Apathetic Silence: About the call signs… well, let's see… I had to go over a few friends who were into Naruto, and picked out the people who took "Naruto Character Quiz" (NCQ), and afterwards, had them take a "Which Military Call Sign Would You Be?" (MCS) one in Facebook. CrAzY-SiLLy-Me always got Sasuke no matter how many times she took the NCQ, and despite the many different NCQs out there, she always got Sasuke. Even in the livejournal community: ninjafy. As for me, I always end up getting Neji, and then I picked out the ones who got Shino, Shikamaru, Lee, Naruto, and Kiba most of the time, and had them take the MCS quiz. My cousin got the Call Sign "Reaper" – thus, Sasuke's call sign in this story. I, sadly and embarrassingly, got "Ma Bell", but it was related to snipers, so I guess it will have to do. Anyway, you probably get how I got the call signs of each character, so, there. Also, it's odd having to call Lee by his last name, but bear with me. Enjoy reading!

SWAT Delinquents
"Seven used-to-be Renegades"

Dark colored eyes furrowed while reading the words printed on the file before him.

"Your men are one of the best teams we have to offer."

"I know that but-"

"I won't take no for an answer, Captain Hatake."

"Yes Sir."

"Now then, if I'm not mistaken, your team is actually composed of… troublemakers."

"Don't worry about it sir, this happens to be their fifth mission, and the previous four all ended up in success."

"That's true," the General said. "What type of missions were they?"

"The first two ones were B-ranked, the third one is an A-rank, and the previous one was an S-rank." He looked at the files in his hands. "This will be their second S-rank mission."

"You're quite sure that they will be on their best behaviors?"

"Yes sir."

"Three medics and one radio operator will be joining your team, all of them are girls, Captain," his eyes narrowed. "And I hope your boys' testosterones won't react too much."

"I assure you sir; they are all perfectly disciplined soldiers."

The metallic doors slid open automatically when the camera detected a soldier running towards it.

"Sir..! Trouble at the cafeteria! It's Team Shinobi!"

The General sighed and narrowed his eyes at Kakashi, who only gave a sheepish grin.

"Whoo! Who else is going to take me?!"

"You're going to get us into trouble again Kiba…"

"Aw who asked you Neji?!"

"Leave it to Naruto to stick with Kiba…"

"Lighten up Shino! It's just arm wrestling!"

"Lee, it's troublesome…"

"Hn. Anything and everything is troublesome for you."

Kiba, Naruto, and Lee only continued with the cheering and taunting as some of the other soldiers were either cheering with them or grumbling because of their lost. Neji, Shikamaru, Shino, and Sasuke just stood by, staring at their teammates and wondering how they ever had them in the same team.

"Are you certain we were picked randomly?"

"That's what they said Neji." Shikamaru yawned. "And you saw me hacking."

"Hn. They can lie about that report though."

"Sasuke's right, we can't trust everything that is written here."

"Point." Neji said with a nod, as Shikamaru just shrugged.

Everyone began to quiet down, leaving Naruto, Kiba, and Lee the only ones making noise.

Their other four teammates turned to where most of the people were looking, and they sighed and stood at attention, afterwards, saluted.

"Uzumaki, Inuzuka, and Rock!"

The three soldiers stiffened and turned abruptly to the authoritative voice, grinned sheepishly and saluted.

"All seven of you, to the General's office, now." He looked at the other soldiers. "As for the rest of you, back to your activities."

The General eyed all seven of them that stood in front of him, all standing at attention as their captain, Hatake Kakashi, had a disapproving look in his eyes.

"Captain, I must admit, you look too intimidating with that mask on your face, you never take it off."

"Yes sir," He replied. "It helps to keep my men at bay."

"I can clearly see that." He cleared his throat. "However, I need to attend a meeting, so I'll leave you and Shinobi with Lieutenant Colonel Tsunade." He stood up and exited the room as soon as a blonde and busty woman had entered, her gaze having a serious and stern glint in them, yet Naruto and Kiba had their eyes wander to her bosom, which her keen brown eyes caught.

