(A/N) Holy crap! I've completely lost track of time! Kuso! But I'll tell you, I've been hell-bent on completing this chapter! The reason I have updated as soon as I would have liked was because my friends broke down my door and dragged me to Horton Hears a Who (which was an okay movie, but not great). Anyway, on Thursday my friend decided to come over and break my closet. On Friday, I desperately tried to type up the chapter, but I had to run errands. On Saturday, I got my hair cut and now I look like Rukia from Bleach. I also went to my uncle's house because it was his birthday (my family is hilarious, especially my uncle). Sunday is when I was dragged to Horton Hears a Who. Now I'm repairing my door and trying to type.

So, please don't kill me if I don't update the next chapter quickly. Life is full of surprises (good and bad). And shit happens (a lot). So I will overcome my ADHD, procrastination, and addiction to manga and work hard! For now, enjoy this somewhat short chapter!

Notes:

Italics: Thoughts, dreams, flashbacks, emphasis.

Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO!

Mikadzuki

Impulse

"To deny our own impulses, is to deny the very thing that makes us human."-Matt Doran

-0-

"How can you wear that thing?" Naruto asked, his voice raspy from lack of hydration.

He was laying face-down in the sand (which wasn't helping him much) inhaling particles of the crushed rocks. Kankuro looked down at the boy and smirked, shaking his head. Naruto had stripped down to his boxers in the heat of the desert and his skin was turning pink. The sun beat down on his bare back so he rolled over, shielding his eyes from the light.

"I wear it so I won't get sunburn," Kankuro replied. His black outfit was hot as Hell but at least it served as protection from the sun.

The puppet master nudged Naruto who was now turning a bright red. With a groan, the blonde haired boy sat up.

"I hate the desert," he muttered through a mouthful of sand.

He slowly got up, brushing sand off of his body. The grains were sticking to him because of the perspiration pouring down his body. He groaned, giving up on this task, and tied his pants around his head for a hat. Kankuro sighed as he watched the fool.

The two ninja were traveling through the deserts of the Land of Wind, heading to Sunagakure. Naruto was going to speak to the Kazekage about the missing-nin uprisings near Takigakure and Amegakure (though they were only concerned with Ame because it bordered them). Naruto informed the Suna-nin that he had taken on this mission to get his mind off Sasuke's execution.

'Now that I think about it, he does seem a little down,' Kankuro noted, looking at the blonde who was suffering from exposure.

"Oh, I see it!" the aforementioned blonde called.

Kankuro squinted, looking in the same direction as Naruto. A large shadow appeared in front of them, looming above the sand like a giant. The heat rising from the ground made it appear as if it was flickering in the sunlight. Naruto picked up his pace and ran to the form, hoping to find an icebox.

"Naruto!" Kankuro used a stern tone as if he was speaking to a child (or in his case, a nineteen-year-old with the mentality of a child). "It's a mirage, fool. Suna is the other way." The man pointed in the other direction.

Naruto balked and kicked up sand, muttering under his breath. Kankuro didn't wait for him to regain his equanimity and headed in the direction of the real Suna. Naruto followed close behind, adjusting his makeshift hat. He groused about the heat, dragging his red legs. After trekking through sand for another half-hour, they finally reached their destination. This time, it was Suna and Kankuro couldn't be happier. If he had to listen to his companion for another second, he might just kill himself.

"It looks like a sand castle," said companion stated, shielding his eyes as he looked.

"What did you expect, an igloo?" Kankuro snapped.

They walked through the gates of Suna, Naruto close to collapsing. After going through customs (which went over smoothly, thanks to Kankuro), they walked into the village. The community was not unlike Konoha, with people bustling around and markets on the street. The only things different were the clothing styles and buildings.

Said boy still refused to put his clothes on and the villagers sent him amused looks as mothers shielded their children's eyes. Kankuro could only shake his head as they walked to the Kazekage's office. After many looks from the villagers, they reached the edifice. Naruto ran into the structure, hoping for relief from the heat.

"You're late."

Naruto looked up tiredly to see an irked Temari leaning against the wall. She had the giant fan that scared the Hell out of Naruto on her back. The woman looked ready and willing to use it, too, seeing the look on her face.

Kankuro shrugged mildly, walking up behind him. "Sorry."

Temari eyed Naruto. "I'm surprised you didn't get arrested for indecent exposure, Uzumaki."

Said man grinned and scratched the back of his head. 'So much for a 'hi',' he thought.

"Give me a minute to rest," Naruto said, plopping down in a seat.

He looked around at the new environment while fanning himself. The building was like the one in Konoha, with only slight differences (such as the sweltering sun that was beating through the windows). Naruto was beginning to feel homesick, looking around at the unfamiliar (and blisteringly hot) surroundings.

