A very nakedblond-haired, blue-eyed, Sasuke. All was quiet as Sasuke's naked body was being watched. "My body is yours for the taking... Orochimaru-sama."

"No..." Yamato thought, eyes wide.

"She...!" Orochimaru thought, not tearing his eyes away.

"DIDN'T!" Sakura thought, trying to hide her eyes. "No! I can't get distracted! Must... get... away... from... sexy... body!" She ran from sight, holding her nose as she did, in fear of a nose bleed. Again, it grew quiet.

"What's the matter? I'm right where you want me! Take me, master!" Mayu, in the form of Sasuke, clasped her hands together. "This is all for you!"

Blood came gushing from Orochimaru's snake noise as he continued to stare. Because of his stare, he did not see, or even feel, Sakura go behind him. And snakes could usually detect motion. "S-S-Sick!"Yamato's clone thought, and then disappeared in a cloud of smoke. Inside the dome, the real Yamato just got the experience of his clone. He immediately started laughing. "Kakashi-sempai was right! Brilliant, indeed!" he thought, holding his mouth, trying to stifle his laughter. "How can I continue to take this battle seriously with her around?"

"Captain, what are you--Hey, we can move now!" Naruto noticed, moving his arms. "Let's go save-" he was about to get up.

"No! We're staying put!" Yamato said, holding Naruto down.

"But Sakura-chan, and Mayu are out there... alone!" Naruto protested.

"Yeah, there's no telling what's happening!" Sasuke agreed.

"Trust me... you, especially you, Uchiha Sasuke... do not want to see what Mayu has done," Yamato stated.

"Me...?" Sasuke thought, confused.

"After all..." Yamato continued. "She's using your body as a distraction..."

"So what?" Naruto asked.

"... in the form of... Naruto's Sexy Jutsu..."

"Ew..." Naruto muttered, looking a little freaked out.

"NANI...?!" Sasuke yelled.

Outside, Mayu heard the shout of anger. "Why... do I get the feeling that I'm gonna die... and not by Oro-teme?" she thought, shuddering. She quickly transformed back into herself, black hair and all. Orochimaru quickly shook his head, and focused on Mayu.

"You little bitch! YOU'RE DEAD!" he hissed, lunging at Mayu.

"Can't... move...!" she thought. "Sakura, where the hell are ya!?"

"DIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIE!"

"KORO SHITE YARU!" another shout rang, causing Mayu and Orochimaru to look towards the half-dome.

A dark blur seemed to pop right out of it. "K-Kill me...?" Mayu stammered, seeing who it was that popped out. "De-Demo, Sasuke..."

"Did it work?" he asked, glaring down at her.

"Wha-What?"

"Did Naruto's jutsu work on him?!"

"Oh... yeah, he was bleeding from the nose and everything..."

Sasuke turned his glare to Orochimaru, who was visible sweating. "Teme--yarukika?" he asked.

"I don't think he's trying to piss you off, Sasuke... He's just turned on by your naked body," Mayu muttered; she sat on her bottom. The paralyzing venom almost took full effect. Sasuke ignored her, and took his sword from the ground. "Didn't think that would work so well..."

"You disgust me!" Sasuke's glare harden, and then ran towards the snake. As he ran, his appearance changed.

His hair grew longer as the cursed mark seemed to cover his entire body. Mayu saw the wings come out of his back. Her eyes widen as the hairs stood on end. Her deep blue eyes stared as Sasuke's sword, quite smoothly, slashed through Orochimaru's snake infested body. "He's... he's..." Mayu thought, eyes getting slightly wider. Sasuke landed on his feet, a little ways off from Orochimaru's reduced body.

"That was far too easy," he stated, staring down at the twitching snake. All there was left was his head.

"I will have your-"

"THIS IS THE END FOR YOU!" Sakura shouted, seemingly coming out of nowhere. She delivered a super blow to the back of the snake's head. Her fist went through his skull, his brain, and came out at the other side. Orochimaru's head seem to disintegrate around Sakura's powerful fist. She panted heavily, pulling her arm back up. "I put almost everything behind that punch..." she thought. "He'd better stay down this time!"

