(A/N) Hello everyone! Welcome to the start of my first fanfic. I apologize in advance if there are any spelling or grammar errors. Because I'm new around here and at writing fanfiction, I lack a beta-reader. Regardless, I hope you enjoy my work. Please review, I'd be happy to have constructive feedback.

**EDIT/NOTICE: I had a fairly angry reviewer stating I was trying to "lure" people with the NaruHina tag, so I removed it. This story is more OC heavy than I originally intended, so if that isn't your thing, you may want to hit the back button.**

Background: Post-war approx. 2 years, canon. Partial self-insert, many parts OCs POV. Only confirmed pairing is NaruHina andpossibly Sasusaku, but others may come up later.

Rated "T" - violence, mild language, mild sexiness. Rating unlikely to change at this time!

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. Naruto belongs to Kishimoto Masashi. This is only for fun/enjoyment, I do not make and never will make any profit from this!

Update: The first three chapters have been slightly revised for a couple errors and hey look! A real cover page! Also, A HUGE thanks to the two people who faved this, and the two that reviewed. It means a lot to me! Still possibly looking for a beta. Anyway, please enjoy! Cheers!

Chapter 1 – The Mission

Rynn woke with a start, feeling wetness at her nose. Lightly touching her fingers to her face, she let out a small gasp upon noticing they were stained with blood. She stumbled through a dark and cluttered bedroom fearing the worse. Rynn could count on one hand the amount of times she had ever had a nosebleed; the rarity of the situation made her heart thump with mild panic. Still drowsy from sleep, she flicked on the bathroom light and shuffled in to face the mirror.

She breathed a sigh of relief. Yes, it was true, her nose was bleeding but it looked like it was already stopping. Grabbing a tissue, Rynn wiped up the small rivulet of blood escaping her left nostril and relaxed as no new blood took the place of the old.

Speculating that her nose ring had just stabbed her accidently while she was asleep, she returned to the bedroom, stumbling more then on the way out due to the way her eye's had adjusted to the bright lights of the bathroom. Flopping back into the covers, she smiled and cuddled up with to the sleeping form of her live-in boyfriend. Life is pretty good, she thought, as she drifted back to sleep.

A solitary figure blurred orange as it bounced from rooftop to rooftop, travelling haphazardly toward the centre of Konoha. The figure landed unevenly on a terracotta tile and a group of pigeons took flight, startled by the sudden movement and accompanying yelp. Steadying himself, the young man with unruly blonde hair jumped away. Naruto hollered "sorry!" over his shoulder at the disgruntled birds, grinning slightly despite the momentary setback.

Naruto was eager to be on an A- rank mission for the first time in months, and in his excitement he was speeding toward the Hokage's office faster than was usual even for him. He had been taking advantage of the early summer warmth by practicing on the training grounds, and it was there that he had received a homing bird with a message to head the Hokage's office to be briefed on a mission. He wasn't sure what the mission would entail yet, but typically people didn't send messenger birds unless it was above B-rank. It had to be urgent.

It wasn't that Naruto didn't appreciate the post-war peace, it was just the opposite. But there are only so many times that a skilled shinobi team can escort dignitaries before things get a little repetitive. Naruto had been on so many C rank missions the previous winter that he was itching to have some sort of real challenge.

Slowing to a walk as he headed into Tsunade's office, he was shocked to see the fifth Hokage's expression to be so grave. "What's up with the scary face Granny Tsunade?" he asked with his arms behind his head in his characteristic laid back fashion. That's when he noticed the others standing in the office. "Sakura? Kiba? Oh! Hey Hinata!"

He grinned at the quiet Hyuga. They had been spending more time together since the war had ended, but things between the two had not been progressing quickly, in part due to Naruto's imperceptiveness, and Hinata's shyness.

"H…Hi Naruto!" she said, blushing slightly as she smiled at him.

