First thing's first, thanks to my both my Betas, TheGreatBubbaJ and Jenny-Cat-Miaow. They really do help guys so be patient with the updates. I've already finished chapter 10 and it's read to be sent to the Betas, so I'l post that as soon as it's done with our lovable helpers.

I know it's confusing right now but I'm hoping that everything will clear up as we go. As for the genjutsu, I've elaborated on it in this chapter and I hope that it's a little more helpful.

For those hoping for a little more insight into Iruka's actions. Sorry. I did not spill the beans here. Menma's memories finish up in Chapter 10 and in Chapter 11 things begin to heat up.

Love the reviews and I will answer them at the bottom of the chapter as best as I can.

Chapter 9


Menma's memories.

"Back already?"

Sasuke didn't even falter in his steps at Menma's voice coming from the deepest shadow in the small corridor of the house he'd taken up residence in.

"Meh, I suppose a game of cards is out of the question." Menma moved out of the shadows and Sasuke was forced to admit that the nickname of the Kage really did suit the other Shinobi as the place he had emerged from was not where Sasuke had guessed him to be.

"Perhaps tomorrow we can play at being ninja." Sasuke replied. His mind was too full of what Iruka had blubbered about for him to be social right now. He'd always suspected that the Umino had known more than he'd let on but without proof he had been reluctant to question his once upon a time sensei. He'd gotten his proof and he'd learnt that it wasn't so much that Iruka knew more than he'd let on, he'd simply known something that had made him feel so guilty that he hadn't seen it for the information that it was. A little clue, a small insight into the mind of Naruto Uzumaki and the reason as to why he left.

"I wanted to tell him how sorry I was, but by the time I realised that I even had to, he was already gone."

Squeezing his eyes shut in frustration, Sasuke wondered how all of them could've been so stupid.


Menma exited his room to see that Sasuke was waiting for him. "Tsunade has summoned us." Sasuke stated coolly.

Menma didn't reply. Instead he went to the door and walked out of it, taking off in the direction of the dango stand. He'd have preferred ramen, but if he started eating ramen all the time it would get far too suspicious. Curse his need to remain inconspicuous, or as inconspicuous as a nuke-nin with oodles of power could be. Sasuke went to his stupid sushi stand, ramen hating heathen that he is.

Sasuke's mood was once again composed today. Menma wondered what he'd done the previous night, since he'd returned with his emotions in complete turmoil. Something very unlike the Uchiha, who was usually utterly composed. But Menma'd stuck to what he'd said and hadn't left the Uchiha compound.

"We'd better hurry. If we take much longer Kakashi will beat us there and that'll look bad." Sasuke teleported away in a puff of smoke after that statement, still eating his sushi. Menma grumbled to himself as he accepted his dango servings before following the Uchiha via shadows.

Sakura jumped as Menma appeared behind her, taking a large syrupy bite of his first dango stick.

"Sasuke said you called?" he replied around the mouth full of food making the Fifth Hokage's eyebrow twitch dangerously.

"Yes. We're just waiting for Kakashi." Shizune replied as she noticed Tsunade wasn't about to, being too busy watching the syrup drip from Menma's dango.

Everything was silent after that apart from Menma and Sasuke eating their breakfast. "I take it you two just woke up." Sakura offered shifting uncomfortably under the heavy silence produced by her teammates eating and her teacher's unnerving fixation on the sticky liquid dripping from Menma's stick.

"Hmm? Mm, late night." Menma offered as an explanation and Sasuke nodded in agreement.

"Sasuke went out and I played with that stupid stick thing in the garden that makes the tapping noise. You know the one with the water. Fills up with water and then falls against a rock before lifting up and getting filled with water again." Menma continued.

"I used to throw pebbles at it." Sasuke commented, his eyes growing glazed before he shook his head once as though to dislodge the thought.

By the time Kakashi arrived Sasuke had challenged Menma to a test of his aim and the two were now throwing dango sticks at bits of rice flicked into the air. Sakura was trying really hard not to bang her head on the nearest flat and very much solid surface. This was the Hokage's office for crying out loud. Tsunade was watching the three with a growing tick in her forehead and the two males' actions only further motivated her current decision. Some people should just not be allowed to get bored.

"Alright, at attention you four." Tsunade snapped putting an end to Menma and Sasuke's little game. To be fair they had reached the last of their dango sticks anyway, so she wasn't really interrupting anything.

"I have a busy day today so I'm going to get right to the point. Team 7 can't just stop going on missions. It's too suspicious. So I'm going to send you out on a B-rank mission. Nothing too hectic, just something to keep up appearances." Tsunade announced.

"Why don't you just say what's really going on. The Leaf's budget will suffer if people find out that the most wanted team isn't going on missions." Sasuke drawled, internally miffed at the competition ending in a draw.

"Don't whine Sasuke. This is a chance to see how well we perform as a team. After all, it wouldn't do to be on the mission to rescue the Kazekage and find out that we can't work together at all." Kakashi commented cheerfully from behind his Icha Icha book. He didn't usually read his books in the Hokage's office, so Sasuke knew it was last night's conversation that was making the Jonin act out of sorts. Sasuke knew how he was feeling, but he just had his own way of hiding it that was non-pornographic.

Sasuke didn't reply to the statement but he had to admit that Kakashi did have a point. "So does that mean I'm doing this mission as Naruto?" Menma asked.

He silently prayed they said yes, just so that he could watch their faces as they tried to hide their discomfort. Only somehow those prayers weren't as feverish as they should've been, lacking the venom that would normally accompany the mental pleas.

"No." Sakura was the first one to answer, sounding a little hurried at that.

"Okey dokes. When do we leave?" Menma smiled, outwardly expressing carefree happiness, yet inwardly he was slightly disappointed.

"Now. Your mission is to gather information on a settlement on the outskirts of the Land of Rice Patties. You are not to be detected and you're to return in three days, understood?" Tsunade replied while Shizune gave Kakashi the mission scroll.

"Yes mam!" was echoed by four voices in unison.

"Get moving then. That information isn't going to gather itself."

The four members of Team 7 scattered out of various exits in the Hokage's office, coming out onto the roof of the Hokage Tower before heading off to the South gate. This was going to be a long mission. All information gathering missions were. Long and boring. Unless they were conducted by Jirayia, in which case they were long and hard. Ahem, difficult.

The first half of the trip was almost deathly silent as they leapt through the trees, sticking to a close formation. Menma noticed how even on such a relatively simple mission, the three members of Team 7 watched their surroundings as though expecting an attack to come at any moment.

Understandable really, since they were renowned for being one of the most ambushed teams in the Shinobi nations. Some people would grumble into their sake cups, hoping against hope to just kill one of them. Most aimed for Sakura, seeing her as the weakest on the team and Menma pitied them for that small piece of over sight.

Menma also noted how well the team worked together as just the three of them. It was almost as if having a fourth member was unnecessary to them. He almost felt like they were accommodating for him rather than working with him. It was an odd feeling and it bought back too many unwanted emotions.

"You're such a loser."

"Yeah Naruto. Why do you always have to screw things up?"

"Now now guys, I'm sure Naruto had a perfectly good reason for rushing off like that, didn't you Naruto?"

That had been an almost daily conversation. Sure Sasuke had worked with him but only when the situation had suited him to do so. He'd used Naruto's loud brashness to his advantage by attacking a distracted enemy, earning himself the glory. Finishing the battle in a way that he was the one that took down the enemy, but not without a little help from the team idiot. Something which no one seemed to realise.