"Oi... good job, Sakura-chan!" Naruto cheered. His head was sticking out of the hole that Sasuke had created.

"Hey! Move it, already!" Nakatsu shouted. "I can't see anything with your ass in the way!" Naruto grumbled something under his breath as he jumped, fully, out of the hole.

"Sasuke..." Mayu muttered; Sasuke turned his attention to her. "You're so..." she whispered, allowing her head to fall. "So..."

"Cool?" Sasuke thought, feeling slightly more confident, as he walked over to Mayu. "I bet she'll say something like that!" He knelt down beside her. "Mayu... we should get away. The venom from the air will lose its effect on your body," he said out loud.
"You're so--Sasuke, you..." Mayu started.

"Yes?"

"You're so... gay-looking," she murmured; Sasuke's eye twitched. "Just like the drag-queens in that gay parade."

"Mayu, you...!" he stopped, but only because he noticed tiny wet spots on the ground.

His cursed mark receded back into its original shape. Sasuke lifted Mayu's chin, and was shock to find tears cascading down her cheeks. Silent sobs shook her body. "S-Sasuke...!" she smiled up at him.

"Why are you-"

"WHAT DID YOU DO TO MAYU-CHAN, YOU FIEND!" Nakatsu suddenly shouted. Sasuke was throw out of the way, and Nakatsu examined Mayu's body, thoroughly.

"I'm fine, Nakatsu-kun," Mayu said. But that didn't stop him from pointing to her tears. "It's nothing... I'm just happy." She smiled as she said this. Nakatsu blushed lightly, seeing her smile. He coughed lightly, and then wiped away her tears.

"Still, Mayu-chan, you shouldn't be crying!" he exclaimed.

"Stupid bastard..." Sasuke thought, standing up, and glaring as Nakatsu lifted Mayu up bridal style. Sakura clapped her hands.

"We should really get out of here before your bodies succumbs to the venom again," she stated. "I really don't feel like carrying all of your bodies..." she muttered.

"Yeah, but what about Orochimaru?" Naruto questioned. "Didn't you say the mission was for us to bring him in?"

"Yah... that's right," Sakura mumbled. "What are we going to tell the Hokage?"

"Oh, I know! We can-" Mayu was interrupted.

"We are not saying he had a heart attack!" Sakura shouted, pointing a finger; Mayu stuck her tongue out.

"There is always Kabuto," Sai mentioned.

"Oh, that's right!" Sakura said, smacking her palm with her fist. "Kabuto is the second in command... I think. He should have about the same knowledge as Orochimaru."

"Okay, let's go pick him up," Yamato said.
*************************


"Well, this isn't good!" Mayu started, staring at the place Kabuto should have been. All that remained was Yamato's wood that had encased the glasses-wearing ninja. It looked as though it had been cut. Mayu sighed wearily. Changing one's appearance really took a lot out of you. "Please tell me we don't have to go chasing after this fool!" she pleaded.

Sakura gave her a sympathetic look. She, too, was drained of her energy. She didn't want to go chasing after someone who could be long gone, anyway. She released a sigh as well, staring at the ground. Sakura looked up. "Yeah, I don't think it's a good idea for us to go looking for him, especially since Mayu and I have used up most of our chakra," she stated.

"I agree," Sasuke said. "But we should at least get rid of Orochimaru's remains."

"Ya mean bury him?" Naruto questioned. "Why would we do that?"

"Not bury him, dope," Sasuke muttered.

"Sasuke has a point," Yamato said. "There are various and unknown things that Orochimaru has. There no telling what his underlings will do if they find the remains." The rest of the group nodded their heads in agreement. Naruto had heard that Orochimaru had once brought the First and Second Hokage back to life!

