A Hatred That Will Never Bloom Into Friendship

The sun had set, and nighttime was upon us. The sky was unusually dark, I noted. There were only a few stars out, and the moon was hidden behind thin, wispy clouds.

I look back down at my teammates, who were sitting across from me on the tree branch. Rakuyo's eyes were vigilant on the area below us, and Lloyd was staring off at the Tower about three hundred yards to our right.

We've been situated in this same spot for about three hours now, waiting on some team to pass by on their way to the Tower, but there was zero activity. There was nothing but dead silence in this dense Forest, and I knew we couldn't be the last team in this God forsaken wilderness.

Snap. Rustle. Rustle.

All three of our heads turn in the direction of the noise.

"Finally," I hear Lloyd mumble.

We all raise to our feet, kuani's in hand. We spot four silhouettes walking towards us, getting closer and closer. Rakuyo glances at me, and we all tense, ready to ambush the unexpected team.

But we falter when they stop right under us, each of their heads swiveling around, but we only falter for a split second.

Rakuyo jumps down first, with me after him, and Lloyd right behind us.

I dive down towards the bigger of the four figures, prepared to take him out.

At the last moment, he slides backwards out of my way. As soon as I land on the ground though, I charge him head-on. I crash into him with all my strength, and manage to pin him to a tree. Behind me, all I could hear was kunai hitting against kunai.

I smirk and look up into the face of my captive, and his glasses reflect faintly back at me. Wait a minute. I knew him.

"Shadow clone jutsu!"

And I definitely knew that voice.

I turn my head around to a blur of all orange. "Naruto!"

"Huh?" several of his voices answer me at once.

It was like time had stopped. Everyone froze in their places, looking at each other with surprised faces.

Poof. Poof. Poof. All of Naruto's clones disappear one by one, leaving the real one close combated with Lloyd. They both step back from one another, and I turn back to the one I had trapped.

"So, could you kindly please let me go," Kabuto asks me politely.

I step back from him. "Yeah."

I turn around to the others, a lopsided smile on my face. "Sorry about this. We didn't know it was you guys." Sasuke snorts and I narrow my eyes at him. "Look, if we did know it was you guys, I would've come straight for you." My statement didn't come out as cold as I wanted it to, because all I could seem to do was look at his neck, when I tried to look back reservedly at his steel, dark eyes.

"Hey, Kimina!" Naruto's sweet, familiar voice utters. I look at him, and a smile comes so easily to my lips. It was so relieving to see that he was okay.

"So, it looks like you guys are in the same situation were in," Lloyd says.

"Yeah, were looking for our other scroll too," Sakura replies sweetly.

I notice Sasuke glancing around. "I wonder how many other teams are hiding about, waiting on someone to cross them."

"Probably many," Kabuto answers him. "It's the last night to be at the Tower, so people are waiting for other teams to cross them on their way to the Tower."

"Exactly," Lloyd agrees, putting his knife back into its pouch.

Kabuto stiffens. "I don't think you want to be putting away yur weapons away just yet," he announces out of nowhere.

"What is it, Kabuto?" Sakura asks him, her eyes darting around us. Whoa, where did this confidence come from? It was like she was ready to fight. I then something past her head, a metal reflection in the faint moonlight.

I get Lloyd's attention, and he nods his head. He saw the same thing I did.

A figure then bursts out from the trees behind us, and hits Kabuto to the ground, pinning him with a kunai to his neck.

"Kabuto!" everyone yells.

"Throw your weapons at him!" Kabuto orders at Rakuyo and I. Immediately, the both of us hurl our knives at the assailant, and they strike him in the chest, sending nothing but wet mud spewing everywhere.

"What the...!" Naruto stammers, his mouth hanging open, which was pretty much everyone's reaction too.

Kabuto swiftly moves out from under the grimy mess, just as another one of the man's body crawls out of the splashes muck, holding a double headed kunai knife in his hand.

I feel my eyes go wide. "Whoa, what is this? What's going on?"

Evil laughter fills the night air, and the next thing I knew hundreds of his clones materialized around us. We were completely surrounded.

Oh boy.