A/N- Hey guys! Here I bring you another chapter! But before I do that, I give all of people who reviewed, favorited, and followed my special cookies! They're special because they turn into your favorite flavor! Enjoy!

Return

The smirk leaves the raven's face and the cold blank expression returns, making my gut churn. "But I know that you can bring him to me, and you will, if you want your friend alive.

I just stare at him, getting more frenzied on the inside by the second. I have no idea who he's talking about! I mean, what kind of shinobi would like a villain that killed people? This is bad…I only get a week to figure this out! Hold on, he never said that I couldn't tell anyone about it, just that I couldn't bring anyone with me besides the mystery person. Someone I know should be able to pick apart the words and make something out of them, right?

Then, I blink my eyes and I see Itachi across the field like he was before he trapped me and Kakashi is still standing at my side. The raven must've gotten me before my sensei moved. Before I can say anything, the Uchiha glances over to me, Sharingan disengaged, before leaping out of sight, no doubt going back to the hideout.

When Kakashi, Sakura, and Granny Chiyo begin to move to follow him, I jump in front of them and hold my arms out, blocking the way. They all seem perplexed before Sakura is the first one to say something. "Naruto! Get out the way! Don't you see Itachi escaping?" I swallow thickly before nodding.

Kakashi cocks his head at me. "What's the matter, Naruto? We have to hurry to save the Kazekage."

They all step around me and are about to give chase when I turn around and plead, "Please don't!" They all stop at my tone of voice. Hey, I don't want to mess anything up here and I'm pretty sure letting them into the hideout now would be really bad. "Gaara doesn't need saving!"

"What are you talking about, child?" Chiyo asks with a frown on her face. "He's in serious trouble."

Kakashi gets closer to me, staring at my eyes with his lips set in a firm line on his face. "Naruto, I don't know what's going on in your head, but I thought that you be the first person in the hideout to save him. Now you want to give up on him?"

I hold my hands out, knowing that they are going to need a lot of convincing to keep them from going. "Going in that hideout will kill him!" That gets their attention. The trio in front of me stiffen and they look at me like I've gone insane, but they aren't going to the hideout, so that's a plus! I lower one of my hands and point the way Itachi went with the other. "We can't follow him because if we do…" Sakura then proceeds to put her hand on my forehead causing me to trail off. "Um…What are you doing Sakura?"

She completely ignores me and turns to sensei, eyebrows scrunched together. "He doesn't seem sick, Kakashi sensei. What do we do?"

"What?" I squawk, stricken with disbelief. "I'm not sick!"

"Well, you are acting loony, Naruto." Granny Chiyo comments as Sakura returns her attention to me, making her hand glow softly and I feel the comforting chakra entering my system. I gently push her away before regarding the two adults.

"Just listen!" I take a deep breath, calming myself down. "Itachi had me trapped in his Sharingan." I keep on talking, not giving Kakashi any room to interrupt. "But don't worry, he didn't hurt me." I scratch the back of my head. "Believe it or not, he just wanted to talk." Taking in their surprised and bewildered faces, I continue. "He said that he will give Gaara back alive."

"What?" They all ask at the same time, Sakura the only one yelling it.

I nod before crossing my arms, a rare frown scarring my face. "Yeah, he'll meet me at Tenchi Bridge alone in a week, but here's the catch, Itachi wants someone in return."

"Naruto, didn't it ever cross your mind that he was lying?" The kunoichi places a hand on her hip and glares at me. "It's Itachi! The person who-"

"Killed Sasuke's family and is part of the Akatsuki, I know, but I can't take the chance if he wasn't lying!" I start pulling my hair, wanting them to truly understand this very unfortunate situation.

"He could be dying right now!" Sakura glares at me, making a fist. "And we're here arguing if that weasel is trustworthy or not!"

"But Sakura! If we waltz in the hideout now, we might be the cause of his death!" I counter, stepping away from her. I've learned from too many experiences to not get near her when she's worked up.

"You both need to calm down." We both turn to Kakashi sensei whose face looks like it is set in stone. His visible eye is shifting between the both of us.

"Kakashi's right." Chiyo adds in, her wrinkles on her face seeming deeper than they were only a couple minutes ago. She gives me her full attention. "Who does he want?"

I run my hands down my face, upset that I can't give her a full answer. "I don't know! He didn't give me a name!"

