a/n:

Happy 2015! May the force be with all of you. How's your New Year's and Christmas? :)

Sorry if this came out later. You see... I was sick during New Year's(BOO!) and I had a week of writer's block after that. Even though I was sick, I got to chat with the guy of my dreams *squeal* and... and my oh so cool heart throb professor TEXTED ME "HAPPY NEW YEAR". It's forever saved in my phone! And I think my fever instantly went down after that(maybe it's the reason why I got a writer's block LOL). But I somehow got rid of it that's why here I am updating!

I would like to thank Serious Sam-san for being the beta of this story. :) We made it to chapter 6! Even if it's coming out slowly, we're making it! Yay!

Since the last chapter was short and very vague, this chapter is twice longer than that. Consider this as my Christmas and New Year's gift to all my dear readers. Thank you so much for the support and the reviews for this story!

By the way! The current Pope of the Roman Catholic Church, Pope Francis, is here in my country the Philippines! I just want to share how happy I am that He's here. I cried that moment he stepped down from the plane... it gave me goosebumps! IT'S SUCH A GREAT FEELING!

I apologize for a long author's note.

Here's chapter 6!

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. But NaruHina is canon...and no one can change that.

Neither fire nor wind, birth nor death can erase our good deeds.

Buddha

VI. Halcyon days

Whirlwind Desert, Wind Country. Six years later.

Brown eyes battled against the strong gust of wind in the middle of the scorching desert. Her arm moved towards her face to block the tiny bits of sand from damaging her eyes as she cautiously proceeded down the side of a rather large dune. However, this longtime cautionary measure that her sensei taught her was quickly forgotten when she finally spotted the rare object she and her group had been searching for over the last two days.

At the bottom of the slope, she saw a small group of rare, white dune flowers growing in the shadow of several huge boulders. Thanking Kami that the wind finally calmed down enough for her to see clearly, she waved an arm through the air and shouted, "I'VE FOUND THEM!"

In her excitement to announce her discovery, she lost her footing and before she knew it, the sand swallowed her foot and she fell down the side of the dune, until she reached the very bottom.

The brown-haired kunoichi scowled as she sat up and rubbed her aching back. "Geez, that stings. Gaara-sensei will be disappointed in me for being so clumsy…"

"Matsuri! Are you hurt!?" a man shouted from above.

Matsuri looked up to see a familiar figure by the cliff. Before she answered, she noticed how far down she'd fallen and felt very proud of herself that she wasn't injured at all. "I'm fine, Kankuro-sama!" she answered, grinning broadly. "And I think I've found the white dunes!"

"All right! I'll go get the others!" Kankuro replied.

Matsuri stood up to collect the flowers, which were said to have special medicinal properties but all of a sudden, she felt something crumbling behind her and she immediately put some distance herself and the unexpected tremors. Glancing back up in the direction she'd slid down the slope, she saw that the sand had parted, revealing a double door made up of stone. However, she noticed a seal plastered on the surface.

Once the sands stopped moving, she assumed that it was safe to get near the sealed door. This part, known as the Whirlwind Desert was very dangerous due to the deadly scorpions, vast quicksand, powerful sandstorms, and other various unknown threats that were rumored to exist throughout the area. It was her first time in this place because of a special mission, and if it wasn't for Kankuro and the rest of the search party, the encounter with a large scorpion last night would've killed her. She hoped she wouldn't be facing anything that dangerous again.

It's just a door. Nothing bad will happen. She thought determinedly.

She stood a few feet away from the sealed passage, analyzing the seal plastered on its surface. The seal had a finely written kanji of the word "lock" in a middle of an outlined circle. Around the perimeter were five indentations, each tinted by fingerprints of blood. Matsuri had been studying different types of seals and with an initial look, she realized this was one of the common versions used lock doors and windows for safekeeping. But upon further inspection, she noticed the narrow red border of the seal was inscribed with the figure of a white snake.

Realization clicked in her mind as she recognized it immediately for what it was. "This is the White Serpent Seal…" she muttered in amazement. It was one of the strongest seals ever made. Why was it here in this place?

A minute later the rest of the search party arrived and she informed Kankuro of her discovery.

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"It's time for your break, Kazekage-sama."

A blonde-haired woman gently placed a cup of hot tea on top of the Kazekage's desk; making sure to keep it far enough away from any of the documents spread out across the top just in case it happened to spill. Even though she knew how careful she had to be as an assistant – and the Kazekage was never known as someone clumsy – it was better to be safe than sorry. The last time she trusted a certain kunoichi to assist the Kazekage for a day, the paperwork has somehow caught on fire and Temari had never been so stressed out in her entire life. She was glad that Matsuri was out on a mission with Kankuro, because this was one of the more peaceful days she could spend with her brother, where she didn't have to deal with the girl's constant pleading to let her help the Kazekage with his work.

Calm, bluish green eyes lifted from the scroll he was reading and acknowledged the presence of his sister. His striking red hair matched the color of a deep crimson rose, and despite the climate of Sunagakure he had a fair skin making his shallow black tanuki eye rings very distinct. On his forehead, in red tint on the left side was the kanji mark of "love".

"You've been working for seven straight hours, Gaara. You should take a break once in a while." Temari reminded him caringly.