"Orochimaru can't come back! He just can't!" Naruto thought, following his team back to the hole in the ground. When the team of ninja reached the hole, they were shocked to find neither hide nor hair of Orochimaru's snake body. "No way...!" Naruto whispered. "We're too late!"

"Kabuto must've already been through here," Sai stated. "He has taken his master's body."

"Shit...!" Nakatsu grumbled.

"Would Tsunade-sama will be angry with this information?" Yamato asked himself, but it was still loud enough for everyone else to hear.

"Nah! I'm sure Granny Tsunade will understand!" Naruto answered with confidence. Yup, she'd understand for sure! After all, they had managed to kill Orochimaru, one of the biggest threats to Konoha! She'd definitely understand. Perhaps the team would even give an award to them or something!
***********************

"YOU WHAT?!" Tsunade screamed. Naruto, Sakura, and Mayu cringed. The others just looked impassive. Both teams were filed into the Hokage's office. It had taken days to return to Konoha, and that's what they had returned to.

"I stand corrected..." Naruto grumbled, looking slightly annoyed.

"What was that, you little punk?!" Tsunade yelled, pointing a finger at Naruto, who instantly straightened up.

"But, Tsunade-sama-" Sakura began.

"Not only did you not capture the 'spy,' but you also let him get away with Orochimaru's body!" the Hokage interrupted. "All in all, the mission was a failure."

"But Sakura-chan managed to kill Orochimaru!" Naruto protested. Shizune smiled, squeezing Tonton a little, causing the pig to squeal. Sakura, her student, had managed to beat a Sannin! What sensei wouldn't be proud of their student after completing such a feat?

"With help, of course..." Mayu muttered. Sakura chuckled nervously.

"That's right Tsunade-sama, at least now we know that Orochimaru is considerably weaker than we first thought him to be," she stated. "The mission wasn't that much of a failure."

"Hmm..." Tsunade mumbled, lacing her fingers together and closing her eyes. Something she did when she was thinking. "... I suppose you're right..." she finally said, opening her eyes.

Sasuke stepped forward. "Even though, Kabuto managed to get Orochimaru's remains," he began. "I predict that he won't be able to do anything for awhile." He stepped back in line. "But still..." he thought. "Why was he so much weaker? It doesn't make any sense... Unless, of course, he didn't do anything for those two and a half years... But that would be just stupid on his part. And I know that Orochimaru is not stupid... But then... why?"

"All right... I'll let this go for now," Tsunade stated, getting a few grins. "I will assign Naruto's team a new mission momentarily. They will be on standby for the time being." Suddenly, Mayu grimaced as she held her stomach.

"Am I hungry?" she wondered as her belly rumbled. "I think I'm getting dizzy, too..."

"As for Sasuke's team-" Tsunade had to stop, but only because Mayu had fell to her knees, and puked all over the floor.

"Mayu-chan...!" Nakatsu exclaimed in alarm. "What's wrong?!"

"Oh, her body must finally be reacting to the poison," Sakura stated. Everyone turned towards the pink-haired girl. "You see, the poison can't stay in my body. It has to come out eventually. The poison is expelled through the mouth. I did that at the inn we stayed in on our way back here," she explained. Mayu gave her a look of disbelief.

"And you choose now to tell me that?!" she asked, looking a little flushed. "I'm never using your body again!" And then she regurgitated once more. Tsunade coughed, gaining the attention of a few.

"Never mind what I was going to say. Sasuke's team will not have any missions right now," she said. "Someone get her out of here," she mumbled, pointing to Mayu. The Ishikari tried to stand, but that wasn't happening, so Sasuke picked her up.

"Why do I feel-" Mayu began, but Sakura interrupted.

"Ah, yes... You'll also feel weak, of course," she said. "After the poison exits, you should eat to regain your strength..." Sakura trailed off, seeing the distasteful look on Mayu's face.

"Damn you, Haruno Sakura, damn you!" she muttered.

"You'd better not throw up on me," Sasuke grumbled, slightly annoyed.