Sakura rolled her eyes at her former teammate. "Honestly Naruto, show the Hokage some respect! And buy some new clothes!" She tugged at the bottom of Naruto's black and orange jacket, which had ridden up to show a couple inches of skin between the jacket and the matching pants. "You've clearly outgrown these!"

Naruto returned his arms to his sides and the jacket came down to meet the pants. "I guess these have gotten a little tight…"

Kiba smirked. "I know someone here probably doesn't mind," he teased, elbowing Hinata.

"Kiba! That's n-not…I didn't…I…I wasn't looking," Hinata finished lamely.

There was a curt knock on the office door and in walked a brown-haired man with wide almond-shaped eyes, distracting the younger ninja from Naruto's shrinking wardrobe. Naruto and Sakura grinned.

"Captain Yamato! You're on duty again?" Naruto asked excitedly. He hadn't seen much his former team captain recently, as the former-ANBU member had spend quite a while at the hospital recovering from his time in captivity.

Yamato smiled. "Sakura gave me the okay to return to normal duty last week."

"Oi, Sakura, you didn't tell me…"

Naruto's words were cut off by a massive slam. Tsunade had heaved a heavy book down on her desk. "Good, you're all here. Now pay attention! I didn't send out messenger birds to watch my underlings have a chat about growth spurts!" Tsunade looked pointedly at Naruto and her star apprentice.

"There have been reports of strange activity near the border. People have been disappearing. There have also been some odd…disturbances."

"Disturbances?" Kiba asked, absentmindedly rubbing Akamaru's head.

"Chunks of earth and destroyed buildings have been appearing seemingly out of nowhere. ANBU teams have found three such areas. We aren't sure who is behind it, but evidence suggests it could be someone using an experimental jutsu."

"Could it be Orochimaru?" Sakura asked tentatively.

The kunoichi sannin's expression soured slightly at the mention of her former teammate. "It very well could be. This is going to be primarily a scouting mission. My ANBU teams have found an area that is fairly centralized to the strange goings on; it could even be an enemy hideout. I want you to try and find out who is behind this! And don't," she glanced to Naruto, "take any unnecessary risks. We have no idea what we are dealing with yet."

The cheerfulness of a few minutes ago had faded from the room. The Fifth looked around at the determined faces that surrounded her. "You have an hour to get packed and ready to head out. Dismissed!"

A day and a half later, five shinobi forms sped through the dense forest. Kiba was at the front of the group, his keen sense of smell tracking down the scent of the trail left for them by the ANBU team. Hinata trailed close behind him, her Byakugan activated. Their team captain Yamato was directly behind Hinata and the two former members of team seven brought up the rear. There were close to their destination.

Hinata's breath hitched slightly and she signaled for the team to stop. "I see something. I think it might be one of the disturbances the Fifth was talking about!"

The team slowed to a halt, and congregated on the forest floor.

"How far away is it Hinata?" Yamato questioned, "What do you see?"

The heiress peered off into the distance. "It's about half a kilometer away, in a clearing. It's…it's kind of hard to describe. I see a mass of grass and concrete and part of a cream-coloured building. The odd thing is the grass doesn't seem to match. The grass near the concrete is dead and it's too short to match the plants in the clearing. There is something off about the building too. It's designed in a way I've never seen before. It's not even really similar to things from the nations that I've visited."

"Do you see any people?" Sakura asked.

"I don't see anyone. It looks abandoned."

Kiba and Akamaru sniffed the air. "We don't smell anyone within at least two kilos."

Yamato pursed his lips. "Okay. I think this warrants further investigation. We will move up to the area slowly. Kiba, Hinata be on the lookout. You two will scout the area first. Naruto, send a clone with them. When they are sure the area is secure, the clone can inform us and the three of us will meet them."

The blonde nodded and made the appropriate hand sign. With a puff of smoke, a clone popped into existence and followed the former team eight members further toward the clearing. Naruto stretched, showing some midriff again and promptly dropped to the leaf-covered ground, cross legged.

"Bah, you idiot! This isn't a time to be relaxing!" the pink haired kunoichi whispered.