She eyed the name patches on their SWAT vests, and gave a smirk.

"Uzumaki! Inuzuka!"

The five other soldiers took a step back, leaving the mentioned two remaining on their usual spot as Tsunade approached them.

"I heard a great deal about the two of you," She frowned. "You both start trouble all the time, and happen to drag your teammates with you." She sighed. "And clearly, from how you both seemed to eye a certain body part of mine, I can already tell what goes through your thoughts." She turned around and glanced back at the team. "As you were." And the five men stepped forward yet again. "Now then, I have been told that this S-rank mission assigned to your team happens to be a retrieval type, so personally, I would rank this as just a B one."

"Ma'am, if this is really just a retrieval type of mission, shouldn't it be ranked as C instead, ma'am?"

"I knew you'd ask me that, Nara, however," She picked up a remote from the General's desk and clicked a button, switching on a hologram before them. "Before you is an image of the area you'll be infiltrating. Though I wouldn't call it as that, since it's an abandoned HQ of a military facility for genetic experiments." She paused for a moment before continuing. "This site has been deserted for three years, so it obviously has no threat, but the jungle you have to go through to get there may be dangerous, and as well-trained soldiers, you know for a fact that weapons are a must-bring for every mission."

She pressed another button. "Most of you will be equipped with the latest rifles that the weapons department had just created and tested, additional to that a single Desert Eagle. Two of you, namely Aburame and Nara, will only be given two handguns, while Hyuuga will be requested to bring two sniper rifles of his choice. The rest of you are permitted to bring along one more weapon which you desire and feel to bring, and all of you are required to equip yourselves with combat knives, one smoke bomb, one grenade, and as many ammunitions as possible."

"Ma'am," Kakashi spoke. "Clearly a jungle should not pose so much threat to require us to bring a lot of ammos."

"The General told me that it was an order, not an advice."

"Yes ma'am."

"Now then, Aburame and Nara, the former being an expert at navigation and landscapes, and the latter a genius for technology, the two of you were only ordered to bring two handguns, for the rest will be serving as your protection and cover. Aburame, being the highest ranking soldier of your team, you are second-in-command. As for Nara, you'll be the brains behind the group." She turned to the door. "Accompanying your team, Captain Hatake, will be one radio operator," a girl came in, a smile on her face and her brown hair in two buns. "And three medics," two dark-haired girls and one pink-haired girl came in, their hair let down. "Tenten is the radio operator, Lieutenant Yuuhi Kurenai is the head medic, and Corporals' Hyuuga Hinata and Haruno Sakura are the assisting medics."

Tsunade looked back at the team.

"Every single one of you must protect them at all costs, also," her eyes narrowed. "Boys, these women are single, and I wish for them to remain as that when you come back, understood?"

"Yes ma'am!" they all answered.

"And of course, that includes NOT being pregnant, and also, they must all remain virgins. Clear?"

"…Yes ma'am."

"Good. Your mission starts tomorrow at 0400 hours. A helicopter will be taking you about a mile or so away from the site, since there are no clear landings near the place or within the HQ. The rest will be explained by your Captain tomorrow during the trip." She looked at Kakashi who gave a nod, and then back at the team. "Dismiss."

Kiba whistled and plopped onto his bed. "Hey Neji, is the other medic a relative of yours?"

"She's my cousin." Neji said, taking a seat on his own bed.

"No wonder, you both had the same last names, and eyes!" Naruto said from the bed above Kiba's. "Right bastard?"

"Hn, go to sleep." Sasuke said from above Neji's bed. "We need to wake up early the next day."

"Ugh, my back's killing me." Lee groaned, stretching, and the rest could hear a crack. "There, much better!" he said, lying down on his bed, the one nearest to the door. "You sure you're all packed?"

"Yeah." Shino replied glancing down at Shikamaru who yawned. "What about your laptop?"

"It's in my bag, relax." Shikamaru shrugged. "And Naruto, Kiba," He called out, looking at them. "Please try not to snore."

