Thank you all so much for reading, following and reviewing "Reconnaisance." ^ v ^

I'm still amazed at the number of readers for this fanfic!

That's exactly why I loved the ending to "Scroll," 2lazy2createAnAccount! (That's a witty guest name you have there! ^ v ^) I thought Sasuke deserved it! LOL! I'm evil.

"what happened with Sakura and Sasuke" - ^ v ^ I'm afraid you'll have to wait for the chapter that answers that question, happycupcakes096.

Wow! Someone's on track! Reignashii You have a point on Neji's message ending up meaningless if he dies. But blast it! I thought he deserved to survive the ninja war. :(

I'm happy a lot of you liked the first chapter of the sequel ^ v ^ I hope you enjoy the future ones too.

Here is this week's chapter. Do tell me what you think about it!

Naruto is not mine.


Spying on Uchiha Sasuke – of course it's too good to be true. After all, Uchiha Sasuke was nowhere to be found!

Naruto sped through the branches, frowning at the path he was taking.

Tsunade's words still echoed in his ears.

"No," the Hokage said, frowning at Naruto. "…Unless of course you have any idea on where he is now."

It annoyed Naruto, but the Hokage had a point. It was impossible to spy on Sasuke when you can't physically be where he was.

"What would we be doing then?" Kiba asked.

"You'll be spying on a colleaugue of Itaro Ouga," Tsunade answered.

"Who..?" Naruto asked.

"I thought you heard the rumours," Tsunade said, raising a brow.

"Oh! He's the crazy old man in the hospital then," Naruto said.

"Yes," Tsunade answered. "Shikamaru will give you the details. I need you out of Konoha and on your way by the end of the day."

"Stop daydreaming," Naruto suddenly heard Shikamaru speak beside him. He glanced at their team leader.

"You wanted me to be in this mission," Naruto said.

Shikamaru kept his eyes on the path. "If worse comes to worst," he said. "You're the only one he'll listen to."

Right… Itaro Ouga's colleague supposedly has one thing Itaro Ouga had before he was brought to Konoha – a relic. And if the intelligence was right, Sasuke or "the devil" would take the relic from Ouga's colleague.

If Naruto and the others were lucky enough, they would see Sasuke and get him back to Konoha.

Was it a wise decision, though? …Capture Sasuke and interrogate him as if they didn't grow up with him?

Naruto wasn't planning on taking Sasuke by force. He was planning to talk to him – ask him why he didn't go back to Konoha a year later like he promised, why he tortured the old man, what he knew about the relics, and where Sakura was.

"We're just a few miles from the village," Neji announced, deactivating his byakugan. "The coast is clear."

They slowed their pace and jumped down from the trees when they caught sight of the village. They had been travelling northwest for several nights, crossing Kusa, Ame and Ishi. They were supposed to push northwest until they reached a small village where Ouga's friend was supposedly doing his underground business.


Shikamaru lead them into the village, reserving a room in one of the cheap hotels as traders.

"At last! Something soft to sleep on," Kiba said, yawning as he dropped on the bed. Akamaru was already snoring on the floor.

"You're sure you don't want someone on guard?" Neji asked, as he took a peek at the window. They were on the top floor with a perfect view of the main street and the adjacent alley.

"We'll just get some shut eye," Shikamaru said, taking a seat on one of the beds. "We'll be out of here by sunset. The auction starts when the sun is fully out."

"Is that part of the secret code the insane guy told you?" Kiba asked rolling on the bed.

"Again," Neji said, turning to face them. "You're sure we won't need protection."

"I can keep my insects on guard," Shino said.

"There you have it," Kiba said, smirking at Neji.

"We're merchants," Shikamaru said, looking at Kiba. "Not ninjas."

Kiba and Neji frowned.

"I don't see anything wrong with being careful," Chouji said, sitting on one of the beds.

"Sure," Shikamaru said. "But being too careful in this place wouldn't be good. We're not yet sure about what they're capable of. If we use any form of chakra to protect us, or take measures that aren't usually done by merchants we'll get into trouble."

"You really think they won't try anything against us?" Neji muttered, disappointed at Shikamaru.

Shikamaru looked up at him. "That's the order," he said. "Either you obey it or you throw yourself out."

Neji grunted and walked to one of the empty beds. He patted the cushion several times and rested his head on the pillow.

Kiba, Shino and Chouji did the same. Only Naruto remained on his feet, staring at the floor. He stood by the door, listening to the silence in the hallway.

Shikamaru watched him for a moment but crawled to the pillow afterwards, knowing what exactly was running inside Naruto's mind.

