Chapter Rating: M for some limes, foul language

Chapter Summary: Plans to reunite Shukaku and Gaara commence while Naruto and Sasuke consummate their reunion. Plans are set in motion and a Raven makes his stand.

Author's Note: Here we are with Chapter 9. It seems like a lot has gone on in this little world we've created huh? Anyway, thanks goes out to Kzdatgurl for her input and again, whether it is negative or positive, please R&R. If you have any ideas for me to throw into this story, it would be greatly appreciated. I love input of all kinds.

The sun rose up over the horizon, casting the Hidden Village of Sunagakure in multiple hues of gold, red and pink. The dawn of the new day brought a feeling of hope and peace with the warm desert wind. While most still slumbered, others were awake going about their individual tasks. Preparing their shops for the day, baking goods, moving produce; all the things required to keep a village and its inhabitants happy, healthy and content.

Nearby the Kazekage's building, was a house reserved for esteemed guest who would visit the village of Sunagakure. It was an extravagant affair; it had many bedrooms of various comfort, a large bathing area and a spacious kitchen filled with every delicacy that Suna had to offer. In the lower level there was a private area for training, meditation or simply relaxing. It was in this particular area that the current guests of the Kazekage were engaged in an early morning spar.

Takahashi Atsuko whirled around as graceful as a leaf floating on the wind, bringing her leg up in a snap-kick at the same time, looking to catch her sparring partner by surprise. Her foot thuds into a grip like iron, belonging to a demon of a man, well over six feet tall, with a frame almost half as broad and a taunting leer on his face, distorting his normally handsome features.

Takahashi Ryuu was every bit as dangerous as he was handsome. He had very long black hair that gleamed like obsidian in the sunlight. He had very chiseled features; including high, regal cheekbones, a cleft chin, and almond shaped, green eyes with flecks of hazel that gave him an uncanny resemblance to the dragon that he was named after.

The Dragon, still holding his progeny in a vice grip, stares at his daughter's appendage with slight approval, then at his own chest. A small bruise was forming where Atsuko's toes connected. Atsuko herself was surprised; that kick should have landed fully and put her father onto his back. A moment later she concedes to the fact that though her father is well over 50, there was no way possible she was going to be the victor of this little spar without taking quite a bit of damage.

"Good, my daughter. You've improved. One day, you'll actually be able to land a hit that will put me on the mat."

"It appears that the day in question has arrived, Otou-sama" (A/N: Otou-sama means "Honorable Father")

Ryuu's leer grows into a large grin, "I see. Well let me see your skills, Little One." He loved conquering challengers; even if it was his own progeny. He lets go of her leg and she nimbly flips away.

Ryuu stands straight, sticks out his chest, widens his stance, and says, "Let me see your strength, Little One. You want the first blow?"

Atsuko wipes away the light sheen of sweat from her forehead. "Are you serious, Otou-sama? I could injure you greatly."

"I'm sure you could if you really tried. So stop talking and do it!"

Becoming impatient and irritable due to her father's taunts & inability to stay down, Atsuko immediately snaps and rockets forward. She lands a potentially bone-crushing blow square in the center of the Dragon's chest, sending him stumbling back quite a few feet.

"Otou-sama," Atsuko smirks a bit, "Perhaps you had a lapse in judgment giving me the first blow."

The smirk slips off of her face when she hears laughter coming from the Dragon. He stands up straight, a huge bruise blossoming on his chest, and an even bigger grin on his face. "This is great," he says with a laugh, "It seems that my little girl has aspirations of being the next Dragon!"

A man sits on the sidelines, watching the match. He is shrouded in the early dawn shadows of the subterranean dojo. He casually picks up two black wooden practice katanas and tosses them out to the combatants. Ryuu catches both and with a loud laugh takes his stance.

"Come at me, Little Atsuko."

He abruptly stops laughing when he realizes Atsuko is no longer in front of him. He drops the sword as he feels the slightest amount of air from behind, just before a fist slams into the back of his skull and sends him sprawling. Ryuu comes up in a roll and pulls his sword around in a quick stab in case Atsuko is charging after him. The lithe girl sees it coming and spins out of the way, turning the maneuver into a whirling kick that broadsides Ryuu across the face. He manages to keep his footing this time and translate his thrust into a side slash.

