A/N: It has arrived! The side-story to "Remembrance."

This plot takes place after chapter 20 titled, "Phantom Ruins" and before chapter 21 titled, "Wind and Fire."

Noel Ardnek and I wrote this together. Please let us know what you think.

Nightmare World

Part 1

The nightmare was awake. She'd been dreading this the moment she became a shinobi. Being ordered to kill, as every shinobi must, was something she foolishly thought she could avoid. But now the time had come, the command had been received, and she was desperately trying to find a way out.

"I don't understand what getting rid of them means," she said to her teammates as they journeyed to their destination. She hoped for a reassuring answer, something that meant she wouldn't have to bloody her hands.

Oreo pulled her windblown hair out of her face, dark green eyes cutting a line to the unwilling brunette. The irritation clearly visible on her face was downplayed by the worry in her tone. "Don't make this complicated, Katy."

But she had to make it so, because that's what it was. Being raised as she was, being taught that killing another human was the worst sin a person could commit, there was no way she could do it. Not unless she was trapped in a frenzy of blind anger or fear. At least she estimated such since she had acted rashly in those two emotions in the past, but never had it pushed to a deadly degree. She was always careful not to place herself in a situation where that would likely happen.

"Actually," chimed in Mae, "I was wondering the same thing. What are we going to do?"

Katy glanced over at the dark-haired girl, the youngest of the group, and grimaced. She'd be damned if she let her ten-year-old niece sully herself in a mess of crimson. Mae was taught the same as she and as the elder, if only by a couple years due to Katy's late conception, it was her responsibility to make sure Mae wouldn't have to face such horror. Yet here they were, all because of a society that allows, sometimes even forces, children to become soldiers. No, not soldiers. Soldiers fought to protect their people and country. Shinobi were not used like that unless there was a war. Killers for hire, getting payment off the bloodshed of others, that's what a shinobi was. Assassins. Katy never wanted anything to do with them. If it wasn't for the promise she made long ago she never would have come back to this world, never would have signed up at Oreo's insistence, never would have been sent on this mission.

What was she going to do?

"We're gonna thrash 'em, that's what!" shouted the blonde boy in the lead. "Piece of cake, don't worry about a thing. When those troublemakers see how powerful I am they'll be running off with their tails between their legs!"

Katy tried to smile at his back. Naruto… the one shinobi who was like anything but. He saw the world through simple blue eyes, looking at the brighter side of things, always striving for the best. But he wasn't always realistic. Did this mission specifically call for kills to be made, or was "get rid of them" simply that? Tsunade wasn't very clear about it before she rushed them out the door.

"Up ahead," Oreo stated firmly, pointing forward.

The green scenery receded as they emerged from the trees and made their way down into a small valley. The entire area seemed to have a grim aura hanging over it, choking it like a thick mist. Dirt roads painted streaks of brown across faded grass, farmers scattered in weed-choked fields were toiling to save their meager crops, and in the center of it all was a cluster of rundown houses that looked more like shacks. The group of four veiled their shock. The poor conditions around them grew clearer as they moved into the heart of the little village. The little shacks were unkempt, the wood rotting and falling apart piece by piece. Some of the huts were leaning to one side; some had roofs that were sinking in. Splintered doors and windows clattered shut when they passed through the muddy street. Only a few of the people remained outside. One, an old man, stared them down, his worn hands trembling on his walking stick. His defiance barely broke through the fear that clung to his shaking body.

"What's wrong with everybody?" Naruto balked. "This place looks terrible."

"It does. That's why you're here."

The team jumped at the voice and spun around. A young woman with dark brown hair pulled into a tight bun stood before them.

"Who are you?" Oreo demanded fiercely, her hand resting on her kunai pouch.

The woman's dark eyes darted about. Without a word she motioned for them to follow her. Oreo and Naruto shared a glance, nodding to each other before following along while Katy and Mae trailed behind uncertainly. The woman's strides were short but swift and soon she'd lead them to a hut, holding the flap open for them to enter. When they did so she stepped in behind them, her gaze downcast to the dirt floor. "I'm so glad you came," she whispered, sounding on the edge of tears.

