Silent Shinobi (Naruto Fanfic)

Chapter Twenty-Two

Zeri's POV

"We should just open the scroll," Naruto whines, and Sakura clonks him on the head. "How many times am I gonna have to say this already?!" She shrieks, and I stare up at the forest canopy as I lie on my back. "Where is Sasuke to handle this when I need him?" I wonder, as the two of them go at it again.

"But Sakura, think about it! Aren't you just a little bit curious?" Naruto begs, and Sakura falters im her protests. "Y-yeah, but we can't! Sasuke wouldn't approve of it..." she says weakly, and Naruto brightens. "Well, it's a good thing he isn't here then!" He cackles, rubbing his hands together eagerly as he grabs the scroll from Sakura. Over their bickering, I hear Sasuke approaching, and the familiar footsteps of someone else. Not another pain to deal with, I growl.

"I wouldn't do that, if I were you." A gloved hand covers Naruto's, stopping him from unrolling the scroll. I yawned, stretching like a cat and feigning indifference as I felt Kabuto watching me, when I was actually tensed up and ready to attack. What the heck was he doing here? I narrowed my eyes as he turned to reply to something Sasuke had said cheerfully, putting on his little act. Or more specifically, what was he up to?

"This is what happens when I leave you guys behind?" Sasuke turns to Sakura and Naruto, who look embarrassed. Kabuto smiles a closed-eye smile at them. "Imagine if I hadn't been here: you guys would've been knocked out by a hypnosis jutsu instantly." His eyes wander over to me, and I shoot him a poisonous smile.

Sasuke's eyes narrow at Kabuto warily. "Kabuto...right? What are you doing, wandering around by yourself? If you wanted our Earth scroll, you could have just easily  taken it from Naruto," he sneers the last bit, and Naruto clenches his fists in response. Kabuto swallows visibly before he turns away, avoiding my sharp gaze. "Don't worry, I'm not here for your scroll," he assures Sasuke, nearly stammering. "I've already got both," he continues, taking two scrolls out of his carry pouch.

My team inhales sharply when they see the Heaven scroll, and I scoff under my breath. I already had both, but I didn't see any point in prancing around and showing them off. "I was just on my way to meet my teammates at the tower. See you guys," Kabuto waves, and as his eyes slide over to me, I flutter my fingers, the look in my eyes hardly friendly.

"Stop! I'll fight you for your Heaven scroll," Sasuke steps forward, and a tiny smirk appears on Kabuto's face. "You'll fight me?" Naruto growls, coming to stand beside Sasuke. "Is that some kind of joke? And save it, Sasuke. We all know your heart's not in it; why would you have openly challenged me for my scroll in the first place? Besides, I'm sure your teammate has both scrolls with her already," Kabuto smirked. As my team turned to face me with different expressions, Sakura spoke up. "You have both scrolls?"

I shrug mysteriously, remaining silent. When my team turns back to Kabuto, I bare my teeth at him, my eyes flashing in anger. He swallows visibly but masks his fear on his expression, looking away quickly. If he didn't leave soon, I would. I turned away, only to see Naruto's slightly betrayed expression and Sasuke's angry one.

"Guys, remember Zeri's on her own? She needs both scrolls to get through this round, it's not her fault at all." Sakura said firmly, and all of us looked at her in shock. "But still," Naruto grumbled, and Sakura whacked the back of his head, an irk mark on her forehead. "Quit arguing you bonehead! We just need to find another Heaven scroll to get through, so let's go!" She half-yelled, and Naruto whimpered but nodded. Sasuke just gave a "Hn," but he eyed me warily. I smiled at him lazily, to which he flushed pink and looked away, scowling.

Kabuto coughed, and my team turned their attention to him. "Actually, since I'm heading to the tower just about now, why don't you guys follow me there? It'd be faster too." He suggests, and my team nods, quickly following in his steps. I hold back, and Sakura turns to me questioningly. I simply motion for her to go ahead, and she presses her lips together but doesn't protest.