"Is he going to be there?" Naruto quietly asked.

Shino, Neji, Kiba and Shikamaru stiffly glanced at him. They had noticed how quiet he had become since their trip. And they knew, in that question, that he wasn't just asking about their target.

"It's his auction," Shikamaru answered, resting his head on the pillow. "He facilitates the event."

Naruto nodded. "Let's get some sleep then," he said, walking to the empty bed near the window.


Jirotaiku watched the warm flickering lights dance in the dark.

Their mission was to keep tabs on the group that was plotting against Konoha. Unfortunately, Ouga didn't know the exact hideout of the enemy. But he was kind enough to tell them where they usually went to drink sake.

Jirotaiku peeped slightly into the crack of the closed window, his mask tucked in his side. He took charge of following a suspicious man in a deep purple robe walking drunkily down the street. The others took charge of searching the area for more suspicious-looking people.

The man Jiro was following walked into a cheap motel with a barely-covered woman in his arm. Jiro followed them from outside as they walked up to the third floor of the old building. He climbed the wall, carefully peeping through windows to keep an eye on them.

And sure enough, with dozens of lit candles warming the room the two walked into, Jiro was given a front seat at an adult reality show.

Jiro didn't blink. He watched the man chuckle as the woman undressed her self. Something was wrong. He could feel it.

It wasn't just the drunken-like state of the woman. It was just something with the man that he couldn't quite put a finger on. But he knew something there was wrong.

He didn't train in the woods with Houren for nothing, after all. And the long sleep didn't keep him from remembering what he learned.

He would know it anywhere!

Jiro could only see the back of the man's head…and his bare, toned back. Seduction, passion, desire… Jiro wanted to vomit and flee, but he could feel his senses tingle with alarm.

Something was going to happen. And it was coming soon.

When the scene reached a point where Jirotaiku wanted to pull out his stained eyes, it happened.

The woman screamed and with it was a muted hiss.

Jirotaiku froze. He saw something spray in the air, staining the walls.

The hiss remained. The man stayed hunched over the woman's body on the bed. And on the woman's limp arm – the one on the crumpled sheet – flowed a line of dark liquid.

Jirotaiku swallowed, feeling something warm touch the skin just below his left eye – the eye he had been using to spy on the man. The scent of burning flesh touched Jiro's nose,

The man chuckled and stood up from the bed, leaving a blood-stained body of a wide-eyed naked woman on the silk sheets. Her chest was ripped open revealing a heart burned heart.

Jirotaiku squeezed his eyes shut, listening as the man put on his robe. He rang a bell and the door to the room creaked open.

"The usual," he heard the man speak in a proud low voice. "Send her greens to me."

"Yes, sir," replied what seemed like a motel attendant.

Jirotaiku forced himself to stay still. With his heart pounding with anxiety, moving away from the window would give his position away.

The door creaked shut – footfalls echoed on the floor…a whush from something heavy being dragged across the sheets…a loud thump from something massive falling on the floor…a slight grunt from the floor… a click on the door…the screech of the hinges… and a heavy thump that locked the door.

Jirotaiku listened further, feeling the presence of the man he was following vanish into the ground floor… the presence of the motel attendant vanish into the stairs… the room remain shut from the world and empty of life.

Jirotaiku quickly tweaked the window open, quietly sliding the shutter up and squeazing himself inside the dark room. He was lucky the window was large enough for a burglar to sneak in.

If the security in the place was that lax, it meant that its owner knew no one would dare to sneak into the place – and that was not a good sign.

Jirotaiku stealthily looked around, seeing the spray patterns on the walls and curtains. He kept his toes from the drops of stain on the floor knowing that a minute smudge would warn them of his presence.

He examined the bed soaked in the same dark stain that sprayed the walls. On the center, on where the woman once was, as a dark burn mark…shaped like a spade.

Jirotaiku winced and quickly got out of the room through the window. He locked the shutter behind him and hastily leaped away from the motel building.

He was right. The man he followed was one of the enemies. And if his deductions were correct, he was carrying a relic.

Jirotaiku cursed under his breath. That must be why Sasuke hadn't returned to Konoha. That must be why he made his appearance theatrical enough to catch every Konoha ninja's attention.

This wasn't like dealing with Orochimaru or Uchiha Madara. And dealing with a crazed, artifact-enforced Yoake barely equates to what they were facing.

Jirotaiku tried to think what he should do next. Sasuke didn't make Ouga talk so Konoha could spy and stop its enemies. He did it because he knew the Hokage would send Jirotaiku out in the field and decipher his message.

The next step then was to send the message back to the Hokage. And that would require an order to retreat.