Atsuko, face alight with joy at the possibility of finally besting her father, blocks the strike with his bare forearm. Ryuu's eye widens in surprise as well as pride as his daughter pushes his sword away and lands another punch square on his nose. He feels it snap and start to bleed as he stumbles backwards, catching himself and slashing almost blindly.

This time, Atsuko catches Ryuu's wooden sword in her left hand and continues pummeling him with her right. "Are you holding back, Otou-sama?" She laughs. "Fight your Little One!"

"Don't celebrate too fast," Ryuu says before jerking out of the way of another punch and then bodily slamming his head into his daughter's. Atsuko, taken completely by surprise, let's go of the Dragon's sword and falls back, swiftly moving into a reverse somersault to regain her footing.

Ryuu was still grinning.

"You hit hard, Little One," he laughs. "This is great!" With a loud pop he sets his nose back in place and licks the blood off of his upper lip. "We've barely gotten started," he starts to charge towards his daughter, "and I'm ALREADY HAVING SO MUCH FUCKIN' FUN!"

Atsuko picked up the sword he dropped and started to charge towards her father as well, her eyes wide with the thrill of battle. Right when the two forces are about to clash, the shadowed stranger claps his hands breaking the spell of bloodlust between father and daughter.

"I must commend you and your daughter for honoring me with such a display. I am more than confident that you and your band of... associates will be able to handle my problem"

Goza stood and emerged from the shadows. Though he was smiling at the rather brutish father and his lovely daughter, there was no joy in his eyes. He was a rather serious man, and his serious love for his village was the reason as to why he arranged this particular transaction between Suna and the mercenary Lord from Mitsu no Kuni. Goza is part of the council of seniors that discusses the state of affairs. If there was anything that Goza cared about most, it was the image Sunagakure portrayed to the other hidden villages. For him, Suna must look like a formidable, well-oiled machine. An envy to every village; despite the fact that Suna has the least amount of raw military power out of the Five Hidden Villages.

Ryuu Takahashi looked at the man and wiped some sweat from his head. He bowed to Goza & his daughter followed suit.

"Goza-dono, you have spared a great expense for my services. May I ask as to why?"

"Well, certainly. You should know exactly what it is that you'll be getting involved in. You see, the Kazekage has decided to bolster the position of Sunagakure; and the... methods used in order to do this are frowned upon by the other villages."

"I see. So you would like my associates and me to make sure that everything proceeds without any interruptions," Ryuu stated, a small smirk coming to his lips. He was starting to like the way this little bureaucrat thought, "And you want to make sure that your affiliations will remain intact if they come to inquire. Since we're a mercenary band with no allegiance to the villages and someone is killed, Sunagakure won't look suspicious"

"Exactly, Ryuu-sama. You hit the proverbial nail right on the head. I need you to be particular wary of shinobi from Konohagakure."

When Atsuko heard the name of the village, she flushed ever so slightly.

"Especially Uzumaki Naruto. He won't rest until our plans have been halted. I don't recommend that you kill him-"

"However, if he falls victim to a katana blade, Suna isn't responsible."

"Your mind is as quick and agile as a dragon in flight, Ryuu-sama."

"Come, Gozo-domo. After the workout my darling daughter has given me, it is definitely time for my morning ablutions. After this is complete, we will discuss my payment and any concerns you may have."

As the two conspirators leave out of the dojo to carry on their dark business, Atsuko follows behind them silently. She has always supported her father, but she wasn't going to allow him to murder these honorable people. She especially wanted to help that cute blonde boy who saved her life.

******SasuxNaru******

"Naruto, where are you?" Sakura called out into the woods. The dawn was just starting to come & Neji was getting impatient to continue the trek to Suna. "Sasuke, come out please!" Sakura continued on deeper into the woods until she came to the cave. She walked into the mouth of the cave to see if the two lovers were in there and stopped short. Her face turned very red as she took in the sight before her.

On the floor of the cave, Sasuke and Naruto were sleeping. Sasuke laid on his back while Naruto laid on his side with his head on Sasuke's chest. Totally naked, their clothes scattered about the floor. Sakura's eyes widened in surprise and she turned her back to the couple. She figured it would be best to wake them from a distance and spare them the embarrassment of having to scramble for their clothing in front of her. When she was a few yards away from the cave she yelled out their names.

As the sound waves of Sakura's shouts bounced around inside the cave, Sasuke stirred. He turned his head and was greeted by a tuft of spiky blonde hair and he smiled.

"Naru-chan, wake up."

"Hn, five more minutes."

"No, now."

