Disclaimer: We don't own Naruto or any other awesomeness related product/form of service/form of entertainment

Tsuki: I'm so sorry! But I told you I wouldn't quit the story. Mirb, on the other hand has been very discouraged! -nods head- But yeah, my computer died and I had the chapter almost finished and I didn't want to restart on another computer because the story wouldn't turn out the same... I wanted this version :P And I got it! Also school is evil!

Mirb: Hey...yes I was "discouraged"...Sorry guys, these past few months have been...really bad D= I'm pretty much better now though :]...FREAKIN SCHOOL SMELLS, ALSO. :] 3

Random quote: Bravo! Kyouya! Mon ami! Mon ami! Yahoo!

----Tamaki, from Ouran High School Host Club

A/N: The reason why Hinata didn't just use the Byakugan to see through her blindfold, was because the Byakugan is activated by chakra, right? And Akatsuki had stopped the flow of Hinata's chakra, therefore she couldn't use her Byakugan. Make sense? No? Well, I'm not a good explainer anyways...

Chapter eight:

There was a soft, barely audible groan from across the cell as Hinata lifted her gaze to rest on the unconscious figure.

She stood up, legs shaky from lack of exercise, and made her way over to the bound captive.

"Here, you should drink this." She spoke softly, not wanting to startle the girl.

Her efforts were in vain as the young blond shot up, gasping in pain and turning to snarl at Hinata. "Your chakra is undetectable."

The blond's throat was scratchy and hoarse, Hinata noted distractedly, most likely from lack of use and dehydration.

"You're very weak because your body is straining to heal. You are recovering from many broken bones and wounds. At the moment, you've exhausted your chakra supply, also you have pulled a couple of muscles, from lack of use."

Hinata did not mention that if that were the case, this girl had probably just escaped from a prison only to be caught a second time.

The blond frowned, ignoring her cellmate's words. "Where are we?" Her voice was sharp, betraying nothing.

~O~

Katsumi kept to the shadows, to avoid drawing attention to herself. Now that she had escaped from her prison, there was no way that they would get her back in there.

She itched to kill them all but knew that it was only a matter of time before the guard she murdered was discovered and prolonging that time was crucial.

Being back in the open air was a wonderful sensation but Katsumi still felt imprisoned by the walls of Kiiri. Even so, her main objective was not to escape but rather, to regain a lost possession. She knew where it was kept, where they kept all dangerous weapons from the enemy.

When Katsumi had finally reached the building, she circled it once, twice, checking for any traps added since she had last seen this place. Her blade was calling out to her, it had been too long since they one and the same.

The sentries were weak, useless compared to Katsumi and she was in and out before her murdered guard was even found.

"Shimoyake," She whispered, stroking the midnight blade, "It's been a long time my friend..."

And then, the dark shadows descended upon her.

~O~

"Akatsuki." Katsumi spat that single word with such venom that Hinata was slightly taken aback.

She hissed wordlessly in anger, remembering the cloaked figures who had ambushed her just outside of Kiiri. Katsumi had no more than tasted freedom before it was cruelly yanked from under her feet.

"You really should drink and eat something. Here, I saved some from earlier today." Hinata pressed on, offering out the scant amount. "I know it doesn't look like much... but it's all I can give."

"Eat it yourself." Katsumi spat, distancing herself physically and mentally from her cellmate. "I'd rather die than give up Hachibi to them! He's been my one friend in all this madness."

Hinata paused, setting the food down gently on the dirt floor."I know that I can never fathom what you must have endured throughout your life, but I do know what one jinchuuriki has gone through and it was awful. I don't need any knowledge about your history... I just want you to help me escape from here."

"Why would I help you?" Katsumi answered with a question.

"Because you want to be free as well... and you're human too." Hinata read the doubt and disbelief in Katsumi's blue orbs before it was disguised. "I'm Hyuuga Hinata, by the way."