They were forced to stay the night in an inn. Well forced wasn't really the right word. Just before they'd called it a night, Kakashi, Sakura, and Sasuke had seemed to have a private conversation amongst themselves. No words were exchanged, but Menma got the idea that a decision was reached all the same.

"Alright, time to stop. There's a Shinobi inn a few miles from here and we'll stop there for the night." Kakashi stated. Menma also got the impression that Kakashi, while appearing to be the team leader, was in fact only acting to be said team leader. Further observation told him that every decision made from what direction they took to when they stopped for breaks was made as a group and not by a single person. Odd, but strangely effective in a completely unconventional way.

He'd play their game for now, wondering what the mission report was going to look like and whether it would mention his sheer awesomeness shining through in the end.

Jumping out of the trees they landed on a small dirt path that led to the inn. Menma was quite comfortable with the silence, being far too used to not having anyone around to talk to other than himself to be bothered by it. But the other members of Team 7 seemed to be bursting to talk to each other, but kept subtly glancing at Menma.

Walking into the inn was an experience in itself and Menma was greatly amused by it. At first no one recognised the three members of Team 7 but then the pink hair from Sakura, the broody darkness coupled with the Uchiha clan symbol and Kakashi's signature… everything… registered in the minds of the Shinobi in the room and everything went quiet as the grave.

"Yo. I'd like two rooms for the night. Two separate beds in each please." Kakashi requested as he approached the front desk, his entire manner as friendly as it got. Well, minus a friendly facial expression.

The guy behind the desk looked at him with an expression that could rival Sasuke's in broodiness.

"Hatake. I thought I told you not to come around here anymore."

"Aww, but I wanted to impress the new team member." Kakashi mock pouted.

"Team 7 has a new member. Now that's something. What'd the poor sap do to piss the old broad off? Let them stay, just so that we can meet the sucker. Poor bastards never last long on Team 7." Menma looked to the voice and recognised it as one of the underground rats who was good for information and as cowardly as they came. One visit from him as the Kage had established that much.

"Fine Hatake, but this is the last time. Having you around is bad for business, and has given me diabetes as I just recently discovered."

Kakashi just smiled at the man before taking the two offered keys. "Now now, I'm sure it wasn't entirely my fault. Menma, you're with Sakura." He added casually over his shoulder.

"What?! No way! She's going to hit me unconscious. That's completely unfair." Menma protested, already dreading the coming bludgeoning.

"I won't hit you, so long as you behave." Sakura smiled sweetly.

"Why can't I stick with Sasuke? His cold, bastardly exterior is the perfect contrast to my warm and generally kind demeanour! You know, when I'm not brutally killing someone." Menma was getting frantic.

"Because it's inappropriate for the sensei to sleep in the same room as the opposite sex student. Far too many Icha Ichas made of that for it to be allowed." Kakashi replied as though this was perfectly reasonable.

"You know what screw you all, I'm getting my own room. I ain't getting clobbered tonight." Menma announced looking pointedly at the man behind the desk who wordlessly handed over a key. In between his statements he muttered about crazy jonin who didn't make any sense, since he'd sleep in a sleeping bag next to his student turn team member, but not in the same room as them. What, are hormones scared of the wilderness or something?

Truthfully Kakashi didn't want to get clobbered either. Sakura was long past the stage of respecting her sensei and didn't take kindly to him reading Icha Icha in her presence, even less when he did it out loud. Hence the clobbering, and now the bullshit excuse to avoid it.

"I feel hurt Menma." Sakura stated, but her tone lacked conviction. This was also an opportunity to see what had them so worked up. They were trying to talk to each other in a way that Menma wouldn't be able to decipher, but appeared to be having difficulty with this task and Menma was greatly amused by it.

"I~ don't~ care~." Menma replied in a near sing song tone pulling out his wallet to pay for said room.

Looking at his wallet he quickly shifted his body and arm so that it was hidden from view. He'd completely forgotten about Gama. The fat green frog burped out the correct amount, and Menma handed it over before stuffing the wallet away.

Luckily a ninja being stealthy with their money wasn't something that was uncommon so no one commented on his odd behaviour.

"Alright, now that that's all taken care of, anyone hungry?" Kakashi asked.

"If Sasuke gets sushi then I say no." Menma stated quickly. He didn't understand how the other could eat that much raw fish. Probably something to do with his lack of a girlfriend.

"Same here if he gets dango sticks." Sasuke drawled.

"So we'll all get fried rice and pork." Sakura sighed ushering them to a table. Kakashi didn't appear to be paying attention, more interested in the book he'd read a hundred times then the argument about food.

Gradually the conversation in the room was beginning to pick up. Menma closed his eyes and allowed himself a moment to simply listen.

"Can't believe those freaks are back in here."

"Yeah. I thought they'd taken a break. Guess that rumour was wrong. I hope their mission isn't here."

"Still, rather them than the Kage. I still don't believe he's dead."

"Come on, he blew himself up. There were chunks lying around Suna and everything. Taka saw it with his own eyes."

"I don't care. I still don't believe it. Guy must be some kinda ninja bogeyman, and no bogeyman dies that easily." Meh. Smart Shinobi that one. And such a flatterer too.

"Both of you shut up. That new one gives me the creeps. Looks an awful lot like Hatake for my liking. I think he can hear us." So what? He went from being the poor sap on Team 7, to the creepy bastard son of broom head? Wonderful.

"But still. Don't you think it's a little fishy that the Kage trained a kid from Konoha, turned him into a killing machine and then goes and offs himself?"

"Strange or not, it's none of our business. Konoha isn't something that I want to tangle with tonight."

Odd. Everyone was either talking about Team 7 or the Kage. How boring. Menma opened his eyes just as the food was placed on the table. Kakashi looked at him before the two raised a hand to their masks, a challenge in their eyes and FIRES IN THEIR YOUTHS.

"I bet on Menma." Sasuke stated suddenly.

"What, no faith in me Sasuke?" Kakashi asked with mock hurt.

"Nope. I've just seen him eat, that's all." Sasuke replied with a shrug.

"Well let's put it to the test." Sakura giggled and looked as though she was going to start a countdown.

"Why? I'm already done." Menma stated calmly and indeed he was. Sakura blinked in confusion. When had he done it?

"Well I lose." Kakashi eye-smiled before making his own food disappear like magi-er , jutsu.

"You two really shouldn't do that. It's unhealthy." Sakura pouted, caring little about the health consequences of their eating habits and more about not seeing their faces.

Before any one of them could reply a kunai buried itself into the table just in front of Menma. He'd sensed it coming but hadn't done anything about it because it was pointless to do so. It wasn't aimed at him, just the table. Poor table, never did anyone any harm.

A hand reached out and plucked the kunai from the table. Said hand was attached to an arm and said arm was attached to a grinning Shinobi. "So, this is the new member of Team 7. Doesn't look like much."

"That's your opinion but said new member of Team 7 can kick my ass." Kakashi replied cheerfully.

The Shinobi narrowed his eyes at Menma. "If he's so good, then how come no one's heard of him?"

"That's an awfully good question. Menma, you answer the man." Kakashi replied thoughtfully.

"I'm a low profile kind of guy." Menma shrugged, enjoying the game Kakashi was playing. It was clear to Menma that Kakashi didn't think very highly of the ninja's intelligence. Rightly so, considering Team 7's reputation and the fact that most ninja of his relative IQ tend to find lighting their farts on fire with katon jutsu a brilliant new idea. Said idea only being new because all the others that already had the idea are dead due to a fiery colonoscopy.