"Who are you?" Oreo asked again, gently this time.

"My name is Emiko." She dabbed her eyes with the sleeve of her washed-out purple kimono. "I'm the one who sent for you. We're in desperate need of help and this was the only thing I could think to do."

"Tell us what's goin' on here, lady, and we'll fix it." Naruto said, eyes shining with sympathy for the distraught woman.

"We were given a brief summary of this mission," Oreo cut in, sending the blonde and look of distaste. He probably wasn't listening when Tsunade was talking. She fixed her stare on the woman known as Emiko. "Your village is being terrorized by bandits, correct?"

"Yes." Emiko composed herself, straightening her back and sighing. "It's been going on for some time now. We used to be a prosperous farming town and our village had been steadily growing. But then they came, demanding 'protection' money. When we refused…" Her taut face became grim. "Most of them are regular thieving brutes, but there are a few amongst them who used to be ninja. We were no match for them. If you didn't pay, horrible things would happen to you. People would see things that weren't there, houses burned down, people would run into the streets screaming, it was terrible."

"And you need us to get rid of them," said Oreo, cutting to the chase.

Emiko tilted forward in a bow. "Please. You're the last hope our village has."

"Okay," said Oreo austerely. "Tell us where we can find them."

Emiko didn't know where the base was exactly, but she pointed in the general direction where rogues were last seen retreating to. Naruto was ready to go charging forward, but Oreo held him back by the collar of his jacket, reminding him that stealth was a crucial key to victory. A strange thing for her to say, Katy thought, since it was the ruby haired girl who usually spazzed out when they played games. The brunette wilted, slouching as she followed the leading pair. Games and reality… It seemed Oreo had separated the two, proving that she was maturing at a faster rate than Katy thought possible. At such a young age, should they really be expected to kiss their childhood goodbye?

Mae lightly touched her arm and Katy smiled dimly, trying to show the younger girl she needn't worry.

They walked out of the small valley nonchalantly, as any other passersby would, but when they got into the thickness of the woods their movements became quick and quiet. The four stalked through weeds, thorns, and other undergrowth with the skill and silence of a cat on the prowl. Katy had to admit they'd come a long way from the stumbling and bumbling they did in the Forest of Death.

The brunette's thoughts once again drifted as she followed behind her peers. What had been said and seen back at that pitiful little village wouldn't leave Katy alone. It was clear they had to get rid of these rogues somehow, and still the possibility that she'd have to kill terrified her. She understood there were people out there who couldn't be dealt with in any other way; criminals that refused to repent. Perhaps she'd be more inclined to disembowel a serial rapist? Probably not. Completely obliterating his reproductive organs would be her solution.

When it came down to it she just didn't have what it took to kill. She'd choose to dish out cruel and unusual punishment over the death penalty.

Obvious criminals aside, there were many who were not fully deserving of the horrific ends they received. Katy suppressed a cold tremor. She knew those horrors; unknown bodies covered in red haunted her dreams. She had witnessed brutal killings done by a boy no older than six, his brutality growing as his age advanced. His hair the color of fresh blood, his eyes glazed with steel devoid of compassion, he killed without mercy, without honor.

His village had made him into that killer.

He used to be her best friend.

"I think we've found our bad guys," Oreo hissed excitedly. Naruto wriggled impatiently beside her, barely stifling his exuberance. Their gazes were trained on a crevice in the rock of a steep cliff face. It looked like a wound in the mountain's side and Katy felt her own side begin to ache in response. Rocks, silver, gray, and black jutted out between tall pines and thick brambles all around it. Creeping vines further disguised the entrance.

The sporadic sound of drunken footsteps and curses could be heard coming from within.

"I'm guessing that's not one of the ninjas," Mae commented flatly.

"Shhh!" Oreo put a finger to her lips. "He just went in. If we follow him he'll lead us to the rest of 'em."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah!" Naruto whispered excitedly. He was already bolting ahead, weaving his way through the bushes.