My teammate sighs, no doubt displeased that I'm not listening to her, but I just can't take the chance. Why would Itachi even do what he did if he wasn't truthful? He could've taken me right there! (Don't get me wrong, I'm glad that he didn't, but still) Sakura pushes some of her hair out of her face. "So how are you going to know who to take?"

I rub my temples, trying to recollect what Itachi said. "He told me that the person, apparently a he, was popular, but now no one remembers him, or something like that." I tap my chin, digging into my memory. "He said that whoever was here and gone, like wind." I then snap my fingers, recalling the most important piece. "The thing that's the most confusing is that he killed people and brought destruction…but we liked him!"

I glance over to Sakura and Kakashi sensei and Granny does too, knowing that she'll be out of the loop for this one. The pinkette shakes her head back and forth slowly after thinking for a moment. "I don't think I've met a ninja like that…What about you, sensei?"

Kakashi hums a bit before answering. "I don't think so either, and you would think we should remember a shinobi like that. Definitely."

Chiyo looks off in the distance, obviously thinking about something. "So what are we going to do? These…turn of events have complicated our situation."

The jonin crosses his arms before focusing on me. I can almost see what he's sorting through. He's weighing the risks of if we head on or stop in our mission. I really hope that he chooses the latter. Normally, I trust ninja like Itachi as far as I can throw them, no, even less than that. But, I don't know, something in my gut tells me to believe the Uchiha.

Kakashi sighs and turns to the oldest of us four. "When we drop you off in Suna, tell people who care about this little bump in the road while we go home." I inwardly breathe a sigh of relief. "We need to talk to our Hokage in person immediately."

Granny Chiyo frowns, but nods anyway. "I understand your decision."

"Wait! But sensei-"

"Sakura." He cuts her off, finality in his tone. "We have to believe that Gaara will be safe like Itachi says. I've known him before he left, and he never lied unless for a very good reason, which happened rarely."

Sakura smoothens out a wayward piece of rose colored hair, a completive look on her face. It doesn't show agreement, but it doesn't show outright opposition. It's a completely neutral expression. A silent moment passes before she crosses her arms and stares straight at Kakashi sensei, lips pressed into a thin line. "What about Guy's team? They need to know about our retreat too."

I inwardly sigh in relief, glad that Sakura (eventually) agreed to this new plan. A Sakura that's not in agreement to whatever you're doing is not a happy ninja, and when she isn't happy, she gets pretty violent over the most minor stuff…and you should know where I'm going with that. I'm practically her punching bag during those times.

She must've seen me relax because she rolls her eyes, giving me a small smile paired with a slight shake of her head. We both start a bit when there is the sound of a poof nearby. Focusing on the source of the noise, we shift our gazes to the canine sitting in front of Kakashi-sensei who has his hands in a sign.

The dog on his haunches is looking up at the grey-haired jonin. His fur is tan with brown highlights on his ears and legs. He has dark circles around his eyes (not unlike another ninja a know) and kanji of the word 'shinobi' on his forehead. The Hidden Leaf headband is around his neck and a blue vest fits snuggly around his body.

The pup has a canine grin on his face. "Yes Kakashi? What do you need me for?" A tan tail swished back and forth smoothly.

Kakashi drops his arms by his sides and regards his ninken, "Biscuit, I need you to go find Pakkun to deliver a message. Can you pick up his scent right now?" Biscuit sniffs the air for a moment with his eyes closed before he reopens them and nods in affirmation. Kakashi returns the gesture. "Good. Tell Pakkun to fill in Guy's team of this situation." The canine perks up his ears, cocking his head to the side a bit. "Say that going into or near the Akatsuki hideout will most likely kill Gaara. It's urgent for them to meet us where the sand stops and where the forest begins outside of the Suna." The jonin glances over to Granny Chiyo. "That's where we'll split ways. Is that alright with you?"

"I may be old, but I'm more than capable of making it back on my own from here." She replies, turning around the face the way where we came from, the Hidden Sand. Chiyo faces us again. "I'll tell his siblings about this, among others." She locks eyes with me, them hard as stone. "Be sure to bring Gaara back." Not intimidated by the look at all, I nod back firmly. I'm definitely not planning to fail getting my friend, their Kazekage, back. Chiyo stares for another second before sprinting off into the forest, disappearing from sight.