"You on the other hand I've heard of." Menma pulled his bag off his back and unsealed it before pulling out a Bingo book that was thicker than most usually were. Sealing the bag again he quickly flipped through the pages until finding the one he wanted.

"Ah yes, just as I thought. You specialise in providing information, to anyone and everyone who can pay the right price." Menma stated. "Says here that you're supposed to be an A-rank missing-nin of Kiri."

The missing-nin sweat dropped and his gaze slid to Sasuke and Kakashi. His heart beat increased drastically when Sasuke looked up at him, when before he'd simply ignored the man. "Information?"

Menma snapped the book shut, all the time Sasuke needed to have the man pinned across the room and against the wall. Something strange had happened to the atmosphere around Team 7 at the mention of specialising in providing information. It was awfully familiar to the excited almost chatter that they'd broken into when approaching the Shinobi inn.

"You're bad for business . . ." Well, now Menma knew why they weren't allowed here. They terrorised the other shinobi. Not very Konoha-like at all.

"Tell me, missing-nin of Kiri, do you know anything about a certain Naruto Uzumaki?" Sasuke asked, his tone not even cold nor demanding, just casual.

Yet the missing-nin looked like he wished he was anywhere else but there. Well, except Kiri. He obviously didn't wish he was there, what with the whole missing-nin thing.

"Nothing. I don't know anything. Nope not a thing. Zilch. Nada."

"I hate it when people lie to me." Sasuke sighed, simply letting a bit of his chakra build up.

"I'm serious."

Sasuke did something to the ninja and he grunted in pain. Menma hadn't even seen what he had done. "Someone like you who makes their living on providing information will know something about everything." Kakashi added before turning a page. "Sasuke knows this, so it's best not to test his very limited patience."

Menma knew that there were several ways that this could go but he also knew that when it came to Sasuke there would be only one result. Now, Menma didn't much like the Shinobi, but he was very good at what he did and as such was sort of but not really invaluable to him as the Kage. Perhaps he should step in before he ended up having to cross a name out of his Bingo book.

"Neh, Sasuke. You're doing it wrong." Menma commented thoughtfully as he watched the Uchiha thoroughly terrify the supposed A-rank ninja. Honestly, do they give random cannon fodder higher ranks just for shits and giggles?

Menma stood and approached, his gaze travelling over the struggling ninja. Menma simply placed a finger between the ninja's eyes, very lightly touching the skin there. "You specialise in providing information, that is your worth and your purpose. However if you cannot provide my teammate with any information about Naruto Uzumaki, then you no longer have a purpose. A life without purpose is a meaningless one. Fail to give him what he wants and I will destroy your ability to provide information." Menma stated calmly.

"No one knows anything about Uzumaki. Everyone has looked because we know that we can use it against Team 7. It's like he doesn't exist anymore." The missing-nin said desperately, eyes travelling to the finger placed against his forehead.

"You sure?" Menma pressed, his hand beginning to heat up with concentrated chakra.

"Yes, yes I'm sure."

"Funny thing really, I don't seem to believe you." Menma allowed the chakra in his hand to increase.

"Alright, alright! There's a rumour, not a very well-known one and it isn't even believed by most but it's all I have! They say that Uzumaki was spotted in Suna, on one of the rooftops that overlook the chunin exam stadium." The missing nin spat out quickly, frightful eyes on the finger currently burning through his prized unibrow.

"See, now that wasn't so hard." Menma smiled at the missing-nin and dropped his hand.

"Suna? Why there and why now of all times. Nothing about him for four years and then bam Suna?" Sakura muttered.

"It's not a first-hand account so it's only as reliable as his source was, and judging from the desperation that other Shinobi had, desperation to bring down Team 7, it's probably not very reliable at all. It doesn't even make sense." Menma offered.

"Actually, Suna makes perfect sense to me." Sasuke replied, letting go of the missing-nin who quickly disappeared from the room.

"Oh, how so?" Menma prompted. Inwardly, he was starting to get a little angry.

"Naruto had a strange bond with both Gaara and Konohamaru. The kid's first chunin exam would draw him out, if nothing else." Sasuke muttered.

"I see. Good point Sasuke." Kakashi said snapping his book shut. "I do believe it's time for bed though." And then the jonin was standing and walking to the stairs. Sasuke and Sakura followed without a word. Menma didn't and they didn't look back.

"Like good little sheep." Menma murmured, catching the interest of the kunoichi sitting at the table next to him.

"You do not like them, do you?" she asked carefully, wary of upsetting him.

"Not at all. They have far too many secrets." Menma replied darkly.

"So do you, Menma. So do you." Isaribi reminded chidingly.

"Ah but mine I do not try to hide. They know I have them and they do not press the issue. They, on the other hand have been exchanging statements the whole way here, not saying a single word. One thing I noticed was that they're not done with that other Shinobi. I'm not entirely sure what more they can learn from him but they're going to try. I hope for his sake that he high tailed it out of here but even then something tells me that he wouldn't be able to get out of here fast enough." Menma muttered.

"I think it's admirable that they go to such lengths to find their teammate . . . You know they have a reputation for it. It's not very well known but it is whispered about. They would do almost anything to find Uzumaki, so long as it didn't mean betraying the Leaf." Isaribi stated distantly, her eyes glazed over as she thought it over.

She did not know that Menma was in fact Naruto. She thought that what Menma was doing was nothing more than a mission for the Kage side of his life, only one that would require a little more of a personal touch.

"I think that they're headed down a path they cannot return from." Menma muttered thinking of his own dark wanderings.

"Maybe so, but that's their choice." Isaribi stated quietly. "Well, Shi and I are heading out to complete the Kage assigned missions in Kiri. I imagine the others are completing the missions in their own sectors. Even being dead, your missions still get done." Isaribi informed him. "Everything will be in order when you rise from the grave." Menma had been forced to call in a lot of favours to make sure his work still got done. He wasn't planning to play dead to the world forever and as such he'd had to use all his favour credits to get other ninja that owed him one to do his jobs for him. It was rather annoying but it couldn't be helped.

"That might be a while. This is taking longer than I thought. The Akatsuki seem to be taking their time." Menma muttered, his frustration at this fact starting to show in his eyes. "I should leave before they come looking for me."

"Don't get caught." Isaribi called after him as he left, their entire conversation having been hidden by a genjutsu she had cast and he had allowed himself to be caught in. To the outside world he'd been continuing with normal functions, ordering some sake and casually sipping it, sending challenging glares to any of the Shinobi in the room that dared to openly stare at him. He imagined that as the new member of Team 7 he was instantly less popular in the inn. Too bad he never cared much for popularity contests, or this would just break his little teenaged heart.


Actual time, Konoha ANBU T&I

Kakashi looked up as the door opened. Inoichi walked in with the fully complied report of what Ino had seen in his hand. He handed the report to Kakashi who took it without a word and began flipping through it.

"How're your plans coming?" Inoichi inquired grimly.

"Surprisingly productive for something I only have a half assed idea about. Jiraiya knows a lot more about this stuff then what he lets on." Kakashi replied more interested in the report than answering the question.

There was a moment of silence, a silence in which Kakashi could sense Inoichi working up the courage to ask a question. "Kakashi?"

"Hmmm?"

"Are you sure about this? I mean, you know what it's like to be indebted to another Shinobi. Perhaps he only did it because of that." Inoichi began.