"Mmmm!"

"We're naked, Sakura is coming, and we have a mission to accomplish, get up!"

Naruto's head popped up from Sasuke's chest, and he gave Sasuke a look of pure terror, "Naked?"

With that realization settling in, Naruto started to get dressed as fast as he possibly could, tossing the now laughing Sasuke's clothes over to him so he could follow suit. Right when he and Sasuke were finishing up, Sakura came into the mouth of the cave.

"Oh, there you guys are. I've been looking all over for you."

"Sorry about that, Naruto and I got to talking, and then we pretty much fell asleep. Didn't realize how tired we were, I guess."

"Er... Yeah, we were pretty tired dattebayo."

"Naruto?"

"Yes, Sakura?"

"You should've just kept quiet."

"Why you say that?"

"Because of the fact that you can't lie to save your life, Naruto"

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"It means that-" Sakura really didn't feel like going back and forth with Naruto; especially after what she witnessed. So she instead of continuing on in this vein, she decided to have a little fun, "How good was the sex last night? Does your ass hurt?"

Sasuke suddenly became very interested in the moss on the floor of the cave as Naruto turned about as red as a beet.

"N-nani? What are you talking about? We didn't have sex-ttebayo!"

"You're lying." Sakura said very sweetly

"Sasuke, did we have sex?"

Sasuke ignored the two friends and began to draw designs in the moss.

Sakura laughed at his discomfort. Once she had had her fill of fun for the morning, she smiled at the two lovers. "Naruto, relax. I'm just having fun with you. Now, come on you two. Neji is waiting for us, and we need to get to Sunagakure as soon as possible before Gaara makes a big mistake."

As the two left out, she started walking behind them, smiling as the two of them held hands. In her years as a kunoichi, she has come to love Naruto and Sasuke like the brothers she never had. She was very happy that they were able to be together again.

"And hopefully, it will stay this way." Sakura thought to herself as she offered up a silent prayer to Fukurokuju. (A/N: One Japan's Seven Gods of Fortune. He's the god of happiness, wealth and longevity)

******SasuxNaru******

"This is totally unacceptable," Koharu Utatane almost spat out from her mouth towards Tsunade, "The integrity of Konohagakure has decreased dramatically since you have taken on the position of Hokage!"

Tsunade sat behind her new desk in her new chair as the elders berated her. She audibly ground her teeth; trying desperately to keep her temper in check.

"First, you take your own time to declare Uchiha Sasuke a missing-nin. Then you allow him entrance back into the village after his defection, and now you're telling us that he's escaped to Kami knows where?" Koharu glared at the Sannin, "Unacceptable, if only Jiraiya accepted the position of Hokage when we offered it to him."

At the mention of Jiraiya's name, Tsunade gripped the corner of her desk. Ever since she took this position, this - Lady - for the lack of a better word, has opposed her at every juncture; and now for her to insult her by invoking the name of that deceased idiot that she cared for? Enough was enough.

"I'm going to make a motion to strip you of your-"

"Shut up, you dried up old prune!" Tsunade interrupted.

"I beg your pardon? Such insolence!" Koharu gasped and brought a withered hand to her chest.

"You heard me. Shut up! In fact, shut the fuck up! As Hokage, I have done everything I can that is humanly possible to help this village grow, prosper and remain protected. I admit that I have made a mistake here and there along the way," Tsunade stood up and rounded her desk to stand in front of the council, "and I regret the mistakes made. However, I'm not going to sit here and continue to block me from doing what is best for the people of this village. I made a vow to serve and protect and I will. Now, if you have a problem with the way I do things, then you're welcome to voice your opinion, but it will be ignored." Tsunade added with a small smirk of gratification

"The role of the council is to advise," Mitokado Homura stated somberly as he adjusted his glasses, "Do you really expect us to sit idly by and let you do as you wish?"

"What I expect of you old codgers is to sit down, shut up, and TRUST ME TO DO THE JOB YOU ASKED ME TO DO!" Tsunade punctuated the end of her sentence with a backwards kick to the desk. Shizune jumped at the sudden bang, even though it was expected when meeting with the council, and peered over to still standing desk and gave a silent prayer of thanks to Omoikane (A/N: The deity of wisdom and intelligence), for giving her the foresight to have the inside of the desk fortified with metal. She was oh so tired of having her things replaced so often. They needed their funds to rebuild Konohagakure, not replacing the Hokage's broken furniture. Tsunade noticed her niece's uncomfortable disposition and changed her tact.