"Stay low, you idiot!" Oreo was hot on his trail. Katy and Mae each gave out a sigh before lugging after them.

The entry to the rogue's hideout was like a gaping black slash in the rock and Katy felt like it was sucking her in to its dark depths as she raced towards it. They left the light behind and all Katy could do was follow the shadows of Oreo, Naruto, and Mae as they tracked the noise of the stumbling man. The air, fresh and crisp with the breezes outside, became stagnant and still within. She could smell dripping water and damp moss.

The group had to be extra cautious in the tunnel, where every little sound made was magnified in the echoes bouncing from the stones. There were many passageways and Oreo quietly expressed her relief in finding the "drunk buffoon," as she called him, because the other tunnels were probably laden with traps intended for intruders who did not know the correct paths to take. Soon they came upon lit lanterns hanging from rope. Instead of letting that expose them, they kept hidden in the shadows cast by the dim fires.

The drunk man staggered up to two more men, sentries who were standing guard with daggers and spears as their weapons. They let the man pass without so much as a nod of greeting. Beyond where the sentries stood, more voices and shouting could be heard echoing faintly.

"This is it." Oreo beckoned to Naruto. "Get ready."

"Way ahead of ya!"

Clones of shadow came to life and charged, quickly overtaking the sentries before they could do or say a thing. Katy did not see any blood, so she figured he'd just knocked them out with his swift punches, and proceeded with her own attacks.

The four of them rushed down the tunnels, striking anyone they saw. Most of the rogues looked grungy and smelled of liquor. Katy had no problem blasting them with surges of water. Mae used her shuriken to wound and her thorny vines to bind. Oreo brandished her fire jutsu and kunai. Naruto relied on his shadow clones and brute force.

All of the bandits fought like grunts, like cavemen who only knew how to wield clubs and daggers. Occasionally one would come at them with a sword but they never got close enough to use it.

"There's a lot of trash in here," Oreo spat. "Let's split up and get this done!"

"All right!" Naruto ventured left through another tunnel. With his shadow clones he was like an entire army. He'd have to troubles going on his own.

But still Katy suggested, "Why don't you go with him? He could be ambushed."

"By these idiots?" Oreo motioned. "I don't think so. Besides, you and Mae need me incase you can't garner up the guts to kill."

The brunette glared. "That's not fair, Anna."

"I told you not to call me that anymore!" The ruby-head whirled on her, blasting a bandit with fire before he could strike Katy on the head.

"Don't kill them!"

"Look, Katy, we're shinobi now. It's what we do, what we're supposed to do. The sooner you get that fact the better off you'll be!"

Katy seethed like boiling water. She made up her mind right then and there. She'd never sacrifice her virtue for a village she had no real connection to. Especially not the ninja village ordering her to do their dirty deeds!

"Uh, guys," Mae squeaked. "I think we found a ninja in the group!"

"Mae!" Katy ran to catch her as she was kicked back by a man wearing a black mask made of cloth. He let out a coarse laugh and lunged. Anna (because she'd always be Anna to Katy no matter how many times she lied about her true name) jumped in front and tossed kunai. They were deflected by the kunai of the man.

Mae used her time on the ground to summon vines to wrap around the man's feet. When he moved to attack again he found himself stuck, teetering in an attempt to regain his balance. Katy wouldn't give him the chance. A gush of water erupted from the ground and slammed into the man's chin, engulfing his entire head in water and knocking him backwards. He groaned as he stirred from his sprawled out position on the ground. Anna leapt on him before he could pull himself together, landing punch after punch on his face.

"It's enough! We won!" Katy cried out.

Anna's dark green eyes glinted with sparks as she shakily held her fist above the man's head. "Always the one for mercy, aren't you?" She said to the brunette before standing solemnly, surveying the results of their fight.

Beaten, whipped, and cut men lay all around them. Many had already turned tail and run for their lives. Those who stayed were now unconscious or had fled while burning.