Sakura holds her hand out to stop her a little too late, and sighs when Chiyo's gone. I pat her shoulder reassuringly. "Don't worry Sakura!" I give her my signature vulpine grin. "She said that she could take care of herself! She'll be fine!"

"I don't know, the Akatsuki are out and…" She blinks some before glancing askance at me. "Never mind, they're not. Or so you say…"

"Sakura," Kakashi interjects, his eye in an upside down U. "It's bad not to trust your teammate. But if he is wrong, then hit him as much as you like, along with other consequences." His voice is light, but it also has a sinister undertone to it. I get why. Not only will I face Sakura's wrath, but I will also be responsible for a dear friend's death and that isn't what I have on my agenda today. Kakashi turns back to Biscuit. "I take back the last sentence I told you. How far away does Pakkun seem to be?"

Biscuit gives the air another sniff. "Not very far. Between eight and ten miles."

"That's good. Tell them to follow you back here so we can tell them the details. Hurry, we need to get back to the village as soon as possible."

The ninken gives out a sharp bark. "Got it! I'll be back with them as soon as I can!" The tan dog runs into the foliage, trotting quickly away.

When he's gone, Sakura groans as she runs her hands down her face. "What kind of mess…" She then throws her hands up in the air. "We don't even know who the Akatsuki is looking for!"

"Calm down Sakura!" I do a calming motion with my hands, wanting her to relax again because freaking out is the last thing we want anyone to do right now. A light bulb goes off in my head. "Wait!" I quickly go over to stand in front of sensei. "Do you think that anyone on Guy's team knows who it is?" I think back on my last statement and correct it. "Um…well I know definitely that Lee won't…and maybe Guy himself…but do you think that Tenten or Neji knows?"

Kakashi shifts his weight on one leg and shoves his right hand into his pocket. "There's no way of telling until they arrive." He walks away and leans his back against the trunk of a nearby tree, pulling out an orange-colored book. You can guess the genre on your own discretion. "Until they do, we wait."

Blank faced, Sakura and I look at each other in exasperation. "Right, we wait."

When there is a loud rustle over to the edge of the clearing, I shoot up fast in the comfortable laying position I'm in, instinctively reaching for my kunai holder at my side. In my peripherals, Sakura jumps down from the branch she was pulling a Shikamaru in, watching the clouds. Her green eyes are narrowed dangerously and her whole body is tense. The odd one out in our little group is Kakashi sensei. He just pushes himself off the tree he still was leaning on and pockets the book.

He waves off our standoffish behavior. "Maa, maa. Don't worry. They're friendly."

As soon as he reassures us, six figures hop out of the thick tree line. Two of them were canine: Biscuit and Pakkun. When the latter focuses on me, he nods in greeting and I give him a warm smile back. It's been on long time since I've seen him last, along with the ninja accompanying him. They all jump out at the same time, Guy, Lee, Tenten, and Neji. The younger ninja seem pretty much the same as they did three years ago, except taller. Well, Neji's hair is longer, but I kinda expected that. Man, it just now dawned on me that it's been literally forever since I've seen them! Three years don't go by quickly!

"Hello dearest Sakura!" Lee waves wildly at my teammate, his all-too-familiar white smile lighting up the area even though the sun is high in the sky. After attempting to hide a wince, she waves back with much less enthusiasm. The bowl-haired chunin then turns toward me and, if possible, the smile shines brighter. "Naruto!" He runs over and pulls me off the ground into a bone crushing hug. No doubt another great trait he'd learned from Guy. "Yosh! It's great to see you again my friend! Now you can continue spreading your youthfulness around the village again!"

I would answer him, you know, if I could breathe.

Tenten, apparently seeing my near asphyxiated state, comes over and pries Lee's arms from around me. "Come on Lee, you don't want him to die after years of not seeing him, don't you?"

Lee chuckles embarrassingly before letting me go. "You're right, Tenten! I'm terribly sorry Naruto!"

On my hands on my knees, I pant harshly for a couple seconds before I regain enough of my breath to respond. Straightening back up, I laugh a little, rubbing the back of my head. "It's alright, Lee. It's good to see you again." I glance over to the kunoichi. "You too, Tenten."

She gives a grin. "Likewise! And it's strange not having to look down on you anymore."

My cheeks redden. "I wasn't that short!"

"Trust me, Naruto." Pouting, I glance over to Sakura coming closer. "You were that short."