"Don't bother with formalities. I'm not a human, am I? I'm a demon and you can see that but are unable to admit to it. Humans are weak and pathetic creatures, ruled by their own fear and ignorance. They exert force when it is not needed and create the very demons that they fear so. I do not care who you are because I have no reason to respect your kind."

"That's fine by me." Hinata spoke softly. "You have your own demons to face but if I find a way out of here, I'm taking you with me."

Katsumi refused to budge until she was certain that Hinata was asleep. "I've faced my own version of demons for years." She whispered into the unforgiving darkness.

~O~

It was dark.

Pein noted this in slight frustration as he let his eyes drift around the circular room. Only half the candles were lit. Orochimaru certainly had a flair for melodramatics.

"Why have you left this place so dark?" Pein directed this question not at the snake sannin, but at Akatsuki as a whole. "But no matter. You were summoned here for a purpose. Orochimaru has a theory to share with us."

He inclined his head for the man to begin and Orochimaru leaned forward, ignoring the murderous glares. He was not afraid. They could not touch him and he was aware of the fact. Within Akatsuki, Orochimaru had been raised to a political level by Pein himself that was secondary only to the leader and his woman, Konan.

The sannin smirked. "We were unable to extract Hachibi from inside its host."

"We already know this." Hidan spoke loudly, directing his comment to no one in particular. "The bastard is stating the fucking obvious. What a waste of my prayer time."

There was a flash of annoyance in Pein's ringed orbs. "Hidan—

"It's fine, Pein-san." Orochimaru's lips curled, seemingly unfazed by the sardonic, harsh words. "I have a theory for this unusual situation. This jinchuuriki seems to be the only one truly in tune and accepting of her bijuu. Perhaps, Hachibi itself is unwilling to part from the host. If that is the case, Hachibi may have blocked the jinchuuriki's tenketsu from the inside so its chakra can not be forced out."

"So what are you suggesting, Orochimaru-san?" Konan inquired with a polite facade from Pein's side.

"I think," The snake sannin raised a brow mockingly as he studied his fingernails, "That we have found another use for Naruto-kun's bait."

~O~

Minato's mind worked furiously as he fought for a coherent answer.

Speaking with Kyuubi would not only allow him to embrace his fear but also, he would be able to confront Kyuubi on its plans for possessing his son.

On the other hand, allowing Kyuubi to heal Naruto's system would only accelerate the spread of its chakra throughout Naruto's chakra coils.

Naruto began drumming his fingers against the bed's frame. "I guess the answer is no again. I can't very well fault you. Many grown men cower from Kyuubi... I just never thought that you'd be one of them."His lips began to curl back into a quiet snarl of disgust.

Minato watched the animalistic trait that his son possessed. No doubt a gift from the fox. "Kyuubi asked for me, did it not? Does it have something in particular to say to me?"

Naruto shrugged and winced slightly from the pain. "How should I know? The furball never shares anything with me. Kyuubi could want to ask you something, it may just want to see you after all these years... though I doubt it. Kyuubi never does something without an objective in mind."

Bracing himself for his next words, Minato took a deep breath. "I will speak with Kyuubi."

~O~

"Why do you blindly follow Orochimaru's suggestions like a fool?"

Pein tiredly ran a hand over his face. "Konan..."

Her face was twisted in a mask of frustration and anger. "Iie. This is idiotic, not to mention problematic. The snake is plotting something."

"And so what if he is?" Pein questioned as he continued walking down the line of cells. "I am no fool. I prefer to have Orochimaru close by so that I may keep an eye out for any movements that he may make."

Konan glared at him for a moment and snorted. "I still see no need for following his orders."

"Ah, here we are." He was relieved to find an excuse to put the argument with Konan on hold.

The jinchuuriki sat at one end of the cell, her head lowered and did not even move when the Akatsuki members appeared. At the other end, was the Hyuuga girl who raised her head, terror clearly visible in her lavender orbs.

