Guess I forgot to say before that I don't own anything; this should be clear from how broke I am.

Kankuro watched from a tree as Kiba kicked at a rock waiting for Akamaru to get enough of a head start for them to play their game of hide and seek. Kankuro smiled to himself at the irony that the boy had purposely put enough space between himself and his mother and dog that neither would be able to help him. His mother was to far away to hear cries for help and Akamaru hadn't gotten a quarter of a mile in his search for a hiding place when he had fallen victim to Kankuro's sleep jutsu. Kiba was completely alone and he didn't even know it.

Kankuro was snapped out of his contemplation by Kiba calling out to tell Akamaru that he was starting the search. Kankuro silently dropped out of the branch he was standing on landing in front of the dog nin with cat like grace. Kiba yelped as the sand ninja landed a mere ten feet away from him. He quickly relaxed out of the defensive stance he had automatically gone into when he recognized the other as his friend who had rescued him five years ago. Time had changed the shape of his friend to the broad shouldered and impressively muscular ninja that now seemingly towered over him, but the face paint and the hood still clearly identified him as the Suna's puppet master.

"Damn it, Kankuro! What the hell are you doing here? Do you think it's funny scaring people half to death?"

The only response from Kankuro was a slight wave of a hand and suddenly wooden arms wrapped themselves around the body of the young Inuzuka nearly crushing the breath from him. Kiba pushed against the puppet with all his might managing to inhale enough air to scream for his dog. Kankuro narrowed his eyes as he motioned for his puppet to stifle any further outcries by squeezing until the boy hung limply from his arms, all will to fight forgotten in his effort to breathe with the great pressure on his chest. Kankuro walked up to the boy and lifted his chin to force him to look up into his eyes. He saw the look of confusion and disbelief in Kiba's eyes turn to one of hate as Kankuro pushed his face closer so that there noses were almost touching and smiled.

"Akamaru won't be coming to help you."

Kiba managed a small growl before he lost his fight to gain a sufficient amount of air and drifted into unconsciousness.

Temari fought with everything she had just to defend herself from the Inuzuka woman. She berated herself for underestimating her opponent as she caught sight of one of the Tsume's many dogs jumping at her from above and just barely managed to send a wind to blow it off course before it would have sunk its teeth into her. She realized just how close it had been when a stray claw tore a gash along her shoulder. Temari grunted painfully and looked up just as Tsume herself came charging down the same branch snarling every bit as fiercely as her dogs. Temari dove off the branch slowing her descent with her fan, hoping to give herself a little distance.

She was starting to be seriously concerned with her safety and she wondered to herself again where the hell Kankuro was! As if he had heard her thoughts, Kankuro stepped out of the woods into the clearing, supporting Kiba's unconscious form with one arm while holding a kunai against the boy's neck with the other.

"Tsume, come out now or I'll slit your boy's throat!" Kankuro's arm tightened to prove his point and Tsume obediently dropped into the clearing in front of them. Kankuro couldn't help but wonder if the face of the Inuzuka woman glaring at him from across the clearing would show itself again in his nightmares. The color in her dark eyes had narrowed to tiny slits in the very center so they were barely perceptible. Her lips curled up revealing fangs that had grown to double their original size and her hair nearly stood on end. In that moment, Kankuro saw how truly terrifying a mother can be when defending her cub and for a split second he doubted the steps they were taking. He moved his arm supporting Kiba tighter against his chest to remind himself that he was safe as long as he held the boy between himself and that demon.

"If you harm my Kiba I will show you Suna Filth pain like you've never even imagined." Tsume's voice was calm and composed, letting her eyes speak all the violence she didn't let into her tone.

Temari was the first to find the courage to answer the dog nin. "The boy will be fine, provided you cooperate. Since time is of the essence I will get straight to the point. There really is a mission in the mountains that requires your expertise, just not the one you thought. We need to find the plant, Shriben's Fern. Its scent is only detectable by dog ninjas. I believe you are familiar with it."

Tsume raised an eyebrow, "It's a medicine for a variety of effects on users of forbidden jutsus. We dog nins can detect it barely, but mostly we find it because the closer we get to it the sicker we become, it's poison to us. Too much exposure will kill us, but I'm sure you've already considered that." Tsume finished her explanation coldly.

Temari gave a sad but resolved smile, "Of course, that's why we needed such extreme measures. Neither the hokage nor the kazekage would allow us to risk your life to save someone who already damned themselves using forbidden jutsu. This is a risk we are willing to take and you don't have a choice in the matter. I will be going with you to search for the fern and unless we get back within the next three week, Kankuro will kill your son."

Sorry the first one was so short but I was just trying to figure out how to post and stuff.

Next chapter: Kiba wakes up and he's pissed