"Look, you had Jiraiya seek me out to ask me to lead," Tsunade started, he tone softening. "Trust in your decision. I am the Grand Daughter of the Shodai Hokage (A/N: Founding Fire Shadow) and Grand Niece of the Nidaime (A/N: Second). Do you really think I would allow Konoha to be destroyed and cast aside like ash to the wind? I will protect this village with me life. Hell, I already went into a coma to protect this place. Our home. Trust me."

Koharu frowned and Homura crossed his arms across his chest while they absorbed her words. After a very pregnant silence, Homura spoke.

"You have our support. Konohagakure is moving in a different direction, and maybe we have been stubborn in our ways to not move with you," he cut a withering glance towards Koharu who was about to dispute him, but she decided not to, "It is against human nature to embrace change so readily. Perhaps it's about time we should start, ne?"

Tsunade sighed in relief. She really thought she was going to have to continue fighting. She went back around her desk and sat down.

"Well, now that we have that business settled; on to the real issue. I believe Uchiha Sasuke has resigned to his sentence and just went to seek out Naruto to um... tie up loose ends, so to speak."

"You don't think he just went rogue again?"

"Not in the least, and I think we should leave them alone for a while. However, I still have a team tailing him to make sure that the situation doesn't become messy."

******SasuxNaru******

"Ugh! That's disgusting, you sick, perverted son of a bitch!" Kiba yelled as he snatched a piece of paper from Sai's art book and crumbled it up. Akamaru growled protectively at the pale artist, "Is that what your twisted mind thinks about? Lissen here, ya butt-fuckin, hentai freak. Ya draw another picture like that and I will rip off ya head and shit down ya neck!"

Sai stared up at Kiba blankly. He had been sitting down passing the time waiting for Choji to arrive and complete the gathering; when Kiba, who was standing by, started kicking up a fuss.

"I don't understand why you would react in this manner. This book I've read said that the nude human anatomy is beautiful, and -"

"I don't give a dog's fart if the book says that you see the face of Kami in a nipple! I don't need to see shit like this!"

Kiba smoothed the crumpled page and dangled it in front of Sai's face, showing him the nude sketch of Naruto. Sai gave the sketch a nonplussed look.

"I think I should've done more shading around the inner thigh area..."

"ARRRRGH! Dammit Sai, that's not the motherfuckin' point!"

"Well, please explain it to me. I'd love to understand..."

"I'm not trying to see my best friend's junk being drawn all over by some crazy stalker psycho freak! If I see it again, I'm going to stab you with your own paint brush!"

There was a very long silence as Sai looked up at Kiba, after a few more moments, Sai finally spoke,

"Maybe if I drew one of you, you would appreciate the art form. I bet you have nice muscle-"

Sai never got a chance to finish his sentence. When Kiba realized what Sai was saying, he upper-cut punched Sai right in his jaw.

"Listen here, perv. I love Naruto like a brother. Keep his naked body - as well as mine - out ya book. Otherwise, I'll shove it up your ass and make sure you get a paper cut that will NEVER heal!"

Kiba walked away while Sai rubbed his sore jaw

"Some people really don't appreciate good art."

Shikamaru shook his head, closed his eyes and sighed deeply. This was going to be very, very troublesome. Choji finally arrived and smiled his apology to the collected shinobi.

"Minna (A/N: everyone) I apologize for my lateness. My dad tried to take the last waffle and things got pretty intense."

Everyone, with the exception of Shikamaru, eyed Choji in disbelief. They knew that those of the Akimichi Clan eat a lot in order to build up or replenish their chakra reserves, but fighting over waffles before an important mission was borderline ridiculous.

Shikamaru clapped his hands to garner everyone's attention.

"Okay, people, listen up. Sasuke went to get his Naruto like we expected. Because he left early, our previous plans have been canceled. So we're going to find him, nab him, and bring his bony butt back here. No matter how troublesome this little trip is going to be. Is that clear?"

Everyone murmured their understanding. Shikamaru nodded in approval. This lot of characters was troublesome to be around, but when it mattered most, there was nobody else that he would rather have by his side during missions.