Now how would he convince his superior to abandon their mission?


Shikamaru led the others down the street.

Apparently there was a festival in the village and people were marching down the road with lit paper lanterns and wide smiles on their faces. Drum beats and cheers echoed in the evening air.

Shikamaru and the others were in their kimonos. They had expensive-looking red haori draped over their shoulders – each coat embroidered with gold silk threads in various patterns. They walked into the celebrating crowd, looking around as tourists with a purpose would.

They passed several alleys, turned to several intersections…

"New in the trade..?" Shikamaru heard someone whisper at him.

He raised his brow at the brawny man wearing an expensive kimono smirking at him. He too had a red haori on – one embroidered with silk gold thread.

"I was sent here in behalf of my father," Shikamaru answered. The others noted the presence of the man beside him. They glanced at him but didn't dare to do anything more. Shikamaru ordered them to act like regular merchants – cunning and powerful but not too much. "I'm presuming you've been here numerous times," Shikamaru continued.

The brawny man chuckled. "I have," he answered. "You and your guards there just follow my lead."

Naruto, Kiba and Chouji glanced at each other.

They thought dressing up that way was part of being merchants. Apparently their clothing meant something more in the place. They glanced at the brawny man's cloths and noticed the toad embroidery on his back. Shikamaru's haori had a poised crane.

Behind the man was another group of men, nodding at them. Only Neji nodded back.

Kiba noticed that the embroideries on the men's haori were similar to theirs. Apparently Naruto, Chouji, Shino, Neji and he were wearing uniforms – guard uniforms.

Shikamaru smirked. "You don't happen to know Hikogaeru-sama, do you?"

The man laughed. "Ah! You're Tsuru's boy, alright! Just call me Oji-san," he said.

Shikamaru smiled. "Thank you, Oji-san," he said, bowing slightly. "My name is Shiro."

"Ah yes," Hikogaeru said, nodding. "…The cunning one in his nest. I like you, kid. One reminder though – once we enter the hall, you bow to no one else but your self. Understand?"

"Yes, Oji-san," Shikaramaru answered.

Irota chuckled. "My daughter would love to meet you," he said. "I'll introduce you to her after the feast."

"That would be an honor," Shikamaru replied, smiling warmly at Hiko.

Kiba, Chouji and Naruto bit their lip.

Ino would kill Shikamaru if she found out about this.


The group went into a dark alley and walked into a cramped doorway that reeked with the scent of rat and sewage.

Akamaru grunted at the scent. Kiba patted his head to tell him he also didn't like the place.

"Nice pooch," one of Hikagaeru's guards said, smiling at Kiba.

Kiba glared icily at him. "He's not a pooch," he hissed.

Shikamaru loudly cleared his throat. "My apologies, Oji-san" he said. "He's sensitive in these kinds of things."

"Ah, no worries," Hikagaeru said, chuckling. "Irota here likes dogs. Sorry it came out wrong. He's slightly…lacking."

"Sorry," Irota whispered, bowing at Kiba.

"Uh…yeah," Kiba stiffly muttered, feeling uncomfortable in the situation. Shikamaru was looking straight at him, ordering him to be polite. "S-Sorry too." He bowed quickly and cleared his throat.

"Shall we then?" Hikagaeru asked, raising a smelly drape covering a doorway.

"Indeed," Shikamaru answered, walking into the doorway that led to a dimly lit stone tunnel.

Hikagaeru followed Shikamaru and motioned Neji and the others to follow.

They took several turns and walked down a number of stairs – the temperature around them dropping as they went lower into the ground.

"Otou-san wasn't kidding when he said the business is under ground," Shikamaru said, following Hikagaeru who was leading them further into the stone tunnel.

Hikagaeru chuckled. "That's what I also thought when I first went here," he said. "Your father was right in choosing you to wed my daughter. Has he told you about your engagement with my beautiful princess?"

Kiba, Chouji and Naruto tried hard to keep themselves from laughing.

Hikagaeru didn't look like a toad, but with his massive built, raisin-sized mole on the nose, and pair of thick eyebrows that challenge Gai's… he didn't look like a man who could have a daughter as beautiful as the Konoha girls Kiba, Chouji, and Naruto knew. So when they tried to imagine what Hikagaeru's daughter looked like, they almost failed in their attempt to stay calm and composed.

Neji was rolling his eyes.

"He mentioned it," Shikamaru calmly answered.

Naruto suddenly wondered how much of Shikamaru knew about what was going on. He didn't share that much information about the mission.

But surely Shikamaru wasn't putting them in danger with keeping them in the dark. Or was Naruto the only one in the group who didn't get a complete briefing of the mission?