Gaara rolled up the scroll and set it to the side, where several piles of organized paperwork rested at the edge of his desk. "Thank you, Temari. It seems I lost track of time." He reached for the cup to take a sip.

Temari chuckled, remembering something. "You're hard working, as always. But it's still better than having to constantly remind someone to quit being lazy and dozing off so much." She then mumbled down her breath, "Like someone I know."

"I hope you're not having a hard time with Shikamaru." Gaara said, as the corners of his mouth turned up in a knowing smirk before he took another sip.

Temari had never thought that she would blush at just the mention of the bum's name. She dealt with lots of teasing from Konoha, and especially Kankuro, but she always shrugged it off and kept her embarrassment private. But now that it was Gaara, it seemed like an entirely different matter.

She usually had some sort of snide reply, but this time she chose to keep her mouth shut – mainly because she couldn't think of anything to say that sounded remotely believable. Better to remain silent than embarrass herself further.

Gaara chose to drop the subject, seeing how uncomfortable it was making Temari. He sat there quietly drinking his tea, enjoying a few moments of relaxation. The hot tea itself was enough to relax his mind, and it was one of these times that he would look at a certain object on his desk and reminisce about a certain poignant memory from his past. Placing his cup on the top of his desk, he reached his hand towards a sharply detailed, hand sized wood carved eagle and stared at it, a small smile forming his lips. His eyes softened at the object as he handled it with such care.

'The next time we meet each other… I hope I see you smiling. I believe that someday we'll both be free, like this eagle.' The girl paused, taking his hand into hers without the slightest feeling of disgust or fear, and handed him a wood figure of an eagle. 'We'll have freedom and happiness someday… and we'd be strong enough to protect that, like this eagle.'

The girl's voice echoed in his head again, and there was never a day that he didn't remember those words, or her voice.

It had been so many years since the last time he saw her. She was the first person to talk to him like he was just an average kid, and not a monster. And for that, he'd never forget her kindness.

"You'll find her someday, Gaara." Temari said, separating him from his thoughts. His sister was smiling at him gently, knowing his affections for the mysterious girl who had helped him that time.

Ever since Gaara became the Kazekage, he'd assigned special ninjas to search for her but they hadn't found any traces of her, no matter where they looked. He never knew who she was, and he did not have the opportunity to ask her name, and her face had been hidden by the shadows of the night… but he wanted to meet her again. To see her again.

And he hoped that she too had found happiness and freedom, just like he did.

"If we find her, and she's still a maiden, maybe she'll be a suitable wife for you, don't you think?" Temari added to lighten up the mood.

Soon, their personal banter dissolved when Kankuro and Matsuri slammed the office door open.

"Kazekage-sama!" Matsuri blurted out, her breath ragged from running hard, "we've discovered something in the depths of the Whirlwind Desert!"

Konohagakure.

He slowly shut his sapphire blue eyes, as the gentle gust of wind brushed his tan skin and swayed his short spiky blond hair. The metal engraving of the symbol of Konoha on his hitai-ate glinted from the bright rays of the sun. His signature color combination of black and orange jumpsuit contrasted against the calm green and brown colors of the trees and grass from where he stood. Right in front of him was a thick wooden pole which bore numerous gouges and dents, indicating it had been used for training for several years.

A small smile formed on the corner of Uzumaki Naruto's lips, as his bandaged right arm reached towards the grazed surface of the wooden pole.

This was where everything started. This was the very place where he trained and vowed to become stronger to achieve all his dreams. This was where he first found his determination when he was a child.

Ever since then, this place was his sanctuary. As a child, he was alone most of the time, but this was the only place where he found solitude. He was thankful that this secluded area of the training grounds was left alone… it was like everyone knew this was the only place he could exclusively call his own, and they were kind enough to give him something so small in comparison for everything he'd done. During his training out of the village with his late master Jiraiya six years ago, he asked Tsunade to keep his training ground safe and restricted. Up to this day, he was grateful that no one else had been here… aside from one special girl more than ten years ago.

His small smile dissolved and he opened his eyes. He sadly gazed down the pole and remembered a small indigo haired girl hugging her knees and crying quietly.

This was the place where everything started. This was the place he vowed to be stronger.

This was where he vowed to protect her.

She was his very first friend. The one who gave him determination and courage.

And in the blink of an eye… she just vanished. He didn't have a chance to do anything about it. He couldn't save her. She was gone before he even knew what happened.

From that moment, he knew it was the biggest failure he'd ever make. And he promised himself it would never happen again.

Right now, his unofficial title – because he really didn't want it – was the Great Savior for successfully ending the Fourth World Shinobi War. He became a Sannin, alongside his two former teammates, Uchiha Sasuke and Haruno Sakura. Everyone saw him as a hero. Everyone admired his strength and respected him. It really was a dream come true for Naruto. Everyone knew his story and his past with a late Hyuga maiden, and they comforted him knowing that he still grieved for her death, telling him that he wasn't to blame.

Easier said than done.

He looked up at the sky, and his thoughts began to wander like the clouds moving across it. He wondered, wherever she was if she'd seen his heroic deeds and felt proud of everything he'd done for the village – for the whole world. Because for him, despite everything he'd done, it still wasn't enough to for him to forgive himself for breaking his promise to Hyuga Hinata.