"I second that." Sticking my bottom lip out further, I cross my arms and glare weakly at Neji who has a tiny smirk on his face. "However, it's good to have you back Naruto." I roll my eyes. It's just like Neji to insult before saying something nice. But hey, that's just how he is.

Nostalgia overriding the embarrassment, I shake my head in amusement. "Good to be back!"

Someone clears their throat and we all look over to Kakashi. "This reunion is touching and all, but we need to talk about this new development." The atmosphere becomes tense when he unsummons the canines, leaving a cloud of smoke in their wake.

When that cloud disappears, Guy, who was enjoying the group chatter with a wide smile on his face, takes a couple steps forward, face serious. "You're absolutely right, my youthful rival." I have to resist to grin when I see the tiniest of twitches of Kakashi's uncovered eye. "Why couldn't we continue on to the hideout? And how does that endanger Gaara?"

Kakashi gestures to me. "Naruto'll fill you in." And I proceed to do so. I tell them about my strange encounter with Itachi and about the riddle he told me.

When I'm finished, Tenten gasps, "So that's why…"

Sakura raises a pink eyebrow. "Why what?"

"We were fighting an Akatsuki member earlier…" Everyone's eyes on my team widen drastically. "…if you could even call it that. He was dodging our attacks, like he was stalling. Then out of nowhere, he just left." She taps her finger on her chin. "What was his name again?"

"It was Kisame," Neji answers, frowning in thought. "He kept on saying that Guy sensei should know him."

"And still don't." Guy adds, causing his team to sweatdrop. Even Lee. Now that's saying something.

"So he was just keeping us from going forward." The Hyuuga continues. "Until Itachi told you the information he wanted you to know."

"Speaking of that weasel…" Sakura nearly growls out, fists clenched. "Do you guys know who he wants?"

There are four shinobi heads shaking simultaneously. "I can't think of anyone so unyouthful like that…" Way to go Lee. Making up a new word. The green clad teen scratches his cheek. "I have no idea!"

"No one comes to mind." Neji sighs before turning to Tenten with a raised brow. "What about you, Tenten?"

"Nope. My mind's blank."

"Hm…Oh!" We all turn to Guy who is smiling brightly. My hopes are rising quickly… "It has to be someone we've met before!" …And they come crashing back down.

Kakashi's eye twitch becomes more prominent. "Guy, we've already established that."

"We have? Right…"

I slump my shoulders. "Okay, we've made no progress."

"I say now it's time to go back to the Hidden Leaf." Sakura and I both nod, having known this before now. "Tsunade is our last chance of figuring out this riddle. And we need to tell her why we've 'abandoned' our mission." Everyone else nods as well. Kakashi then sprints into the forest and we all follow him, going as fast as we can back to Konoha.

Three days later

"Sasuke!"

"We've missed you so much!"

"I'm glad you're back in good health! Tell me about your missi-who am I kidding? WANNA GO OUT WITH ME TONIGHT?"

Dammit.

Just goddammit.

Can they just leave me alone this one time? I just got back from a stressful assassination in a faraway village of an aggravating gang leader that took a week and a half because the member absolutely adored playing hide-and-seek. I had to lure him out and get close to him by…by…Let's just say that I had to buy a wig. My whole body shudders as I run away from my cursed fangirls toward the Hokage tower. Tsunade had warned me that I might have to take drastic measures, but that statement went over my head. Damn you Uchiha mind. Too stuck up to heed other people's words.

"Please love me Sasuke!"

"Let me have your babies!"

"Leave me the f-" No, Sasuke. You're out in public. You can't say that out loud in public areas. It's against the unwritten Uchiha code. "Just go away!" The girlish screams and shouts only increase. Gritting my teeth, I push my raven bangs out of my face and push my legs harder, wanting to get away from these hungry sharks as soon as possible.

Soon, my salvation appears in my line of sight. Literally in a dead run now, I speed into the door, forcefully pushing it open. I run to the stairs, ignoring the confusing looks I'm receiving, and haul tail up to the upper floor. In front of the door leading to the Hokage's room, I take a second to regain my composure. I allow my heart to calm down and wipe the sweat off my brow. After huffing some air and fixing my hair, I set my face into a neutral expression and gently push open the door.

My entrance gains the attention of Tsunade who is doing some paper work, a rarity in itself, while drinking some water. I pause for a moment. What, is today opposite day or something? Ousting that childish thought from my head, I nod in greeting while I make my way to her desk.