"No. I don't think Menma is the type of Shinobi to allow himself to be hindered by such things. If he truly wanted to do something, I believe he'd find a way to do it, no matter the circumstances." Kakashi replied after thinking it over for a moment.

"Alright." Inoichi sighed deeply, wearily. "I just hate to imagine how all this is going to end. It can't end well, that's for sure."

"What, no trust in Konoha's ability to keep a prisoner incapacitated?" Kakashi half teased, but it was so half hearted that it could rarely be called that, if at all.

"It's not that, it's more like I just can't shake the feeling that we're playing right into his hands. He's more dangerous than we've estimated and that report is probably exactly what he wants it to look like. He knows Konoha, her weaknesses and her strengths. He knows what to expect from us." Inoichi warned, giving Kakashi a weary look that wasn't directed at the jonin but more for the situation they were in.

"I don't plan on letting him get loose." Kakashi stated with a conviction that was hard to ignore.

"Neither do I." Inoichi nodded to himself, "That being said, tell me something, how does the Uchiha's genjutsu work? I'm still a little confused."

"Hmmm, let's see. Think of a blank piece of paper, right? Now imagine that page beginning to fill up with a list of things, daily activities and such that are, in metaphorical terms, memories. You following me?" Kakashi began.

"Yeah. I'm not that dumb Hatake." Inoichi deadpanned.

"You asked." Kakashi grumbled before continuing with his explanation. "Now this list is numbered, starting from one and moving higher to whatever number you want. Sasuke's genjutsu is like taking that paper and folding it so that a certain number of memories are now underneath and upside down. Get it?"

"Hang on, I need a visual here." Inoichi muttered picking up a blank piece of paper and writing down a list of numbers on the one side.

Kakashi took the page and folded it so that the last ten numbers were no longer visible before placing the paper flat on the table he was currently working at. "Let's say for the purpose of the example that the numbers here represent whole days." Kakashi began again. On the page itself there had been twenty numbers, of which only ten were now showing. "Like the paper, you can't take away from the list without the paper physically getting shorter. As such it's like the memories rewind themselves, making the mind think they never happened, yet, like the paper they're not gone, just underneath." Kakashi turned the page over so that the last ten numbers were visible, yet upside down. "Sasuke's genjutsu's entire aim is to disorientate his victim, like the numbers here are upside down and if read from top to bottom, starts with the last and highest number and decreases to the lowest number."

"Well that all seems kind of pointless. Simply unfold the paper and the memories are no longer disoriented." Inoichi frowned.

"You're forgetting the fact that Sasuke is an Uchiha. Sasuke, the sadistic bastard that he is, takes those folded underneath memories and completely shreds them into individual pieces. He can then choose what he wants to show you of your own memories. He doesn't change them in any way whatsoever, but rather the order in which you remember them. Metaphorically, he rearranges the order of the numbers." Kakashi said taking a kunai and carefully slicing through the page as he spoke.

"So he starts off the genjutsu with actual memories, a starting point before introducing the confused ones." Inoichi mused out loud.

"No, you misunderstand. ALL of the things he uses in the genjutsu are real memories. Not a single thing is fabricated, which is what makes it so effective. You can't find a lie or deception where there is none and you won't recognise the genjutsu because your mind doesn't see one, only your memories. The only drawback is that he cannot access the mind's memory banks. He isn't a Yamanaka. Yet give it a year or two and I bet he'll be able to do that as well. At the current moment he can work with the memories he himself is featured in." Kakashi corrected.

"So what went wrong with Menma?" Inoichi asked while nodding his understanding.

"Menma's mind, for some unknown reason, could not accept his own memories. It's as though he cannot fathom the possibility of whatever happened on the 'number' his mind rejected the genjutsu on. Sasuke said he hadn't even gotten to the 'shredded' memories yet."

"Which means, he rejected his own memories." Inoichi muttered. "At the moment, his mind is probably repairing itself, reorganizing what Sasuke interfered with. Sasuke puts the memories back the way they were when he's done, correct?"

"Yes. Most times." Kakashi replied looking away. Changing the subject he picked up the report once again and gestured to a statement. "This part in your report, about his sectioned mind aiding him in being able to resist torture methods, does it apply to what I have in mind as well?"

"No. What you have in mind will trap the persona that's in charge so that he cannot change to another, forcing him to a breaking point depending on the will of the persona in charge where before whenever the torture got too much he'd simply change to someone else, a fresher person if you will so that it's the equivalent of you and Ibiki starting all over again. Sometimes, when he was completely unresponsive to anything and everything he was probably so deep within his own mind that he couldn't even hear you or feel the pain you inflicted upon him." It was Inoichi's turn to explain and Kakashi was both relieved and dismayed to learn that this had a good possibility of working. According to the report, they wanted the Menma persona in charge since he was more likely to sway over to Konoha.

"How much longer do you think you'll be? He's been sorting out his memories for a while now. He can't be too much longer." Inoichi asked.

"Jiraiya has gone to check a few things so I can't give you any estimates. You know what that sannin is like sometimes." Kakashi muttered, his gaze travelling to the viewing window where he could see Menma strapped to the rack, his chakra slowly being drained from him. With his eyes closed and his expression blank Kakashi could almost see the teammate he'd grown to see the boy as, yet his betrayal was still too fresh to ignore.


Menma's memories.

The mission had gone smoothly enough and their teamwork was actually surprisingly co-ordinated. Menma felt like he was falling into old habits once again and realised that he and Sasuke had always had an instinctive teamwork, no matter how much they bickered while at home.

He had been right about Team 7 interrogating that other Shinobi for more information. They'd slipped away in the dead of the night, Menma not even bothering to follow from the room he had taken the liberty of renting himself. He'd done it for the sole purpose of seeing just what Team 7 would do when they didn't have to worry about him and what they'd done was actually appalling by Konoha standards.

There was no longer a missing nin from Kiri who specialised in providing information. He wasn't dead, he just wasn't very coherent either and probably never would be ever again.

Still, what Isaribi had said was starting to play on his mind.

"I think it's admirable that they go to such lengths to find their teammate . . ."

They were still looking and their methods were bordering on desperation. He'd heard about it and it had been a large factor in his decision to act against the Akatsuki now and pretend to be dead. He was quite content to just leave the Akatsuki to attack Konoha in search of Naruto. Or so he'd thought.

A part of him positively squirmed at the thought. He was starting to like it less and less. Yet he could not squash it.

No matter how hard he tried not to, he still cared for the Leaf and was greatly loyal to it. He never accepted a mission that disadvantaged the Leaf in any way, and whenever a Leaf Shinobi was in danger he'd always helped out even if they never knew it. There was only one team he avoided like the plague and never lifted a finger to help, save that one time because it was crucial to his plan and that was with the ambush that Team Ebisu had stumbled upon.

As they walked back through the gates of Konoha, the two chunin on guard duty waved cheerfully, welcoming them back as though they were precious and perhaps they were. Menma was even surprised when he was also included into this cheery greeting, feeling completely awkward. He didn't know what to do with the light airy and friendly conversation so he muttered out an excuse of needing some more sealing scrolls before scurrying off to find the Ninja supply shop.

As he walked away he'd felt Sasuke's eyes bore into him the whole way but the gaze hadn't really been threatening, just there. Kind of like an interesting puzzle that you were curious about but only curious and nothing more.

The little bell above the door tinkled as he walked in and Menma mentally cringed at the annoyance that little bell must be on a rather busy day. How it hadn't been destroyed yet would remain a mystery. Humming to himself as he browsed the little shop, Menma saw that it had the pretty standard stuff but it specialised in the sealing equipment which was what Menma was here for. His excuse had really been quite truthful.