Pathetic.

"Hyuuga." The girl started when Pein addressed her. "You wish to be freed from here, do you not? I have a... proposition for you. Unblock the jinchuuriki's tenketsu."

Hinata glanced up. "None of you can?"

Konan hissed. The girl was foolishly attempting to turn the tables.

"No," Pein let a flicker of a smirk cross his lips, "We are not Hyuuga. But you can do it... and in exchange, your freedom."

Hinata snuck a look at Katsumi. "Fine. I'll do it but I need you to stop restraining my chakra."

"Of course. Just not yet. We shall be needing all Akatsuki members gathered for this." Pein left the underground chamber with Konan on his heels.

"What was all that?" She snapped angrily. "You're freeing the Hyuuga now?"

"No. Do you take me for a fool? We shall wait for Kyuubi's jinchuuriki to appear and when he is closing in, the Hyuuga will unblock Hachibi's tenketsu, thinking that she will be freed in time to save the jinchuuriki." Pein paused with a smirk on his lips. "And by then... we will have gained the last two jinchuuriki."

~O~

He ran his fingers through his hair and watched Naruto in apprehension, still slightly shaken from his encounter with Kyuubi.

The fox had forced Naruto out of his own subconscious, blocking it so he could not enter again. It had resulted in leaving his son's defenseless spiritual behind, acting as the connection between Minato and the physical world.

It had sicken him to watch as Kyuubi wrapped one of its many tails around Naruto in a mocking show of tenderness

"I'm just... looking out for the kit, keeping his best interests in mind. Of course, we both have the same objective here. We don't want any harm to befall your son, am I correct? And such a powerful one as well. Such... possibilities."

Minato's brows furrowed as he frowned. Kyuubi was aware of the blood relationship between him and Naruto, but would Kyuubi accidently let that slip as a way of ensuring revenge on Minato?

Kyuubi is not truly worried for Naruto's safety. It just wants to protect his body for when it possesses him. Kyuubi does not even seem afraid that I may be able to strengthen the seal before it takes over. Such confidence... just how close is it?

There was a low hiss from Naruto's direction and Minato blinked, taking in his son's crouched form as he clutched a hand to his head with Jiraiya next to him, patting him gently on the shoulder.

"What is wrong, Sensei?" Minato leapt quickly to his feet, dread pooling in his stomach. "Is Kyuubi...?"

Jiraiya shook his head, reasuring him that this was not a result of a possession.

"It's nothing." Naruto choked out, trying to regain his composure. "It's just something that happens periodically when I have a significant number of wounds to heal."

Fighting the urge to approach and comfort Naruto, Minato had to settle for hovering nearby and feeling useless. After a few mintues, the Rokudaime's breathing evened out and he straightened up.

Minato had steeled himself for facing his son's wrath, for facing Kyuubi but never had he been prepared for this.

Demon.

This could have been Kyuubi taking the form of a human. Minato held back a flinch as he took in Naruto's blood red orbs, slitted pupils, and darker, more pronounced markings.

"Don't be afraid of this. They'll fade after a moment." Naruto scoffed, before he turned away from Minato to stare out the window. "I remind you of Kyuubi, don't I?"

The Yondaime started at the much quieter, open voice which held an undercurrent of disappointment.

Lies won't be enough for him.

"To be honest," Minato sighed, "I'm much more surprised than afraid... and for a moment you did seem similar to Kyuubi but I thought 'He's still Uzumaki Naruto'. And I realized that you are not Kyuubi."

Minato saw the tensing of the muscles in Naruto's back, a sign of fear. Was he afraid of love? Of having a paternal relationship? He sighed, his heart aching at the thought of the life his son must have led.

"Ero-sennin," Naruto muttered weakly, his voice thick, "I'm fine now. You can both go but can you get Sakura to come here. Tell her it's of great importance. She may come quicker."

"Naruto..." Jiraiya soothed. "Don't push yourself."