She smirks as I take off my backpack to search for my mission report. "Mission success I'm guessing?" I grunt in affirmation, moving clothes and other supplies out of the way. The blonde then chuckles under her breath. "What took you so long? I thought the mission would only take a few days."

I freeze for a brief second before continuing shuffling around. "I had…some difficulties."

"Oh?" I can literally hear the smugness in her voice. "Care to elaborate?"

"I'd rather n-" Just then, I find my mission report and pull it out, but that's not the only thing that decides to say hello. When the dark-haired wig falls to the floor, I just feel like going back outside and feeding myself to the circling sharks out there.

"Some difficulties?" She's holding in her laughter now. Barely holding it in. "Wonder what those could be?"

With my shattered pride, I pick up the wig and proceed to burn it to ashes. I let them fall through my pale fingers to the floor. "Nothing worth mentioning." Sighing, I give her the scroll before zipping my pack up and returning it to its place on my back. "Everything that happened is accounted for in there."

Tsunade chuckles, nibbling on her pen as her eyes scan the paper. "Nearly everything." I roll my eyes and decide to change the subject from the obvious elephant in the room.

"Did anything interesting happen while I was gone?" Honestly, I am expecting a 'Nothing really', so when she gets a serious expression on her face, I'm automatically drawn in.

"Yes, actually." She sets down the paper and pen before lacing her fingers together and placing her head on them. "Naruto came back from his training." Wow, that's huge news. So the dobe's finally back huh? A ghost of a smirk grows on my face. Time to see how much he's improved. "He's not here right now though, so you're going to have to put your long awaited spar on hold." Seeing the confused look on my face, she elaborates. "He's on a mission right now with Sakura and Kakashi concerning the Kazekage of Suna."

I blink. "Gaara?"

"Yeah." She creases her eyebrows and a frown appears on her face. "The Akatsuki took him from Suna and to their hideout. I had team Guy go as backup." My body tenses up when Tsunade mentions that horrid word. The Hokage reads my body language and she shakes her head. "As far as I know, your brother didn't take Gaara, someone else did."

"It doesn't matter." I clip, not mad at her, but at the situation. "They're tied together. He has to be involved somehow." I stare at her unwaveringly, resolve set. "Let me g-"

"No, Uchiha." I scowl at her, but she doesn't take back what she said. "They might be in the middle of something important right now and they don't need you bursting in." Right when those words are spoken, the door behind us flies open and slams against the wall. Startled, I turn around to find a sizable group of panting ninjas. The members of said group are Kakashi, Guy, Lee, Tenten, Neji, Sakura, and finally Naruto who seems mildly surprised to see me here before he focuses on Tsunade. "What's going on here?!" The Hokage shouts from behind me.

"I would like to know the same answer." I add, rising a black eyebrow.

The horde moves as one up to the desk, making me grudgingly take a step to the side so I wouldn't be run over. Naruto, at the front, slams his hands down on the desk. He gives her a level gaze, still panting. "We have a big problem."

Tsunade sits back down, after standing up when they busted in here, and calmly regards him, "Explain."

"Get the gist of it?"

While the manicured blonde rubs her temples, my mind is reeling from all of the information forced into it. The Akatsuki doesn't want Naruto anymore? They don't want any of the tailed beasts? They are offering Gaara up for trade? And a riddle, really? Itachi didn't even do riddles! Seriously, is today really opposite day? Because this is ridiculous.

"Hey Teme." I'm thrown out of my internal rant by Naruto's voice. And also by the hand that's being waved back and forth in front of my face. When I glare at him, he grins before stopping. Even though he's annoying, things will be less boring with him back. The spars will be more interesting, definitely. "Did you figure out the riddle?"

I cross my arms and frown. "No Dobe, I don't remember anyone like that."

Tsunade sighs. "Then, I'm sorry to say this…" She pauses for a moment, glancing at all of us. "Actually, no I'm not. You all are stupid." I scowl at her along with Neji and Naruto while the girls and Lee gasp indigently. Guy and Kakashi just go straight-faced, showing no outward emotion. "You all are probably thinking that the person they want is a shinobi." All of our expressions are replaced with confusion. It's not a ninja? Then what, a civilian? They want to adopt a pet? If they do, I'm pretty sure that no cockapoo had destroyed villages before.