"You're all dismissed," Tsunade sighed. "Except Yamato and Nakatsu."

"Hai!" a few answered in unison. The others were totally not in sync with the others. One them being Mayu because she thought she'd hurl again.
*********************

"Mayu, are you sure you're feeling better?" Sasuke questioned, staring at the annoyed-looking Mayu. She was sitting on stairs, her legs were crossed, her eyes, closed. Her eyebrow twitched in slight irritation. It had been a few hours since their meeting with the Hokage. In those few hours, Mayu had dealt with her problem, but was now... drained.

She sighed heavily. "For the last time, Sasuke... NO!" she groaned. "I'm weak and I'm hungry, and hearing you complain is not helping!" Sasuke turned his head away, slightly embarrassed.

"I only asked twice..." he muttered.

The two were currently waiting for their two other members to show up. They had been waiting for about five minutes. Both teens had changed their outfits. Sasuke now had on a large black T-shirt with the Uchiha crest sewed on the back, and black pants. Mayu had put on the clothes that she had on when she first returned to Konoha, which was red T-shirt with a black, bleeding heart inside a white rib cage, and jean shorts. Both teens had left their forehead protectors home. "Where are they?!" Mayu finally grumbled. "We're gonna be late!"

"Late for what?" Sasuke asked. Mayu glared at him. "Come to think of it... You arranged for them to meet us here. Why?"

"Because I'm feeling special, now shut up!" Mayu answered; Sasuke sighed.

"I don't know how I put up with her..." he thought with narrowed eyes.

"Oi! Mayu-chan!" a voice called, causing two heads to turn.

What they saw was Nakatsu and Sai coming their way, the older male waving his hand. Neither one of them had their forehead protectors either. "Nakatsu-kun! Sai-chan!" Mayu waved them over. The two moved slightly quicker.

"I found Sai on the way here," Nakatsu explained. "He said he was at the library, so he lost track of time."

Mayu looked over to Sai, who gave of nod of confirmation. "That's okay. I often loose myself when I'm playing my guitar," Mayu said. "It's easy to loose the time as well."

"Okay, now that that's out of the way..." Sasuke began. "Mayu, why did you arrange this meeting. And this time give me a real answer!"

"Sasuke... don't be a dick about it!" Mayu said; Sasuke's eyebrow twitched. "Anyway, I wanted to do something with the whole team. That mission was our first mission together, so I thought we could celebrate... Plus, I'm starving."

"Trust you to do something just because of your stomach, Mayu," Sasuke muttered.

"What was that, bird brain?!" Mayu practically growled. Sasuke smirked. It seemed like a long time since he heard her call him that. Somehow, he had grown accustomed to that, and actually missed it when she stopped. Sasuke shook his head.

"What is wrong with me?" he thought.

"Mayu-chan! That's a great idea! Glad I didn't eat lunch yet!" Nakatsu stated.

"Thank you, Nakatsu-kun! At least someone is appreciating my generosity!" Mayu smiled.

"... Mayu-san and Sasuke-kun don't use honorifics when addressing each other..." Sai noticed as the three continued to talk. "Mayu-san even went as far as to call him something that Sasuke-kun didn't seem to mind..."

"You're just using this as an excuse to fill your stomach, Mayu," Sasuke said, crossing his arms; he smirked. "You can't fool me."

"Shut up! I already said I was paying for it! Why are you messin' with me?!"

"Yeah, Uchiha, quit teasing her!" Nakatsu said. "That's not very gentleman like."

"You're just now noticing that I'm not?" was his sarcastic reply.

"M-Mayu... S-Sasuke... Na-Nakatsu..." Sai began. Who knew it was so hard to just suddenly stop using honorifics? The three teens turned to their teammate with slightly surprised looks. When their eyes turned to him, Sai quickly turned away, almost if embarrassed. He scratched his cheek lightly. "May I... join your conversation?" he asked. Mayu blinked. "Ano... you see, I was reading about how to open up to people... That's the reason I was at the library. The book I was reading said to try dropping honorifics, or use a nickname. By doing so, you can become friends faster and easier. And I want to become friends with you, all of you." A slight blush appeared on Sai's pale face.

