Chapter 16: Death of the Dream
Pain shot throughout his body, as it burned and gnawed at his limbs. The world was enveloped in darkness, but slowly the light burned away its edges until he could see his surrounding. His head spun for a bit, but then cleared and he got his first look of where he was. It was dark, and he was lying on a patch of grass. Since it was dark, it was hard to see, and he used more caution. As head tried to sit up, he was immediately yanked back down. He then realized he was shackled to the tree behind him by his ankles, wrists, and neck.
*Damn . . .* He cursed.
"Something wrong Uchiha?" Orochimaru sarcastically sneered. Sasuke looked upwards to face the serpent-like man.
*Where the hell am I?!*
"You look surprised, didn't expect to see me hm?" Orochimaru continued to taunt, thoroughly enjoying bothering the younger of the Uchiha brothers.
"Where am I? What the hell is going on?!" Sasuke growled back angrily.
"You and your brother are of interest to us, that's all you need to know." Sasuke turned to see where the voice had come from. Another man stepped into the clearing and joined Orochimaru.
"My name is Soyako; I am the leader of the Akatsuki." The man continued. He then turned to Orochimaru. "You've done as you said. Good. You already know what to do, so hurry up and do it." he said before turning away to leave again.
"Of course." Orochimaru said as Soyako departed. "Tayuya!" Responding to his master called, the two headed sound nin leapt to his master's side.
"What is it?" He questioned.
"Take him," Orochimaru pointed to Sasuke "and beat him until he's unconscious again. And then put these in him." He then tossed two Kokudo towards Tayuya. His minion caught them, and then replied
"Sure thing boss." He then yanked the chains holding Sasuke out of the tree, and dragged the raven-haired boy farther away from the nearby Sound camp. Sasuke tried to free himself from Tayuya's grasp, but was too exhausted to put up a fight. He glared back at the leader of the sound, boring holes into his scalp. The Sound and Akatsuki had formed an alliance? Why the hell did they want him and that serpent Itachi?! Before he could continue to mentally complain and question, Tayuya threw him onto the ground.
"Stupid brat, wasting my time." He mumbled as he yanked out a kunai from his holster. "If you don't wanna suffer, then you better hope you faint fast." He said as he thrust the throwing knife into Sasuke's flesh, and then ripped it out again, digging deep into the flesh. Sasuke flinched as the kunai sank into his flesh again. The blows kept coming, wounds appearing all over his body with each strike of the weapon. It seemed to continue for hours, until the world around him spun and the clouds twisted and became one with the sky. As blood dripped into his eyes tainting the world crimson, he faded away from consciousness and slipped into the depths of oblivion.
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"Finally." the two-headed blond mumbled under his breath as the raved haired boy's eyes rolled back into his head. He then pulled out the two Kokudo and buried them in the boy's flesh. He then took hold of the boy by the neck, and dragged him back towards the camp.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Ino crawled out of bed and stretched. After emitting a huge yawn, she turned to her roommate.
"Shikamaru! Get up you lazy bum!" She growled to him in her usual fashion. Shikamaru opened one of his eyes and rolled over.
"Go away Ino." He mumbled before burrowing under the covers so that she couldn't yell in his ear.
"SHIKAMARU!!!! GET UP!!!!" Ino persisted. She then stomped over to his bed and tore the blankets off of him. She then yanked him bodily out of bed and onto the floor. He collided with the ground with a thud.
"Owww . . . Ino!" He said annoyed.
"'Bout time you got up! We have to go help look for Sasuke-kun!" The blond howled.
"Fine, whatever . . ." Shikamaru said as he grabbed his clothes and went into the bathroom to change. After they both were dressed, they headed out to go join the others. Everyone else was already there waiting for them.
"Alright," Kakashi began "now that everyone is here, we can start looking around town. Since you share rooms in pairs of two, you'll be paired up with your roommate. Since Both Lee and Temari's roommates are gone, you two will pair up. We'll meet back here at noon. Everyone got that?" The genin nodded in response.