Tsunade leans back in her chair, taking a deep breath. She looks ten years older. She obviously knows who they want…is whoever it is that bad?

"Sonic." She says, sighing again as she gives us all a level stare. "They want Sonic."

Sonic? Who's…My eyes widen as the memories assault my brain. A blue hedgehog…super speed…a cocky personality…Chaos emeralds…Shadow…yellow fur…blood…murder…jail…

I come back to reality when Sakura mutters, "Oh my God…"

"He wants Sonic?!" Lee shouts, bewilderment present in his tone. "But why?"

"It makes no sense!" Naruto grabs at his hair.

"Actually, it does." We all turn our heads to Kakashi who has a thoughtful look in his eye. "They must've seen what Sonic can do when he was here. I bet it was hard not to hear about Sonic's killing spree." The atmosphere in the room becomes palpable before Kakashi continues, "But remember it was because of him that Orochimaru died." The tension dissipates just as quickly and I remind myself that because of Sonic, I don't have the cursed seal. So I'm in his debt. Kinda. In a way.

"Kakashi's right." Tsunade says as she opens one of her drawers and starts rummaging through it. A moment later, she pulls out a scroll and my gut drops at its meaning. "They want him for power and they think that we'll trade him for Gaara. They're right." The whole room is silent, like I expected it to be. Not for it nor against it, having reasons to do both. We don't want Sonic working for the Akatsuki, but…we want Gaara, the Kazekage of Suna and holder of the one-tail that could go berserk if he dies, back safe and sound. The Hokage places a hand on her hip. "Any objections?"

Tenten raises her head. "I don't have an objection…but I think there's something you're not telling us."

A disturbing smile slowly grows on Tsunade's face. "That's correct, because I have a plan." She focuses on Naruto. "The plan is, brat, that you're not going to Itachi alone."

The dobe waves his hands in front of himself frantically. "Whoa! Wait! I have to! If not, then-"

"Gaara might be killed, I know. I'm just going to make sure that's not going to happen." The Hokage drums her nails on the wood in front of her. "In four days, Jiraiya's going to go with you and is going to stay hidden. No one else." She says, her sweeping gaze going over the group before coming to a stop at me. "Except you, Sasuke. You're going as well." Huh, I'm actually surprised, given that she wasn't going to let me go help with Gaara not too long ago. Sakura looks like she wants to say something, but thinks better of it. "You three don't have to beat Itachi, but at the right time, you and Jiraiya will have to help Naruto take back Gaara. Sonic should be able to help too."

Tsunade then gestures to the scroll. "We're going to crack this seal open again. Some of you are going to get teams Asuma and Kurenai, filling them in and telling them to meet at Team 7's field pronto like last time. Oh, tell Kurenai's team that their mission is pushed back a bit, for those who are going to seek them out. Kakashi." Said jonin perks up at the sound of his name. "You go get Jiraiya." He nods without hesitation. "Alright, now that's said, any objections to the plan? Comments? Concerns?"

"What about the villagers?" Neji asks, looking out of the windows. "They weren't…accepting of him three years ago." Yeah, a lot of us weren't until he proved himself. I don't think that the villagers know about that, so they might have a negative reaction to the blue hedgehog.

The Hokage shrugs. "Just tell them what Sonic helped do all those years ago. If they still hate him, they are just going to have to deal with it."

Guy smiles widely and gives her a thumbs up. "Such show of youthfulness! I have so much more to learn from you!" Beside him, Kakashi's whole body just twitches.

The Hokage shakes her head before waving us off. "You all are dismissed." Everyone starts to leave. "Naruto, Sasuke. You two stay." I freeze mid-step and Naruto does also. Turning around, we both step up to the desk. Tsunade waits until the others leave before speaking. "You two are partaking in a very important mission in four days." She eyes me. "I know that you're ready and capable." I swell with pride. I am perfection after all. Most of the time. Before my latest mission, that is. Honey eyes then focus on Naruto. "As for you…"

"What are you talking about?! I'm more than ready for this mission!" Naruto huffs, crossing his arms. "I even beat Kakashi sensei!"

"Yes, your strength and abilities are nothing to worry about. Jiraiya filled me in about your training. But, you're still a loud mouth Naruto." I have to bite my lip to stop from smirking. The dobe sees the attempt and glares at me anyway. "And you're not very subtle. We can't have you give away that you and Sonic aren't alone prematurely."

