The Return

Chapter 22

Preparing for Battle

Karin stopped the group once they got to the Hokage Tower. "They're here. Six individuals are approaching at a rapid pace."

Sasuke turned to her. "Where?"

"All of them are in two-man teams. The first group is directly in front of us, approaching the stone faces. Two more are to the South, heading towards the Leaf hospital, and the last group is approaching the village gates where we just came from."

"And Tsunade?" Sakura asked, gazing down at the village.

"She's at the Leaf hospital, along with Shizune."

"Right," Sakura said without hesitation. She jumped down from the Tower and ran across the rooftops.

"Damn" Sasuke hissed. "Karin, go with her!"

"Why me?" She asked indignantly.

He sighed. "Because there's no one I would trust more to protect her."

"Sasuke" she gasped. "I mean...sure...whatever!" She chased after the pink-haired girl.

"Suigestsu, Juugo; you two intercept the enemy at the village gates. Naruto and I will take care of things here."

"Fine" Suigetsu rolled his eyes. The two of them set off together.

"Naruto, we need to contact Kakashi Sensei before they emerge."

"Right! I'll prepare some backup while we're at it too, dattebayo!" Naruto made a hand sign. "Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu!" Several clones appeared and scattered amongst the village.

Sasuke looked down. He wouldn't let anything happen to his home. Be safe, Sakura, he prayed before turning to face the enemy.

***

Karin caught up with Sakura as she approached the Leaf hospital. "Would you slow down?!" she complained. "Stop acting so recklessly."

"Karin, where are Tsunade and Shizune exactly?" Sakura turned to her determinedly.

She focused her chakra. "It looks like they're in the basement."

They must be performing another autopsy to analyze the poison, Sakura thought carefully. "Right, we're going in!" She ran through the double doors and down a set of stairs with Karin chasing after her.

As they approached the door to the morgue, Sakura asked Karin the location of the enemy. "We have a two-man team approaching. They should be here any minute."

"We'll just have to play it by ear," Sakura said, swinging open the double doors.

"Sakura? What are you doing here?" Tsunade asked, holding a scalpel above the body.

Karin cringed at the sight.

"Why is that girl with you? Isn't she a member of Sasuke's squad?" Shizune asked, concerned.

"Never mind that, we have trouble approaching. It seems that the ones who concocted this poison are headed this way and are targeting medical ninja. They want to eliminate the shinobi world and will undoubtedly use the same poison to get us out of the way."

"What?! Sakura, who are they exactly?"

"A group of poison specialists that call themselves the Akai Hebi. They operate similarly to the Akatsuki in their formation. So far, we've taken down two members. The ones I've encountered both induced hallucinations in their victims and were able to wield the poison that's been causing such distress in the chakra network of our patients."

"Interesting...chakra network...Lady Tsunade!" Shizune said suddenly. "Summon a member of the Hyuga clan here immediately. I think I may have a clue as to how this poison operates."

There was a boom outside that shook the building.

"Looks like they've arrived" Karin indicated.

"Right! Karin, stay with Shizune. Lady Tsunade and I will handle the enemy and summon Hinata here."

"What?! But Sasuke...he said..."

"I don't care what he told you! This is what we have to do. We're about to get an influx of patients and we'll need all the help we can get. If we can just figure out the properties of the poison, we'll be able to form an antidote right away and help everyone. So, Karin, please stay by Shizune's side."

Karin rolled her eyes. "And I thought Sasuke was bossy" she mumbled. Even so, she knew Sakura was right and that she could handle herself. Still...

Sensing her unease. Tsunade summoned two small slugs. "Here, take a part of Katsuyu. If anything happens, she can relay information directly to you."

Karin nodded and they each went their separate ways.

***

Suigetsu and Juugo stood by the village entrance, preparing for battle.

"What do you think Sasuke's planning? His moods are becoming even more unstable than yours" Suigetsu sighed.

"I don't know. I guess, it seems that he's still trying to figure everything out" Juugo said calmly.

"Heh, hasn't he been doing that for the past four years? You'd think he'd learn to control his emotions by now."

Juugo looked down. "It's not as easy as one might think. In fact, I think Sasuke's stronger now because he can rely on others."

"I guess, still...it seems that he'll go dark at the drop of a hat."

"He came around, though didn't he? Maybe I'm overthinking it, but I think he's only different now because he has something he wants to protect. If he lost that part of himself, he'd lose control."

"You mean that girl, don't you?" Suigetsu smirked. "Who would've thought that the great Sasuke Uchiha would care about love and romance."

Juugo looked out past the village gates. He sensed that there was more to Sasuke's relationship with the pink-haired girl than met the eye. It was something different from his bond with Karin. When he was with Sasuke now he felt warmer and more fulfilled than he had been. Perhaps this could be a positive change for him.

"Hey, Juugo! Are those figures the Akai Hebi or am I seeing things?" Suigetsu elbowed him, breaking him out of his thoughts.

Two people in black cloaks emerged out of the forest with weapons at the ready.