Forsaken {Book 1}

XIV: Another One....Just Great

Once it began to get dark the three decided it would be better to travel during the day, when it would be easier for the two without sharingan to see. Once the sun began to rise over the horizon, bringing a pink and orange sky, the three packed up their things and sprinted towards the river. Upon reaching the river they saw it looked just like it had when they first went there.

"Alright, now how are we supposed to find any leads?" Naruto asked as he leaned over the river looking at the bottom. A sudden sound of slashing water made Sakura jump in fright, and a yellow figure jumped out from the river and latched itself onto Naruto's face.  "ARGH!" Naruto shouted out muffled words while Sakura stared at him and rushed over to help pull the yellow thing off his face.  Grabbing it's sides Sakura yanked it her way and fell backwards, with the yellow creature in her hands.  Naruto took one glance at it and groaned.  "Another toad?"

"Dobe, shut up." Sasuke groaned.  "It might be from where Gamakichi's from, and if it is then we can get a lead from it."  The yellow toad looked up.

"Gamakichi?  Oh, where is he?  Pops is really worried about him.  I'm Gamatastu." The toad introduced.

"Well Gamatatsu, how did you get here?" Sakura asked turning him around so she could look at his face. 

"I don't really know," He began.  "I was doing what I usually do back at Mt.Myōboku and then I disappeared and landed somewhere over there," He gestured down the riverbank. "It was as if I was being summoned!  But I've never been summoned before, so I wouldn't know how to explain." He claimed.  Sasuke, with Katsuyu on his shoulder  walked up to them.

"So maybe if you lead us to where you appeared we could help you get back to Mt.Myōboku." He suggested and Gamatatsu nodded happily and jumped out of Sakura's hands. 

"Follow me!" He said.  Sakura and Sasuke followed while Naruto stood back and watched their retreating figures.

"Toads....why does it have to be another toad." He grumbled before dragging himself forward towards the group.

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"So this is where you appeared?" Sasuke asked when Gamatatsu stopped hopping forward.

"Yea, somewhere around here." He said. Sasuke gently put Katsuyu on the ground.

"You can stay with Gamatatsu while we look around." He said. He walked up to Naruto and Sakura who were glancing around for a sign, or something that could help them. Sasuke activated his sharingan and looked around as well. He couldn't find anything as he did a 360, around the area. He looked down to the ground in frustration but took a step back when he saw something weird.

"Guys." He said. Sakura and Naruto looked at him. They both followed his gaze to the ground below them.

"What's there Sasuke?" Sakura asked quietly.

"Something, or someone powerful." He mumbled."

"How are we gonna get down there?" Naruto asked loudly. Sakura looked over to the two summons watching them.

"Katsuyu, when you appeared, when and where did you appear." Sakura asked.

"I appeared just hours before Tsunade-sama arrived to Tanzaku town, so maybe a day before Gamakichi, and I was summoned a little farther from here, closer to the town. That's how Tsunade-sama found me." Katsuyu explained. 

"So if Katsuyu was summoned a day before Gamakichi, and Gamakichi was summoned yesterday, and then Gamatatsu was summoned today......." Sakura paused looking at the two boys.

"Something else will probably be summoned tomorrow.  I think that whoever is the source of the chakra I'm seeing, is trying to summon something." Sasuke guessed.  "And whatever their trying to summon must be somehow intertwine with these summons."  Sakura nodded.

"So we need to find them before they summon something.........something worse."

"Let me ask again. HOW ARE WE GONNA GET DOWN THERE?" Naruto asked, louder so he would be heard. 

"We can't dig." Sasuke stated.  "We don't have shovels, and it would take to long.  There must be an entrance of some sort.  I'll scan the forest with my sharingan again and see if I can find anything." He lifted his head up and looked around.  "Nothing." He sighed deactivating his sharingan.  Naruto plopped down onto the ground and Sakura followed suit.  Slowly Sasuke did the same. 

"Are we taking a break?" Gamatatsu asked.  Sakura nodded and the toad then jumped into the river for a swim.  Katsuyu made her way to Sakura and sat beside her.

"Don't strain yourself." She told Sasuke who was trying to hide his pants from using his sharingan for such an extended period of time.  She slithered over to him, and crawled up his leg.  Sasuke looked down at her, when he started feeling more refreshed.  The feeling came from nowhere, it was as if he just woke up. 

"Thanks." He said nodding to the slug.  Moments later Gamatatsu hopped out of the water.  As Gamatatsu shook off the water, a piece of yellow and brown fell off his body onto the ground.  Naruto furrowed his brow and looked at the pieces suspiciously. 

"Naruto?" Sakura asked cautiously when he leaned towards them and picked up the yellow piece. 

"This is sugar kelp." He stated bluntly.  "It's only found in the land of water, why would it be here?" He asked them.

"Naruto," Sasuke began.  "First, how do you know this?  Second, what's sugar kelp, and third, how do you know this?"  Naruto looked at him before his face grew red.

"I WAS TRYING TO IMPRESS HINATA-CHAN, OKAY?" He claimed loudly and Sakura giggled. 

"I think she already likes you enough." She whispered to herself. 

"But yea, sugar kelp is supposed to only be found in the land of water." He explained, "It's a plant that grows in the ocean."

"Maybe it's hiding something." Sasuke stated before activating his sharingan. "There it is. There's a small trace of chakra around some of that sugar kelp." Sasuke turned to Gamatatsu. "Can you get rid of the kelp for me?" He asked and Gamatatsu nodded and jumped back into the river. When he popped back up he was covered in the kelp and he shook it off. Sasuke walked closer to the river and leaned over with his sharingan activated. "A transportation seal. I think if we just touch it, and insert a small amount of chakra it'll take us to its twin." He said. Sakura stood up and picked up Katsuyu while Naruto begrudgingly picked up Gamatatsu.

"Lets go then." Sakura said. "We've got no time to waste." She jumped in the water and looked for the seal before putting her hand against it and inserting chakra, and she disappeared in a flash.

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She felt like she was gonna be sick, and nearly kissed the floor when she landed. But she knew it would be best if she moved so one of the boys wouldn't land on her. She was happy she did when Naruto landed on his stomach, and Gamatatsu was lucky enough to jump out of his arms before being crushed. Sasuke then came but landed on his butt right on top of Naruto. Shaking off the Sasuke Naruto stood up and looked around.

"Where are we?" Naruto asked.  It wasn't so easy for them to see, but with what she was able to see, Sakura could make out that they were in what seemed to be  a corridor.  The walls were an light orange color, and they had a weird zigzag pattern.  Sasuke activated his Sharingan again, seeing foreign chakra from down the corridor.

"This way guys." He said and they both followed along with the summons.  All of them came to an immediate stop when they heard Sakura's shriek.  Sasuke whipped his head around and looked at her to see her looking to her left.  He followed her gaze and swallowed.  There was a human skeleton, hanging on the wall.

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A/N:
I WILL GIVE YOU A HINT!  No, the answer to the riddle from last chapter is NOT Itachi.  My hint is that it is someone from Naruto and not Naruto Shippuden, and they aren't from the very beginning, (so not Mizuki). This new mystery guy will be added next chapter.