Mayu grinned, Nakatsu stilled looked shocked, and Sasuke had to resist rolling his eyes. What was with this person? "Sai-chan, you're so adorable!" Mayu said. "I just wanna hug you!" Sai smiled lightly, while Sasuke scoffed.

"I was trying to come up with nicknames for you three," Sai stated; Mayu 'aww'ed lightly when she heard that. "But I couldn't think of any... So I thought dropping the honorifics is good enough for now."

"Sai-chan, you just can't think of nicknames for your friends," Mayu said. "They just come to you."

"Come to you...?" Sai repeated.

"Yeah, they usually have something to do with the way someone looks or acts," Mayu continued. "Take Sasuke for instant..." Sai looked at the Uchiha in curiosity. "When we were younger, I always called him bird brain." Sasuke grumbled. "The way he styled his hair reminded me of bird feathers, so anything related to birds would just pop outta my mouth as a nickname! Now that I think about it, Chicken butt's a good nickname for him too."

She giggled; Sasuke glared. "You start calling me that, I'll start hitting you," Sasuke stated, closing his eyes. "You can count on it." Mayu laughed nervously. She patted his back.

"Don't be so serious, Sasuke," she said.

"Whatever..." he replied, shaking her hand off; Mayu glared.

Sai placed his finger on his chin, looking deep in thought. "Traits... I see now..." he thought.

"Wow, this kid has changed a lot since we first met," Nakatsu thought, smirking lightly. "I used to want to hit him all the time, but now... He's kinda okay." Sai finally opened his eyes, his focus on Mayu. "Hey, you don't have to stare at her like that!" Nakatsu mumbled. Sai smiled, nodding his head.

"Thanks. I believe I get it now..." he said. Mayu grinned. "Jester."

"J-Jester...?" Mayu muttered.

"Hai."

"Come to think of it, it matches you perfectly, Mayu," Sasuke stated.

"Shut up...!" Mayu blushed lightly. "I suppose this means you will give nicknames to Sasuke and Nakatsu-kun, too?" Sai nodded his head.

"Since yours worked so well," he thought.

"Great! Let's discuss this over lunch!" Mayu said. "I'm starving!"
**************************

The four teens sat at an already reserved table. "So that's what she was doing when she tried to sneak out of her room," Sasuke thought, staring at Mayu as she laughed at something Nakatsu said. The four were seated at a restaurant called Katana to Hera. It is rumored that the man who owned this place used to be a samurai, which made it popular among teens, as well as retired ninja. Sasuke and Nakatsu were on one side of the table, while Mayu and Sai were on the other. The four had already ordered their meals, and now were just waiting.

"So, Sai-chan, have you come up with names for Nakatsu-kun and Sasuke?" Mayu turned to her pale teammate.

"Hm..." Sai closed his eyes. Mayu stared at him, blinking every so often. He suddenly opened his eyes, and then pointed to Nakatsu. "Dickless." Mayu broke out into laughter, Nakatsu looked ready to strangle the pale ninja, while Sasuke just smirked.

"That is nota nickname you wanna call your friend!" Nakatsu stated.

"But if it's true..." Sasuke began.

"You, shut up, Uchiha!"

Mayu pulled Sai closer to her. "Hey, hey, Sai-chan! I'm really started to like you!" she stated, and then laughed again. "Dickless...! That's too funny!"

"Mayu-chan... please stop encouraging him!" Nakatsu whined. Mayu released Sai, and then grinned at Nakatsu.

"Oh, it's just harmless fun, Nakatsu-kun!" she said. "Lighten up!" Nakatsu only pouted, which only caused Mayu to giggle. "Oh, and by the way... after we eat, I arranged it so that we could take a picture togeth-"

"Hey! Mayu?!" a voice shouted, causing four heads to look towards the voice.

