Chapter 2

"None of them are here with us now? Are they?"

Sakura shrugged.

"None of them are here in Mizuki's complex with is." Sasuke continued. "They have no idea. They can't tell us what to do now." He pressed the clip in his belt once more. The hologram collapsed back into the belt. "We're independent, and we'll save a hell more time if we go this way. We'll beat them to the core, Sakura."

"Sasuke, think about it. They even tested the safest route." Her mind creased in doubt.

"It's called initiative, Sakura. Come on, trust me, I need you on this." Sasuke pleaded. With that, Sakura was persuaded. When Sasuke gazed at her like that, pleadingly, like he could see right into her heart, she would do anything. Anything up to the point if he told her to go right up to Mizuki and allow him to kill her.

With that in mind, taking a left instead of a right wasn't that bid of a deal. Especially when the corridor they turned into embedded an identification, C-Alpha. Apparently, Sasuke truly was right.

"C for core?" She cheerfully asked, rejoiced by the expression splayed across Sasuke's face.

"C for closer." He smirked. At this point, he would definitely get the jump on Naruto. Sasuke hesitated by a door. He snatched a deactivator from his belt and snapped it over the locking mechanism. "Almost."

As the deactivator began to tick, Sakura found her doubts returning. Why did they shade this area on the map? The door eased open. Sasuke grinned and held out his hand for Sakura. They stepped into the circular darkness. A dozen shuriken cut the air and missed them by inches.

"Welcome." A deep voice echoed. "How nice of you to come by." It wasn't often that anyone were so clever in thinking as to waltz right into a guard room.

XXXXXXXXXX

Dull thuds echoed further down the corridor. Naruto tensed his muscles. "You get the idea that something bad just happened?" He inhaled the air as if a stench of something rotten scented it. He winced. "I don't like it."

Ino sensed nothing amiss, but even though she'd known Naruto so close for only one term, she was aware of his inhuman senses. She trusted his instincts down to his eyes. She squared her shoulders and gazed behind them. The corridor gaped darkly in both directions. "You think that guard recovered?"

"The way you kicked him, I don't think he'll ever recover. Plus, we tied him up pretty well." Naruto's expression was dark, eager. "But something's not right. I'm putting on radar vision."

"Good idea." In unison, they pulled out what seemed to be ebony tinted sunglasses. They put them on, covering their eyes completely. There was an activating click as the ends made contact with their ears. Their fields of vision expanded. Now, when they adverted their focus of their eyes slightly, Naruto and Ino could now visualize any object, whether it was animate or inanimate, behind them, on either side of them, or through walls.

It was difficult to sneak up on a ninja.

"How is it for you, Ino?" Naruto checked.

"Three hundred sixty degrees perfect. I'm seeing the core."

They continued their passage through the endless corridors, shadowing away from nearby cameras. Everything seemed normal, but Naruto still couldn't shake the premonition that they were on the brink of disaster. Possibly, it was the two figures ahead of them, guards, out of the naked eye, but around the corner. Ino held his shoulder, indicating she detected them too.

"Sleep needles," Naruto suggested. Ino shook her head.

"Sorry, Naruto. A girl needs her exercise." She broke into a swift run towards the corner before Naruto could protest. He cursed under his breath. He knew Ino better, and had no doubt that she could deal with a pair of demon guards. He almost felt sorry for them, but physical combat wasn't necessary at their point of the mission.

He head the dull thud of a fist against neck, and the chop of a foot against torso. It was like back in the stock room. Ino took way too many risks. One of these days, Naruto knew it was going to cost her. Maybe not today. Naruto rounded the corner to find her posing over the bodies.

"Naruto." She smirked. "You missed all the fun." Naruto tore off his radar vision.

"This isn't supposed to be fun, Ino." His voice was cold and bitter. Ino winced. "This is supposed to be a mission, you get it? We're supposed to use sleep needles whenever we can. The needles are guaranteed."

"What the hell is all this we?" Ino retorted. "You don't own me, Naruto. You can't tell me what to do. One more thing," she clenched her fists. "my fists are guaranteed too."

Behind her, came a groan. "Ino!" Naruto yelled. One of the guards, not quite unconscious, was reaching inside of his suit. Ino crushed down on his neck, a mere fraction of a second too late.

All around them, deafeningly, stridently, came the annoyance of the blare of the alarm.

XXXXXXXXXX

Kiba and Hinata heard it as they arrowed their way into and elevator from the lowest levels of the complex to its core. Kiba's ear twitched. "Interesting choice of jazz music." He commented. Akamaru barked, his tongue lolling out for the first time during the mission.

"It means trouble, Kiba." Hinata supplied unnecessarily. "We've got to be ready for anything."

"Don't worry, Hinata." Kiba laced an arm around her shoulders as her face flushed. "I carry protection with me at all times." He referred to Akamaru. The elevator's rise ended almost imperceptibly. Its doors silently smoothed open. "Looks like this is our floor."

They edged out onto the corridor cautiously, which was probably just as well. They were welcomed by an explosion of kunai thrusts, sparking off the hands of the demon guards. The kunai whipped by so close Hinata felt her hair singe.

