Tsuname hummed a tune as she sat next to Naruto's bed, checking his injuries. He was better than the last time she saw him, but she had to admit she liked him a lot more when he wasn't covered in bandages. Her friend Hinata was whispering to her cousin Neji and his friend Shikamaru, all three of them looking concerned about Naruto's injuries.

"They're really not as bad as they seem," Tsuname assured, making them all jump. Hinata's eyes filled with tears. "I-is he going to be alright?" she stuttered. Tsuname grinned and nodded. "Course; this is an Uzumaki we're talking about. I'm pretty sure if you checked the family's medical records, they'd say no Uzumaki has ever stayed in a hospital for over two weeks," Tsuname said, looking quite confident.

"Is Naruko here yet? She said she'd meet us here," Shikamaru spoke up. Suddenly, as if waiting for that cue, the door burst open and Naruko stalked inside, fingers curled into fists and eyes filled with fury and worry. "How is he?" she snapped, quickly coming to her little brother's side.

"Fine…. Man, did you get any sleep at all?" Tsuname asked, looking at Naruko's bloodshot eyes. "Not really….. just a nightmare," she reassured Neji and Shikamaru, who both looked concerned. Tsuname rolled her eyes; who ever said Naruko didn't have admirers was blind. Just about every boy in their village had hearts in their eyes when she walked by, most of them unaware of her Jinchuriki status.

Naruto moaned suddenly, drawing the eye of everyone in the room. "Naruto!" cried both Naruko and Hinata, both coming to his side in an instant. Naruto blinked blearily up at them, looking dizzy. "You feel okay?" asked Tsuname as she checked his chart for the millionth time that day.

"Peachy, how 'bout you?" Naruto mumbled. Hinata burst into tears as Neji and Shikamaru chuckled. "Yep, you're alright," giggled Naruko, patting him lightly on the arm. "Hey, blondie, did you see who did this to you?" asked Tsuname, quieting everyone in a flash.

"Oh, yea….. it was Riku, and Masamoro, and some of the other Madara youth," Naruto said, grinning despite a slight wince it caused. "Well, then we have to tell the ANBU; they're going to want apprehend these guys-." Hinata began, but Neji cut her off, "Really, do you expect the ANBU to care when it was the family member of a Jinchuriki that got hurt? Nobody is going to care, unfortunately."

"Hey, Neji, come on, that might not be true-." protested Shikamaru. "No, he's right," interrupted a voice. Everyone turned to see Uchiha Sasuke and Akimichi Choji walk in through the door. "Sorry we're late," added Choji to Sasuke's analysis.

"Come on, Shikamaru, you know for a fact that only the handful of people in this room and a select few others outside it are the only ones in the entire village of Konoha to actually care about it's Jinchuriki," continued Sasuke, looking Shikamaru directly in the eye as he said this with a challenging look.

/\/\Fun Fact!/\/\

As only a few people know, Sasuke and Shikamaru are both currently at the top of the 'most likely to date Naruko' list, and they've been fighting for that position for a very, very long time. And they're also both bitter rivals at the point where Naruko is concerned.

/\/\End of Fun Fact!/\/\

"So, what are we supposed to do, then?" asked Hinata. Naruko shrugged, glancing at her twin for help, but he just shook his head. "Should we tell the Hokage who it was?" suggested Neji. "Nah, it wouldn't change a thing; he can't do anything to the ANBU without the council's permission, and most of the council members don't give a damn about us," sighed Naruko with a frustrated look at Shikamaru, who was thinking of his own solution.

"Well, I can't think of anything," sighed Shikamaru, making everyone gape at him; Shikamaru was a freaking genius. There was no way he was at a loss at a time like this.

"Well I can," said Naruko suddenly, squeezing Naruto's hand before standing up and saying, "I'm leaving this village. I can't take anymore of this crap."

/\/\/\/\

"Pain-sama, is it almost time?" asked Deidara from behind him. Pain turned to see him and his other associates staring at him expectantly.

"It won't be long now," he assured them, eyes filled with a wicked delight, "But the sealing jutsu is still unstable; I need some time to perfect it. So until then…. Sasori, Deidara, start gathering intelligence on all current Jinchuriki."

The two he mentioned nodded once to show they understood. "I want their names, their villages, and their status as ninja…. everything about them," Pain continued, turning back to look at his sealing masterpiece.

"It's time to capture those demons."

/\/\/\/\

A/N: *Dramatic music* Wow, I'm getting good at this story! Sorry it's so short so far, but it's gonna get a lot more kick-ass as the story continues.
-Temari