A/N: Man! It is amazing (and kind of embarassing now) to go back and see how my writing was when I first started the story (if you can't tell, it was my first one...so many revisions needed haha). It has slowly gotten better with each chapter... This is taking longer than I thought to reupload all of the chapters. I'm gonna skip the notes for the rest so I that can get you to the newest one quickly!

Chapter 7

Torches lined the dark hallway, their dim light casting shadows that twisted and danced with each flicker of the flames, giving a sinister energy to the otherwise lifeless space. The deep void of darkness swallowed what little light there was, leaving small radii of pale yellow to battle with their relentless foe. The air was stale; it seemed to hover almost tangibly, a choking presence in the already confined tunnel. The stifling atmosphere did little to muffle the disembodied shrieks and moans that haunted the dim pathway from behind a wooden door.

The oppressive ambiance abruptly cut off, and it was quickly followed by the creaky twist of a doorknob as a dark figure slipped into the hallway, effortlessly molding into the shadows. Without hesitation, it strolled through the tunnel, its head bent over a clipboard.

Subject 11...failed. The words were written in an impatient scrawl. Dispose of body. The figure continued forward, letting out a sigh of frustration that seemed more pointed at the victim's weakness than the unknown experiment's harshness.

Brisk footsteps carried the figure- a young man-around a corner. Within minutes, he emerged from the hallway into a wide, low-ceilinged chamber.

The room appeared to be large, the open space extending into the darkness' gaping mouth. A line of lanterns stretched away from the entrance, but their feeble light did nothing to dispel the all-encompassing gloom. Rather, they only succeeded in casting a greenish shade on the surrounding feet, which quickly melted into shadow.

If it had been properly lit, the room would probably have felt spacious, even comfortable, if not for the oppressive, eternal night...and the cages.

Rows upon rows of cells filled the room, with narrow aisles parting an endless sea of bars. The rattle of chains echoed miserably as the man walked between the enclosures. Only faint movements were visible between the steel poles. The gleam of eyes, the flash of a hand raised in fear. The man continued on his way, walking purposefully as he studied the papers in front of him.

A hand shot out from the darkness and wrapped around his elbow with the grip of a python. Icy blue rings stared at him from the black depths like a cold solar eclipse. He was yanked sideways until he made contact with the cage, the cold metal digging into his ribs as his head smashed into one of the poles, white spots bursting across his vision. Papers flew everywhere.

Another hand slithered over his shoulder, and he was forced flat against the cage, his back parallel to the steel bars. The first hand left his elbow, reappearing within moments to hook a tan, bony arm around his neck in a surprisingly smothering chokehold.

The scientist struggled for breath as he fought to free himself from the prisoner's desperate clutches. His hand fumbled in his pocket, pulling out a long syringe, the vial full of a sickly green liquid. In one deft motion, he stabbed the needle into the lean bicep next to his cheek.

The limb tensed, completely cutting off his air before slackening, a hand falling limp across his chest. He felt a weight slump onto his shoulder and tilted his head to the left. A head of snow white hair lay hung over his back; blue tips could barely be seen in the dim lighting. A feminine face peeked out from under its blanket of snow.

The man roughly shoved the girl away, doing nothing to slow her quick descent to the floor of the cage. She landed face down with a sharp smack. He straightened his clothing before squatting to gather his scattered papers. As he did this, he glanced at the small plaque in the top corner of the cage's exterior surface.

Subject 9, Mirā kōgeki

Finished with his task, he fluidly stood and proceeded forward as if nothing had happened. He did, however, make certain to note that Subject 9's sedative dosage needed to be doubled.

The scientist let out a small sigh, brushing a stray piece of silver hair out of his face. So many experiments had gone wrong lately; it just seemed as if luck wasn't on his side. But that would change soon.

He reached the end of the far end of the chamber and stopped in front of a vacant cage.

Subject 1, Byakugan

He would get his hands on the Hyuuga girl. The Leaf shinobi were fools to actually believe a ninja of her talent could be taken down that easily. He had been watching her. While she did not have as strong of chakra reserves as others, or the fastest taijutsu, her cleverness and chakra control and manipulation skills were nearly unparalleled for a shinobi her age, at least for one who had never been trained by a saanin. They must truly have underestimated her for them to believe in her death so easily.

As for him, there was no way in hell he believed she was dead. The evidence was just too convenient. He didn't know how she did it, but the Hyuuga heiress had escaped him, leaving a challenge both irritating and thrilling at the same time.