"I won't!" Cue a raised blonde brow. "I promise!" Naruto then sobers up. "I can't afford to. My friend and the leader of a hidden village's life is at stake. I won't make that mistake."

I stare at Naruto in the corner of my eye, slightly surprised that he knows how to be serious. Three years ago, I wouldn't think that he would be capable of this level of professionalism, but here he is.

Tsunade lets a small smile appear on her face. "That's what I wanted to hear." She walks from around her desk and passes us on the way to the door. "Let's go. We have a hedgehog to summon."

Here we all are, standing in a familiar circle that brings back a strong sense of déjà vu. Everyone who was here three years ago is all present today. The occupants of the two teams who weren't in the office with us, sans Shikamaru, greeted Naruto happily when they showed up. It was amusing because the dobe remembered everyone, even Akamaru, except Shino. Now, no matter how many times the blonde beside me says sorry, the bug lover continues to brood. On the other side of Naruto is the newcomer, Jiraiya. The Sannin had said that he was curious about Sonic because, like loads of others, he had heard of the famous (or infamous, depends how you look at it) hedgehog. I don't blame him.

"Okay everyone, are you ready?" Tsunade shouts down from a tree branch. This is almost exactly like last time.

Kiba laughs out loud. "Yeah! I'm kinda excited to see Sonic again, how 'bout you guys?"

"I-I wouldn't mind…" Hinata responds, her longer dark hair flowing in the slight breeze."

"I just hope that he won't be troublesome like last time." A specific Nara yawns out.

Ino rolls her eyes. "Everyone here right now is troublesome in your book, Shikamaru." Choji chuckles at that, adding a 'It's true' in between breaths.

"It'll be…interesting." Shino says from behind his raised collar. "Bet you remembered him too." He grumbles, aiming the comment at Naruto.

The whiskered blonde whines. "I said I'm sorry, Shino! And plus, I actually didn't remember Sonic! I-"

"I just asked if you are ready, not to give you permission to start conversations!" The others calm down after Tsunade's shout from above. Jiraiya snickers as she continues, "That's better. Now, chakra to your feet! Start!"

On her cue, I close my eyes and send my chakra down to the ground through my feet. It's almost second nature now, for it's needed to run on water and climb trees, which is done very often. After a couple seconds, I peek one eye open to see that the seal painted in ink on the ground is glowing a bright white. A brief moment afterwards, the light becomes unbearable and I close that eye again while hissing in pain.

The back of my eyelids soon fade back to the natural black and I blink open my eyes, along with everyone else as far as I can tell. When I look toward the center of the clearing, I scrunch my brows in confusion. Well, we have Sonic…

…Along with three of his friends.

All of the quartet are knocked out, like Sonic was the first time we summoned him. However, the blue speed demon appears to have his whole front harshly burned. At the sight, I feel slightly guilty at the fact that we may have caused that. We don't know what really happens when a creature is summoned. Unexpectedly laying to the right of Sonic is Shadow, who is in way better condition than his doppelgänger with only a couple scratches.

On Sonic's left is another hedgehog that I've never seen before. It is an off-white color, almost like a silver, with tuffs of fur coming off the top of its head and two larger groups of head quills hanging longer. The last one actually makes me blink a couple times, so that I'm sure I'm seeing this right. It's a yellow fox, curled up beside the white hedgehog. It has a tuft of yellow fur in the upper part of its forehead and a white-furred muzzle. The part that throws me for a major loop that is it doesn't only have one tail, but two.

I rub my eyes, still thinking that they're playing tricks on me. "Naruto…"

"I think that we're hallucinating about the same thing." The dobe turns to Jiraiya. "Pervy Sage…?"

The Sannin runs a hand down his face. "I drank too much last night, you shouldn't be asking me." He looks up some. "Tsunade?"

The Hokage jumps down from her perch and places both of her hands on her hips. "This fox has two tails. We need to point this fact out right here and now."

"Do you think that it's related to the fox?" Shikamaru asks, been alert since we found out that Sonic wasn't the only one we summoned. Actually, the shadow wielder hadn't been this alert since Naruto first told all of us about the Kyuubi before the blonde left to train. Yeah, it was a shocker, but it made sense in a way. The whiskers on his cheeks and how parents and their children avoided him like the plague when they were younger. After that cat was out of the bag, life went on, unchanging. Naruto had said that the reason he didn't tell us earlier was that he was scared to lose his friends. We all teased him for that, causing him to laugh at the ridiculousness as well.