"I'll take you to Gaara," Temari said, pushing off from the wall. She wasn't going to wait for the mad stripper to cool off.

They walked down halls as bystanders looked at Naruto with amusement and disdain. Kankuro was thankful he stopped at his boxers. If he shed any more clothing, he'd surely be arrested.

They arrived at the Kazekage's office and Temari knocked loudly. She had been waiting for an hour, and she wasn't in the best of moods. When she didn't get a response, she entered anyway. Gaara was sitting at the desk, writing on a piece of paper. The similarities between his office and the Hokage's were uncanny.

'Suna's like a parallel universe,' Naruto thought, unnerved.

Gaara looked up as the three of them entered.

"I wasn't expecting you, Naruto," he said.

Not much had changed about him over the years. He had the same red hair and the same rings around his eyes. He was dressed in the same Kazekage garb and had the same kanji was on his forehead. Naruto was hoping for some drastic change. But just like his siblings, everything was the same.

"Granny told me to come," Naruto said, wrapping his shirt around his head.

Gaara looked him over and inwardly sighed. The boy was just too strange. "Why did she send you?"

Naruto took his shirt off his head and rifled through the pockets. With a triumphant 'aha', he pulled out a crinkled piece of paper. He unfolded it and squinted as he read the words scribbled on the piece of parchment.

"It says that there've been missing-nin uprisings near Ami and Taki," Naruto read. "She wants to know if you have the same problem." He handed it over to the Kazekage and the man read it silently. After a while, he looked up from the paper.

"We have," the Kazekage said, replying to Naruto's previous question. "Many of our shinobi have been killed near Amegakure. We've been suspecting missing-nin."

Naruto nodded, tapping his finger to his chin in an attempt to look intellectual. He didn't know much of it, but he knew that the ninja Tsunade was sending out were getting mysteriously killed. True, they've been having problems with missing-nin for a while, but Tsunade seemed really concerned about these uprisings.

'She must be worried if she sent me to Suna,' Naruto thought, nodding affirmatively. "What are you going to do?"

"Increase border control," Gaara stated. "We'll have to send out our best ninja to handle the situation. The Hokage should do the same."

"She already sent out a platoon," Naruto said. "I think Kakashi-sensei was in it."

"Is that all?" Gaara asked, wanting to finish his paperwork. He was on the last paper and he wanted to get it done so he can be finished for the day.

"Nope," Naruto replied and the Kazekage mentally twitched. Once again, he searched though his pockets. This time, however, he pulled out a scroll. He handed it to the other man and informed," Granny said it was important. She didn't tell me what it is, though."

Gaara nodded and placed the scroll on his desk. He would read it when he was alone. "Is that all?" he reiterated.

Naruto nodded.

"Then you may leave," the Kazekage said curtly, returning to his paperwork.

Naruto knew that he wasn't trying to be rude. Gaara was just antisocial. He bowed and left the room with Kankuro and Temari.

Gaara was left deep in thought, contemplating what moves he should make. He was well aware of this problem, and it was making him anxious. Many questions haunted his mind. Why were all of these missing-nin showing up out of the woodwork? Why are they killing ninja from neighboring countries? How can they deal with this problem effectively?

Ah, the joys of being Kazekage.

-0-

Kakashi and his platoon jumped through the trees at an unimaginable pace. They were spread out, putting meters of distance between them. They were nearing the border of Takigakure quickly. So far they hadn't encountered any missing-nin, and they were on guard as they neared the boundary of the two lands. All was silent as they dashed through the wood; even birds were hushed.

'It's too quiet,' Kakashi thought.

It was as if the animals in the forest knew something was about to happen. Perhaps even the earth, for there was no wind and no trees rustled. He hadn't even seen a squirrel as they ran and he was beginning to suspect something.

"Sir," a voice said over the wireless.

"Hmm?" Kakashi asked.

"Something feels…wrong," the jonin replied hesitantly.

So the others knew something was up, too. "I know."

"What should we do?"

Kakashi thought for a moment. If there is a reason behind this silence, then there was nothing they could do. If missing-nin were to attack, they were just sitting ducks. There's nothing you can do to prevent an ambush.

"Don't do anything," Kakashi eventually answered.

He put his book away and his hands felt empty without it, but he wasn't going to read in a situation like this. Missing-nin can attack at any time and he couldn't risk being caught off-guard.

They were steadily coming closer to the border of Taki. They will arrive in less than a half-hour. When they arrive, they will ask the leaders if they have seen anything suspicious around their borders. If everything was clear, they'll head back. Simple and easy.

Or so they thought.

Kakashi heard the whizzing of kunai before he saw them. As they headed straight for him with alarming accuracy, he quickly dodged them by jumping onto another branch. The kunai embedded themselves into the branch he was previously on with a powerful force.

"We've got trouble," he said into the wireless.