Lee got back up and switched off the lights as soon as he saw everyone lying down. "Night guys!"

Different responds were said, and finally, it was quiet inside their room.

He glanced at his watch, and then at the doors that led to the plane.

"They must take after you Captain Hatake."

Kakashi smiled sheepishly at the blonde woman, and then turned to the four girls who were to accompany him and his team. "I apologize on their behalf…"

"They're here." Hinata pointed out quietly, seeing the team running towards them, some putting on their navy blue military jackets and black SWAT vests, while some hopped on one leg to tighten the knots of their boots, and the rest were fixing the straps of their bags and rifles.

"Good gracious…" Tsunade groaned, slapping a hand against her forehead as Kakashi stiffened from the glare she sent him. "This is not a very good impression Captain."

"Ah, yes…" Kakashi sighed and then narrowed his eyes at his team.

The team took note of this and instantly stood at attention, their right hands rising to salute their superiors, bringing them back down when Tsunade nodded.

"Explain." Kakashi said.

"The lazy ass here-"

"Don't go blaming me Naruto, it was Kiba who-"

"No! It was Lee!"

"So unyouthful! I am not to be accused! It was Neji!"

Neji sighed and muttered a few coherent words under his breath.

"One at a time!" Tsunade snapped. "Hyuuga, explain."

"I don't know." He shrugged. "Ask them, Sasuke just woke me up."

"Hn. Shino."

"…Kiba."

"We're going nowhere! Will someone please just say what caused your tardiness?!" Tsunade growled.

"…The alarm." They all said simultaneously.

"Well, next time, don't be dependent on it!" Tsunade scolded. "Thanks to you seven men, you're all behind schedule! Have you no shame?! You made your Captain and these four ladies wait for two hours! TWO WHOLE HOURS!"

The team just remained silent, and Tsunade muttered something they couldn't understand, so Kakashi sighed and took over.

"I'll think of some way to get you guys to make up for this, but for now, we have to go." He pointed at the huge plane behind him. "I'll explain the rest of the details on the way."

"Yes sir." They boarded the plane, and Tsunade watched as the aircraft disappeared from view.

"Good luck to you, team Shinobi." She frowned. "You may need it."

Kiba eyed the girls who all sat next to each other, and next to them was Shino, and then their team Captain, Kakashi. At the very end, where the entrance and exit of the plane was, sat Tenten, the radio operator – and she was adjacent to the team's sniper, Hyuuga Neji. Next to Neji stood Uchiha Sasuke, Neji's cover at most times, and also partner - and he sat opposite of the pink-haired medic whose name Kiba forgot. Next to the pink-haired girl was Neji's cousin, Hinata, who was blushing, and Kiba knew it was because the girl had a little thing for Naruto, who was apparently next to Sasuke, grinning like an idiot as always. Next to Naruto was him, and opposite of him was Shino, and then next to Shino was Kurenai, who sat opposite of Lee, and next to Kurenai was Kakashi, who sat opposite of Shikamaru.

"So…" He began. "It's still a pretty long journey, right Captain?"

"That's right."

"Maybe we can… get to know each other better? I mean, if we plan on working together."

"Hm? Well, you're right about that, go ahead." Kakashi nodded, and then looked at Kurenai with a grin. "Nice to see you again Kurenai."

"I didn't think I'd have the honor of being put into your team." She commented. "I heard they're one of the bests."

"No point denying that." Kakashi admitted. "Boys, introductions, if you please, let's start with you Shino."

"Aburame Shino – the expert at navigation and landscapes. Call sign is Snapper."

"Next, Shikamaru, and then Lee, and so on." Kakashi instructed.

"Nara Shikamaru, labeled as the brains of the group. My call sign is Redshirt." He yawned. "Particularly because I'd rather negotiate than start a war."

"Odd for a soldier…" Kurenai commented, and Shikamaru just shrugged.

"Rock Lee is my name! I am known as the brawns of the team!" he winked and gave a thumb's up. "My call sign is Biohazard!"