"Alright then. Seen you at noon." Kakashi concluded as he left the hotel to go look for the two raven-haired boys, shortly followed by the others.
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Tenten stretched her arms as she and Gaara set out in search of their comrades.
"Still tired?" Gaara questioned nonchalantly.
"Ya, I don't usually don't stay up as late as last night. How do you manage?" She replied.
"Sleep is just a waste of time." He stated.
"You think so? I like sleeping, especially waking up. The feel of a fresh new say is great." Tenten said facing upwards towards the sky. Gaara scoffed, and continued to walk. They ended up looking in the main square. After awhile of looking in silence, Gaara spoke up.
"Say something." He said.
"What?" Tenten asked; thoroughly surprised.
"It's to quite. Say something." Gaara elaborated.
"Look who's talking." Tenten said amusedly. "Why don't you say something?"
"Fine." Gaara said, wondering what to say. After pondering the idea for a moment, he said
"What's your team like?" He said blandly.
"My team? They're nice. Lee can be an idiot sometimes, but he has a good heart. Neji's a bit cold but he certainly gets the job done when it comes to battle. What about you? What's your team like?" Tenten questioned.
"They're useless. I've never thought of myself as related to them anyways." Gaara replied.
"I'm sure they're not that bad. Why don't you talk to them more?" Tenten suggested.
"They just get in my way." Gaara stated blandly. Tenten shrugged her shoulders as they continued to look. It seemed pretty hopeless, and everyone knew deep inside themselves that they weren't going to find them. After another silence drifted through the air, Tenten decided to speak.
"Say, Gaara?"
"Hmn?" He replied.
"Wanna eat lunch together? You eat alone when I'm not with you; you want company?" Tenten questioned trying to lift the sullen mood.
*Company? Why would I want company? People just get in my way; they keep me from my purpose.* Gaara mentally growled. Nonetheless though, he replied
"Sure. Why not?"
"Good." Tenten said smiling. His response had put her in a better mood. The rest of the morning drifted by quickly.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Itachi coughed blood as he awoke.
"How're you feeling?" Itachi cranked his head upwards at the familiar voice.
"Kabuto?" He said surprised. The gray haired shinobi who was crouching in front of him replied
"Ya, it's me. Be quiet, we're at a sound camp. I told them that I left because I was trying to capture you and you're brother. Soyako was skeptical, but Orochimaru believed me so they think I'm on their side. So don't act as though you know me well."
"Sasuke? Is Sasuke here?" Itachi replied surprised at what he had been told.
"Yes, he's at the other side of camp." Kabuto stated, and then turned as he heard another person approaching. Soyako appeared behind him, and looked down upon Itachi. He smirked as he noticed the Uchiha's groggy expression.
"So your awake?" Soyako sneered, the words dripping with malice. "You wasted a lot of my time; don't even bother to think of doing something like that again. You're mine."
Itachi looked upon him with malice in his own eyes, yet he still couldn't hide his surprise. It was the same man that he had seen; both when he had fallen unconscious and when he had awoken.
"Who are you?!" The Uchiha barked at the other man.
"My name is Soyako and I'm the leader of the Akatsuki, but such information isn't important to you." The Akatsuki leader replied mockingly. He then turned to Kabuto and growled
"Lets go, Sound." He then departed with Kabuto close behind him. Itachi watched as they both headed towards the center of the camp.
*Damn it, why does everything have to go wrong?! I hope everyone else is ok, Sasuke too . . .*
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"Naruto?" Neji asked as they searched the edge of the town.
"Ya?" Naruto replied back.
"I heard what you said about Hinata and yourself. Did you say that just because of what I told you?" Neji questioned.
"Nope. I've liked Hinata for a while now; I just never knew she felt the same. That's why I was so surprised when you told me. Thanks Neji." Naruto said, complimenting his words with his trademark grin. Neji smiled and turned away. He was happy his cousin had found a good person, she was always so shy and reserved, and he was sure that if anyone could bring her out; it was Uzumaki Naruto.
"So you're going out now?" Neji continued.