"Oh, hello again."

Menma turned to see the artist Shinobi from before smiling at him. In his hand was a bottle of ninja ink. Did he incorporate his art into his ninjutsu or did he create his own seals? Menma didn't think it was the latter since most Shinobi didn't study the Sealing Arts any more.

"Sai, was it?" Menma replied, knowing full well that this was indeed Sai.

"Yes, and I believe you are Menma." Sai's smile widened but it didn't get any more reassuring. The opposite in fact.

"Don't suppose you know where the Sealing scrolls are?" Menma asked.

"I believe they are over there. I was in here for ink and I do not think they keep them in the same place." Sai supplied attempting to look apologetic but failing rather miserably.

Menma looked to where Sai had gestured and grabbed three completely empty scrolls. There were ones with pre-made seals on them but those weren't very practical. Not in Menma's opinion anyway since they were very generic. Anyone could use them and hence anyone could get into them. He then grabbed a bottle of ninja ink and walked over to the counter to pay for it.

"Nice wallet." Sai smiled, (Which was really starting to annoy Menma) as he spied the green frog that served as keeper of Menma's money.

"You don't have a thing against frogs do you?" Menma deadpanned.

"No, no. Not at all. They are just not my first choice." Sai stated quickly.

Menma noted a book in Sai's pocket. It seemed to be a basic guide to making friends or something like that. How odd. What was this guy? A social recluse? A relative caveman? An interaction vegetable?

Menma just raised an eyebrow before exiting the shop, Sai doggedly following him. "I am going to that ramen stand after this. Would you like to join me?" Sai offered.

"Are you paying?" Menma asked blandly.

Sai seemed to pause at this, but he was quick to respond.

"Sure, why not." Sai's grin was really, really getting annoying.

"Do you consider it a date?" Menma asked, just as blandly as before.

"Not at all, merely a friendly outing." Sai responded, the smile melting off his features at the implied question of his sexuality.

"Alright then, I accept your offer. And it's Ichiraku's to you, got it?" Menma changed his entire demeanour to super friendly, and then to near demonic, throwing Sai a little or a lot off balance. Though he didn't show it, pale robot that he was.

"So, what kind of ninjutsu do you use? I use scrolls and ninja ink but I am sure you have guessed as much already." Sai stated, walking towards the ramen stand as he spoke.

"So is that Yin or Yang? I'm going to go with Yin, but I've been wrong before." Menma muttered to himself trying to fit Sai's ninjutsu into a category. "Uh, I use Change in nature type jutsus mostly." Menma added in a louder tone, answering Sai's rather personal but reasonable question.

"Really? That is more advanced than what I would assume one your age to be utilizing. What affinity do you have?" Sai probed further.

"I can use all the elements." Menma replied vaguely, not wanting to tell Sai anything but he'd offered ramen. Anyone who liked ramen had to be alright, right? Right. Team 7 didn't like ramen so that had to be a good indicator of how much fun they were. Sasuke liked sushi. Point made.

"I have never heard of anyone who can use all the elements. They say it is impossible." Sai muttered, slightly awed by the alleged skill of his ramen loving companion.

"It's not easy, that's for sure. It's probably not smart either since some techniques take more chakra than what they're worth but it's not impossible if you have the right amount of chakra and even more fool determination." Menma shrugged.

They sat down at the stand and ordered their respective meals.

"So where did you learn? I was bought up in the Foundation." Sai asked, and for once his curiosity didn't appear to be faked.

"Originally, right here in Konoha. Then I just travelled around, learning what I could, where I could." Menma replied thoughtfully, deciding to oblige the other Shinobi. It wasn't like he was planning on staying here forever.

"Do other nations teach outsiders?"

"Not really." Menma's tone grew darker as he reflected on some of the challenges he'd had to face when it came to learning new things. Finding a willing Shinobi to teach you something when you yourself weren't from anywhere in particular wasn't only hard, it was a damn nightmare.

Their ramen came then and Menma happily shut up so that he could put his mouth to better use. Ah, how he'd missed this. Nothing should've ever come between him and his ramen.

Menma slurped down the noodles so fast he was in danger of choking but he'd had practise and was in blissed out delight as he ate the food he'd sorely missed. It was almost worth coming back to Konoha for. Almost.

Sai just watched in amazement as Menma ate, eating his own food at a much slower pace. He couldn't say he knew what all the fuss was about, but he couldn't deny that this rather unhealthy choice in food was delicious.

Glancing sideways at Menma, Sai had to conclude that there was an atmosphere that surrounded him, something that just screamed power. Menma wasn't a Shinobi to be taken lightly, especially if he was able to use all five elements and who knew what else. There was a good chance he knew fuinjutsu if the supplies he bought were any indication, and those kinds of Shinobi were always unpredictable. If they knew what they were doing they were a formidable foe in battle.

"Hey Old man, can I have another bowl please?" Menma asked, placing his empty one to the side. Sai was very pointedly not looking at Menma's face even if Menma still had it covered.

"So you have learnt from all over." Sai summarised.

"Pretty much." Menma shrugged. He'd learnt from everywhere and nowhere, particularly in the ruins of Uzu. The Uzumaki ruins were very useful, and it wasn't stealing if he was an Uzumaki himself now was it.

When he'd first started learning about sealing it had been as though his mind had been cleared for the very first time. He didn't stare at the scribbles in confusion, wishing he had someone to explain it to him, he simply understood. He felt, in a rather corny way, born to do the sealing arts. Now when one thought about the clans and how they used specific jutsus, such as the shadow jutsus for the Nara and the mind jutsus for the Yamanaka, well then it wasn't all the corny to think that as an Uzumaki he'd be born to do sealing. They were known for it and as such they had been destroyed because of it. A great loss for the growth of fuinjutsu. Many of their records had also been destroyed, but thankfully not all of them. It was a waste in Menma's opinion.

"If you're in the Foundation, why aren't you in an ANBU mask?" Menma asked suddenly.

"Not all of the Foundation members end up in ANBU." Sai replied, and then thought to himself, 'Some of them end up on spy missions.'

"Ah well, who can really know these things? You guys are all so secretive." Menma shrugged with a grin, restraining himself from asking for another bowl and feeling like a traitor as he did so. May the ramen gods forgive him.

"You are extremely secretive yourself you know." Sai reminded, still working on his first bowl. "But I would rather not bother discussing that. A ninja is entitled to their secrets, are they not? Perhaps we could talk about Team 7? Are you adjusting well?"

Smooth. Those friendship books must be paying off. Menma smirked before looking away, to hide the darkening of his eyes.

"They're okay."

"Just okay?" Sai asked, his tone sounding like he was trying for concern but not quite managing to hide the dead emotionlessness.

"Yeah. They're more close knit than most teams. They don't really need a fourth member, and even if they wanted one there's really only one Shinobi they'd accept. So me being me, as powerful or as skilled as I might be or ever get, I don't think it would ever be enough. Not in spirit anyway. I'm just not the ninja they want so desperately." Menma explained.

"I see." Sai's tone said the exact opposite of that. He didn't understand why anyone would shun a teammate just because he wasn't the friend that they wanted. If a Shinobi was skilled enough to be on the mission, then Sai was happy, in a mission sense. His conditioning prevented him knowing happy if it walked up and gave him a mission for the good of the village.