"This isn't the time to be sad, right?" He spoke softly, "That's what you'd tell me if you were here…"

Breaking his peace, he suddenly felt something swiftly approaching. His reflexes kicked in and he dodged a kunai that had been thrown at him, embedding itself in the training post he'd been standing in front of. Soon, his attacker appeared and a taijutsu spar commenced between them.

After three minutes of brawling, they ended up catching each other's fists as they stopped.

"Nice to see you too, teme." Naruto smirked. Sasuke was the only other person allowed in this place. He'd trained with him here ever since the war had ended.

The raven-haired ninja stood in front of Naruto and glared at him with dark, piercing eyes. "Hn. Dobe."

"So you finally decided to head home. You've been away for five months, you know." He smacked Sasuke's shoulder and grinned mischievously. "Sakura-chan's getting really worried since the Rokudaime and I haven't heard anything from you in a while. She's not happy that only a ninja as awesome as me can kick your ass out of here."

Sasuke grunted, "I planned to be away for a year but Kakashi's ANBU tracked me down to deliver a message. They needed me back in Konoha immediately."

"Oh?" Naruto's brow arched, "So what was it? Did they offer you a special mission?"

Sasuke sighed, "Not really."

"So he called you back here for no reason?" Naruto pressed on, a teasing smirk forming on his lips, "And you came back anyway. I knew it. You miss Sakura-chan!"

"Annoying." Sasuke sighed as he passed by Naruto to retrieve his kunai that was lodged in the training post.

Sasuke was the first one to ever see Naruto reliving his memories of Hinata in this place. The former missing nin wouldn't say anything, and at times he would remain there, staying silent as Naruto mourned. Aside from Neji, Sasuke knew the most about how special Hinata was to him and how he still considered himself as a failure for not being able to save her all those years ago.

"Nee," Naruto started off, his light mood suddenly disappearing as the expression on his face saddened, "If she's still alive – I'm sure she's a very strong ninja, just like us. Wouldn't you agree?"

Sasuke eyed him for a moment, placing his kunai back in his pouch before saying anything. "How should I know?" he replied. He never met the girl, not even once.

Naruto chuckled sadly as he shook his head. He was asking too many questions again. He knew they'd lead to nothing but sadness and brooding, and remind him of his failure once more, but he just couldn't help but wonder.

Sasuke walked past Naruto, his face impassive. "I'm heading back to the village to meet Kakashi." He declared, but then he suddenly halted, their backs facing against one another. "I do think she'd be a strong ninja. Even if Hyuga Hinata isn't alive, she was the main source of your strength and determination to be what you wanted to be…" he paused before finishing, "…and to bring me back home."

Naruto was stunned for a moment by the Uchiha's words. The guy never said anything about Hinata, and Naruto understood that was because he'd never met the girl at all. A wide smile formed across his face as he began hearing Sasuke's fading footsteps against the grassy ground.

He looked up at the sky to watch the wandering clouds once again. "You're right, Hinata…" he whispered, "This isn't the time to be sad…"

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"Ittekimasu!"

Hyuga Hanabi exclaimed once she finished changing into her usual ninja clothes. She dashed out of her room wearing her black combat pants and white t-shirt as she effortlessly removed the gorgeous traditional hairpin on her head, letting her long dark brown hair fall free. A servant squealed in surprise when Hanabi ran past and tossed the hairpin towards her.

"Nice catch!" The heiress praised as she dashed along the well-furnished hallways of the compound.

Nothing beats casual clothes, she thought to herself. The entire morning, she'd attended a formal ceremony and she was forced to wear one of her traditional kimonos again. She hated wearing clothes like that. The ceremony wasn't over yet, but thankfully her father had dismissed her fifteen minutes ago.

She took a sharp turn and suddenly halted when she saw her mother being assisted by her servants walking down the hallway. A bright smile formed on her face as she excitedly approached the Hyuga matriarch.

"A pleasant afternoon to you, Okaa-sama!" she greeted happily. It was rare to see her mother out of her chambers due to her weak health. "How have you been feeling lately?"

Haruka returned the bright smile of her daughter. "I'm feeling fine today, Hanabi. The ceremony is not yet over so I have decided to catch up on my duties." She giggled softly. "Since your father dismissed you early, I'm going to have to take your place."

Hanabi blushed, suddenly remembering the last formal ceremony she'd attended two months ago. It went from bad to complete chaos, and neither she nor her father wanted a repeat performance. Maybe that was the reason why her father had been dismissing her earlier more often than not. She'd been reprimanded by the Hyuga elders for bringing disappointment and lack of formality as a Hyuga heiress, but she was able to make up for that with her excellent training performance.

Long ago, she had admitted that she was not a proper lady. The title didn't suit her at all, despite having Haruka as her mother. Hanabi was the complete opposite in almost every way – her mother was full of grace while she was not; her mother was soft-spoken and calm while she had short temper; her mother was beautiful while she looked plain and ordinary.

She had seen photographs of her mother when Haruka was still a young lady, and Hanabi instantly thought that she was the most beautiful person she saw. She'd inherited nothing directly from her mother – her personality and mannerisms resembled her father most of all. Fair skin, high cheek bones, dark brown hair… although, she knew her intelligence and strength came from the both of them. Even if her mother continued to age with time, she still had her everlasting beauty.

