Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto and all rights go to Kishimoto Masashi, sadly.

Rating: M

Sorry about the short chapter. They will get longer later on.


As Sasuke looked at the withered old man lying in his own blood with cold, empty eyes, he felt unnaturally drained. As if he had starved for weeks on end. His sharingan inactivated without his permission and his chidori evaporated into nothing, as if there wasn't just a thousand bolts of electricity in his hand mere seconds ago.

What's going on?

He tried reactivating his sharingan, but to no avail. "Danzo cursed you before he died. Looks like he took away your ability to use chakra. Never heard of a case like this before, though." Obito, mask back in place, peered down at the raven through the one open slit in the mask, showing a bloody crimson eye.

"What the hell are you talking about? Are you saying I'll never be able to use my chakra again? Or can it be undone?!" Sasuke snapped, losing patience and becoming increasingly agitated.

"..."

"Madara~" Sasuke growled, almost a feral snarl.

"I'm not sure. But I do know that it would take a long time to find such an answer, and the process of undoing the jutsu might be just as long...I don't have that kind of time." 'Madara' swooped down from the cliff he had just stood upon and strode over to the two.

"...you mean...you refuse to help?"

"Ah. Indeed. You are of no more use to me. My plans are almost complete and when I succeed, you and everyone else won't even have a need for chakra use." 'Madara' picked up Danzo by his plain white yukata and transported him, kami knows where.

Shit! He could've at least given me a hint for where to start searching!

With that, the Uchiha started traveling in the general direction of west, all the while having an evident scowl sculpted upon his pale features.


Back in the outskirts of Iron Country, a certain blonde was gaining consciousness, grabbing his head immediately with both hands. Ughh... why is my head throbbing this much? What happened? Suddenly as Naruto glanced around through the openings of his fingers, he remembered everything he just recently learned, letting out a startling sigh to the other occupant in the room.

"How are you feeling, Naruto?"

"Just per-fect, thanks." Sarcasm evident in his voice, Naruto eyed the room. "Yamato taichou, where are Kakashi sensei and Sai?"

Should I tell him? He'd probably try to follow...but I hate lying to him. "We got a message that Sasuke was spotted a little ways west of here, and they went to check. Sasuke was apparently after Danzo. It might be too late already."

"I see." There was a long pause. "When are we leaving then?"

Surprised, Yamato stood up and went to the blonde's side, making sure he heard him right. "We should be leaving around noon, and they left a couple hours ago...Naruto?"

"Hai, Yamato taichou?"

"If you are ever troubled, don't try to bottle it up. I'm here, and Kakashi, Sai, Sakura, and all your friends will listen and support you any way we can. That means talk to me, Naruto. What's wrong?" Yamato, although a former ANBU, has become quite attached to this young shinobi next to him. He just hopes that Naruto might feel the same way as he, and depend on him a little more.

"I'm just...I'm just tired. Fed up with everything. No matter how hard I try, things just don't work out the way I plan. I think... that it's time for a change." Yamato's eyes widened at the solemn boy and before he knew it, he had wrapped one arm tightly around his shoulders, trying to comfort Naruto the best he can.

"I do, too," was all that he said as they continued to wait for the rest of their group.


"Do you think we'll make it in time?"

"I don't know, Sai." Suddenly they both stopped, as a figure in the trees could be seen coming their way. Both men swiftly pulled out kunai and held them ready between each of their fingers, ready in a fighting stance. The figure abruptly stopped a few paces away, and Kakashi and Sai noticed the long red hair and a gleam reflecting off some spectacles the woman wore.

"Who are you?" Kakashi called out when seeing the red headed shinobi unarmed and clothes in tatters.

Uhn Konoha. What are they doing here? "I'm just passing through. Why are Konoha nin traveling around here?"

Skeptical, Sai spoke up. "We're looking for our interim Hokage who went to the Summit. But we're also looking for an Uchiha. Do you know anything about that?"

With that, Karin glanced at the younger man. Sensing that their chakra described them as good people, definitely not anything close to Sasuke's, she decided to be honest with them. "Yeah. Danzo is dead; his chakra signature vanished just minutes ago. I would advise you to turn back." Kakashi jumped to a closer branch so that he was only a few feet away from her. "We heard that Sasuke was traveling in a team with three other people. Were you one of them?" Kakashi eyed her, trying to read what she was thinking.

The red head let out a hollow and peculiar laugh, tilting her head down and glaring at the ground below. "That's right. I 'was'. But that bastard left Suigetsu and Juugo to die and dragged me with him to find Danzo. And if I hadn't of left when I did, my life could've been lost as well. He's become insane. His chakra is so dark and twisted now."

Kakashi, not liking what he was hearing, put away his kunai to show he meant no harm to the ex-Taka member. "If you would, could you please come back with us? We and two more of my team would appreciate it if you told us more. Of course, it'd be a good place for you to rest."

Karin seemed to ponder the invitation for a while, but after taking notice of her unbearably sore body and empty stomach, she agreed.


RIGHT BEFORE NOON

"Kakashi sensei wha- ...who's this?"

There was a bespectacled woman with bruises and cuts all over her body, clothes torn in some places, and hair a matted mess. However, the colour of the hair reminded him of Nagato's very unique shade.

"She was part of Sasuke's team but had no choice but to desert him. Yamato, can you get her something to eat?"

"Hai." Was all the man said as he walked out of the room.

Karin observed the blonde boy, noticing his also disheveled appearance as his hair looked like he'd just been sleeping and the top of his orange and black jumpsuit was unzipped. She tried to discern his chakra, and found it was one of the most lovely she had ever come across. It almost felt as if she walked into an open pasture on a clear spring morning. Then she unconsciously dug deeper and got a bit terrified. There was another chakra source hidden beneath his very own, and it was like an eternal swirling pyre. Holding back a tremor, she met his eyes, wanting to know why she felt a slight connection to the young nin, despite the overwhelming and dark presence intertwined within him. "What's your name?"

His eyes narrowed before returning to their normal size as he moved to fully face her. "Uzumaki Naruto."

Karin smiled, realizing the connection she felt. "I'm Uzumaki Karin. I'm glad we've met!"


A/N: Incase anyone didn't catch the first part, in this story Sasuke still doesn't know that 'Madara' is Obito. Obito wanted to keep it that way while he was still using and manipulating him. Although now he doesn't need to.

Also, I just wanted to say that I was/am extremely upset on how Naruto ended and I don't at all support the couples that end up together or their new families. So part of the reason I'm writing this is sort of like a redo of everything and I'm writing this mostly for me. That's why this story is going to be really long and drastically change the events (although everything is completely realistic to the Naruto universe). Feel free to comment and review!