One thing he did know, though, was that he would find her. She had only made it easier for him; now she didn't have the protection of a clan and village to keep her safe. There was no place she could hide forever, nowhere where she wouldn't be discovered. He would capture her and study the secrets of her eyes; it was only a matter of time.

A small smirk decorated his face, radiating smug confidence. He brought his hand up to his face, pushing glasses up the bridge of his nose. The lenses managed to gleam even in the dim light, momentarily hiding his dark, maniacal eyes. With one last glance, he turned to leave. The glare from his spectacles was the only brightness in the otherwise dark room, but the light provided no comfort to those who were there with him in that chamber of shadows.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Teme!"

Sasuke turned to see Naruto running toward him. The blond's hand was in the air, giving the Uchiha a spastic greeting as the Hokage sprinted forward.

He still wore that tacky jumpsuit instead of the Kage uniform, the black and orange clashing with the gargantuan green doors behind him. The tassels of his Konoha headband fluttered in and out of sight behind his blond head. In the distance, Sasuke could make out the stern visages of Hokage Summit. The newest addition's face, somber and respectful and prestigious, looked nothing like hyperactive display in front of him.

Kami...I'm not even in the gate yet...

He glanced over at the guards from the corner of his eye. Kotetsu and Izumo were stiff and wary with Sasuke, never letting their eyes off him. Their hands never strayed too far from their weapons, giving away the nervousness that their deceptively relaxed stances concealed. Sasuke nearly snorted in contempt.

Like they would have a chance if he actually decided to do something. He just ignored them; if he didn't even have to try to intimidate them, then they weren't worth his effort.

With Naruto's arrival, the two brunettes visibly relaxed. Tense shoulders drooped in relief as they now focused on the blond...and his stupid antics. The idiot was practically skipping over there, he had so much freaking energy. Who would have guessed this loser was the village head? He sure as hell didn't act like it.

He could see Kotetsu and Izumo forcing themselves to remain respectful. Izumo's mocking eye, the other one covered by his dark brown bangs, glanced between him and the Hokage, gauging his reaction to the rather...exuberant display. Kotetsu didn't even bother to hide his mirth. The guard shot him a gleeful smirk; his shoulders shook with barely suppressed laughter at Sasuke's expense. They knew how much the young avenger hated public displays of any kind.

Oh great, they're laughing at me... Dammit, Naruto. Act your age for once.

Sasuke shot the two a death glare before turning to his friend, who had finally reached him and was now standing there, grinning expectantly. But... Something was off. The smile plastered to the blond's face seemed forced, and it did nothing to hide the dark shadows that hung beneath his usually sparkling eyes.

Sasuke had no idea what had happened recently; he had merely received a message from a toad telling him that the dobe needed his help for something. He had been wandering around aimlessly. After Naruto became Hokage instead of him, he didn't feel like staying to be the recipient of hostile glares, smug looks, and constant whispering. The bastards of this village loved rubbing it in that Naruto had been chosen instead of the Uchiha, and they weren't subtle with their preference. Sasuke himself knew the guy would do a decent job, even if he was a dobe.

Naruto had offered him Head of Anbu, telling the Uchiha that he was perfect for the job, that he could change the program for the better, but Sasuke let Kakashi take it instead.

He wasn't ready to be the head of the source of his misery, to lead organization that had forced his brother to kill the clan. Sasuke knew his old mentor would do the job better than he would at the moment, albeit grudgingly; the man was most likely irked that it cut in on his time for Icha Icha Paradise. Naruto was doing the guy a favor, though. That guy read way more porn than was probably healthy.

Despite Sasuke's refusal, Naruto was still determined to take care of him somehow, even though the dark-haired man didn't want his concern. The new Hokage convinced the other village leaders to let Sasuke do as he pleased, as long as the safety of the other villages wasn't compromised.

Sasuke would never admit it, but he was slightly grateful for that. Now he could go where he pleased, not having to answer to pretentious fools who thought they were more powerful than him because of some stupid title.

So, Sasuke had been traveling alone since then. Team Hawk disbanded after the war, having no purpose after the conflict ended. Juugo and Karin stayed in Konoha. They wanted to start over, begin new lives in the village free from the events of the past. Last Sasuke heard, Juugo owned a bakery in the village; something about the activity was soothing, and the peace-loving man had avoided any of his…incidents so far. Karin found a job at the Shinobi Hospital. From what Sakura told him, the pervy redhead worked hard, becoming an invaluable asset to the clinic. Sasuke was just glad to have one more fangirl out of his hair. Suigetsu was who knows where, doing who knows what, and Sasuke wasn't sure if he even really wanted to know. He just wanted to escape from the prying eyes of the village, and he didn't give a shit what the other members of Team Hawk were doing. Although he didn't protest when Naruto and Sakura sent him updates.