"You know, I always heard that Sasuke was really into revenge and all that, but he doesn't seem as hell bent on it as I would have thought." Menma was going to try and learn something through this odd Shinobi. After all, half the reason he was here was to antagonise Sasuke into going after his brother again. The whole game was pointless without Sasuke's involvement.

"After Uzumaki left Sasuke focused his attention on that instead. They say it was like the Uchiha woke up from a daze, suddenly realising that he didn't need to hunt down his brother to avenge a fallen family if he had one right here in Konoha." Sai explained in a tone that was better suited for giving a report, and for all Menma knew Sai had read the very answer in a report of some sort.

There was only so much he could take of the emotion faking ninja. The fake smiles with the not so subtle questions that were intended to learn more about him were driving him to the point where he was going to snap. So instead, he pulled out his wallet and paid for his ramen, even though he'd asked Sai if it was his treat.

"Sorry to rush off but I do have things to do." Menma smiled at the seated Shinobi before him before waving to the ramen owners, trying not to do something remotely Naruto like since they'd definitely notice.

Before Sai could return the farewell Menma was walking away. Sai was an interesting Shinobi, if not a little annoying. Menma wasn't fooled by him, as he knew Sai was there as a spy and a poor one at that. Members from the Foundation were good for only two kinds of missions, killing and non-interaction Intel gathering. Not close and personal. They simply could not replicate personality no matter how many books they read.

He wondered if Sai knew who he really was, if the other ninja had been told or if he'd been left in the dark amongst the roots. He got the feeling that Sai was smart enough to figure it out all on his own, whether he'd been told or not. He just needed time to grow into a true person, and someone to dedicate the time to prune any unsavoury habits that could sprout up. Too bad Menma only had a passing interest at best.

Menma frowned as he realised just where he'd unconsciously walked towards. Looking around he realised that it was awfully close to his old apartment. Looking up at the tall, dilapidated building in the distance Menma couldn't help the shiver. Looking upon the outside really did the inside no justice. Inside the red building his little apartment was actually quite nice. Well the apartment that used to be his.

A flash of pink made him look to the building across from his old apartment. Narrowing his eyes in confusion he jumped up onto the roof tops and silently approached the pink haired kunoichi of Team 7.

"Sakura." He greeted right next to her and right behind her making her jump a mile. Only her training kept her from shrieking.

"Oh, Menma, it's you." Sakura breathed turning to face him. "For a moment there . . . . . . I'd thought's you'd sounded like someone else but I guess I was wrong."

Menma shifted slightly before turning to look at the red building that was actually pretty visible from here. In fact Menma could see right through the window of his old apartment. What he saw made him frown in utter bewilderment.

"Is that Sasuke?" Menma asked, looking at Sakura again.

Her gaze was distant and dejected as she watched the Uchiha. "Yes. It's Naruto's apartment, or rather it was. Every time someone tries to go in there to clean the place up Sasuke gets really angry. Eventually he just placed so many seals and chakra wards around it that he's the only one that can get in. He goes there every time he thinks he's failed. He sits there, completely silent and unmoving. I think he tries to see what N-Naruto saw, to see the reasons why he would leave." Sakura explained, her tone soft and almost hoarse. "He misses the teammate, the friend he'd formed a bond with after thinking he'd never have that again because of his older brother."

He is the reason I left . . .

Menma frowned as he watched Sasuke, simply standing in the middle of the chaotic room. It looked like nothing had been touched since he'd left it, not a single thing appeared to have been moved. How odd. Stretching out his senses, Menma concluded that all the wards and seals were currently inactive so it safe to go in there. Made sense since the Uchiha was already in.

Before Sakura could stop him Menma jumped onto the balcony that lead to his old room and hopped through the window, landing with a practised ease on the wooden floor. Sasuke stiffened, but otherwise didn't react.

Menma glanced around at the objects he'd pulled out of place to judge whether he wanted them anymore or not. The things he'd clung to were sad really, and spoke of a life without companionship.

"What is this place?" Menma asked, deciding to play dumb.

"Don't touch anything." Sasuke said tonelessly instead of answering.

Menma stared at the back of the Uchiha's head for a moment before he looked at the objects once again. "As a Shinobi I can analyse this room. I'm sure you could too but something is preventing you from finding the answer you seek. Perhaps I can help you with that. The problem appears personal."

Sasuke didn't say anything but his head did twitch in Menma's direction, so he took that as consent.

"The posters everywhere indicate a rather unhealthy obsession with all things ramen related."

Menma began, eyes closing rather than looking at the objects that were once a part of the centre of his little world. "The possessions are few in number, well used yet well looked after, which indicates that this person did not have wealth. Their childishness and sometimes uselessness tells me that they were rather lonely, perhaps starved for attention. Either that or really sentimental, but the lack of pictures aside from three tells me it's the first. The pictures tell me who his precious people are, Iruka Umino, Sandaime Hokage, and his team mates. The way he treats his objects, taking good care of everything even if it appears useless, tells me that he would treat those close to him with the same care and love."

"Then why did he leave?"

Menma opened his eyes to stare at the blank black of the Uchiha's. "Well, the fact that everything is not in its place, yet still in a somewhat order means he chose to leave. Something about this life," Menma gestured to the room around them, "Left him damaged enough to consider whether or not it was worth staying for. Apparently not. Considering the almost childlike clinginess that he has for simple objects, I'd say that it was his precious people that hurt him. But that's just my point of view." Menma shrugged, looking away from the Uchiha.

Sasuke stared at him silently once more and Menma waited, not prepared to say anymore. Sasuke would talk when he was ready and that confused Menma. Why was he waiting for the Uchiha to say something at all? Why was he standing in this room, trying to help the Uchiha find the answer to a question Menma already knew the answer to?

"Help me." Sasuke stated suddenly. "You, as the Kage, can do things that I, as the Uchiha of the Leaf, cannot. So . . . please, I feel like I'm running out of time. Help me find him?" For once Sasuke's voice showed an emotion so deep that it was unbelievably that it actually came from the Uchiha at all. Menma was too unfamiliar with the sight to actually identify the emotion before it was quickly reined in and placed once again under the blank mask.

Help me find him . . . . . .


Standing by the memorial stone, Menma was at a loss. He didn't know what to do anymore. All his plans were in disarray. All his thoughts were whirling around in his mind, constantly replying all that he'd learnt since coming back. Was life never fair to him?

Why couldn't they just treat him like that had when he'd been Naruto? It would make things so much easier. Instead, he got something far more unexpected.

Was it because he had power? Did they want something from him? A new jutsu perhaps. Or maybe they wanted him to do a mission for them. It was hard to tell. If they knew who he really was, they wouldn't be half as eager. His genin days were proof enough.

Stretching out a hand, Menma brushed his fingers across the name of the former Hokage. "Things were so much simpler when you were here, Old man."

"Menma?"

Said ninja dropped his hand and turned around to see Kakashi, hands in his pockets and visible eye staring at him with a concern that was both confusing and annoying.

"You look troubled. You know, if you need to talk, I'll listen. I know we haven't been on the same team for a long time. In fact it's only been a few days, but if you need me, I'll be there. After all, we're comrades now, allies in a fight against a greater enemy." Kakashi stated, his tone serious and his gaze showing alertness for once rather than lazy indifference.

If you need me, I'll be there . . . . . .


The sand was more of a reminder of his purpose here, than seeing Sasuke's face. The sand was a reminder that he had someone in the world that he could trust, someone who accepted him and knew everything about him.

Gaara, if only you could see me now.