"Good! You will love her," Hikagaeru said proudly. "You won't meet any girl like her!"

"Of course," Kiba coughed, unable to keep himself at snickering.

"Oh! Absolutely, young man!" Hikagaeru told Kiba, patting his head. "I bet you'll fall for her the minute you see her. But you shouldn't, because she's intended to your master."

Kiba scratched his head. Apparently being Shikamaru's guard also meant being Shikamaru's slave.

They soon reached the end of the tunnel where another door stood on their way.

Hikagaeru tapped the door twice with his finger. "We're here for the feast," he said.

The door creaked open. Hikagaeru led them inside.

Everything went dark.

They trudged forward, anxious at what was going on but after a moment or so of walking, tongues of flame flickered around them, leading them into a crowded hall.

Naruto, Kiba and Chouji glanced at the flames.

They were all suspended in mid air.

"This way," Hikagaeru said. "Your father and I have our own spot here."

A thick crowd filled the hall. Everyone was in their grandest kimonos. And they all wore red haori over their clothes. Some of the haori had silver threads in their embroideries, few of them gold, several of them looking close to a shade of copper.

Hikagaeru greeted some of them, introducing Shikamaru as his future son-in-law.

Naruto, Kiba, and Chouji were too in awe at the hall to snicker at Shikamaru's new identity. Akamaru was constantly sniffing the air, noticing the odd scent of flowers drowning his senses.

Kiba snorted. "I don't like this place," he hissed, glaring at the mindless-looking crowd smiling and chatting constantly at each other.

"If this is how it is to be a merchant, I'll just dream of becoming a cook," Chouji whispered, looking around and noting the absence of food tables in the feast.

"This place is weird," Naruto muttered, seeing the floating flames on the stone walls of the hall. He noticed an old man traying to read a note of sorts in his hand. The dimn light couldn't seem to help his eyes enough so he waved at the flickering flames.

And it moved! It flew to his side, giving him light.

"These things are alive," he breathed, staring wide-eyed at the flames.

Shino glanced at the walls, the floor corners, and at the dark patches in the hall. He frowned.

There didn't seem to be any form of insect in the place.

Neji was looking up at the ceiling where a large group of flames danced in intricate choreography. They formed a giant chandelier with every twist and turn they made.

The light it gave was bright enough for him to see the stairs and balconies reaching out from the walls. People with gold threads in their haori climbed the stairs to what seemed like the second level of the hall.

And to Neji's surprise, he realized that the hall was a continuous rock formation – no cut, to crack, no crevice. It was as if the hall was carved inside a giant solid stone.

"You'll get used to it," said Hikagaeru's guard – the one who admired Akamaru. He seemed to be the only friendly one in their group. The other just stood there like manniquins.

"Ladies and gentlemen," a voice echoed from the stage in the other side of the hall.

The crowd slowly dispersed – the guests taking seats in lounge chairs situated in the middle of the floor.

"This way," Hikagaeru said, leading them up to the nearby stairs.

Hikagaeru and Shikamaru took a seat on a long couch situated at the balcony. The guards, apparently, were only supposed to stand guard behind them. But the position of the balcony gave all of them a good view of the stage and the short plump man standing on it.

The stage was framed with red drapes, like in a theater. And it had its own set of dancing flames in the ceiling that brightly illuminated the stage.

When everyone was seated, the lights in the hall vanished, leaving only the lights on the stage.

"Is that him?" Shikamaru asked, eyeing the man on the stage. He was wearing a black coat over a white collared shirt that was accented with a black bowtie, a pair of black slacks and black shiny leather shoes. His glistening black hair was flat and whipped to the back of his head, flaunting a smooth wide forehead.

"Yes," Hikagaeru answered. "That's Toreda-sama. He's the host."

Naruto, Kiba, Chouji, Neji and Shino tensed. The man on stage was their target.

Toreda was Ouga's colleague – the one they were supposed to spy on. A short and cunning middle-aged man, he supposedly bought several relics from Ouga and auctioned them to collectors. It was through these auctions that the new mysterious enemy of Konoha got what they claimed to be the key to the ninja village's destruction.

Of course Toreda wasn't the man's real name. Even Ouga didn't know his real name. But everyone who knew about the auction knew what he looked like and that was enough, for now at least, to locate him.

Another thing Ouga told his interrogators about Toreda was a relic Toreda decided to keep for himself. ANBU had been tasked to get samples of the relics for several months since they received intelligence reports about the new enemy. But all their efforts had been in vain. Either their targets have been murdered by the time they reached them, or the relics had been taken from them by someone… Someone Ouga finally described as "the devil" – Uchiha Sasuke…or Naruto believed it was him.

