Naruto: Rise of the Uzumaki by X009

Chapter 7

Naruto grit his teeth as he looked up at the sky. Night had fallen, and he still wasn't even close to where his team had battled the mysterious kunoichi. Even he had to admit traveling through this forest at night was a bad idea. The risk that he could get ambushed was high, and all sorts of predators would come out. Not to mention Sasuke and Sakura would be in hiding; if they got away. Any signs of where they went, or what happened to them, would be harder to see.

It didn't help that the snake hadn't gone in a straight line. It looked like Naruto's luck hadn't held out; he'd lost the trail not too long ago. The darkness wouldn't help there either. His disguised clones hadn't sent back anything yet, either.

Using his chakra to silence his footfalls as best he could, he continued searching. If he didn't find anything soon, he'd have to camp out alone for the night. He didn't want to, but wasting all his strength and getting himself lost wouldn't help.

'I hope you guys are ok out there...'

Anko struggled as she walked along the forest floor. She grit her teeth, hand reaching for her neck; the spot where that damned seal her former sensei had branded her with had reappeared.

Pain pulsed through her entire body, spreading out from that mark. And it brought back bad memories as she tried to make her way back to the village.

She remembered the kind man her sensei had once been. Or pretended to be, she wasn't sure. All she knew was the burning hatred she felt for him ever since they found out how far he'd sunk; since he'd betrayed Konoha and her.

It had taken years to restore the villager's faith in her. She'd been damned in the eyes of most of the village by association. Many still suspected her of being a spy.

And now he was here again, after that Uchiha kid. And who knew what else.

Well, whatever he had in mind, his threat was clear: halt the exams or capture those three genin from the village he made, and he'd destroy Konoha.

From Orochimaru, that was no idle threat.

She didn't know what he was planning. He had to have something in mind besides seducing the Uchiha heir to his side. One thing that was clear: if they did anything overt like declaring martial law, it would be trouble. She needed to warn Lord Hokage, but the pain was making getting through this forest a struggle.

Good thing she'd spent so much time here. She just had to keep moving.

Sakura replaced the wet towel on Sasuke's head and sat back, sighing as she looked out. She couldn't see the sky from here, but it was clear that night had fallen. Sasuke still showed no signs of recovery. His fever hadn't lessened in the slightest, and his face twisted in pain.

It had been hours since their encounter with Orochimaru, and she was beginning to feel tired, but sleep wasn't an option; Sasuke's condition would change while she was sleeping. On top of that, there was what Orochimaru had said about his subordinates. They could attack at any moment, so she had no choice but to maintain her vigil.

'Please be ok, both of you...' She wanted to go and find Naruto, but Sasuke depended on her right now.

Minutes turned to more hours, and nothing changed. Sakura dutifully changed the wet towel on Sasuke's head whenever it got warm and looked out for any signs of attack, but there was never anything but darkness and the sounds of insects in the forest.

Sakura could feel her eyelids growing heavy. She had no idea how much time had passed, but she guessed she'd been up for somewhere around 20 hours at this point. She felt her stomach grumble. They hadn't even had time to gather supplies. Still, she shook her head and forced herself to remain awake.