"Where are you headed to?" Haruka inquired, noticing the change of her daughter's clothing.

"Oh, I'm off training with my teammates and Konohamaru-kun today." Hanabi said.

"I see." Haruka said, "Be careful on your way, then. Why don't you have Kō walk you to the training grounds?" she suggested.

"I will be fine, Okaa-sama." Hanabi replied, "You're such a worry-wart. I can take care of myself and I assure you that I'll be home early today. I promise." The last thing she wanted was her mother worrying about her again. Hanabi knew it was bad for her mother's health – plus, it brought up some unpleasant and rather painful memories. There was no way she'd risk her mother's life because of her thoughtlessness or carelessness.

Haruka sighed. "All right. I know you're a very strong ninja." She tucked a hair strand behind her daughter's ear, "I believe in you and your strength, just… be careful, okay? Neji still hasn't returned from his mission."

"I don't need Neji Nii-san to babysit me." Hanabi pouted.

Haruka laughed melodically, "Hai, hai. Now stop frowning, because it doesn't suit your pretty face." She leaned closer to land a soft peck on Hanabi's forehead. "Have a great time with your friends. Don't forget to say goodbye to your sister."

Hanabi smiled and nodded. "I promise, Okaa-sama. I'll see you later."

She then proceeded to dash through the hallways again, since it would take too long to reach the front gate if she just walked. But instead of heading straight there, she took a detour first and arrived at a small room adjacent to the garden.

Hanabi clapped her hands together as she respectfully bowed in front of a shrine. It bore a picture of her deceased older sister, Hyuga Hinata. "I'm off, Onee-sama." She said with a smile. "When I come back, I'll tell you all about how my training went today with Konohamaru-kun. He reminds me so much of Naruto Nii-san…"

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Naruto tried his hardest to contain his laughter… and he was doing a miserable job at it.

"Pffft…" The blond snickered as he placed his hand over his mouth. Walking next to him was Konohamaru, who was also joining him in attempting to hold back his laughter at Sasuke, who was several paces in front of them. They both had the same thought as they stared at the Uchiha's back…

Damn, he looks really pissed off.

"Hey, Sasuke! Thanks for the treat today!" Naruto said, his laugh finally breaking free.

"Yeah! Thanks, Sasuke!" Konohamaru chorused.

Suddenly, Sasuke halted and glared daggers over his shoulder at the two. "It's not my treat. You're paying me back double, dobe." He hissed at Naruto before turning to Konohamaru, "And I don't remember offering to treat you as well."

"Huh?! But why?!" Konohamaru asked curiously. "I was on Naruto Nii-chan's side, you lost to him and I was the one who-" Before he could continue, a kunai hissed within inches of his cheek and he gulped.

"Were you saying something?" Sasuke threatened.

"N-Nothing!" Konohamaru laughed weakly, as he gave Naruto a pleading look. Say something to get his focus off of me!

"Who knew that girls these days preferred blonds?" Naruto smiled cheekily. "How the tables have turned, huh teme?" he teased, and he felt the Uchiha's aura getting darker than it already was.

Earlier, he and Sasuke were heading off to Ichiraku Ramen for lunch when they suddenly bumped into Konohamaru. The youngest teen of the three proposed a challenge – whoever had the most fan girls between Naruto and Sasuke by the time they were finished wins, and the loser pays for the meal.

And neither Naruto nor Konohamaru expected to see Uchiha Sasuke, the ice prince of Konoha getting so damn pissed off because he had fewer fan girls than the blond dobe.

So… Sasuke ended up paying their bill. Naruto finished ten bowls while Konohamaru finished seven.

Sasuke swore he'd get them back for this.

The three boys forgot about the tension when they unexpectedly spotted a familiar Hyuga in the crowd. Konohamaru's face brightened quickly, but before he could call for the girl, Naruto beat him to it. "Hanabi! Over here!" the hero shouted energetically.

No one could ever miss that loud voice. Hanabi beamed and approached the guys with a lively wave. "Naruto Nii-san! And there you are, Konohamaru-kun! I've been looking all over for you!"

Konohamaru blinked confusedly, a slight blush forming on his face. "Y-You're looking for me?" he stuttered lamely, before he tried covering it up. "Why? Do you miss my good looks and charm that badly? I wouldn't be surprised if you did…" He teased, hoping that the girl didn't catch the nervousness in his voice.

Hanabi placed her hands on her hips. "What in the world are you talking about? You were supposed to be training with us this afternoon." She reprimanded him.

Konohamaru was thankful she didn't notice his blush – but Naruto hadn't missed a thing.

"Ah! Yeah, totally forgot about that." Konohamaru laughed sheepishly, "Sorry."

"Mou…" Hanabi sighed, and then she finally noticed a new presence with Naruto and Konohamaru. Pale eyes stared up directly at sharp dark orbs. She blushed at once, "S-Sasuke-san, you're back!" she stuttered, completely forgetting about Konohamaru.

Sasuke eyed the young girl. "Hyuga Hanabi," he responded flatly.

"How h-have you been?" Hanabi asked shyly.

"Fine."