More kunai came towards him and he dodged them again, hopping from branch to branch. What he didn't know was that the branch he was currently standing on had an explosive tag attached on its underside. When it exploded, he lost his balance in his state of shock and began his descent to the ground. He caught himself, though, and grabbed onto another branch. Checking to see if there were any explosive tags attached, he climbed onto it. He took out his own kunai and lowered into a fighting stance, preparing to fend off the next attack. He scanned the area, but all was silent.

"Everyone, report," Kakashi said into the wireless.

There was no reply from the others. He waited for another moment but no voices came over the wireless.

"You shouldn't let your guard down so easily."

Kakashi jolted at the voice. He looked around again but saw nothing. Another round of kunai came at him, this time with exploding tags. He evaded them, careful to check his surroundings. His enemy had an advantage, being hidden. Kakashi had to find a way to get on the offensive. But before that, he had to find his assailant.

"Looking for me?" a voice asked next to his ear.

Kakashi's eye widened.

'How…?'

He wasn't able to detect the presence of his attacker. There was no chakra signature or anything that would give away his opponent's location. With his heightened senses, he should have heard, seen, or smelled him but nothing pointed out the position of the attacker.

"You're wondering why you can't sense me," the same voice said with a bit of a chuckle. He couldn't tell where the voice was coming from. "It's a secret. But I'll tell you if you beat me."

Kakashi used his god-like speed to avoid the man's katana. After the quick attack, it was silent once more. The copy-nin was strung tight, anticipation churning in his gut. This was very bad. He couldn't sense his attacker at all. There was no way he could fight him.

He felt an acute pain in his abdomen as metal pierced his flesh.

"You didn't guard your flank," the missing-nin said in a scolding manner. "A ninja should know better."

'It wasn't because I didn't guard my flank,' Kakashi thought as the katana was pulled out of his abdomen. 'I can't sense where he is and I don't know when he's going to attack.'

His vision was beginning to blur due to his stomach injury. He looked to where he assailant should be but nothing was there. He lifted up his headband to reveal the Sharingan.

"Oh, impressive," the voice said. "But I'm afraid that won't help."

Kakashi soon found that what the man said was true. He couldn't see anything; there were no chakra signatures in sight. He winced as he felt the searing pain in his lower torso and clutched it, blood pouring over his fingers. As his hand gripped his stomach a katana pierced his chest.

"This is too easy," the missing-nin said, disappointed.

Kakashi couldn't even gasp as he fell forward, hurtling to the ground. He hit the earth hard, feeling and hearing the crunch as his bones broke. He found he was unable to move as he struggled to stand. His invisible spoke again.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk," he said, using that scolding tone. "You shouldn't try to struggle. You'll only die faster."

Two people suddenly appeared, standing on a tree several meters from Kakashi's assailant. One of them was wearing a green jinbei and had a headband with the insignia for Iwa. There was a scratch running through the symbol. He was slight and gaunt, with a manic look in his eye. The other was wearing similar clothing, but he was larger and seemed calmer. He was also from Iwa.

Both had blood on their skin and clothing.

"That was too easy," the small one whined, repeating what Kakashi's attacker had stated. "Those shinobi from Konoha are a joke."

The larger man snorted. "These villages underestimate us. Fools."

"Now, now, let's not get all hot and bothered," the invisible missing-nin said. "Surely the other villages must be sending their ninja out soon."

The small man chuckled. "I'm looking forward to that."

Kakashi faded into unconsciousness as he listened to the nuke-nins' conversation. As he slipped away, he saw the invisible one reveal himself. He wore an arrogant smirk, clearly enjoying watching him die. The man's headband had the symbol for Iwa, of course. Kakashi barely caught his last words.

"Me too…"

-0-

Sakura was finished.

Last night when she had gone to bed, she turned everything over in her mind while looking at the pictures of her friends and family. She came to the conclusion that it wasn't worth it to continue interrogating Itachi. She was clearly not getting anywhere with him, so why should she persist? Someone else would take over. She could deal with the petty criminals that were brought in. She could request for someone else to take over her position as head of torture and interrogation

But as she neared unconsciousness, she knew it was impossible no matter how much she wanted to. After everything that had happened, there was no way she could turn away from this. She reminded herself that she wasn't doing this for herself. She was doing this for her village. Now that Ibiki was gone, there was no one else who could take over. And as Naruto always said, never give up.

Now it was a new day and she awoke with hope. Itachi was not going to play her for a fool. Not today. That is why she decided to get an early jump-start on the day. She took a shower, thankful for the warm water that hit her body. She frowned, thinking of how pointless this was since she was going to be in a dirty cell. After washing herself in futility, she got dressed and had breakfast. She realized how much of a rut her life was becoming and frowned again. Her mother always said that her face would freeze that way. Thinking about her mother only caused her to frown more and she pushed those thoughts aside. Sighing, she decided she should leave, although it was still pretty early.