"Shh! Sakura! You'll break my concentration!" He took a deep breath in and let it out slowly, the moment of annoyance slipping from his face.

Something clicked in her mind and she realized what he was doing: collecting the energy for Sage mode. Even after all he had done for the shinobi world, sometimes Naruto's random instances of forethought still surprised her. It was easy to forget how powerful he had become when most of the time he still acted like the goofball teammate she had grown up with: laughing at his own jokes, eating ramen at Ichiraku's at least four times a week and declaring that he'd be hokage one day. Sakura smiled a little at the last thought. There was probably wasn't a soul in Konoha that would laugh at his declarations these days.

Sakura was pulled from her inner reflections by Naruto's sudden movement. He looked up with his eyes surrounded in orange. "Captain Yamato, Sakura! The area seems clear! Let's go!" he declared enthusiastically.

Jumping away, Sakura exchanged an amused glance with her captain as they rushed to keep up with their over-eager teammate. Due to Naruto's quick pace, it only took them a couple minutes to reach the clearing that Hinata had previously described. Slowly, the group made their way to the centre of the clearing.

"This is huge! I hadn't expected something this big!" Sakura looked over the building and the layer of earth beneath it. It looked like half of a house had been deposited in the middle of the forest. "Captain Yamato! Look at this!" She pointed to the cement buried in the earth. "This looks like part of a foundation."

The older shinobi frowned at the sight. "This is only half of the foundation. It looks like it was cut cleanly in two along with the dirt beside it."

"Arf, arf!" a shrill bark alerted the team to a small hole the Inuzuka dog had dug beside the strange mass.

"You're right, Akamaru. This isn't even remotely similar dirt." Kiba looked back to his teammates. Yamato stood near the odd monument with his arms crossed.

"It's obvious that this part of a building was transported from somewhere, but where and more importantly, how? This doesn't look like any sort of summoning that I've ever seen."

Sakura slipped two vials out of her pocket and took samples of each type of earth. "Maybe we should go inside. What do you think Naruto?" She glanced at her friend, "Naruto? What's wrong?"

Naruto was standing several feet away from the orphaned apartment, with a faraway look in his eyes and an odd look on his face. "I'm just sensing something really weird." He swallowed thickly and looked west with unease. "I can't really explain the feeling. It has to do with Sage mode…" he trailed off, his demeanor more serious than usual. With a bright flash, Naruto's orange outfit seemed to burst into flames. Naruto's eyes went wide as he entered Nine-Tails Chakra mode and without warning, he sprinted off in the direction he had been looking to moments before.

"Naruto! Wait for…" Sakura stopped mid-yell. It was too late. He was already too far gone to hear her. "Damnit! That idiot, running off like that without warning," she fumed.

Hinata looked with worry in the direction Naruto had gone, and Kiba swore as he beckoned Akamaru.

"Bah! Come on, at least we know his scent well!" Kiba glowered as he began tracking his most unpredictable friend.

"I can't really explain the feeling. It has to do with Sage mode…"

Naruto couldn't explain the weird feeling he had in his chest and stomach as he approached the displaced building. It almost felt like an outpouring of nature energy, but it didn't feel quite the same. He looked toward the source of the weird energy. It felt like it was vibrating in his sternum. 'This needs further investigation,' he thought, swallowing heavily as the vibration seemed to grow slightly stronger.

'Kurama! You got any idea what this vibration is?'

The nine-tails opened an eye, letting his awareness seep out into his young host.

'No. It feels similar to nature energy, but the frequency is wrong. It's too low.'

Naruto's eyebrows came together and he grimaced. 'That vibration is making me feel sick to my stomach.'

'Use my chakra to enhance your senses. It may help you deal with the discomfort and give you more insight into what that energy is.'

'Good idea!'

'Keh. Of course it is!'