"Inuzuka Kiba," he grinned. "I have a deep understanding for animals of all kinds, but my specialties are dogs. Call sign is Tigger."

"Uzumaki Naruto, believe it!" The blonde exclaimed, missing the blush Hinata sent. "I'm pretty much good at fighting! I've been positioned as a frontline soldier for most missions! Call sign is Archangel!"

"Hn. Uchiha Sasuke, Eidetic memory – or known as photographic memory." He looked up at the medic before him. "Call sign is Reaper."

"Hyuuga Neji, perfect vision and marksmanship. Call sign is Ma Bell." He narrowed his eyes at Tenten who giggled. "It's the price I have to pay for being a sharp shooter."

"No, it's because of your hair! Man, get a haircut!" Naruto said. "I can't believe the military even allows you and Shikamaru to have long hair! And don't get me started on yours, bastard!"

"If you do, it's like you're also insulting our Captain's hair that also defies gravity." Sasuke countered.

"Ah, right." Naruto sighed. "But anyway! How about you girls?" he grinned.

"Just a radio operator," Tenten saluted playfully with her pointer and middle finger. "But give me any type of weapon and I'm sure to use it properly."

"Not much to say about me, but I can handle a hand gun." Sakura said sheepishly.

"Same here." Hinata said.

"But what they lack in combat, they can make up in the medicine field." Kurenai said. "These two are my best medics."

"Interesting…" Shikamaru commented, just to keep the conversation going. "And what about you, Lieutenant Yuuhi?"

"I'm your Captain's former teammate."

"…Now that is interesting." Kiba chuckled.

"Now, now Tigger, don't go bouncing to conclusions." Kakashi said, remaining calm.

"Cut the wisecracks about my call sign!"

"Welcome to my world." Neji muttered.

"If I may…" Hinata asked meekly. "I know about my cousin being here, but is it true that you're a… special team?"

Shinobi was silent for a moment, and Kakashi eyed each one of their reactions.

Neji closed his eyes as he and Sasuke gave a smirk. Lee, Naruto, and Kiba broke intro grins, Shikamaru gave a lazy smile, and Shino lifted his head up a bit.

"Yeah, we are." Naruto nodded. "We're one heck of a team."

"Why? You each have individual talents no other men have?" Sakura asked, curiosity getting the best of her.

"In a way," Kiba answered. "I mean, our talents aren't that rare, save for Sasuke's, since he can remember something or someone perfectly well with just one glance, but we're kind of… enhanced."

"Um… how so?" Tenten asked.

Kakashi cleared his throat and got up, his right hand grabbing a hand rail to keep his balance. "As much as I'd like for you to continue your conversation, we're getting close to our destination, so back to business." He turned serious. "Shinobi, the girls are not trained for a drop-off, therefore, we'll be assisting them." He looked at the boys who were supposed to assist a girl. "Hyuuga, take care of Tenten, Uchiha, you're with Sakura, Uzumaki, Hinata goes with you," he turned to Kurenai. "And to keep things from growing awkward between subordinate and officer, you go with me."

"Yes sir." The boys answered, unbuckling their seat belts when the pilot of the plane announced that they were nearing drop off point.

"We've got ourselves a problem here sir," The pilot said. "We were ordered to drop you off from about three to four thousand meters, but circumstances won't allow us."

Kakashi narrowed his eyes and glanced at the pilot. "What's our status?"

"Heavy clouds, if I fly lower, it may interfere with your dive."

"Alright, how high should we jump off?"

"Six thousand meters."

"SIX THOUSAND?!" Exclaimed the girls.

"Well, this is… something we're not trained for." Shikamaru said, yawning. "Troublesome."

"You have got to be kidding!" Tenten said.

"Nope." Lee scratched the back of his head. "This is our first time to be dropped off at six thousand meters."

"Oh come on!" Sakura cried, gripping onto the hand rails since they were all already on their feet. "We're not ready for this!" she blushed when she felt Sasuke's arms wrap around her waist to pull her against him. "U-um… Sergeant..?"