"Mission…complete?" Mae offered tentatively.

"Yeah," sighed Anna. "I guess. Let's go check on the dumb blonde."

The next thing they knew, Anna was on her face. The masked ninja shot up and ran. Snarling in rage, Anna went after him. He hadn't been punched out after all.

"Faker!" Katy screeched out like a child who'd shout, "Cheater!" when they didn't get their way.

The man, a low-level shinobi if any could tell by his lack of taijutsu or ninjutsu skills, was tackled into the dirt and stones. He thrashed relentlessly and Anna was having trouble keeping a hold of the man's collar. "Quit struggling! It's not like you're going to get away."

The man gave a sneer. "Maybe not, but I can at least take some Leaf ninja with me." And quickly made hand signs faster than the girls thought possible.

Realizing the danger, Anna turned towards her friends to shout, "Crap! Guys get out o-"

Naruto's clone round housed kicked the last of the thieves before the entire group of clones tied them together, disappearing into small clouds of smoke when it was done. He breathed in the fresh air and smiled. The path he took lead outside, like a backdoor to the hideout. "Looks like you guys are done," he said to the defeated rogues, "And as soon as Katy and what's-their-faces get back with your friends, I get to go home to a nice bowl of-"

All thoughts of ramen flew from Naruto's mind when he heard a strange, high-pitched sound. If it was chilling to him, then it must have scared the crap out of the birds that flew from the trees as fast as their wings could take them. It took Naruto a second to realize that it was just one thing that made that sound, and that one of the screams sounded oddly familiar.

Naruto's legs were moving the nanosecond it took for him to realize that it was the girls' screams he heard.

-OoOoOoOo-

She couldn't believe her rotten luck.

Why couldn't she have been placed on a joint-village mission with hot guys? Or even mediocre looking guys? Nope, not this time. Instead she got to work with two silent weirdos. And one of them scared the crap out of her.

Ino frowned as she fearfully eyed the scarlet haired shinobi with black rings around his eyes. She'd seen him fight before; it was one of the most terrifying things she had ever witnessed. She edged over to her village teammate, the dumb looking boy with long brown hair and white eyes- Hyuuga eyes. Neji was his name. She may not have had any liking for him either but at least he didn't have any sociopathic tendencies, unlike the other one- Gaara.

They had finished the mission of escort and protection and were now heading down to the checkpoint where they would go their separate ways. Gaara would return to the Sand and Ino and Neji would return to the Leaf.

At the moment they were passing through a mountainous forest area, and Ino mentally complained about all the brambles. She would have complained out loud if it weren't for the intimidating redhead just a few steps away. Although she had to admit, him being there made their mission go incredibly smoothly. His defensive capabilities were astounding and Ino hardly had to do anything herself. Neji would scout out for any adversaries and Gaara would quickly dispatch them. Ino felt a little useless after thinking about it. What did she do to help, anyway?

Suddenly a shrill sound pierced the still air of the forest. Gaara immediately froze.

"I wonder what that was," Neji mused aloud.

"It sounded like a scream," added Ino.

Gaara suddenly took off, going towards the source of the sound. Neji followed without a word. Ino, on the other hand had to voice her confusion.

"Hey, where are you going? Hey! Wait up!"

-OoOoOoOo-

By the time Naruto got to the location of the screams the thief was gone, but that didn't register in his mind nearly as much as the sight of his three friends on the ground. The littlest one - Mae - was face down, her head to the side. The redhead - Anna or Oreo or whatever - was on her back with her arms extended out, as if she had been trying to cover her friends from something as she fell down. Katy laid next to Mae with an arm wrapped around the younger girl's torso, and covering her with most of her body (most likely from trying to shield her from whatever the attack was).