"Yep!" Naruto exclaimed proudly. "I haven't talked to Hinata-chan since yesterday morning because of what happened to Sasuke and that other guy. I'm really looking forward to lunch so that I can meet up with her."
"I'm glad for you two." Neji said smiling, though somehow felt jealous that Naruto and Hinata had found someone that they truly cared about. Neji had never had much mind for girls, and had never thought about love, let alone pursued anyone. Even though he never thought about such things, deep down he couldn't deny that he was a bit lonely. Like Hinata, he had also always been distant; he had never seen a need for people. Maybe it was time to open up . . .
"Hey? Neji? Neeeeeeeeeejjjjjjjiiiiii!!!" Naruto howled.
"What?" Neji shot back, his train of thought shattered.
"Why'd you zone out all of a sudden?" Naruto questioned.
"Oh that? Nothing, I was just thinking." Neji replied. The rest of the morning went by in silence.
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Sakura sighed as she and Hinata walked along the beach in search of the two surviving Uchiha.
"You ok Sakura?" Hinata said quietly, knowing how much pain Sakura must be in.
"Ya . . . fine." The pink haired girl replied distantly. If only she had noticed . . . if only she had been strong enough . . . maybe none of this would've happened. Maybe Sasuke would still be here, and they wouldn't be out looking for him. Maybe . . .
"You sure?" Hinata persisted.
"Ya, I'm sure." Sakura said turning to Hinata wearing a forced smile.
"I'm sure Sasuke-kun's ok." Hinata said, trying to cheer up her best friend. Hinata's efforts to try to cheer her up allowed Sakura to let a genuine smile slip onto her lips. Hinata was such a kind person; she was always there for others. If only people noticed her more.
"Have you talked to Naruto since yesterday morning?" Sakura questioned, directing the conversation towards Hinata now. The Hyuga girl blushed deeply.
"N-no . . ." She stated timidly.
"I'm sure you'll be able to see him at lunch. Congrats on becoming a couple!" Sakura said smiling widely. Hinata beamed back and giggled.
*Ya . . . a couple. It really happened.* Hinata thought joyfully.
"We'll need to head back soon." Hinata said looking up at the sky, now eager to return to the hotel.
"Guess so . . ." Sakura said returning to her previous thoughts.
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"Temari-san?" Lee piped up.
"Ya?" Temari said lazily.
"Did you notice anything with Sasuke that was weird?" Lee asked hopefully.
"Nope, he was fine. I have no idea who could've kidnapped him." Temari replied.
*We really have no idea . . .* Lee noted. Being a loyal person in general, he wanted to do everything in his power to help his friend, and that other man Itachi too. But nothing added up. They were completely lost.
"I think Kakashi knows something about this that he isn't telling us." Temari said.
"What do you mean?" Lee asked curiously.
"He never did say much about why that Itachi guy came with us, or why Kabuto showed up all of a sudden on our side. He's not telling us something, I'm sure of it." Temari elaborated. Lee pondered over her words, dissecting them. Then after assessing her idea, he replied
"You have a point . . ."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Oy, Shino!" Kiba exclaimed. His companion turned to face him.
"What is it? Find something?" Shino asked.
"No, but it's time we should head back. It's already noon." Kiba said pointing to the sky. Akamaru barked in agreement.
"Fine then. Lets head back." Shino said as he turned and headed in the direction of the hotel, followed by Kiba and Akamaru.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Sakura and Hinata were the last to arrive back at the hotel. Sakura had wanted to make one final sweep before they returned, and Hinata obliged. Kakashi greeted them as they stepped inside.
"Since neither of the Uchiha are here, I take it no one saw them." Kakashi said disappointedly, even though he had known this would happen. "Anyone find anything?" The genin shook their heads no. Kakashi wore a hopeful expression, even though he was actually worried. They had no lead whatsoever, even though he had an idea of who it could be. Konoha wasn't without it's own fair share of enemies.
"Kabuto hasn't shown up either. Well anyways, you all go eat lunch and try to enjoy the rest of your day. All tell you if I find anything out."
The genin obeyed Kakashi's orders, and trudged off to go eat.