Right. After the Fourth World Shinobi War, Hanabi had developed a slight crush on the teme. Naruto assumed that it started when Sasuke came to aid of her team when they were away on a mission, much to Konohamaru's irritation.

Before Hanabi could start a small conversation with the Uchiha, Konohamaru cleared his throat and grabbed her hand, pulling her away from Naruto and Sasuke. "We have training, right? Let's go!"

"Ah! Wait-!" Hanabi said hesitantly, as she struggled slightly. However, Konohamaru firmly maintained his grip on her hand and led her away. "I mean… see you around, Sasuke-san, Naruto Nii-san!"

Naruto chuckled and waved goodbye. "Yeah. Say hi to your mother and father for me when you get home!"

"I will!" the girl replied.

"And Konohamaru!" Naruto called out to the Sandaime's grandson. Konohamaru halted and looked back at his unofficial sensei and rival. "Remember to keep your hands to yourself. That's as far as they go!" he warned.

Konohamaru blushed at this. Naruto enjoyed teasing him with Hanabi, but he could really get over protective. One time, he'd accidentally fallen on top of Hanabi during a training exercise, and Naruto literally kicked his butt without even trying to listen to his explanation.

"I-I'm not that kind of guy! Geez!" Konohamaru exclaimed defensively, as he quickly left the two Sannin alone.

Naruto watched Konohamaru and Hanabi dissolve into the crowd. His expression softened as he stared at the departing figure of the young Hyūga. "She's growing up so fast..." he whispered, "Taking care of Hanabi is the best I can do for Hinata. Yeah, she can be annoying… but I treated her as if she were my own younger sister."

Sasuke eyed him for a moment, not saying anything. He started walking ahead of Naruto, "You're still paying me double for the damn ramen."

Naruto frowned at this. "Oi, that's cheating you bast-"

"There you are!"

A feminine voice suddenly interrupted the two ninjas. A pink-haired kunoichi hopped down from a nearby roof, landing in front of the duo. "Great. I found you two sooner than I expected."

"Hey, Sakura-chan! Look, Sasuke's back!" Naruto said. He noticed her stare lingering at the Uchiha.

Sakura rolled her green eyes, "I know. I'm not blind, Naruto." She straightened herself, holding back her feelings so they wouldn't show. She wouldn't give in to Sasuke's indifference. "Anyways, the Hokage needs you both to his office. We just received a very urgent mission from Sunagakure." She reported.

Naruto perked up upon hearing this. "A mission? From Suna?"

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Hatake Kakashi, Rokudaime Hokage of Konohagakure, unrolled a scroll across the top of his desk. "This arrived with the message from Suna. As you can see, it's the sketch of the seal they found carved on a hidden doorway in the Whirlwind desert." He stated, eyeing the four ninjas present in his office, especially the Uchiha to see if he was familiar with it.

"It's the seal of the White Serpent." Sasuke said promptly and surely, not taking away his gaze from the scroll.

Kakashi nodded, "I've seen this myself a long time ago and only certain ninjas can open this type of seal. The Kazekage and his student are both familiar with this information, and that's why they sought assistance from our village. They believed that the person who created this seal was none other than Orochimaru," he paused as Naruto, Sakura, and Shikamaru slightly flinched at the mention of the rogue Sannin's name. Sasuke's hard gaze fell upon Kakashi's lone visible eye.

"Right now, Orochimaru's whereabouts are still unknown and we haven't heard any news about him since the war. Kabuto is nowhere to be found either," Kakashi continued, "and aside from Orochimaru, he could also open the seal – along with you, Sasuke. This was one of the strongest seals ever created, and only those who have mastered it can break it. The Kazekage and his ninjas still haven't found out exactly what kind of place they discovered this morning but since you, Sasuke had traveled with Orochimaru and Kabuto for three years, you might have an idea. Would this be someplace you visited yourself?"

Summoned back early for a mission regarding Orochimaru. Fantastic. Sasuke thought to himself.

Naruto, Sakura and Shikamaru eyed Sasuke as he explained. "During my training with him, we didn't set foot in Wind Country. I never knew he had a place in the Whirlwind Desert, but there were times Kabuto would travel to Suna on his own. What the Suna ninjas found must have been one of Orochimaru's laboratories."

Naruto frowned at the thought. "A laboratory in the middle of the desert?"

"Underneath the desert." Kakashi corrected him. "We all know he conducted horrible experiments and studied the arts of the forbidden jutsu for years, even before he left Konoha. Since the end of the war, the ANBU have been locating his laboratories across the continent to destroy anything he left behind. Because he was once a ninja of Konohagakure, as far as I'm concerned our village will take full responsibility."

"This will be classified as an S-rank mission. Nara Shikamaru, Uchiha Sasuke, Haruno Sakura and Uzumaki Naruto, I'm assigning the four of you to help Suna find out what's in that laboratory. You are to report any discoveries to me immediately. Shikamaru, you'll be the team leader for this mission."

"Hai." The four ninjas answered.

Kakashi's assistant, a kunoichi by the name of Wakaba, handed a scroll to Shikamaru. It was permission from the Kazekage for them to enter Wind Country.

"You'll be leaving for Sunagakure in two hours. Use that time to prepare for your journey, and I expect nothing less than complete success on this mission. You're dismissed."

"Hai."

