Ascending (Sequel to Rock Bottom)

Chapter 9 - What Is Kokou Anyway?

I am so sorry for not updating this entire week, I was in NY for a service trip for school, and was really busy BUUUT here you go! I won't keep you waiting any longer ;D

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 Temari and Kankuro decided to wake Team 7 up bright and early. Although Sakura wished that bright and early didn't mean 3 am. She also wished that Kankuro wouldn't wake her up with a bucket of ice water.

"The results are undeniable," he said. But that didn't explain why she was the only one who was drenched that morning. Naruto, Sasuke, and Kakashi all were completely dry.

After Sakura changed her clothes, the four of them made their way to the Kazekage's tower, having already sealed all their belongings away on their wrists.

The walk was fairly quiet. None of the civilians were up at this ungodly hour, and nobody was really talking. Sasuke expected as much from Kakashi and Sakura. Their sensei wasn't a big talker, and Sakura was in a particularly bad mood. But Naruto....

Naruto looked like he had seen a ghost.

Sasuke first noticed it that morning. Naruto had been eerily quiet, and when he had said something, it was missing the usual 'dattebayo'. Kakashi seemed unconcerned, and Sakura seemed slightly suspicious, but neither of them confronted Naruto about it.

Sasuke let it slide, not wanting to put their teammate on the spot. Though he mentally reminded himself to ask the blonde about it later.

The ravenette was abruptly brought back to reality when he didn't notice the set of stairs and began his painful descent down them. Team 7 stopped and watched as Sasuke tumbled down the stairs, wincing every time he hit the hard stone until he landed in a heap at Gaara's feet.

Said Kazekage said nothing as he stared down blankly at Sasuke. And then after a moment, he spoke. "Isn't the Sharingan supposed to make you more aware of your surroundings?" Sasuke didn't reply though, he was too busy groaning on the sandy cobblestone path.

When the rest of Team 7 approached, Gaara's eyes flickered to each of them, and then they lingered on Sakura, whose hair was still wet from her rude awakening. "Did Kankuro wake you up?" Sakura nodded, making Gaara sign, and then inhale deeply before yelling at the top of his lungs.

"KANKURO!" Naruto and Sakura joined Sasuke on the ground, still shocked by the sheer force of their Kage's yell. A faint "What!" could be heard a few moments later.

"THERE'S BEEN A CHANGE OF PLANS, TEMARI'S GOING TO BE IN CHARGE INSTEAD OF YOU!"

And after another short pause, Naruto could faintly hear someone wailing, and another person cheering. Gaara did too and dusted off his robe with his hands. "We should get going."

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.

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Team 7 and Gaara exited Suna soon after, and before they knew it, they had crossed into the Land of Fire. Though they were sticking close to the border, and steering clear of Konoha. Though that only lowered their chances of an encounter with the Leaf.

Kurama and Shukaku were walking with the five of them to sense Leaf ninja or other enemies. But now, Naruto realized that that was too much to ask.

"Kokou is a horse! Get it right! Dumb fox..."

"You stupid raccoon! A horse's head doesn't look like that! Kokou is a dolphin!"

"A dolphin with legs? What are you on Kurama?" Sakura massaged her temples, finally having enough.

"Shut up, both of you." The two-tailed beasts instantly quieted down, not wanting to face the wrath of an angry Sakura.

Without the two arguing demons, the forest was unusually quiet. Kakashi was engrossed in his new Icha Icha volume, peeling his eyes away from the text occasionally to glance at Gaara and Sakura's interlocked hands, Naruto was having a silent conversation with Kurama, both of them discreetly exchanging concerned or confused looks.

And Sasuke looked like he was pissed off at the universe, but Sakura decided that was normal.

They were about halfway to Oto when they got ambushed.

Gaara decided not to yell at the two tailed beasts who were supposed to be looking out for these kinds of things and instead hid in the underbrush. If he was caught in Konoha all hell would break loose for Sunagakure.

"Oh look, Leaf nins." Sasuke deadpanned, activating his Mangekyou, "What ever shall we do?" The three Konoha shinobi were smart enough to avoid making eye contact with the Sharingan wielder, but they didn't realize that he was the distraction.

Kakashi crept around the back to knock out one of the shinobi, but they anticipated his attack and blocked it. And the two of them engaged in a deadly dance a few meters away from the others.

Naruto then charged the front with a Bijuu Bomb in each hand, while Sakura molded several tungsten kunai and followed the blonde soon after. The two of them kept the remaining Konoha shinobi on their toes, while Sasuke gracefully evaded the crossfire and tried to make eye contact with their opponents.

It wasn't long before the ravenette had one of the nins ensnared in his Genjutsu. They glanced into Sasuke's eyes for less than a second, but that was all the time he needed, and the Leaf Nin quickly lost consciousness. One down, two more to go.

The second ninja was probably the one Sasuke had the most trouble with because she was wearing her forehead protector as a blindfold. But when Naruto managed to hit her dead on with a small Bijuu Bomb her Konoha headband fell off her face and she began to fall. Sasuke quickly rushed to her side and grabbed her bridal style before she could hit the ground.

The kunoichi blushed slightly when she opened her eyes and saw Sasuke's face extremely close to her own, so much that they were almost kissing. Caught off guard, she looked into the ex-Uchiha's swirling Mangekyou before falling unconscious.

Once he was sure the Leaf kunoichi was genjutsu-ed, he promptly retracted his hands and let her drop to the floor in a heap.

"Was that really necessary, Sasuke?" Kakashi asked as he walked over to the rest of his team with a knocked out leaf ninja slung lazily over his shoulder.