"Okay, so even though I doubt we'll even be attacked or anything, I think it would be best to be prepared. With that being said, we're moving in a straight line and here's that order: Kiba & Akimaru will lead, tracking Sasuke's scent and check out any enemies' scent to evade booby traps. I'll follow, so I'll be able to give orders quickly based on how any situation encountered by Kiba unfolds. I'll have to look ahead too, but with a wider range than Kiba and Akamaru. Sai, with your Root training, I know you have great reaction time, and with your Choju Giga (A/N: Super Beast Imitating Drawing), you'll be able to assist on the front line as well as the rear,"

Shikamaru rolled his eyes as Kiba snickered at his comment about Sai.

"Choji, being the F- er... bulkiest in the group, you would be the final blow after a surprise attack. Last, but not least, Hinata will take care of the rear thanks to the Byakugan. You'll also take care to watch our back and take care of any blind spots in the formation."

Shikamaru looked at everyone's faces as they took their instruction and nodded,

"Again, I seriously doubt the need for this tactic, but better safe than sorry. We're getting the dumb ass & his boyfriend and going straight back home. Got it?"

Shikamaru shouldered his pack

"Let's move out."

******SasuxNaru******

Goza sat across from the Kazekage's desk. Teal eyes regarded him passively. After a few more moments of the rather uncomfortable silence, Goza decided to start the conversation.

"Kazekage-sama, things are progressing along nicely. We'll be ready for you by tonight."

"Good."

Silence came rushing back into the office like the morning tide, Goza self consciously tugged at the hem on the sleeve of his yukata.

"Goza..."

"Yes, Kazekage-sama?"

"Thank you for the status report. You may leave."

"Yes, sir. I'll tend to... Other matters."

Goza stood and exited the office, as he left, Temari entered. She still needed to try to talk her brother out of the obvious mistake he was about to mistake. She closed the door behind her and sat down at the chair in front of his desk. Silence settled in once again for a few moments.

"Gaara!"

At the sound of his sister's voice, he looked up at her and slightly nodded his head in acknowledgment.

"Yes, Temari?"

"We never finished our conversation from last night."

"There's nothing more to converse about. I'm remaining steadfast in my decision."

"Why, Gaara? What more could you possibly gain from taking Shukaku back into yourself?"

Gaara looked at her for a few moments. He knew that Temari really wasn't really going to leave it alone unless she got a good answer. He sighed deeply.

"Temari, I'm allowing myself to be made a jinchuriki again because by doing this, I'll finally be able to say that I'm equal to the person that I admire and care about most," he fixed his sister with a serious glance. He was hoping that by avoiding pronouns, she wouldn't really figure out who he was speaking of, "If I am returned to what I once was, then I believe that will put me on common ground with them & we'll be able to possibly explore our... Options?"

Temari sat back in her chair with her mouth open. Did Gaara just admit to being in love with someone? She had never seen him in the presence of anyone else besides herself & their brother. When did it happen and how? Temari smiled at her brother softly. The thought of her brother being in love was so cute to her.

"Gaara, if this person that you care about cares for you in return, don't you think that she wouldn't care of you were a jinchuriki or not? If she likes you, she likes you for who you are. Not for your power."

"..."

"Think about it, Gaara. Real love isn't about power."

Temari got up from her seat and exited Gaara's office. When she closed the door behind her, he turned around in his chair and looked out the window into the sky that was as blue as the eyes of the person he cared for. A very small, slight smile began to pull at the corners of his lips.

"Naruto..."

******SasuxNaru******

"Will you please slow down? You're breaking formation!" Neji grumbled to Naruto. In his impatience, he was leaving the other three behind.

"Oh, gomen Neji-taicho," Naruto replied as he stood on a tree branch waiting for the others to catch up, "After all the ruckus yesterday, I was just trying hard to make up on lost time."

"Well, if someone didn't feel the need to run around and save everybody with a pretty face, we would have been to Sunagakure by now." Neji retorted as they caught up to each other and resumed their trek.

"Wait, what? What happened?" Sasuke asked, while he nimbly jumped from branch to branch. His interest was definitely now piqued.

Neji became quiet when Sasuke inquired about the incident. Sakura, who was growing tired of Neji's childish and out of character antics, sighed and decided to tell the story.

"Well, there was this noble woman taking a stroll in the woods and she was attacked by some nukenin. Our friend, Naruto, decided to be her savior."

"Oh, really now, dobe? We're skilled enough to save damsels in distress?"

Naruto blushed a bit, "It wasn't that serious, Sasu-chan. I just can't stand for people to be bullied. I simply acted."

"You mean you acted simply."

"What's that supposed to mean, Sasuke?"