The four walked out of the Hokage's office, and three of them were a little bit surprised that a certain lively ninja didn't seem too excited. Usually, he'd scream and jump around in excitement whenever he got a new mission – especially if it was S-rank or A-rank – however, Naruto seemed to be in deep thought instead.

"What's wrong? Not too hyped for the new mission? It's from the Kazekage." Sakura said with an arched brow.

"Well, I'm happy that I'll be able to see him again after a year, but… I'm worried about this laboratory you're all talking about." Naruto honestly admitted. The first time he'd heard Orochimaru was experimenting on people – and then when they outlived their usefulness killed them – disgusted him, and made him despise the Sannin even more. He felt sorry for the victims. He knew that some were ninjas who came seeking power just like Sasuke, but others were forcefully taken just to become part of his so called 'research'.

"Hn. What's the matter? Feeling squeamish?" Sasuke spoke. "That man created weak, filthy creatures. Nothing someone like you can't handle." He then walked past the other three.

Naruto kitted his brow. Right. Among the four of them, Sasuke knew best what kind of creatures Orochimaru created, and he must have seen what happened to them… afterwards. But they were surprised that Sasuke knew nothing of this supposed laboratory sealed away in the Whirlwind Desert.

The seal of the white serpent is one of the most powerful seals ever created. Kakashi's voice played in Naruto's head, leading him once again to ponder the possibilities.

If there really was a laboratory in the middle of the desert – correction, underneath the desert – and furthermore, in a very restricted area, then what kind of creature was Orochimaru hiding?

Naruto definitely had a very weird feeling about this mission.

The journey to the Wind Country took three long days, and all Shikamaru did was complain to himself the entire time. He was stuck with the three newly proclaimed Sannin, he was in charge of an S-rank mission that involved one of Orochimaru's hidden laboratories, and they had to travel through the scorching desert to get there.

Marvelous, Shikamaru thought sarcastically.

The four of them met Kankuro at the entrance of the Whirlwind Desert. Since they were dealing with the extremely hot climate of the Wind Country, they wore special white capes that the Kazekage had provided to help them cope with the heat. However, even with the cape's aid, it still wasn't able to completely withstand the few sandstorms they encountered in the middle of the desert and several… extremely large scorpions that attacked them right after they struck out from an oasis. Shikamaru had never seen scorpions as big as what they encountered, and he finally believed Temari's stories about battling three of them on her own when she was younger. He thought that she was exaggerating, but he was obviously wrong.

On the other hand, Naruto enjoyed fighting the large poisonous desert monsters. He always enjoyed a challenge, but it was nothing he couldn't hande, he said. He and Sasuke took down two of them before anyone from Suna had the chance to react. Naruto finished one off with his Rasengan, and Sasuke killed the other one with his Chidori. It was a typical scene whenever the duo fought against each other, or their opponents. The only real enemy they had right now was the sandstorms, strong gusts of wind…

…and the quicksand.

Naruto had stupidly walked straight into some of that earlier, and thanks to Kankuro's help and his ability to make hundreds of Kage Bunshins, he was able to get out of the sticky situation. Sasuke barely paid attention to him when he nearly got swallowed by the sand – it was like he expected something like this to occur during their journey. Sakura yelled at him for not listening to her or Kankuro about being careful, because this desert had a lot of dangers lurking about.

Troublesome, was all the Shikamaru thought about that time.

"We're here." Kankuro stated. It had taken them four hours to reach their destination; it was just about noon and the sun was at its zenith. To say it was hot was an understatement. They now stood in front of a closed stone door, which had the White Serpent's seal carved into the front.

"This is it." Shikamaru said gruffly. "Sasuke. You're up."

"There's no mistake." Sasuke stated, "This seal was created by Orochimaru with his own hands. I can feel the chakra in it."

"Then it's time to see what's on the other side of that sealed door." Naruto said. He was eager, yet at the same time nervous to find out what was hidden inside there. He couldn't explain why, but for some reason he felt that way.

Sasuke knelt in front of the door and made several hand signs. A storage scroll appeared in a cloud of smoke, and he rolled it open to reveal numerous complicated seals. At the center of the scroll was a large circle with a blank space inside. He bit his thumb and used his blood to write the kanji of release (方面) inside the circle, then performed the hand seals for tiger, dragon, and snake. He retained his stance and five small white snakes emerged from the scroll, coming out of the blood-written kanji, and jumped towards the bloody fingerprints plastered on the stone door. The small snakes were absorbed into the White Serpent seal, and then it burned to ashes. A few more hand signs, and the scroll in front of Sasuke disappeared once again.

Naruto pulled the stone doors apart. "Let's go." He declared.

The five of them entered the passage, noticing immediately that the place seemed more like a cave than a laboratory. Sakura plucked an unlit torch from a sconce on the stone wall, and Shikamaru lit it with his lighter. The place held an unnerving silence, and only the sound of their footsteps interrupted it as they walked down the hall, the light from the torch dancing against the shadows on the walls. Naruto saw another torch and grabbed it, lighting it with the one Sakura was holding and moving out to the front of the group, eager to lead the way.

They proceeded with caution since this place was built by Orochimaru, and for all they knew he might still be here. Traps and pitfalls were expected from someone like him.

The hall was longer than they had anticipated, finally they reached a dead-end.