Naruto quickly snapped into action. "Hey! Guys, you okay?!" Admittedly even he thought that was kind of a stupid question, but he was too scared (though he would never admit it) to think too much about it. He went straight to Katy, and rolled her over onto her back. "Katy, you-" Naruto abruptly stopped when he saw Katy's eyes. There was no light in them. They were hollow and dull and seemed to have lost all life in them. Immediately he leaned over to put his ear over her mouth to hear if she was still breathing. He himself breathed a sigh of relief when he heard the long but faint breaths she took. He looked over at Anna and Mae, and he could see the slight rise and fall of their chests. If he had to guess he would've thought they were sleeping.

But something still wasn't right. Why had they screamed before? And if they were really asleep, then why were their eyes open?

He gave Katy a slight shake, hoping to jostle her awake. "Katy. Earth to Katy. Come on, wake up. This isn't funny!"

He scarcely caught wind of incoming enemies. His whole body went ridged. If those were shinobi he was sensing he was in serious trouble.

"Naruto?"

The blond boy looked up to see Neji, Ino, and Gaara in front of him. He let go of the breath he was holding, realizing it was his friends and not another enemy. It took them a lot sooner to realize that something was wrong before rushing in. Neji went to Anna's side, Ino to Mae's, and Gaara practically ripped Katy out of Naruto's arms.

Gaara looked down on the brunette in his arms, a look of extreme worry crossing his features before it was extinguished by a look of rage as he glared at Naruto. "What. Happened."

Naruto flinched at how menacing Gaara's voice had become. Briefly flashes of memory of their battle during the Chuunin exams reemerged to him. He put on a tough front, again refusing to show he'd become a little scared. Though Naruto had won the battle back then, he was still respectfully wary of the one who'd pushed him so far beyond his usual limit. However, realizing that he needed to get his friends' help, he gulped and said, "We were on a mission to stop rogue ninja from terrorizing a village nearby. I was taking care of some of them when I heard a scream, so I ran here and found them like this."

Neji had heard this recollection, and quickly activated his Byakugan to focus on Anna's chakra flow. "It looks like they're under a type of genjustu. Release!" He made the hand sign, but nothing happened. He tried it twice, three times before realizing that it was not going to work. "Ino, the Yamanaka's are masters of mind techniques. Assess the situation." The tone in Neji's voice left no room for argument.

Ino tried to look into Mae's mind, but as soon as she tried to dig under the surface she was stopped. "I-I-I can't!"

"Why not?" was Neji's aggravated answer.

"I'm trying, but something's blocking me! I can't get through!"

"Try harder!" Gaara growled at her.

In annoyance, Ino glared right back at him. Hey, it was her friend under the genjutsu too! Despite what most people thought, Ino had taken a shine to the little girl. "I said I can't! This genjutsu works differently than almost all the ones I've seen. I have to look into this at another location."

"Wait a sec, I know what this is." Naruto's strangely quiet voice brought the attention of his three new companions. "The rogue ninja... they were using a weird jutsu to extort money from the village."

"Quickly, Naruto. Bring back one of the rogues to wake them up." Neji commanded, all of them feeling a little bit of hope. It was quickly crushed, however, when Naruto answered that he had knocked them all out… and that absolutely none of them were ninja, which was made prevalent by their fighting style (or lack thereof).

All eyes then turned to the masked man the three girls had been fighting. He was nothing but a lump on the ground. Neji checked his pulse. Nothing; the man was dead. Checking the other bandits scattered around the area, it became evident that that man was the lone ninja amongst them, and the one casting the genjutsu on the village. The group's distress was escalating, but hey kept in just beneath their skin. They were taught not to let emotion interfere. Naruto then quickly told them that they could take the girls to the village that had been terrorized by the rogues. After ordering Naruto to bring the remaining bandits to the village so they could be detained, the three others picked up the girls and followed Naruto's rushed and slightly vague directions.

Hopefully they wouldn't be too late.

-OoOoOoOo-

When they arrived in the ramshackle village carrying the three girls, Emiko took one look at them and somberly showed them to a shack where they could place their unconscious teammates.