Naruto focused on the kyuubi's chakra and rapidly entered Nine-tails mode. As soon as he did, he was slammed with a massive wave of bloodlust and hatred so strong that it actually stunned him for a moment. It was coming from the direction of the strange vibrations he was feeling. He could tell that the intent to kill was directed at someone, but he wasn't sure who. One thing he knew for sure was that someone on the receiving end of that rage needed some help and quickly. Without even thinking to warn his teammates where he was headed, Naruto sped off in the direction of the bloodlust.

Moving at his top speed, he rapidly approached a lake. Peering off into the distance, he noted there was an island in the middle. The tension was spewing from an area near the sandy, remote landmass. 'I hope I'm not too late,' he thought worriedly.

As he approached the island, he cursed his lack of forethought. He had no idea who he was going to find when he reached his destination and he realized now that he had just rushed in without any backup. He assumed that his team was probably following him but he wasn't sure how long it would take the group to cover the ground that he had so quickly. He shook his head slightly. It was too late, he was here and he was pretty sure someone needed his help badly. He couldn't stand around and wait for them, by the time they caught up, someone could be killed!

He slowed his pace as he reached the island. At first glance, it was quite unremarkable, but following the strong feeling of hatred, he found a latch hidden in the sand. Pulling up on the latch, sand slid inwards as a passage way opened up. Naruto poked his head inside and found a staircase leading down under the lake. He stepped into the tunnel, leaving the door open behind him so that his teammates would be able to find the door quickly when they caught up to him.

Underneath the lake, the vibrations had gotten so strong that even in Nail-tails mode, it was uncomfortable. He was running down a dank hallway when he heard a shrill scream. 'Damn, maybe I didn't make it in time!' As suddenly as they had begun, the strange vibrations stopped and right afterwards the bloodlust began increasing. He strove to run even faster through the dark passage. Suddenly, he found that dark hallway had ended and he had raced into the middle of a large open chamber.

He shivered at what he saw around him, his anger growing every second. There were several human bodies in cages, and the floor was covered in blood and grime. A sweep with his chakra told him that none of the caged people had made it. There were however, two live figures in the room. One was a girl pressed up against the back wall, clearly trying to get away from the cloaked figure several feet away from her. Her hair was shoulder length but matted, and her clothes were tattered. The bottom half of her face was caked with dried blood and her eyes were filled with terror. Tears streamed down her face, leaving trails in the dirt.

"YOU!" he bellowed at the standing figure, "Who the hell are you? You're going to pay for this! I won't let you get away with it, you sick bastard!"

The cloaked figure turned to face him. Nothing of the man's face could be seen from underneath the hood of his robe.

"Well, if it isn't our savior, Naruto. I have to say, I'm a little surprised to see you here, and so soon! I didn't expect any sort of intervention at these stages in my plan, no I certainly did not."

Ignoring the strange man's words, Naruto sent out a chakra arm and grabbed the man. Picking him up off the ground, Naruto walked a little closer, using his real hands and a second chakra arm to begin forming a Rasengan.

"I wouldn't try anything hasty, Naruto. This girl could get caught up in things!"

Naruto let the beginnings of the Rasengan dissipate as he noticed that the man had formed his hands into the Hitsuji hand seal. He had no idea what type of jutsu this guy could have placed on the women. In theory, she could be killed instantly. Naruto dropped the man and retracted the chakra arms.

Naruto glared at the figure as he stood up and dusted himself off. The man's voice was familiar to him, but he couldn't quite place it. Either way, the cheery politeness was getting to him. He was vibrating with anger but the threat of something happening to innocent woman before him stopped him from attacking outright for a second time. The cloaked man continued chatting, as if they were discussing plans for a future get-together. "I told you I would fight you last time we met, but I'm afraid I'm not quite prepared for it, Naruto! You'll have to wait a little longer!"