"What? That's it?" Naruto knitted his brows and started looking around to see if there were other paths, but all his eyes met was nothing but the opaque stonewalls.

"Kabuto's genjutsu." Sasuke said as he walked towards the wall blocking their path. "Houmen." He formed a hand sign and dispelled the illusion. The stone wall shimmered and warped, before disappearing from their sight to reveal another door with a seal.

"He sure likes creating seals," Shikamaru said.

"Tell me about it." Sasuke scoffed. He performed the exact same ritual he used earlier to open the main entrance, and the door unlocked just the same. The five proceeded inside, being more cautious since the place didn't look like an empty cave anymore. They were now inside a corridor that was lined with locked doors, all of them sealed with rusty locks and chains.

Still, the whole place was eerily silent. Like something was waiting around the corner – or in one of those rooms – to attack them.

Naruto bravely peered through a small window built into one of the locked doors and saw nothing inside, but he could definitely smell something. And whatever it was, it was rotten… and most likely dead. Someone dead, would probably be a better term, and he had no wish to find out anything more. Everyone else started checking the other doors, seeing if there was something – or someone – else that might be in them, but the results were the same. Whatever was in these rooms died quite a while ago.

They cautiously ensured that the area was clear before taking another turn. This time, they saw a four-way intersection ahead of them, and instead of a series of locked doors, there were only metal railings in this hallway.

Everyone but Sasuke couldn't help but think this place looked like a dungeon. Both Shikamaru and Naruto wondered if this was where Orochimaru disposed of his useless test subjects. Sakura's face turned pale as the light revealed skeletons behind the railings, their arms still restrained with what appeared to be handcuffs made from chakra enhanced metal. She turned her head, trying her hardest not to look at the remnants of whatever, or whoever Orochimaru left here.

Sasuke moved closer to her when he noticed her change in demeanor, trying to offer her support without being too obvious about it. If they weren't in such a serious situation, Naruto would have teased both of them but this was neither the time nor the place.

They reached a four-way intersection, and after discussing it the group decided to split up. Sasuke offered to take Sakura and head north, while Naruto volunteered to go alone down the west hallway, leaving Shikamaru and Kankuro to take the east path. They all moved cautiously and silently as they roamed the area. It took an hour of searching, but Naruto was finally able to find a lead. He stood before a dirty white colored double door, which bore a sign above it displaying the word "Laboratory".

He immediately alerted his teammates using the ANBU long-range communicators they all had been given. Sakura and Sasuke were the first to reach him, which worked out well because the doors bore the White Serpent Seal same as the others. By the time Sasuke opened it, Shikamaru and Kankuro showed up and Naruto kicked the doors open, walking inside with a kunai at the ready.

There was no doubt the sign above the door was correct. The whole room was a mess. Laboratory equipment was scattered everywhere, broken glass from shattered light bulbs littered the floor, towels and lab coats were haphazardly thrown about, drenched with dried blood… and blankets on several tables covered up skeletons similar to those they had seen earlier.

By all appearances, it looked like something had gotten loose at one point or another, and ripped the place to shreds.

Naruto was starting to feel a cold prickling sensation down his spine as he continued to proceed into the room. Shikamaru and Kankuro arrived soon after, and the latter made a bitter face upon seeing the atmosphere of the lab.

"Just what the hell is this place? A devil's den?" Kankuro spat.

"This is one of Orochimaru's abandoned laboratories. Expect the worst of the worst." Sasuke said passively.

"Oh, God." Sakura gasped, as she saw an exposed skull peeking out from beneath a stained blanket. It had long hair. The dead corpse was definitely a female.

"We found nothing in the east corridor except for a library. It's the only room that doesn't look too disturbing." Shikamaru said. "How was the north?"

Sakura shook her head, "Nothing good to see either. But nowhere near as bad as this."

Nonetheless, Naruto continued searching. He looked in every corner, hoping to find someone alive and save them from this hell of a place. He wouldn't give up hope that someone managed to survive, even though no one could leave this place because of Orochimaru's seals. He halted in his tracks when he saw a metallic door on the far right side of the room and much to his surprise, it wasn't sealed at all. He twisted the rusty doorknob and pulled the door open and it groaned on rusty, creaking hinges. He extended his torch ahead of him and revealed a staircase.

"Hey, guys." Naruto called for them. He jerked his head towards the door to show them his discovery. Without thinking twice, he proceeded down the stairs, hoping that he would find something there. The four ninjas followed closely behind him, staying as cautious as they could.

Once they all finally reached the bottom, they saw another white double door but compared to the one upstairs, this one was neat and unscathed. Still, there were seals plastered on it – three of them. Whatever was behind here required extra security and precautions.

As before, Sasuke had to dispel the seals but this time he struggled slightly when he tried to stand up. Orochimaru's seal took a lot of chakra to open and after doing so many, even someone like Sasuke was running low. Fortunately, Sakura was there to make sure that he was all right. Once Sasuke regained his composure, Naruto kicked the doors open and headed inside.

What welcomed their eyes surprised them. Instead of an abandoned ghostly chaotic atmosphere, what they all saw was a dimly lit, well organized laboratory. It was smaller compared to the one upstairs, and it seemed that this place had escaped whatever chaos had destroyed the other one.