"Hm...? Oh, Yasmine!" Mayu called as her friend made her way over.

"Ne, Mayu! When did you get back?" Yasmine asked.

"Hours ago, you weren't home, so I'm assuming you were working," Mayu stated; Yasmine nodded her head.

"Hai!" she said. "But now I'm on my lunch break. Well! Introduce me!"

"Right, right!" Mayu muttered. "Everyone, this is my friend Yasmine Dalton, although Sasuke already knows her."

"Ohayo!" she greeted with a wave.

"So she must be the foreign girl I've heard about..." Nakatsu thought. "Her skin color is even darker than Mayu's... I wonder what country she's from."

"This is Sai-chan," Mayu placed a hand on his shoulder.

"It's a pleasure to meet you... um..." Sai began. "It's Mayu-san's friend, so I need to make a good first impression, right?" he thought.

"I wonder what he's about to call me..." Yasmine thought.

Yasume: If it's something insulting, I'm gonna tear him a new one!

"Uh... Dir-" Sai was instantly pinched by Mayu. "-Caramel!"

"Cara... mel...?" Yasmine repeated.

Yasume: ... Well, that's definitely not what I was expecting...

"Thank you, Sai... chan!" Yasmine said, a slight blush on her face. "Well, I just came over to say hi, but I have to go now, or else Ten-chan will get impatient."

"Ten-chan?" Mayu repeated.

"Hai," Yasmine nodded her head. "Recently, Ten-chan has been coming to my job, on my lunch breaks, and we usually have lunch together. Sometimes, she even cooks, and we have a picnic somewhere in the forest! Ten-chan's an excellent cooker. Who knew?! Neji-san will be so happy!"

"Why would Hyuga Neji be happy about that?" Sasuke asked.

"Because those two were created for each other!" Yasmine answered.

Yasume: B'duh!

"Uh... created?" Nakatsu muttered. "What a strange girl..." he thought.

"Sh-She means made for each other! Right, Yasmine?" Mayu laughed nervously.

"Huh...? Oh, right... that's what I meant!" she exclaimed. "Silly me, clumsy and forgetful!"

"Mine-chan!" a voice yelled, causing Yasmine to turn away.

"Sorry, have to go now! Ten-chan's calling me!" she said, walking away. "See ya around, Mayu, Emo, Sai-chan, and weird person, who I don't know!" Nakatsu's eye twitched, knowing good and well who Yasmine was referring to. Mayu sighed, watching her go.

"Mine-chan...?" she repeated, narrowing her eyes.

"Don't tell me you're actually trying to get jealous, Mayu," Sasuke smirked.

"Shut up, emo bird brain," Mayu responded. The smirk instantly vanished from Sasuke's features. "I'm glad that Yasmine's making friends, but... with her condition, people might easily turn their backs to her, perhaps even hurt her."

"Condition?" Nakatsu thought, slightly interested; Sai's ears also perked up. Sasuke sighed lightly.

"I'm pretty sure Tenten will not hurt her," he said.

"You don't know that. You don't even know her," Mayu murmured. "Hell, back in the US, she was considered an OC with a name and face," she thought. "But I guess there's nothing to worry about. From what I've seen, she's okay."

It's amazing how wrong people can be...
***********************

"What took you so long, Mine-chan?" Tenten asked as Yasmine sat down across from her. The weapon's mistress had been waiting for Yasmine to return from the restroom, but after fifteen minutes had gone by, Tenten became a little annoyed.

"Gomen...!" Yasmine said, bowing her head. "I just got caught up talking to Mayu and her team."

"Mayu's here?" Tenten asked. She had heard that the team Mayu was on had gone on a missions weeks ago. "When did she return?"

"Just today," Yasmine answered, and then took a bite of her onigiri. "Hey, this filling is pretty good!"

"Really...? Let me me taste," Tenten said, grabbing Yasmine's wrist. She leaned forward and took a bite out of Yasmine's onigiri. The foreign girl blinked in surprise. Tenten released Yasmine as she chewed on the piece of rice ball in her mouth. She nodded her head in agreement. "You're right. Very tasty."