"It means that you jeopardized your mission by not thinking."

"Oh, so you come back for a few minutes and think that you can tell me how to conduct missions? You're so damn arrogant!"

"Idiot, it has nothing to do with that. If you would get out of your emotions and just think like a real shinobi, maybe then you'd -"

"Enough already," Neji exclaimed, silencing the bickering lovers, "I will not tolerate your lover's squabbles during this mission." Neji gave Sasuke a disdainful side long glance, "Uchiha, you're only here because Naruto-kun wouldn't be able to focus on the mission at hand. So, just do me a favor and keep your presence minimal. Naruto, keep your head in the present and focus."

Naruto gave Neji a curt nod; Sasuke glared daggers at the back of Neji's head. After a few moments, Neji gave new orders.

"Naruto, you and your clones do a perimeter search of 100 yards. Sakura, flank him."

Naruto and Sakura went off, Neji stopped short and turned towards Sasuke. Sasuke stopped and clenched his fists tightly as he and Neji stared at each other.

"Look here, Uchiha," Neji started, "I loathe you and there is nothing that I would love more than to see you executed for your crimes against Konoha and against Naruto."

Sasuke's sharingan activated in his anger but he gritted his teeth to keep his feelings in check. In a low, even tone, Sasuke replied, "It seems you have a misunderstanding in what I'm capable of. Comparing Pain, Tobi, Orochimaru, Itachi and myself, in what order would you place us if I asked you who you feared more?"

"I-" Neji cleared his throat and he fidgeted taken aback by the question. As he saw those dark eyes narrow, something close to contempt swelled in him, remembering that this boy, this traitor was not as bad as the Uchiha who killed his whole clan in cold blood. Or the man who destroyed an entire Village with one Jutsu.

"You would be last, dog," he answered coldly. He eyed the Uchiha, waiting for a response, waiting for a reaction.

He heard something similar to a hiss of breath and at first; Neji did not know what to make of it. But then with a start he realized that the young man was laughing.

It was not a giggly laugh or anything like Naruto's laugh which always seemed light with a bit of mischief and sunlight. It reminded him of a snake; evil, twisting, mocking. The sound seemed to twist around him. Around his arms, his chest, his neck; choking, slithering, smothering…

"You truly are a fool, Neji," Sasuke mumbled with an almost fond tone, "I was once a traitor to this village, Hyuuga. I once studied under Orochimaru and I watched all his techniques and learned many of them. I knew what he was capable of. He was sick, he was twisted and he took joy in the pain of others," he smirked almost fondly at the memories, "He made it into an art form, actually. Itachi, he likes more to attack mentally. A physical wound is nothing compared to a mental one and he knows that quite well. They both are different techniques but both are quite efficient. Pain and Tobi were simply misguided fools. However, they all lacked something, Hyuuga. Orochimaru, he quickly became bored and often held no real reason, no real conviction for his tortures and Itachi, he does it to make

a point or to follow orders, never because he truly wants to make the other suffer. He will stop after a while."

Sasuke brought his hand towards Neji's face and he grasped his chin in a harsh grip, "You are a fool," he growled out, his eyes spinning, capturing Neji's quickly enough, "I have more conviction than Orochimaru. I will not get bored of your screams. I will not stop nor will I be stopped. I will not give you a swift end like he did to his victims. I will make every moment drag on. I am not doing this to make a point, I am doing this because you have tried to take my Naruto from me, and I want you to suffer," Sasuke grew silent as he waited for his words to sink in. As he noticed Neji's features harden in his anger, he smiled almost lovingly at the pearl eyed man when he ripped his chin from Sasuke's hand.

"Hyuuga, I warn you again. Watch your words. You know not of what I can do. When

I'll get done, you would wish for death."

Naruto came bounding back. Feeling the negative energy, he quickly stepped in

between the two men as Sakura caught up.

"Is everything alright, Neji-taichou, Sasu-chan?"

Sasuke turned and smirked at his beloved.

"Everything is fine, love. We're just coming to a mutual understanding. So, shall we continue? We wouldn't want to be late. Right, Neji-taichou?"

Neji nodded, not trusting his voice in his current state of rage.

"Oh, okay!" Naruto said brightly, seeming to forget the tense situation as if it occurred decades ago instead of a few seconds, "Let's go!"

As the three shinobi took off, Neji lingered behind for a few moments.

"Just what are you capable of, Uchiha?"