"Welcome!" Toreda said – his voice loud and clear for some reason even from a great distance. His proud smile exuded control and wickedness. It gave Kiba, Chouji and Naruto unpleasant chills. "I know you're quite excited with the auction so let's start! Wheel-in the appetizer!"

A group of people in red jumpsuits walked in from the left side of the stage, pulling with them what seemed like three man-sized wooden crates.

"These are fresh," Toreda said, tapping one of the crates. "We just caught them a few minutes ago, trying to crash our feast."

One of the five men in jumpsuits opened the crates and revelead three people clad in torn kimonos. Their hands were tied above their heads – their bodies dangling in mid air from an invisible pole. Their faces were bruised and wounded.

The three people in the crates were tortured.

Kiba squinted and tried to look closely at the tormented people on the stage. One of them seemed familiar. …The man in the middle… He was sure he had seen him before…

Kiba froze. He remembered where he had seen them.

Akamaru was stiff and glaring at the stage.

"Ninjas from Suna," Toreda said, smiling at the crowd. "They wore something like this," he said, pulling out a red haori from the air. It had lily pods embroidered on it with copper thread.

Neji, Shino, Shikamaru, Naruto, Chouji and Kiba stiffly watched the scene unfold. The three must have been sent by the Kazekage to gather intelligence about the relics – the same reason why the six of them were there.

"Unfortunately, their invitations are fake," Toreda said, chucking. "Their embroidery threads are just threads! Poor things..."

Naruto stared surprised at Toreda.

…Just threads..? Did that mean the embroidery threads used in what the six of them wore were different? But how was it different.

"Otou-san didn't tell me much about this," Shikamaru whispered to Hikagaeru.

"I'm not surprised," Hikagaeru said, smirking. "Your old man forgets a lot of important things. But I'll fill you in. The red haori is dyed with human blood."

Neji, Shino, Kiba, Chouji and Naruto tried hard not to react to the statement.

"The threads used in the embroideries are human hair," Hikagaeru said smiling. "They were dipped in metals. So the gold in our haori..? Real gold, just take the hairs away. We can sell them. But if you do, you won't be invited into the feast again – ever."

Shikamaru nodded. "I didn't expect that."

Hikagaeru chuckled. "You haven't seen anything yet," he said. "That's just part of the security for the feast. You haven't seen the relics work."

"Oh?" Shikamaru said, raising a brow at Hikagaeru.

Naruto and Kiba glanced at each other. If they were in the balcony, then the haori they were wearing were authentic. Where did Konoha get it?

"Just out of curiosity," Shikamaru said. "Where…do they get the blood and hair from?"

"That's the fun part!" Hikagaeru said, smiling widely at him. "They take it from ninjas."

Neji glanced at Hikagaeru. Six months ago, news of ninjas missing in the middle of performing missions spread throughout the ninja community. But it was suppressed and relayed only to valuable ninja clans and high-ranking ninjas. The disappearances stopped two months later. And the investigations didn't lead to any possible explanation.

…Until now.

"They take it from them while they're alive – while their pumping chakra through their veins," HIkagaeru whispered.

Naruto clenched his fists. There was a huge chance that whoever involuntarily donated blood and hair in the clothes they were wearing was dead – murdered…their families and loved ones left heartbroken. He didn't know much about what was going on, but one thing was sure for him.

Whoever did those things would pay.

"And who is 'they'?" Shikamaru asked.

Hikagaeru nodded to the stage. "Them," he said. "…The organizers of the feast. They choose who can appreciate what is being auctioned and invite them for the feast, just like your father and me."

Shikamaru nodded. "I see."

"As is customary," Taredo said. "We will auction our guests. The same arrangements will apply – they will be given to you at the end of the feast a clean slate. They will have no memory of who they were, no concept of free will, and they will be yours for as long as you wish. If they are not sold, they will be put in the Threader, where they will help us make more invitations for future feats."

Shikamaru looked disinterestedly at the stage. "He means they'll turn them into haori?"

"Yes," Hikagaeru said.

Naruto and the others tensed. If the ninjas were bought, they would be slaves. If the ninjas weren't sold, they were put to death.

Naruto closed his eyes.

No one would die on his watch.

"Do I have any bidders?" Taredo asked, looking around at the silent crowd.

Naruto opened his eyes and raised his hand, but before he could raise it above his head, he heard a hiss beside his ear.

"Don't!"

He stiffened – his blue eyes wide with shock. "Sasuke..?" he whispered.