"Yeah..." Yasmine muttered, looking at the half eaten onigiri. "But that was mine!" she thought, mentally crying a river. Tenten giggled. She had seen the look on Yasmine's face.

"You're so cute when you pout like that," she said; Yasmine flinched. Why did Tenten seem to always catch her doing something that she wouldn't show to other people? "I notice that you get that way every time I manage to take your food..."

"Then... you take my food on purpose?" Yasmine asked, giving a half-hearted glare. That only made Tenten laughed. "You were?!"

"I can not lie," was her response.

"Ten-chan...!"

"Can't really help it. You're so cute! That look reminds me of a stuffed animal I used to own," Tenten stated. "Back when I was cute and small." She sighed as her childhood memories came back to her. "Look at me being all nostalgic! Sumimasen!"

Yasmine shook her head. "It's alright," she said. "I enjoy our conversations." It was true, talking with Tenten was almost like talking with a big sister. "Ne, Ten-chan..."

"Yeah?" Tenten took a bite of her own food.

"Do you... happen to have a crush on someone?" Yasmine asked in an innocent voice.

Tenten nearly spit out her food, but because she didn't, she nearly choked on it. She pounded her chest several times. Luckily, the food went down. Tenten sighed heavily in relief. "Mine-chan, don't ask such a question while I'm eating, alright?" she muttered.

"Gomennasai," Yasmine responded. "Demo... do you?"

Tenten swallowed hard. She looked away in embarrassment. "Uh... yeah, I do..." she said, barely above a whisper.

"Aww! You're blushing, Ten-chan!" Yasmine stated with a grin.

"No, I'm not!" the kunoichi muttered, her face become red. Yasmine finished off her onigiri, and smiled.

"So Neji-san and her aren't dating yet," she thought. "Maybe I should give her a little push in the right direction!" That's when a sudden thought struck her. "But how am I supposed to get them together if I'm afraid of talking to Neji-san?" Yes, she had remembered a few things that happened that day. One of them being when she ran away from him. Although, she didn't remember the reason, she knew that things would be very awkward if they were to meet again.

Yasmine had been very lucky not to bump into Neji since that... confrontation. "But if I want Ten-chan and him together... I'll have to talk with him," she thought, frowning.

"Mine-chan..." Tenten called, seeing the girl deep in thought. Yasmine looked up, startled. "What are you thinking about?" Yasmine chuckled nervously.

"Oh, nothing! Just trying to figure out who you like," she answered.

"I see... So, do you like anyone yet, Mine-chan?"

"What?" Yasmine sounded surprise. "No, of course not... I did just get here."

"Yeah, but it's been almost a month since then, right?" Tenten stated. "You must like someone by now."

"No, there's no one I could think of..." she responded.

"Hmm..."

Tenten took a small sips of her water. "Could I have been wrong about her and Neji?" she thought. "No, Neji's definitely interested. Whether she be his old friend or not... I don't like it... Every time I bring her up, he visibly flinches. And then there's that conversation we had that day..."

"Neji!" Tenten called out, waving at her teammate. The Hyuga genius turned. Seeing his female teammate, he stopped and waited for her to catch up with him.

"Tenten... I apologize for leaving you," Neji stated, continuing his walk; Tenten followed suit.

"That's alright, I'm not mad," she replied. "But guess who I saw when I came out to look for you!" Neji turned his head to her.

"Who was it?" he asked.

"Yasmine."

"O-Oh...?"

"Yeah, she looked a little troubled, though!" Tenten continued, noticing how Neji flinched. "Weird, no? But she's interesting. She even caused the great Hyuga Neji to crack! A very hard feat to accomplish in a day."

Neji suddenly stopped, causing Tenten to do the same. "Tenten. be honest... are you curious about her?" he asked.

"Why wouldn't I be?" was her response, causing Neji to frown.