Menma picked up the scroll that contained the handful or so of chakra charged sand. He was sitting on the roof of the Uchiha house he was currently staying in. Sasuke was inside, doing who the hell knew what but Menma had seen him enter a room that was filled with information. Menma wasn't bothered enough to read the information. What Sasuke did in his free time was not Menma's problem.

Menma poured the sand into his hand and concentrated his own chakra into the golden grains. This was Gaara's special sand, the lighter faster kind. Raising his hand Menma tossed the sand into the air, watching it scatter before freezing and zooming into something new.

Are you still going to do it, after returning and seeing Konoha and her people again?

Menma focused on the chakra he'd placed into the sand and forced the grains to rearrange themselves into a new message. This phrase was perhaps the most truthful phrase he'd spoken in a long time, and it adequately summed up everything he both felt and thought at the moment. But just because it was adequate, did not mean that it was helpful.

I don't know, I don't know anything anymore.

Letting out a sharp whistle, he waited a few minutes before a messenger hawk land next to him, staring with a slightly cocked head. Then, he directed the sand back to the scroll and attached it to the back of the bird who nipped his finger affectionately before flying back to Suna. Perhaps he'd misjudged his team. Perhaps in his nativity he'd missed the truth and seen only what he'd wanted to see. Perhaps it had all been a misunderstanding.

"Menma."

Looking down at the ground Menma saw Sasuke watching him. The setting sun made the Uchiha look further clouded in shadows. Sasuke held up a scroll, a summons scroll. Why would Tsunade send something like that?

Thinking back to Team 7's extra-curricular actives while out on missions, Menma had to conclude that they were about to be in a lot of trouble. However, there was always a chance that Tsunade knew what they were doing simply because they told her about it.


As they walked into the office Tsunade handed Kakashi the report from their mission. "Read it. Pass it along." Tsunade stated in a clipped tone. "I want all of you to read it."

By the time Menma got the report he'd been expecting it to be covering with profanities, insufficiencies, impossibilities and some other unmentionables. Yet, there appeared to be nothing wrong with it. In fact it was perfect aside from the omitted torture session of the missing nin from Kiri.

Menma turning it over this way and that, even searching it for traces of chakra to see if perhaps there was a prank attached to it. After his brief but thorough search, Menma was forced to conclude that, if anything, the report was too perfect.

"See anything wrong with it?" Tsunade asked, her tone bordering on rage but still managing to sound coldly polite.

Not a single word was spoken because it was one of those situations where you're damned if you do and damned if you don't. Menma could sense the rising tension as well as the strengthening resolve from Team 7. They weren't going to apologise no matter what happened.

"How long?!" The dam had broken and Tsunade's voice cracked through the air like a whip. Not a single one of them flinched, even if they felt very much like they should.

"How long were you planning to do this? How long have you BEEN doing this? AND FOR GOD'S SAKE HOW LONG WERE YOU PLANNING ON NOT TELLING ME!"

*Crack!*

The desk was cleaved in two as each word had been emphasised with a pounding of clenched fists on the desk.

Again, no one said a word. Hell, they didn't even appear to be breathing.

"Menma! Do you agree with the report?!" Tsunade snapped at him.

Menma looked straight back at her, his chestnut eyes hardening with a newfound resolve he wasn't even fully sure of . . . but he had it so he was going to go for it. Whatever happened next, he'd handle it, they'd handle it . . . as a team.

"Yes. I agree with it one hundred percent." Menma's tone was calm, quiet, contrasting Tsunade's next action.

*Crash!*

There went the large heavy chair. Straight out the window. Sandaime must be rolling in his grave. Menma resisted the urge to sweat drop when he heard an anguished cry from the streets below. Probably Kotetsu, unlucky bastard that he is.

"How could you have been so reckless!? This isn't the way of the Leaf! You'll NEVER comprehend just how disappointed I am in ALL of you. And MOSTLY, it's because you felt that you couldn't trust me enough to come to me. You're not the only ones who want to find Naruto!" Tsunade was beyond enraged now and it was a good thing there weren't all that many things in the room to throw. "I feel utterly insulted that you felt you needed to LIE to me. How could you not have thought that Menma would be watched, even on missions! He's a GOD FORSAKEN missing-nin! They're not just welcomed back with open arms until we're certain we can trust them!"

Not a word was spoken in defence of themselves or said nin. Neither Kakashi, nor Sasuke even try to dispute what Tsunade was saying and Menma believed that this was their way of showing their guilt.

Tsunade broke off with a glare. It was clear to them that there was more that she felt she could've said but she was holding herself back in case there were things said that were not meant, and could not be repaired.

"Your punishment will be given after the impending mission with Gaara and the Akatsuki. Get out of my sight!" Tsunade waved a hand at the door and the four of them turned, walking slowly and silently to the door.

"Oh, one last thing. Sakura, as my student, a medical protégé, your teammate's actions should have appalled you. You should not have helped them by sharing medical knowhow with them for such purposes." Menma watched as Sakura's posture seemed to droop at the words, yet she remained strong.

"Kakashi, as the top Jonin and perhaps even top ANBU Shinobi, you should've known better. You, out of everyone in this room, should know – exactly – what a ruined reputation can do to a person." Tsunade didn't need that monster strength of hers to ruthlessly cut down anything in her way. Her words cut just as deep.

"It was worth it for Naruto." Sakura suddenly cut in, her voice shaky and weak, yet she quickly closed her mouth when Tsunade glared at her.

Tsunade then turned her attention to the Uchiha, who wasn't facing anyone in the room, his gaze narrowed in steely resolve coupled with a tight lipped control. Everything in the room was utterly silent as they waited for Tsunade to speak to the Uchiha. Even he seemed to be holding his breath.

"As my number one consideration for the position of the Sixth Hokage . . . you should be the most ashamed and disgusted with your actions. Your focus is on the wrong things in life Sasuke, and with just a little more guidance, you can make a great Hokage . . . if only you weren't so bent on revenge."

Ah, there it was. The whole reason he was here, the whole reason he was who he was.

There was no outward reaction to the words that were slashing up his earlier resolve and oddly comradeship he'd developed with Team 7. There wasn't even a grimace or a fluttering eyelid. No, he was too good for that. Menma was not his persona right now.

The chestnut eyes darkened into a brown that wasn't quite dark enough to be considered almost black. Nin was taking over while Menma went to sort through the emotional turmoil that he'd experienced. He'd forgotten why they were here and now Nin had to clean up the mess.

The plan, just stick to the plan no matter what.


Nin POV

Nin was the first one out the door, walking calmly and completely without emotion on any feature of his face that was visible. He imagined that Menma would have stopped outside the Hokage tower, reached into his weapons' pouch for the pack of cigarettes he'd fallen into a bad habit of using before pulling one out and shakily raising it to his lips after having yanked down his mask. Then he would've lit it with chakra infused finger tips and taken a long drag, holding in the smoke just that little bit longer to try and make the feelings go away as he leaned his head back and gazed with unseeing eyes at the growing number of stars in the sky.

Nin did not reach for the cigarettes that he knew where just to the left of the kunai. He did not stop to look at the sky. He did not fall apart as his world twirled with a hurricane's grace around him.

Instead he went to the Shinobi bar on the corner of the busiest street in Konoha and ordered three cups of sake. Bars had become popular in Konoha since Tsunade became Hokage and Nin wrinkled his nose in disgust. There had been fewer than three when Sarutobi had been in charge. Alcohol and chakra never mixed well.