Sasuke had just started to consider coming back to the village when he received Naruto's message, and he had been glad for the change. The world was so...boring. Sasuke decided to come help the idiot because he knew it might finally get him on the village's good side. It's not like he actually cared about the guy or anything.

So Sasuke ignored the blond's obvious act. Even if he did confront Naruto, the man would be too proud to admit to anything, at least in front of the guards. "Kami, Naruto. You're the freaking Hokage, and you still manage to look and dress like an idiot."

To his credit, Naruto played along, even if his performance held less energy than usual. "No matter how I look, I'd still be able to kick your ass!"

"Dobe."

"Teme!"

"Dead-last."

"Doucheb-"

Naruto's insult was cut off by a leathered fist cracking across his skull. He collapsed for a moment before popping up, wiping the dust off his outfit and preparing to launch himself at the Uchiha.

"What the hell was that f-oh, hey, Sakura-chan. Hehe...how is your day going?" Green eyes glinted murderously as he slowly sidled away. He rubbed the back of his hand with one hand and nervously waved with the other, trying and failing to appear innocent.

"Can't I ever find you guys getting along!? It's exhausting having to break you bakas up!" She stood akimbo as she began to lecture the blond Jinchuriki.

Naruto was pinned by her dark glare. It was amazing; Naruto had faced two insane, genocidal men in the possession of one of the greatest weapons in the shinobi world without blinking an eye, but he was reduced to a cowering mess by just one temperamental kunoichi. It was actually kind of pitiful. However, instead of moving on to whining and hanging on the pink-haired medic like he normally did, Naruto merely raised his hands in a placating gesture.

"Sorry, Sakura-chan." Sakura stopped abruptly at the simple response, at a loss for words in the unususal situation. A fleeting look of sorrow flashed across her jade eyes, and he turned her attention to the Uchiha without saying another word on the subject. Her resigned expression shocked Sasuke. This must have been happening frequently.

Kami...something's REALLY wrong here...

"Hi, Sasuke-kun. It's so nice to see you." He was greeted by another fake smile. He was getting tired of that.

"Hn." He gave her a slight nod of acknowledgement.

She was unfazed by his brief answer and clapped her hands together in anticipation. "Ok, then. Let's head back to the tower to talk." She grabbed Naruto, who was conversing with the guards, and marched through the gate towards the village.

"Bye, Kotetsu! See ya later, Izumo!" Naruto exclaimed as he was dragged off with the rest of the former Team 7. As they walked through the village, the group was followed by suspicious stares and awestruck whispers. Citizens paused in their daily routines to observe the "village's hero" graciously spending time with "that Uchiha traitor."

Sasuke grit his teeth and resisted pulling the Sharingan out on the more abrasive speakers. While it would amuse the hell out of him to see the cowards' disdainful faces transform into expressions of terror and respect, he didn't feel like dealing with angry village elders jumping down his throat for "endangering the livelihood of Konoha" or whatever. The trio reached Kazekage Tower within minutes (with no incidents thank Kami) and made their way up the twisting stairs to Naruto's office.

Sakura shut the door behind them as they filed into the small room. Piles of paper covered the desk, the sunlight streaming in behind it giving the area a homey, lived in feel. And knowing the blond, he probably did live there. Most likely he only left to go to train, stalk Sakura, or eat at Ichi Raku, his home away from home. Naruto plopped into his chair, leather squeaking as he shifted into a comfortable position. Sakura strode across the room to the windows and seated herself on one of the sills. She pulled her knees to her chest, her gaze focused out the window, lost in thought.

Sasuke settled by the door, leaning back against the wall and crossing his ankles. "So, dobe, what did you summon me here for? Can't find the old hag's pig?" He crossed his arms across his chest, his impassive face belaying none of the curiosity that raged within him.

"Harharhar. No, teme. Something serious has happened… Do you remember Hyuuga Hinata?"

"That delusional heiress who treated you like you put the moon in the sky? Yeah." Oh, he remembered her all right. The stuttering weakling who pined for the blond idiot sitting in front of him. He had almost wanted to throw up every time he watched her around the young Hokage, pale eyes shining with admiration as she hung on his every word.