"I'm fine!" He snapped back, trying to disguise the unnatural tone of his voice.

"Right, come on Minato." Jiraiya called softly to Minato as he left the room.

The Yondaime turned to glance at Naruto one last time and saw him wrap his arms around himself, saw him press his head against the glass of the window and then Jiraiya softly closed the door for him.

"He was crying you know." Jiraiya said as they made their way out of the hospital.

Minato started, shooting the sannin a pleading glance, silently questioning him.

"You made him cry." Jiraiya explained. "Or rather, your words did. You see, you accepted so fully, without hesitation. He can't stand it because he wants to hate you and now, he's finding less to hold against you and hate you for."

~O~

"Always sending someone else to get me, never comes himself." Her brow softened slightly. "Well... I guess it can't be helped this time, after all, he is in the hospital."

Sakura sighed as she gazed up the staircase. "Why this floor?"

As she reached the top and swung open the door to Naruto's room, Sakura was met with a sight that nearly gave her a heart attack.

"What the hell? You idiot!" She shrieked as she lunged forward, tackling Naruto back onto the bed as he paced towards it. "Are you bleeding? What's wrong?" Sakura asked quickly as Naruto winced.

"No," He paused, answering her first question, "But I think I just broke a rib when you attacked me."

Sakura's eyes narrowed threateningly. "How come you're up? I thought Kyuubi refused to heal you."

"We compromised." He stated simply with a tight smile.

The kunoichi studied him for a moment "I don't even want to know what that means. But the main thing is—

"The main thing is," Naruto interrupted, "Why I called for you."

"No actually. I was thinking more along the lines of the fact that you could have come to get me yourself. But yes, let's get to the point of this meeting."

Naruto's eyes became cold and his voice took on a distant tone. "You'll be accompanying me for the rescue mission. We may need an expert medic-nin as well as an excellent kunoichi."

"Fine," Sakura spoke in an agreeable tone, happy to help. "Who else have you chosen?"

"Shikamaru?"

Sakura replied promptly. "Has an ambassador's mission in Suna, though he's probably spending a lot of time with Temari-san."

Naruto clicked his tongue. "Che. And Kiba?"

"He's here." Sakura smiled lightly. "He's been demanding a mission while you've been out. I'm sure Kiba will be eager to help get Hinata back."

"That's good. Is Sai in?"

"Sai? He got back from a mission just recently but he can handle it."

"What about Neji?" Naruto winced at the mention of his best friend who had been avoiding him out of anger. "It'll be an advantage to have the Byakugan on our side."

"No." Sakura noticed how the tension in Naruto's shoulders seemed to relax slightly at that word and she smirked. "Out on a mission."

"Hmm... how's about Hanabi-san?" Naruto tapped a finger against his chin.

Sakura's eyes widened, surprised that Naruto had made that choice. "Hanabi?" She asked uncertainly. "She's a strong kunoichi and I respect her, but don't you find that she can be a little... hardheaded?"

"She's had to deal with prejudices. People underestimate her. Hanabi-san is quite gifted, yet people overlook that factor, only seeing a young child. Is she not a jounin?"

"...Yes." The kunoichi blew through her nose in obvious frustration.

The blonde ignored her, choosing to push forward with his persuasion. "Plus, Hanabi-san is a Hyuuga, meaning the Byakugan. She is the logical choice."

"Aa, I realize that," Sakura continued, oblivious to the growing smirk on Naruto's lips, "It's just that—

"Just that Hanabi-san is better than you at ninjutsu." Naruto rolled his eyes, noticing her flushed expression. "Yare yare, that's it, isn't it? You can't stand that someone younger than you, is more apt."

Sakura frowned at the grinning Hokage. "Damare." She huffed, all in good humor. "I trust you, and since you seem to believe in Hanabi..." The pink haired woman trailed off.

"Just try to work with her. With your brains, you can figure out what would become of a dysfunctional team."