There wasn't one trace of blood. Not a single dead corpse. Not the tiniest piece of shattered glass.

Their eyes widened when they saw what was at the center of the laboratory. Naruto absently handed his torch to Kankuro as he walked towards the center of the room. He paused before a glass cylindrical tank filled with green liquid. It was emitting a calm, eerie glow but Naruto didn't notice, because his sapphire blue eyes were glued to the figure floating inside it.

It was a naked girl, who looked like she was around his age. Her long dark hair floated in the liquid, framing her nude body. Her pale white skin reflected the green light, causing her entire body to glow. She was unconscious, her limbs were limp, and the tips of her toes barely touched the floor. Attached to her mouth was a breathing apparatus connected to an oxygen tank beside her container.

She looked so familiar… So beautiful…

This girl was trapped in this abandoned laboratory for many years. She was what Orochimaru had been hiding, displaying her here like she was some sort of prized trophy for his research and experiments. The thought made Naruto seethe with anger.

"We need to get her out of there. Right now."

.

.

.

Clank. Click. Thunk. She could hear faint sounds.

"We need to get her out of there. Right now." And a voice…

Thug. Clank. "Her heart rate is normal. It's safe to get her out." Another voice… a girl's? There were other people in there with her – people whose voices she'd never heard before. She fought to stay conscious as she continued hearing voices. This time she wasn't able to comprehend everything that was said, but it was helping her to stay awake.

"…be safe. Everything…fine. Don't worry.'' Somehow, the voice she first heard gave her the strength to open her eyes. Her eyelids felt unbearably heavy, but she tried her hardest to open them, even if only slightly. It had been a long time since she'd opened her eyes.

At first, everything she saw was tinted various shades of green because of the liquid surrounding her body. She blinked her eyes, trying to help them to focus a bit better. Through the green water, she could make out the blurry figure of someone outside the glass. Light hair, probably blond. Orange and black clothes. He looked familiar; like an older version of the boy she dreamed about every night. Feeling a little strength returning to her numb body her hand stirred, and she slowly reached out to place her fingertips against the glass. . . .

She was alive.

Naruto couldn't properly express what he was feeling inside. Sakura and Shikamaru were both working feverishly at the control panel, trying to figure out how to drain the water in the tank. Naruto stood in front of the glass, never sparing a moment of watching her, making sure that she wouldn't die.

"You'll be safe," Naruto spoke to the unconscious girl, "Everything will be fine. Don't worry." After imparting those words, he saw her body stir ever so weakly. Her eyelids fluttered and she stared down sleepily at him, her eyes still half-closed.

She was awake.

He walked nearer to the tank. His heart was in his throat as he stared back at her. Those eyes… Naruto's whole world stopped. Could she possibly be…? Her features – she reminded him so much of her. For a moment, all that mattered was the girl in front of him. He stared closely at her, his eyes never wanting to leave hers, to make sure she wouldn't close them again. He swore to whatever gods were watching him right now that that he'd get her the hell out of this place. He could see her hand stirring and she slowly reached out, her fingertips pressing lightly against the glass from inside the tank. Seeing this, Naruto reached out to the glass as well, pressing his palm against it so that their hands matched up, down to the position of their fingertips.

"You'll be fine. I promise." He said gently, looking deeply into her pale eyes. After a minute, Shikamaru finally figured out how the controls worked, and he drained the liquid from the cylinder. Naruto watched it empty – it was going slowly, not nearly as fast as he would have liked – and at the halfway point he stepped back so that he didn't accidentally cause any problems now that they were so close to freeing her.

Once the tank was drained, Shikamaru pressed another button that raised the glass separating the girl from the outside. Without the liquid to support her, the girl had collapsed on the bottom of the tube and Naruto ran forward, cradling her in his arms and propping her body up against his.

She felt so cold. "Sakura-chan!" he called hurriedly, and within half a second she was there, her hands glowing green as she moved them up and down the girl's body, scanning her medical condition.

"I don't see any major damage in her body. She's fine." Sakura reported.

Naruto found it hard to tear his gaze away from the girl in front of him. Her eyes were closed once again and she slept peacefully in his arms. Upon hearing the result from Sakura's brief examination, he gently removed the mask attached to her mouth. Her body started shivering from the cold, so he quickly took off his cape and wrapped it around the girl's limp frame, trying to warm her up.

"Everything's all right now. I'm getting you out of here." Naruto whispered to her, as he tucked a stray strand of indigo hair behind her ear.

And despite the protests from the rest of the group, Naruto refused to let her go. From that moment on, he held her as if she were the most fragile thing in the world. And he'd do anything to protect her.

To be continued.

a/n:

Well... I hoped you liked this chapter! :) See hints of KonoHana and SasuSaku there? I shipped SasuSaku first before I knew I met my mother ship of all ships NaruHina. I kind of like writing Sasuke's character. And Gaara finally appeared! Yipee! Expect more of him in the future chapters. I'm getting excited.

But here's a little problem...

Classes will resume on Jan. 26. Oh the horror.

Well, I'm not going to worry about that for the meantime. I'll update as soon as I can!

Vocabulary

Nee- hey

Ittekimasu- I'm leaving

Mou- geez

Hai- yes

Houmen- release