"You should really talk to Daisuke. He may be able to help you since he's the most lucid." Emiko led them to a group of huts outside the village, which ordinarily would not have raised suspicion had it not been for the barbed wire fence surrounding the huts. As they drew closer, a shiver ran through their spines when they heard shrill screams and guttural groans ring throughout the area. When they neared the fence they saw a man with terrible burns try to break free from two men until they wrestled him down onto a bed, and tied him to it with rope.

Emiko turned towards them, her beautiful features marred by lines of worry caused by the gravity of the situation. "We can only be here for a short amount of time, and I must ask you to place your weapons in the bin over there. The reason I ask is that they will unsettle the more violent patients."

Naruto asked, "This is your hospital?" before getting bopped over the head by Neji for his rudeness.

Emiko's eyes looked weary as she answered. "It's the most we could do under the circumstances. We couldn't keep them in the village, because...well I think I'll let Daisuke explain that."

After depositing their weapons they entered the area, and the first thing that hit them was the smell. It took willpower to not recoil let alone faint at the combination of sweat and human filth that seemed to overpower most of the area. The second thing that would make most peoples' skin crawl were the sounds of groaning, crying, and screaming that made each of them wonder if they had entered an insane asylum. The worst smells and sounds came from the far end of the fence.

Emiko quickly led them to huts that were closer to the entrance, and went straight to a hut and knocked. "Daisuke, it's me, Emiko. I brought the people I told you about: the ninja whose friends were attacked. We're coming in now." Emiko opened the flap and allowed each of the ninja inside. In the center was a boy no older than they sitting on the ground, his back facing them, his arms crossed over his legs with his head rested on them. He raised his head before turning around. He looked at them strangely and narrowed his eyes, as if trying to discern if what he was seeing was correct.

"Well let's not waste time. Emiko has told me about your friends, so I'm going to show you what you're up against before you decide to go into their heads, and what will happen if you fail. Follow me." Daisuke stood up, and it was only with Emiko's help that he was able to stand up straight before she brought a cane. He told Emiko to wait for them outside the area, and although it looked like she wanted to protest she reluctantly nodded and left.

They followed Daisuke through the huts as he told his story. "As you may already know, about a month ago a group of rogues came to our village demanding tribute in turn for their 'protection'. At first we refused and they punished us by placing several villagers under a genjutsu until we paid. They would do the same thing over and over again anytime someone couldn't or wouldn't pay. My dad was a farmer who worked his butt off his entire life just to put food on the table, but when the rogues upped the price he chose to put food in his family's stomach. I spent three days fighting to survive monsters and demons trying to kill me, only to wake up after my mother sold everything we owned to pay our debt."

He took a long pause before stopping in front of a series of huts that were separated from the other huts, and they could tell this is where the foulest smells and sounds were coming from. "We each spent an additional four days in there, being strapped down to beds thinking that the volunteers were trying to kill us." As he spoke they noticed rope burns on Daisuke's wrists. "The first time my mom tried to visit... my dad thought that she was trying to suffocate him instead of placing a blanket over his body. I didn't even recognize her."

Daisuke turned towards the group, and the light that should've been in his eyes as a result of being young was dimmed considerably. There was no hint of joy in his face, and the hollowness of his tone only added to the somber effect. "I was able to come out of the worst stages, but I stay here because sometimes I still can't tell what's real or not." He pointed to a woman tied to a bed who was moaning in her sleep. "When her son brought her a flower when he came to visit, she tried to strangle him because she claimed that the flower was a knife." Daisuke then pointed to the man that previously had to be restrained. "He set himself on fire because he thought there were bugs under his skin. Each hallucination is different and terrible in their own right. No one is at peace here."

Ino then plucked up the courage to ask, "What about your dad? Where is he?"

Daisuke responded by turning around, and pointed to a several mounds of earth which the group quickly recognized as graves. "I haven't slept in days, I can't eat because I feel like someone has poisoned the food so I have to be force fed, and I'm considered one of the lucky ones. My dad...the stress is just too much for some people."

Daisuke turned toward them. "I hope that you get your friends out in time. I really do. But I guarantee that they won't be the same."