Son of the Sannin(Back)

The Senju Twins' Retrieval, Part I

Author's Note: If you missed Naruto and co. in the previous chapter, fear not, dearest reader, for both he and his friends will return in full force during the second half of the arc, which starts right now!

The fifteen Konoha ninja relentlessly pursued the invaders who had kidnapped Naruto's siblings through the forests of the Land of Fire, heading north. It was obvious that they were heading towards the Land of Sound, where Orochimaru had his main base. For one reason or another, everybody was tense. Not only were they going against ninja much stronger them, but unlike any other mission they took before, they wouldn't have their Jonin-sensei to protect them.

"We're getting close," Neji informed. For some reason, their pace seemed oddly...relaxed. Maybe they weren't aware that they were being followed. Better for the Konoha ninja, then.

"Hinata-hime, while Neji keeps track of them, you should watch out for traps," Naruto told her.

"I am. Oddly enough, they didn't leave any," Hinata replied.

"Man, those guys are surely confident nobody is following them," Ino commented.

"Abducting them during the invasion was a really clever move. With all the chaos going, it's the perfect cover. If it wasn't for Naruto-kun finding out..." Haku commented.

"Hmm..." Shikamaru interceded.

"What's up Shikamaru?" Ino asked.

"Something doesn't feel right. While kidnapping Naruto's siblings for their Bloodlines is something Orochimaru would do, some things don't make sense," Shikamaru replied. "For starters, Naruto told us that he fought against Kabuto alongside Hinata. Kabuto shouldn't have any trouble dispatching both of them, but not only he did he not do such a thing, but even told Naruto of the twins' kidnapping. And while Naruto arrived too late, the kidnappers left at least an adult ninja alive so he could tell Naruto about it."

"Are you suggesting we're bring led to a trap?" Choji asked.

Shikamaru nodded. "I'm afraid so. Remember that Naruto is a Jinchuriki, and Orochimaru is part of the Akatsuki. With this move, he's killing two birds with one stone."

"Then they probably know we're after them," Shino stated. "However, if they wanted to lure Naruto out of the village, a better alternative would have been to use the kids as hostages and force Naruto to come with them peacefully."

"Maybe. Or maybe they guessed that we wouldn't buy their bluff. The twins are too important for Orochimaru, he wouldn't risk harming them," Shikamaru replied.

"Trap or not, given that the alternative is to let him get away with my siblings, we're not going back," Naruto firmly stated. "At least, I'm not going back."

"Still, maybe we should have brought an adult with us..." Tamaki mentioned.

"There's no time! Most of the adults are needed in the village," Naruto replied. "However, some of my clones did warn a couple adults. Our Jonin-sensei should come to help us soon."

"I doubt it will be soon enough..." Tamaki whimpered.

"Oh come on, don't be such a wimp! See, that's why you were passed over for promotion!" Kiba told her.

"Shut up! Remember I made it longer than you did, mutt!" Tamaki retorted. "And it's due to that overconfidence of yours that Karin kicked your ass!"

"Enough," Shino calmly, but firmly, interjected. "This isn't the place nor the moment for petty squabble. If you can't stay focused on the matter at hand, then I recommend you to go back to the village, since you will only be a burden to the rest of us."