Long strands of silver hair flitted out of the cowl as the figure turned to viciously kick the woman on the ground. She cried out and then whimpered before falling silent again. The man sighed. "This one is a failure anyways. Run away, Naruto. You won't be able to save her! If you try…you could die!" The man with the hidden face performed a complex set of hand seals that Naruto had never seen before and shouted "RELEASE!" Waving, the man started to fade out. Naruto tried to grab the man with a chakra arm, but it was too late, he had disappeared completely. A piercing scream turned his attention from his escaped enemy back to the girl. She was staring at her hands, eyes wide with fear. He was beginning to feel the vibration in his sternum again.

"Help me! It's burning, I'm BURNING!" The woman was screaming now, heaving with each breath and shaking. The vibrations were increasing too, streaming out of the woman with enough force to blow his hair backwards. He watched helplessly as emerald green chakra enveloped the woman's hands and steadily moved up her arms she was writhing in pain, screaming for help and that she was on fire. For a moment, Naruto froze, unsure what to do. The vibration was beginning to feel overwhelming again but he needed to find a way to stop that weird chakra before it consumed the woman completely.

'What's the fastest way to get rid of chakra? Come on Naruto, think!'

The answer came to him suddenly and he dove toward the woman, horrified to see the greenish flames had covered much of her body. He grabbed on to her wrists, wincing as the green aura burned his flesh. He concentrated on absorbing the energy. The awful vibration rushed into him, and he felt himself get dizzy as the strange energy mixed with his own chakra and that of kyuubi's.

Letting go of the woman's arms, he made the hand seal. "Kage bushin no jutsu!" Hundreds of clones filled the room and the surrounding corridors. Panting, he grabbed the woman's wrists again and started the process over. By the third time, the clones were starting to appear on the island above the hideout and Naruto's hands and arms were burnt and blistered up to his elbows. To his dismay, he hadn't stopped the flames. They had been held at bay, but the woman was still partially engulfed in the green aura. His head hurt and his skull felt like it was vibrating. His vision blurred as he latched onto her burned extremities again. Every bone in his body ached, but he was determined not to let go.

"Naruto!"

He turned his head to see Sakura and the others push through all the clones to get to him and the victim of the green chakra. Yamato and Sakura started doing several complicated hand-seals in unison, but his vision was too blurry from the vibration in his head to make them out clearly.

"Twenty-Four Prong Complete Chakra Seal!" Both Sakura and Captain Yamato grabbed one of the woman's hands and he watched wearily as black ink snaked over the woman's arms and body. This had a serious dampening effect on the green flames. Naruto let go, coughed and dropped to the ground beside the woman, sliding back to his normal form.

He peered sideways at the woman and gasped. Despite the seal, there was still some of the green aura circling her body, furthering the burns.

"Byakugan!" a soft voice stated. Naruto smiled slightly. He would know that voice anywhere, and it was filled with familiar resolve. He turned over just enough to see Hinata squinting at the girl through the green haze, finding her chakra points.

The strikes were too fast for him to see in his weakened state, but he could tell that Hinata had been careful to be as gentle as possible while still effectively sealing the woman's chakra points. Naruto pushed himself into a sitting position, wincing as his sore hands touched the ground. He still felt awful, but now that the vibrations had stopped he felt marginally better.

He looked over to the woman and his stomach dropped. Although the green chakra had been sealed away, she had sustained incredibly bad burns over a large portion of her body. Looking at her raw, blistered skin made him feel ill. He glanced to his pink-haired comrade, who was determinedly kneeling over the girl with her medical ninjutsu. Her green eyes flicked to Naruto and Yamato. "I need to get her back to Konoha. It'll take me, Tsunade and probably Shizune together to save this lady. She's got a lot of internal damage besides the burns."

"We're a day and a half away from Konoha," Kiba bluntly stated. "There is no way we can get her back in time."

Naruto shakily got to his feet. He swayed slightly, but felt a small pair of hands come support him. Leaning on Hinata's shoulder, he turned to face the team. "Well, there is one possibility. I haven't perfected it yet but it could be worth a shot." He winced as he reached into his bag, and pulled out something out. Grinning, Naruto opened his already healing hand to reveal one of his father's special kunai.