"Tenten, I don't think it would be wise to get involved with her," Neji stated. "She different... Too different."

"So?" Tenten muttered. "Why can't I get involved? I don't see what the problem is."

"You know why..." Neji sighed, and then continued to walk; Tenten followed after him. "Yasmine's not like that..."

"And how do you know?!" Tenten was beginning to get upset. Who was Hyuga Neji to deny her?

"Well, in all honesty, I don't know, but..." Neji said. "But I--she was my childhood friend, Tenten."

"Childhood friend? She doesn't act like it," Tenten stated.

"She has lost those memories," Neji answered. He closed his eyes. "It's a shame, really."

"You like her!"

"Of course I like her. She's my--well, used to be my friend," Neji stated. "Why would I become friends with someone I don't like?" Tenten blinked. Realization shown in her brown eyes; she had a sweat drop sliding down the back of her head.

"Trust Hyuga Neji to not know what type of 'like' I'm talking about..." she thought, sighing lightly.

"Besides, Tenten, that girl is very fragile," Neji continued, frowning. "She's even more broken than when we first met..."

"Bro... ken?"

"Never mind, forget it," Neji said, causing Tenten to sigh loudly. "Anyway, can we get back to training now?" Tenten sighed louder. She almost couldn't believe he still wanted to train!

"Almost..." she thought, frowning. "But that's normal for Neji."

"Neji's the one that has it wrong..." Tenten thought, setting her cup back down on the table. "So far... I haven't seen this 'broken' girl he told me about." Tenten watched as Yasmine devoured another onigiri. "And anyway, I don't care about that! If Neji seems her as a friend now... there's a chance he sees her as more, and I just can't allow that!"

"Ten-chan," Yasmine's voice suddenly pulled the weapon's mistress away from her thoughts.

"Nani...?"

"Do you think it'd be alright if I watched you train one day?" she asked. "I want to see what it's like."

"Really? Not really that eventful," Tenten muttered. "But if you're interested, sure! The next time we meet for lunch, I'll be able to tell you when."

"Thanks, Ten-chan!"

"No problem, Mine-chan!" Tenten responded, cheerfully. That's when she noticed something. "Oh, you have some rice on your face."

"I do?" Yasmine rubbed her cheek, but it was the wrong side; Tenten giggled.

"It's okay, I'll get it," she volunteered.

Tenten leaned forward, grabbed Yasmine's shoulder, and pulled her towards the middle of the table where she was. She licked the two pieces of rice right off Yasmine's face. The foreign girl laughed lightly. "That tickled!" she stated, rubbing her cheek after Tenten let go. "But did you have to get it off that way, Ten-chan?"

"What can I say? That onigiri was that tasty!" she replied. Yasmine rolled her eyes, and shook her head.

Tenten hid a smirk. "Inch by inch, step by step... She'll trust me," she thought. "And then, like a predator and its prey, I'll strike!" Tenten's smirk grew. "Mine-chan won't stand a chance against my attack! By then it'll be too late..." Yasmine continued eating, blissfully unaware of Tenten's seemingly dark thoughts.
**************************

Well, here's the update! I'm glad that this one didn't take that long to finished!

It has come to my attention that another filler arc is about to happen with Naruto Shippuden! That... is not good info! Not for me/you, anyway! That's means the show will be waaaaay behind the manga. And I usually follow both the manga and the show, so... this will probably put a time gap with the next up update. But as you've already realized, the plot of this story has taken a drastic turn from the original. DRASTIC! Actually, I'm kinda dreading what your amazing reviews will look like... Anyway, back to what I was saying, the point is that I'm going to be thinking of things off the top of my head. Meaning, the next few chapters might be completely random, related to the plot of my story, but random nonetheless!

I really hope y'all stick around!

Review please!

... Oh, wait... forgot the quote...

"... the last, in anything, seems to be so much stronger, so much better, than what the world thinks." -Uchiha Sasuke

Okay... REVIEW... please?