"Hn. You have to buckle up," He secured the strap around her, which connected her to him. "And don't worry," He pulled down his night-vision goggles that have been resting on his head. "An increase in drop-off height is a lot better than a decrease of it," He shrugged. "It makes landing a lot easier."

"That's right." Neji assured, also wrapping the strap around Tenten. "And besides, we'll keep you girls safe."

Naruto grinned at a blushing Hinata.

"Now that that's settled," Kakashi motioned for the singles to go ahead. "Time to show the medics and radio operator what you've got," he lowered his goggles. "Let's move!"

As soon as the door opened, Kiba gave a two-finger salute, pulled down his goggles, and dived head first, followed by Lee, Shikamaru, Shino, and then Neji, Sasuke, Naruto, and lastly, Kakashi – the girls strapped to them safely.

"Whoo! Yeah baby!" Kiba yelled, his teammates smirking and grinning from his enthusiasm.

"Parachutes at two thousand five hundred meters." Kakashi ordered through their communicators.

"Roger." Came the team's replies.

Sasuke glanced at Sakura who was gripping onto his arms tightly.

"…I'm starting to not feel my arms, you know?"

"I… I can't help it! I'm afraid of heights!"

"I figured," He murmured. "But relax," his grip around her tightened, and her cheeks flushed. "Look, I'll at least keep one arm around you the whole time, how's that?"

"…O-okay…"

"Hey bastard, if I didn't know you better, I'd say you're taking advantage of the situation."

"Usaratonkachi."

Naruto chuckled at Sasuke's predicament and turned to Hinata. "How are you holding up?"

"I-I'm fine, sort of…"

"You're pretty brave!"

"T-thank you."

"Okay guys," Kakashi spoke, the girls hearing his words through their own communicators. "Time to open up your chutes..."

They all did, but Kakashi caught Naruto and Hinata still free-falling.

"Archangel, what's going on?!"

"Something's wrong! Hinata's strap won't let me open my chute!"

"What?!"

"Ugh. Crap." Naruto cursed, trying to tug on the string. "Shit, Hinata!" he felt her separating from him, and he noticed that the strap that kept her to him had loosened, and Hinata was falling a lot faster than he was.

"Tch. Naruto, keep diving," Sasuke instructed since he was nearer to them compared to the others. "Hinata, remain at free-fall position."

Naruto did what he was told and Hinata tried to remain calm despite the situation she was in.

"Hinata, grab my arm!" she turned to see Naruto extending out his right arm, and when Hinata managed to grab a hold of it, Naruto opened his chute, just in time since they were nearing the ground, but it wasn't enough to keep them in the air, so they ended up crash landing, Naruto immediately wrapping his arms around Hinata and twisting their bodies so that he'd receive more of the impact.

Due to their positions and the sudden landing, Hinata's lips ended up on Naruto's, and their eyes went wide as they stared, pulling away only when the others have reached the ground.

"Hinata!" Neji called, rushing to her and helping her up. "You alright? Are you hurt?"

"I'm fine." Hinata assured, blushing and avoiding eye contact from Naruto, who was as red as she was.

"Damn it Naruto!" Neji pushed the blonde. "What were you-"

"Cool it." Sasuke said, placing a hand on Neji's shoulder and keeping him away from Naruto. "She's safe, don't worry."

Neji eyed Naruto for a few moments before sighing and giving a nod.

Kakashi quickly went to Naruto while Kurenai checked Hinata.

"What happened?"

"Sir, I didn't know what went wrong!"

Kakashi gave a nod and did a head count before calling the team's attention. "We're about half a mile or so away from the abandoned HQ, we're currently in a jungle, and as you can see, the trees and bushes are thick, there could be wild animals present, so it's better to stick to your partners and keep the girls safe, clear?"

"Yes sir."

Kakashi led the way next to Lee, with Kurenai right behind them and Hinata next to her. Shino and Shikamaru were behind the two girls, and then came Sakura and Tenten, and then Sasuke and Neji, and lastly, Naruto and Kiba.