Walking down the street she could smell a familiar scent wafting through the air. She looked over her shoulder and saw that she was close to She the Yamanaka Flower Shop.

'What the heck,' she thought and entered the shop.

The scent was even stronger inside. The remainder of the delicate flowers stood sadly, clinging to the remnants of their life. They crowded the space causing a gentle fragrance to drift through the room. The monotonous chatter of villagers outside could be heard as someone entered the shop.

"Sakura!" Ino called excitedly upon seeing the girl.

"No nickname, I see," said girl teased.

Ino captured her in a firm hug. Sakura could barely breathe as her friend squeezed her to death. Eventually she let go, only to slap her. She was caught off-guard and stumbled a bit. Ino had sure gotten stronger. She looked up at the blonde to see tears forming in her eyes.

"Do you know how worried I've been!" she shouted as customers turned to look at them.

"Wha-" Sakura started to ask but Ino gripped her shoulders fiercely, digging her long nails into her flesh.

"Why haven't you come and see me?" Ino asked, tears streaming down her red cheeks. "I was worried when I heard you disappeared. And then when you came back, Sasuke was executed! Why haven't you come to me?"

Sakura looked down ashamedly. Ino was right and it made her feel horrible. She has been so selfish. She hadn't come to see her best friend to tell her all that has happened. She didn't even think about it.

"Ino, I'm sorry," she said quietly, rubbing at her smarting cheek. "I've just been so busy…"

"Don't give me those damn excuses!" Ino hollered. "And what about the others? Tenten, Neji, Lee, Kiba, Shino, Hinata, Shikamaru, and Chouji have all been worried about you, too!"

"I talked to Shikamaru the other day," she said lamely.

This only caused Ino to become more angry. "Sakura, I know interrogating Itachi is important but so are your friends!"

She lowered her eyes and dropped her hand from her cheek. "That's what I sacrificed when I began interrogating Itachi."

"What do you mean by sacrificed?" Ino asked, desperately clinging to Sakura's shoulders and shaking them. "You don't have to sacrifice anything!"

"Don't you understand!" she cried, struggling in her grasp. "I don't have time for that anymore! Not only am I interrogating Itachi but I'm replacing Ibiki!"

'Damn!' Sakura thought as tears filled her eyes. 'She's probably more frustrating than Itachi.'

Ino's eyes darkened as she said," Fine. I'm not going to interfere."

She dropped her hands, turned away, and walked into the back of the shop leaving Sakura there with salty tears flowing down her face.

'This is what I gave up by interrogating Itachi,' she thought sadly. 'I didn't realize it before, but I sacrificed my friends.'

She left the shop, wiping the tears from her face. Walking to the cell, Sakura contemplated her sacrifice. She was giving up her life to interrogate Itachi. She was abandoning the ones she loved.

'Why am I always caught in-between like this?' she thought, tears threatening to fall once more. 'I'm always trapped. All of these dilemmas I face. Why can't I overcome them?'

When the sentry saw Sakura, his face was ashen.

"Ma'am, your face…it's all red! What happened!" he asked.

She smiled sadly. "A concerned friend."

She left the confused guard and walked into the cell. Itachi was asleep, his chest rising and falling gently. She would have laughed if she had not been slapped across the face only minutes before and if the slumbering man before her had not been a missing-nin who killed his family. She knew she was a little early so it was logical he was still asleep. It was strange, seeing him slumber. Even unconscious, his presence was threatening. She approached slowly him and saw that the manacles were not around his wrists. His unbound hair fell into his face like a curtain, veiling most of his face.

'You are the cause of all my pain,' she thought.

She despised this man. Now not only because he was a missing-nin and he killed his family, but because he was the cause of her dilemmas. Time after time, he frustrated her to the point of exhaustion. And yet, here she was, preparing to sit down and try to understand him.

Reaching out unconsciously, Sakura brushed a few strands of hair from in front of his face and tucked them behind his ear. Her hand lightly brushed against his cheek, feeling his pale skin.

She froze.

'Why did I do that?'

It was a sudden urge and she was a fool to follow through with it. He looked so peaceful and serene, it tempted her. She withdrew her hand, but it was caught by another. Sakura looked down into onyx orbs.

Itachi was awake.

-0-

(A/N) Muahahaha! Cliffie with both Sakura and Kakashi! Anyway, I enjoyed writing about Ino bitchslapping Sakura. I mean, c'mon, it's bound to happen in the series. On another note, I've been trying to type up other chapters as well. Anything to keep my updates as quick as possible. Of course, it's all determined on your feedback. This time it's for sunscreen. Well, it's cold where I am, but maybe you can find it useful.

Naruto: I want it!

Then review!