"Pleased to meet you too." Kiba murmured. A load of guards charged toward them, throwing wildly. If they bothered to take proper aim, they'd b taking out more than just scenery. Kiba pondered, probably why they never had been promoted beyond the level of hired help.

Kiba and Hinata didn't make the similar mistake. In unison, they withdrew kunai, aiming flawlessly towards their respective targets, with unerring accuracy. Two goons fell….six eight. Whether the other guards might have fled or not percolated down to them somehow. The sudden flash of light against kunai crashed past them, alerting Hinata of reinforcements from the other end of the hall.

"Kiba!" She cried, throwing a kunai behind her. "Let's get out of here!"

"Let's cool off," Kiba agreed, snatching her hand and swiftly retreating to the safety of the elevator. Hinata leapt after him as the doors slid shut. Kunai blasts ricocheted off the metal, but for the moment, they were safe.

"Where now?" Hinata queried. Kiba jabbed a button and the elevator lifted upward.

"So many choices, though. Seventh floor: Weapons of mass destruction. Ninth floor: interrogation and brainwashing. Sixteenth floor: master plans for world domination. It's a wonderful day out for the whole family at Mizuki and Co." He pressed the emergency button and the elevator obeyed, lurching to a stop between floors.

"Kiba, how does this help us?" Hinata whispered. "You have a plan in mind?" At this, Akamaru looked up in a puzzled expression to his master. Kiba appraised Hinata thoughtfully.

"Well, we can make time pass more pleasurably than that." He winked at her. "What about you hopping up on my back for a start?"

"Kiba!" She cried.

"Hinata, please!" He was taken aback. "How else are we going to bust the hatch unless you climb on my back to reach it?"

"What?"

"If we climb the cables, Mizuki's dudes won't have any idea where we are. It works in the movies all the time."

"Really?" Hinata lifted her eyes into his. "Well, let's hope Mizuki's on the same script."

They worked swiftly. Hinata used her shuriken from her ankle belt to unpick the lock, then she hauled herself out to balance herself on the roof. She nauseously looked up at the gaping elevator shaft above them. She glanced dubiously at the thick cable she was expected to climb.

Not for the first time, she realized her life had been easier back before the mission.

"What are you worried about?" Kiba gently jibed as he climbed up with Akamaru. "It's just like any other mission we've done before." Hinata forced herself to focus.

"The only thing I'm worried about," She retorted playfully. "Is you coming up behind me."

They climbed up easily, wrapping their legs around the cable and pulling themselves up hand by hand. It was sheer chance of luck that neither of them had a fear of heights, as soon as the elevator was lost in the shaft's general gloom. They passed several dim outlines of doors before Hinata hesitated.

"What about getting off here?" Hinata called.

"I can't think of any reason why not." Kiba replied. The doors smoothly slid open and a dozen goons pointed their kunai at them. "Maybe I can." Kiba smiled sheepishly at the guards. "Elevator engineers, we hear you've been having quite a few problems…."

XXXXXXXXXX

"Hey, let's look on the bright side." Kiba stated. "We wanted to get to the core. That's where we are. I think Mizuki deserves a thanks for helping us out."

"Why don't you just shut up for once?" Sasuke snapped. He never shared Kiba's optimism, and there was no reason why anyone else should either. So the first aim of their mission had been to penetrate the core of Mizuki's operation, technically, they have.

But the most important part of the mission was to sabotage Mizuki's equipment before he launched the destructive strikes on Konoha. Achieving this goal was bound to be difficult, even for Sasuke. The six members of Konoha had been stripped of their weapons and surrounded by a group of guards, outnumbering them at least five to three.

Sasuke felt bitter frustration gather up in him like a noxious poison. How could they salvage the mission now? If they failed, it would reflect on Sasuke's leadership of the team and his future at Konoha. He found himself glaring at Uzumaki Naruto. At least there was one good thing, but minor. Naruto was in an equivalent position.

Naruto was aware of Sasuke's glare but he decided to ignore it, focusing on absorbing the details of the core, mainly the three screens, each displaying for them the gleaming shell of a bomb, trembling and eager to go its business. Computers around them were arranged around half the circumference of the room, where bespectacled experienced technicians were tapping inward to a point above them, which an ebony metallic ball that flickered with green lights suspended above them.

Its purpose was something Naruto couldn't guess. Maybe Mizuki was into psychotic mood lighting. One thing was certain, his mood would be triumphant with a capital "T." Triumphant to the point of arrogance and dominance. But dominant people also made mistakes. Naruto was happy to wait for Mizuki to make his.

"Concentrate." Naruto muttered to the group. "And wait for his mistakes." They nodded in agreement for the sake of Sasuke.

"Well if it isn't for the big demon fox." The big entrance

Mizuki swaggered into the core, flanked by his boldest, grimmest guards. "My apologies to keep you waiting, but for the great moments of someone's life, they have to look good."

The man who smirked triumphantly at them was in shape, with long silver hair, partially covering his eyes. He was nineteen, a forehead protector cap wrapped around the top of his head. He was wearing a dark grey tank under it, the sleeves cut off raggedly. He was sweating, probably from a recent workout. Kiba snorted.