"Hey, do you think there are lions, or maybe snakes here?"

"Don't know Naruto, but it's possible."

"Holy shit Kiba! There's a snake around your neck!"

"What?! WHERE?!"

And Naruto burst out laughing.

"Damn you, that wasn't funny!"

"You're such a baby Kiba!"

Sasuke and Neji twitched and glanced at them.

"Idiots are at it again…" Sasuke muttered.

"What do you expect? They're idiots."

They tried ignoring Kiba and Naruto, but they eventually got fed up and stopped walking.

"If you two won't shut the fuck up," Sasuke began, turning to them with a glare. "I'll shoot your sorry asses."

"Morons." Neji grunted, also glaring at them.

"Ah geez, the two party poopers." Kiba murmured.

"Grouches…" Naruto added.

When the "grouches" finally received the silence they wanted, they both pushed their goggles up, letting the gadget rest on their heads.

Tenten and Sakura looked behind them to ask something, but ended up turning a bit red and looking back up front.

"Sakura…"

"I know Ten," Sakura whispered back. "I know…"

Tenten forced herself not to look back at Neji, since he looked pretty good back there with a few strands of his hair falling to his face. On the other hand, Sakura couldn't stop herself from looking back at Sasuke, thinking how cute he was with his bangs away from his face, giving her a good view of the details of his nose, lips, and especially the eyes; the few strands though that somewhat covered some parts of his face only added to his good looks, and she blushed when he looked at her.

"What?"

"H-huh?" she said back.

He raised a brow. "You've been staring for quite a while and it's irking me a bit."

"Oh, s-sorry…" she looked back up front.

Neji elbowed Sasuke, causing the younger soldier to look at him.

"She's got it bad for you."

"Hn, very funny."

"Not kidding here Uchiha," Neji whispered. "I can tell."

"Can we not have this conversation?"

"Why not?"

"It's… awkward."

"Whatever you say," Neji smirked, looking around. "Don't you think this mission is odd?"

"Hn. I was hoping you'd say something about it."

"Why?"

Sasuke narrowed his eyes. "Call it gut instincts."

Neji glanced at him. "What do you think?"

"Something's not right," He said. "It's the same as how I felt back then, before I was forced to be a soldier."

Sakura and Tenten looked back at them, catching their attention.

"Is this place dangerous..?" Tenten asked.

Neji and Sasuke exchanged looks, before giving a reassuring half-smirk.

"Relax," Neji began. "We're trained to be ready for anything."

"Okay troopers," Kakashi called them, stopping to look at his team. "We've reached a bridge, and it doesn't look sturdy."

Team Shinobi and the girls eyed the swinging bridge, and noted how there were a lot of thin vines surrounding it, and how the ropes that held it together were close to snapping off.

"So, as Captain, I'll go first to check it out." He lowered his goggles. "Given the current time and situation, it's too foggy, so our goggles will have to aid us, as well as our bravery."

Kakashi walked slowly – each step he made could lead him to his death if he was not careful, and he made sure that the next step would still be safe.

It took more than five minutes to cross the bridge, and he told his team to move in pairs.

"Alright, Shino, Tenten, go." Sasuke said.

Shino picked up his bag and led Tenten to the bridge, both having no trouble in crossing.

"Kiba, Shikamaru, you're next."

The two stopped when they reached the middle since the bridge begun to swing a bit, but they continued once it has settled.

"A little bit of warning," Shikamaru said through his communicator. "Somewhere in the middle, two boards have fallen off, so you'll have to jump over it to cross."

"Got it." Sasuke turned to Neji, who nodded and took Hinata with him.

"One, two, three…" Neji counted the steps. "The two boards Shikamaru was talking about are on the 41st and 42nd."

Next were Naruto and Kurenai, who managed to jump over the two missing boards successfully, leaving Sasuke, Sakura, and Lee.

"You two go on ahead." Lee said.