His surprise quickly grew to irritation when he sensed Team 7 tagging along behind him, their chakra inwardly turbulent, but their outward manner reserved and silent.

His drinks were placed in front of him and Nin raised the first one to suddenly exposed lips and downed the whole thing in one gulp, the other two quick to follow.

"Hey. I know that Team 7 can be a drag, but they're not that bad."

Nin looked to the voice, noting a surprised looking Shikamaru. Nin ignored him, going back to his self-appointed mission of getting as drunk as he possibly could in as little time as possible.

"Are you even old enough to drink?" Sakura asked, sitting down on the chair next to Nin who snorted but didn't say anything in favour of downing another three cups of sake. Mentally he was keeping count but he didn't think that anyone in the bar thought he was. He knew that he had a rather high tolerance for alcohol and it would take about twenty to get him adequately trashed.

Sasuke sat down on Nin's other side, ordering a drink of his own. By now Shikamaru had gone back to his table, completely baffled by Team 7's behaviour. His teammates, Ino and Choji, were just as confused, looking to Asuma for answers who simply shook his head silently telling them that this was not the time nor the place.

As Nin raised his seventh cup Kakashi placed a hand over the top and gently pushed the cup back down. Nin squeezed his eyes shut, biting back the angry reaction. "You shouldn't beat yourself up after only one reprimand." Kakashi stated quietly. "But, I had no idea that you felt so strongly about Team 7."

Nin considered snapping out a reply but ignored the jonin instead. He knocked the other's hand away so that he could drink the sake. He heard Kakashi sigh wearily before sitting down next to Sasuke.

A hand suddenly clapped Nin's shoulder and the grumpy Shinobi tensed, forcing himself not to lash out at the Jonin that grinned at him. "So you're Team 7's new member. Heck if you're alright with them, then you're alright with me."

Genma Shiranui. Proctor of the third round in the chunin exams. Simple facts with no emotional connection at all. Just the way he liked it.

Behind Genma were the chunin duo Izumo and Kotetsu, the later nursing a large bump. They looked around Genma and waved with equal looks of happy enthusiasm, though one could just be concussed. Nin scowled under his mask before shrugging the hand off his shoulder and signalling for another cup of sake. His eighth.

"Have a bad day kid?" Kurenai. Leader of Team 8. The sake cup in Nin's hand cracked and he forced his grip to loosen.

"Menma? Is everything alright? You're not usually this quiet." Sakura frowned moving to put a hand on his shoulder but he smacked it away with a mumbled "I'm fine."

"Ha! You're about as good at lying as Shino is." Kiba interrupted quickly shutting up when the sake cup exploded into a shower of shards. Nin shook his hand of the remaining bits of the cup, not trusting himself to pick up another one.

"Menma, you do remember our conversation from earlier right?" Kakashi had at some point taken out his Icha Icha book, but had now lowered it so that he could look at Nin with concern. Concern. God he wanted to puke.

With Tsunade's earlier statement everything had come crashing back to him. Why the hell had he allowed himself to get so caught up again?

Closing his eyes Nin tried his best to ignore the people around him, each one directing looks of concern and sadness in Team 7's direction. It was as though half of them knew what had happened in the Hokage's office and who could blame them really? A few clapped Kakashi on the shoulder in a silent gesture of support, some even being brave enough to do it to him as well.

After the fifth person and the twelfth sake cup, Nin snapped.

Moving faster than what could actually be seen Nin grabbed Kakashi's jonin jacket and slammed said jonin against the wall. "It's all a fucking lie!"

"Menma, I need you to calm down." Kakashi stated in a reasonable tone that made Nin even angrier.

"Why do you let them believe it? Why?" on the second 'why' Nin pulled Kakashi forward before slamming him backwards again, not even hearing or noticing the crack as Kakashi's head slammed painfully into the wooden surface. "They're all so concerned and comforting and – and – fucking nauseatingly sweet!"

"Menma, please clam down." Kakashi tried again, his own hands remaining limp at his sides.

A killing intent like nothing he'd ever felt before seeped through the bar, all of it coming from the Shinobi in front of him. "When do the lies and confusion end?" Nin breathed quietly.

Kakashi knew that there was something else bothering the boy. His reactions were far too extreme for it to be just the meeting with the Hokage.

"Who says that all of this is a lie? We are comrades, we are teammates. So, who says it's all a lie?" Kakashi asked, staring at Nin's exposed features so that he could at least try and figure out what was going on in his head.

Nin's rage increased before he yelled "You don't even KNOW ME!"

"Whose fault is that?" Kakashi replied, shocking Nin into dropping Kakashi, who landed lightly on his feet, gaze pinned to Nin.

With a snarl Nin stormed towards the door but Kakashi stoped him by grabbing his shoulder. "The last time I let an angry teammate walk away from me, he never came back." Kakashi's tone was strained as though he didn't want to talk about this. "And I've been talking to Sakura and Sasuke. We want you to stay, when the mission's over. If you want, that is."

"You don't know me." Nin stated quietly before shrugging away from Kakashi's hold and going to the door only to be stopped by an approaching shadow clone. He watched as the clone held out a scroll and he took it before the clone popped out of existence. It was the same scroll he'd sent back to Suna, or at least the same type. Unravelling the scroll and putting chakra into it, a small pile of sand appeared in the middle of the parchment.

Pouring the sand into his palm, Nin held his breath as he charged the particles with his own chakra. Was this it? He flicked his wrist and watched the sand fall through the air before stopping and rearranging into two words.

They're here.

"The Akatsuki have made their move. Time to move out." Nin walked out of the bar after stating as much over his shoulder to the members of Team 7.

"Sasuke, Sakura. You better be ready for this one. The Akatsuki aren't pushovers." Kakashi stated firmly, "So for this mission, if I tell you to do something, you do it. Understood?" They nodded once.

"Wait! You're going to go fight the Akatsuki?" Asuma asked, his voice betraying his alarm at this fact.

"It's the whole reason why Menma is on our team." Kakashi replied. "We'll be fine."


Answering those reviews

jayley: The didn't question Iruka before because all they had were suspicions and theories. It's not like they actually WANT to question the Academy sensei. So they waited for something a little more concrete to go on and they'd never truly hurt him. As for the personalities, they do have a purpose and I'll explain how and why they were created as the story goes. As for the planning Naruto to be referred to as Nara, done! Thanks for the suggestion. As for what Menma did to piss them off. That's in Chapter 10.


Saligia010: Thanks for such a lovely review. In truth it's my most popular story to date so I'm happy. XD I think I explained how Naruto learned the hiraishin. I noticed that any pictures of the Fourth Hokage in the anime always showed him holding up a Flying Thunder God kunai that sported his seal formula. Naruto simply studied that. Of course he couldn't get it one hundred percent correct and as such he had to adjust it but he gets the same result. As for where Naruto went. He never stayed in one place. He moved all over, mostly to stay under the radar and also to learn as much as he could. I'll elaborate on that in future chapters. No there won't be any shipping. I'm not really a romance writer so I stay away from it.


meeresstern1983: Jip you got it mostly right. The purpose of Sasuke's genjutsu however was to confuse the victim to the point where they couldn't tell who they were really loyal to anymore and as such would be desperate enough to latch onto any sort of authority figure and tell them everything they wanted to know. Only it didn't go quite as planned. Shhhh, here's a little secret. They never caught Naruto to begin with but they think they did.


TigrezzTail: Yes the rescue the Kazekage mission does take place. It's why they're torturing him in the first place.

As always, if you have any more questions, leave a review.