Sakura froze at the door, as she was preparing to gather the requested shinobi. "Flattery is not the reason why I have agreed to this, remember that. I really do trust you, but Naruto, if it comes to a fight... this is Akatsuki."

The Rokudaime sighed, running a hand through blonde locks. "I plan to retrieve Hinata without combat. A smaller squad does mean less attack force but our goal is not to a execute an ambush, do not forget that. We have on our side, the element of surprise. True, they are expecting us but in a larger squad, to do exactly that. Ambush. Akatsuki is expecting this because they know me. Which is why there will be no battle. Too many casualties would be accounted for.

And if it does come to a fight," He continued, answering her unspoken query, "I have strong, efficient shinobi with me. I can trust you all with my back."

~O~

"Silence yourself, Inuzuka. You are positively droning."

Kiba shot a furious glare at the young Hyuuga. "Tch. I still don't see why Naruto wants this midget tag—

He was cut off as a sharp pain blossomed slightly below his ear. Kiba glanced down, disguising his wince. "A rock?! What the hell—

For the second time, Kiba was interrupted.

"If that pebble had been thrown with a little more force, it could render you unconscious, Inuzuka. Next time you feel the need to insult me, think back to this day." Hanabi's tone was impassive and calculating.

With a wordless snarl of frustration, Kiba started towards the younger shinobi, but was halted in his tracks as Sakura placed a comforting on his shoulder.

"Don't." She shook her head, inwardly sympathizing. "You should walk with Sai. At least there will be no goading into arguing."

Kiba slowed his pace down to match that of the artist, all the while glaring an imaginary hole into the back of Hanabi's head and muttering a wide variety of swear words.

Sakura sighed in relief as they reached Naruto's office, the tension was tangible in the air. The blonde had hastily made his way back after her strict medical examination,

"Come in!" The Hokage called, fidgeting almost visible in his voice alone.

Hanabi stepped deliberately in front of Kiba, cutting him short.

"She's being purposefully vindictive!"

Naruto mentally groaned, so much for a functional team. "Hanabi-san," He addressed the kunoichi who had sunk into a low bow, "Stand up, please. You should not bait him. And Kiba, you should know better than to allow it."

"Sure, sure." The Inuzuka waved off Naruto's berating, slinging an arm around his shoulder. "You know, I think I've figured out why you summoned us here."

Hanabi rolled her eyes sarcastically skyward. "We've all figured that out, dog."

Kiba twitched, but with a stern glance from Naruto, remained where he was.

"Haruno Sakura, Hyuuga Hanabi, Sai, Inuzuka Kiba. I have chosen the four of you to accompany me on the retrieval mission of Hyuuga Hinata." He looked thoughtful, then added as an after thought. "As some of you may have already guessed."

Naruto observed with a small smile as Hanabi and Sai remained impassive, Sakura, already knowing the information grinned lightly at Kiba's reaction, who was currently jumping around in his excitement.

"Begin your preparations." He spoke when things had calmed down. "We leave in a day."

~O~

Tsuki: Ah yes, if anyone is interested in what I'm listening to today! -note sarcasm- It is...

-enter drum roll- ... "Poker Face"! Yay... The chapters will be coming more regularly now...hopefully. Oh yes... Merry Christmas! (To you people that celebrate it)

Mirb: I'm not listening to any of that...odd music. It's okay...I guess. I'm listening to "I Set My Friends On Fire. My friend got me the CD for Christmas and I was like 'ZOMGZWTFDIDYOUFINDTHAT?!' It was great. They're pretty screamy. I don't usually like screamy stuff? D= Anyways, yeah...enjoy that? Lots of different stuff going on, ehh? Woo... Anyways, Happy Holidays!! =]

Dictionary of Japanese words:

Shimoyake: Frostbite

Damare: Shut up

Yare yare: The equivalent to "man oh man" or "boy oh boy" or "my oh my" etc.