Sasuke nodded and glanced at Sakura, who swallowed and then gave a nod to him. He led the way, stopping once he reached the 40th step. "I'll go ahead, alright?"

"Sure." Sakura said, watching as he hopped to the 43rd step, and offered her an arm. "It's okay, I can… manage." She assured.

He lowered his arm and waited, raising a brow when she still hasn't jumped.

"Could you… step back?"

He did, and she inhaled and exhaled a bit, before jumping, tripping at the process but Sasuke caught her in time, and his nose inhaled the scent of her hair. "Tch. Focus." He thought to himself, feeling distracted from the smell. "You alright..?"

"Y-yeah." She stammered, blushing.

"Sasuke," Kakashi called. "You better hurry, the vines are beginning to snap."

"Tch. Lee," Sasuke called out. "Come on, hustle."

"Got it." Lee replied, rushing on.

"Let's go." Sasuke told Sakura, leading the way again, until the bridge began to swing once more, and Sakura clung onto the rope rails.

"Shit, Sasuke! Hurry!" Neji said. "The vines! We can't hold onto-"

SNAP!

They heard Lee cry out the moment the bridge gave way, and Sasuke had to grab onto the remaining vine that kept it in place, only to curse when Sakura fell off, so he jumped after her and extended out his left arm, shooting a string from the wrist band he had on. The string wrapped around a branch of a tree as he successfully caught Sakura and extended out his legs to stop himself from crashing against the rocky walls. He panted a bit and looked down at the pink-haired medic, feeling her grip around him tight, and how she was shaking.

"Sakura," he called out, making her raise her head to him. "I need you to hold on, okay? I have to let you go."

"WHAT?!"

"I need my other arm to pull us up."

She nodded hesitantly, and he let go once her arms were secured around him.

He pressed a switch on the wrist band, afterwards, wrapped his arm around Sakura once more when he felt the device pulling them up.

Sasuke spotted Lee being pulled up by his teammates, and soon, he and Sakura were being aided to safety as well.

"Risky move you pulled there." Neji commented, helping Sasuke up as he glanced at Sakura who was being aided by Kurenai and Hinata. "You could have shot out the string first before jumping off."

"Hn." He fixed his uniform and pulled off his goggles. "Adrenaline rush."

Neji just smirked.

"Alright," Kakashi called their attention once everyone has settled and calmed down. "Seeing as the girls look tired," he smiled slightly at Kurenai's glare. "We'll take a ten-minute break," he turned to Neji and Sasuke. "Except for you two; I need your eyes."

"As always." Neji commented, shrugging.

"Whatever." Sasuke placed back his goggles and pushed them up.

The two followed Kakashi, leaving the medics and radio operator to sit on their packs and eye the group. "What did he mean by that?" Tenten asked.

Kiba grinned. "Their special talents."

Sakura tilted her head.

"Well," Naruto began. "Neji has keen eyesight, and Sasuke has photographic memory."

"What's the connection?"

"You see, Lt. Kurenai," Shikamaru began. "We could get loss in this… jungle, and Sasuke's talent will come in handy, if you get what I mean." When they nodded, he continued. "While Sasuke memorizes the area Kakashi is leading them around, Neji keeps an eye out for danger."

"I see."

"All clear." Kakashi announced when he came back five minutes later. "Sorry to cut the break short, but we have to move."

"No problem." Tenten said, getting up.

"Right." Kakashi led the way once again, stopping once they were out of the jungle and in front of the abandoned HQ they were heading for. "We're here."

And the team looked up at the tall gates – but what made them keep their guards up was the scent of blood.

"Captain, I do believe that the mission files said nothing about blood..." Shikamaru voiced out.

"...That's what I thought too." Kakashi said. "What's going on..?"

Apathetic Silence: I wonder if my cousin can give me a few lessons or tips on cliffhangers..? I really suck at them. Oh and… this is just a bit of a test run – to see if this story would click or not, so don't expect an update to happen soon. Twisted Apathy is barely ten percent complete.