Although, Sasuke had to give her some credit. She was the only one of the Rookie Nine besides Naruto who didn't react when he had returned. The heiress must have expected it, must have supported Naruto's firm conviction that the Uchiha would eventually come back. And when he did return, she wasn't impressed at all by how powerful he had become. She only had eyes for Naruto. It had bugged the living shit out of him, but he had to admit it was pretty gutsy of her to ignore him and his efforts to intimidate her. There was more to her than met the eye for sure.

"Yes, the kind heiress to the Hyuuga clan," Naruto looked at him reproachfully, "Well, she was… was killed a little more than a month ago, sacrificing herself to escape pursuers who were attempting her capture." Naruto dragged a hand down his face, a haggard expression on his foxy features. Sasuke noticed Sakura's attention had moved to the blond.

Infinite sadness could be seen buried deep in her jade eyes as she stared at the back of the Jinchuriki's head. "We think that there is an organization behind the attack, maybe some sort of resurrection of the Akatsuki... But we don't know what their motives are or where to begin our investigation. They are incredibly clever and have left us nearly no leads... And that's where you come in."

His blue eyes pinpointed Sasuke from across the room. "We need someone who can infiltrate the organization without any suspicion. Since you have stayed away from Konoha for so long, it wouldn't be extremely abnormal of you to show some interest in the group, especially since you used to be a member of the Akatsuki itself."

Sasuke met Naruto's intense stare. This subject was obviously dear to the whiskered young man in front of him, judging by how serious he had become. "So, you're asking me to infiltrate this group for information, to risk my precarious status in the world, all just because you weren't strong enough to save one pathetic heiress from some greedy kidnappers? People die. Get over it."

Sasuke decided to prod the blond, to see how far he could provoke him until he snapped. Just how important was this mission? He kept his face neutral and ignored Sakura's reproving glare. They both anxiously watched Naruto as they waited to gauge the Hokage's reaction.

Instead of rising to the bait, Naruto surprised them both by letting out a tired sigh, closing his eyes as he spoke. "I know it's a lot to ask, but there is more to this than it appears. Something big is getting ready to happen, and I want to stop it, or at least be ready for it when it comes. I can't deal with another one of my friends dying again, with me being helpless while it happens. Hinata was an incredibly precious person to me, and I live with the regret of her death every day of my life. As much as I hate to admit it, I need you, Sasuke. You're the only one who can help me put my mind at peace."

Sasuke watched his friend warily. Not only had Naruto ignored a jibe, but he had also admitted to needing Sasuke, greatly perturbing the Uchiha. This wasn't just another of the blond's emotional reactions. He had obviously thought long and hard about his response to the Hyuuga girl's death and decided that this was the best plan. She must have been pretty damn special to make Naruto act like this.

"Fine. I'll help."

Sakura's apple green eyes snapped to his, widening in shock. Naruto's mouth opened reflexively to continue arguing his point, but upon registering the dark haired man's words, it slammed shut with a clack! Sasuke almost laughed as an incredulous look appeared on the blond's face. He now looked more like the idiot that Sasuke knew.

"What? Am I not allowed to say yes? I'm bored, and helping you would be better than continuing to do nothing." Not to mention he was still unnerved by the haunted look in the Jinchuriki's eyes. Nothing was worse than a sober idiot. "Besides, how could I pass this up? If I did this, you would never be able to live down that you practically begged me to help you." He threw the taunt in there, a wicked gleam in his onyx eyes as he challenged the man in front of him.

Naruto's face turned impassive for a moment. His eyes closed, shuttering off the crystal windows to whatever emotions he was currently experiencing. Then, the blond's shoulders relaxed with a sigh, as if a great weight had been lifted from them. In fact, Sasuke could feel the suffocating atmosphere of grief dissipate within seconds, and almost let out a sigh of his own. He had had enough pity parties for a lifetime.

Having obviously resolved some sort of internal conflict, Naruto's eyes shot open, and he sprung up from his chair. He pointed dramatically at the Uchiha in front of him. His blue eyes sparkled with determination once again, his unconquerable spirit revived by the promise of justice as he confronted Sasuke. "Oh yeah?! Like anyone would believe you, teme!"

"Dobe."

"Doucheb-"

"NARUTO!" Sasuke smirked as he witnessed the Hokage getting flattened once again. Sakura stood over Naruto as he nursed a swollen lump on his head, waving her fist and ranting about his immaturity as a leader. Her jade eyes found Sasuke's as the blond began defending himself, their verdant depths warm with relief and gratitude. Team 7 was back with a vengeance.

While I might be skipping the A/Ns, don't skip out on the reviews please! I'll add the A/Ns later!