But back to the present, Shikamaru actually looks wide awake right now.

Tsunade shakes her head, getting closer to the multi-tailed vulpine. We all get closer as well, breaking the circle. Everyone gathers around the unfamiliar hedgehog and the fox, but all eyes are on the latter. "No, it can't be. It's from a different world, remember? There's no way it can be related. But just to make sure…Naruto." My teammate tears his gaze away from the downed fox. "Is the Kyuubi reacting at all?"

He shakes his head. "No, he's just sleeping."

"Wow…" Kiba whistles lowly while Akamaru curiously sniffs the yellow vulpine. "Just wow. What are we going to do now?" He scratches his cheek. "Sure, we got Sonic, but also Shadow, Kyuubi's cousin-in-law thrice removed or something like that, and this pot-head here." He chuckles to himself, tugging on one of the white one's smaller quills.

Naruto laughs out loud, offering a high five. "That was actually funny! His head does kinda look like that!" Kiba connects his hand to the blonde's, causing a clapping sound to resonate throughout the area. I roll my eyes at the sight. Of all the times…

Ino plays with her long platinum blonde pony-tail. "Well, looks like we have four for the price of one." She takes a step back to observe all four of them. "Hm…actually, the fox seems like the youngest of all of them." Hearing her, we all take our own looks and agree. The fox does look younger, by multiple years.

"That's good to know…but the more important information we need to know is where they all are going to stay." Choji goes over and nudges Shadow's side only to get no reaction.

"Well," Kurenai starts, staring at the burned Sonic. "I say that we just house them were we had Sonic three years ago." All of the others, sans Jiraiya who is getting over the initial surprise that we had went through before, turn toward me.

Knowing that arguing will get me nowhere, I sigh and cross my arms, looking away. "Fine. They can stay at my house." This is going to be a total mess. I just know. I'm going to be sharing my home with four animals (more or less); two of which are complete strangers. Great. "I'm going to keep my eye on the little one though."

"It'll be alright Sasuke!" Sakura smiles at me before peering down at the kit. "It's nothing but a kid! Totally harmless."

"We thought Sonic was too." I deadpan and she laughs nervously.

"So which one is Sonic?" I hear Jiraiya ask.

"It's the blue one." Naruto answers, pointing to the hedgehog's face that is twisted in pain.

The Sannin frowns. "Why is he burned like that? It looks pretty serious, hime."

Tsunade shrugs after glaring at her former teammate because of the nickname. "We don't know." She goes over to examine the body. "This didn't happen when we brought him here all those years ago." Her hands are glowing green now as she begins to heal Sonic, starting at his face. "This shouldn't take long to heal. Someone take the other three, be careful with the hedgehogs though." She grins up at me. "We all know what happened last time." Of course she had to remind me of that. She seriously couldn't pass that up?

That causes a chuckle throughout the crowd and I glare at them, but it goes all over their heads. This group has become immune to my glare. That isn't good.

Choji, closest to the black hedgehog, picks Shadow up carefully bridal style, making sure to get it right the first time. "I'm so glad that they're light." He comments and Kiba hums in agreement as he gently places the white one on Akamaru's back.

Hinata bends over and picks up the fox the same way Choji did Shadow. She giggles when the kit automatically curls into her, wrapping its tails around her body loosely. "It's really cute and soft…"

Tenten smiles softly as she ruffles the tuft of fur on its head. "Got that right."

"It might be for now." Asuma speaks around his cigarette. "But looks can be deceiving."

Guy slaps his shoulder and shakes it a bit, earning himself a surprised grunt. "Pessimism doesn't look good on you Asuma!" He laughs. "Don't always-"

A loud groan interrupts Guy's sentence, causing all of us to glance over to where Tsunade and Sonic are. The former has paused in her healing in order to watch the other wake up. All of us ninja crowd around the two. Another groan escapes peach lips as blue eyelids flutter open. Emerald irises seem unfocused until they lock onto the nearest person, the Hokage. After a second of confusion, Sonic's expression is extremely comical with his wide eyes and dropped jaw.

"T-Tsunade?"

Yep! I'm know I'm cruel for ending it there, but hey, the chapter has to end sometime! XD