A/N: Well, I've been avoiding this one for a while, mostly because I'm having difficulty figuring out the pace of these next 4 chapters, and planting particular events. But seeing as Zetsu's illustration is up, I figure it's time I just knuckled down and figured this chapter out. Wish me luck.

Chapter 7: Tension

It was 10 long hours before Naruto was visited by a guard bringing breakfast, but in spite of all the time he had to think, and how the thought of his discovery kept him awake, he still hadn't decided whether or not to divulge the information to Ibiki or the other leaf-nin.

On one hand, it was dangerous, allowing the Akatsuki any kind of mobility or communication, and not informing "security" was indeed allowing it. On the other hand, Naruto couldn't shake the ominous feeling that complicating things further with his new intel would simply blow up in his face.

When the time came however, Naruto accepted his food tray silently, looking perfectly miserable. He heard a muffled question and looked up to see the jounin's confused face.

"I said: Is something wrong?" she repeated, her voice an odd mixture of suspicion and concern.

"Oh, everything's fine, I just didn't sleep well last night." Naruto answered, his eyes eventually falling to the cover of the bed on his right. It was true; he hadn't gotten any sleep at all, but the matter of why was a bit more difficult to talk about. Thankfully, the jounin left it at that, though her face remained pensive and subtly calculating. With a soft click of the door she had left, and Naruto was once again alone with his thoughts. The frustration was mounting, and for good reason; Naruto had more questions than answers, and for once it seemed, Naruto was giving serious thought to the likely outcomes before taking action. Adding to the problem was one haunting certainty: that he was running out of time. Eventually, it would be too late to make a decision…

It had been 78 hours since the Hokage had sent the letters by hawk to the other Kage. Fighting the urge to paw at her face or pull at her hair, among other things people do when they're nervous, she busied herself with paperwork. Ultimately, it was a feeble effort to distract herself from the looming catastrophe that lay ahead, and soon her thoughts drifted to the message she had written for each recipient. They all had one section in common: the topic of a discreet meeting she wished to hold in neutral territory. It would address the matter of the Akatsuki, their current condition, what was to be done with them, and what was to be done about Orochimaru should he become more entangled with the issue. It briefly covered the custody of the 10 children (though it did not reveal the organization's current location), and the Snake Sannin's recent efforts to retrieve them. Tsunade tried to be thorough so as to avoid any unnecessary aggression, as there would already be plenty of that at a meeting among Kage regarding international S-Class criminals. Despite her efforts however, she could tell that the meeting would be a severe headache at best.

She felt her heart clench slightly at a knock on the door, but frowned it away, and called to the other side of the room: "Come in."

Shizune appeared wearing a slightly timid expression. That usually meant bad news, and the blonde woman sighed, shaking her head slowly.

"Yes, Shizune?" she said, recovering somewhat and lifting her gaze to her companion's face.

"Well, Tsunade-sama, you asked Ibiki and his troop to send updates regarding the location and its surroundings-"

"And?" the Hokage pressed on, waving a hand in the circular motion that wordlessly said get to the point. After all, if it was bad news, one should just get it over with. "Is there trouble? Was there a report of enemy movement?"

"Well, there might be trouble, because there was no report." Shizune muttered, unable to make eye contact.

"Excuse me?" Tsunade asked, her voice only calm because she was still in mild shock at the statement. The dark-haired girl grimaced as she explained further.

"The jounin who left 2 days ago to scout the area- never came- back."

Now, were this something simpler, or a more comical situation, the exasperation would have been fit to send Tsunade's face crashing into the desk below. Instead, she sat bolt upright for a moment, still trying to absorb the implications of what Shizune had said. As it set in, she slumped, her brows tapered with worry.

"Has Ibiki already taken action? H-has he decided to move the group elsewhere?" She asked, struggling to keep the growing fear out of her voice.

"He didn't say, though the report we received from him implies that they don't plan to move, and instead have sent a letter suggesting a new location that focuses more on fortitude rather than obscurity."

"So they're waiting on approval…" the Hokage muttered to herself. "Well, we can't keep them waiting long… however, this is one more thing I'll have to explain at the meeting… assuming the other Kage ever respond…" she added under her breath. She gathered papers that had scattered across the table, and stacked them off to the side as she stood up. "…" she opened her mouth as if to say something, but changed her mind, pacing back and forth behind the desk. Shizune watched sympathetically; it was moments like these that reminded the pair why Tsunade once balked at the idea of being Hokage.

No later had Ibiki sent that letter to Tsunade than he made it very clear to his subordinates and charges that they were under a lockdown of sorts. No one went anywhere alone; jounin were to pair up and keep a lookout at all times. The Akatsuki and Naruto would have to be condensed into no more than four rooms so as to be under constant surveillance. This endless monitoring would keep the forces from being stretched too thin while still discouraging conspiracy among the children, a development that soured a few attitudes.

"So until we get the word from the Hokage, we stay here, stay together, and stay alive. Understood?" Ibiki concluded, his gaze sweeping across the line of leaf-nin and then down over the Akatsuki. He was met with nods, some slower than others, and didn't miss the scattered pouts among the little ones. The interrogator's face crinkled slightly at the childish display, but shook his head resignedly, turning to the adults and explaining to them which rooms would be used. They would all be close, if for no other reason than to ensure a speedy evacuation if necessary. He further asserted that some would have to be watched even more closely as they seemed to get a better handle on their chakra, Sasori in particular. "That's all." He finished, leaving the room with one of the jounin, and the remaining eight split into pairs, each taking some of the Akatsuki with them. Naruto ended up with one Akatsuki, Itachi. Seeing as the boy's eyes were failing him, they had decided that the former leaf-nin posed the least threat to Naruto, and thus was the only one suitable to be watched alongside the jinchuriki. Naruto couldn't contain the scoff at the explanation offered to him by one of his two "guards".

They were led out of the room, around the corner to the right and took the first door on the left. It was 2 doors down from his old room, but since they all looked the same, it was hardly a change. The other pairs of jounin left with three Akatsuki each, though Naruto had been too distracted by his caretakers to take careful notice of who was with who.

Whether in the hideout or Konoha, time seemed to stretch on forever. Long sunless days of waiting for instruction were mirrored by long restless days of waiting for an answer from other village leaders. Tsunade had sent the approval for Ibiki to move his party to a more secure location, but it was still another day and a half before she got word from the Kazekage, Gaara of the Sand. He had accepted the invitation to meet and discuss the matter of the Akatsuki, but then, her ally in the Land of Wind was the least of her worries, and his gentle response did little to comfort her. After what seemed like an eternity, Ibiki received the confirmation to move out, and Tsunade had received word from the Tsuchikage, Raikage and Mizukage over the course of a few days. Finally both parties could move forward, if only into still more treacherous waters.