Naruto raced through the darkness, as branch after branch slapped him in the face and the water rushed through his hair. He had no idea where he was going, but he had to keep moving, he couldn't just let Sasuke go. He couldn't let Sakura go. Suddenly he felt a jolt and he leaned against the nearest tree in order to steady himself. He always hated it when his shadow clones dissipated and the chakra came back to him, it knocked him off center almost every time, but that was the price he paid

While he regained his composure, he processed the new information the clones had gathered. Instantly, the color drained from his face as he became nauseous with fear. Hinata was missing too, Kiba and Shino had left her alone, he didn't know what to do. He needed to follow Sakura, but he couldn't just leave Hinata out in the dark woods all by herself. His two halves butted heads, leaving Naruto paralyzed in confusion. Then, he felt the familiar ominous presence, the one that had been lingering around Sakura's earlier that night. He swiftly turned around, just in time to block the fist that was wielding a kunai and heading for his skull. The leaves rustled from the movement, as Naruto found himself face to face with a pair of memorable red eyes.

Naruto blinked, his mind whirling, trying to make sense out of the chaos that surrounded him. He was looking Sasuke in the face, he came up to Naruto's chest and he wore his signature blue shirt with the Uchiha insignia. He still possessed the same boyish features and his dark hair blended into the shadows. Irritated, Sasuke pushed himself back using Naruto's arm, which fell limply to his side as he watched Sasuke calmly make his way through the mud to a nearby tree stump and sit down. He brought one knee to his chest, leaving the other dangling over the stump, and crossed his arm over his bent knee. He lifted his face up so that the moonlight caught his sinster eyes in the night. They were focused on Naruto, as he struggled to lift his arms and move his legs. Sasuke snickered as he watched his weaker comrade try to resist his power.

"It's useless, your in my world now." Sasuke stated, his voice low and full of venom. Ignoring his friends words, Naruto stubbornly continued trying to lift his lifeless arms and glued legs.

"To think that I once trained with you." Sasuke sneered. "I made the right decision in leaving the village. If I had stayed, I may have become as weak and useless as the rest of the ninja in this village. I mean just look at you Naruto. Knowingly struggling against something you cannot overcome. It almost makes me feel sorry for you." Sasuke finished as he played with the kunai in his hand.

"What do you want?!" Naruto demanded in frustration, after three years of training with one of the legendary sennins all he could do was talk big, while his limbs were restrained by some imaginary force.

Sasuke shook his head at Naruto's words. "Now, now Naruto, this is not how the game works." Sasuke said as he made his way toward Naruto, continuing to fiddle with the kunai in his hands. "Demands are made only by people in power, and you my friend, are in a very precarious position, while I on the other hand, have the power, so I believe we will be playing by my rules." Sasuke hissed in Naruto's ear, as he pushed his kunai to Naruto's throat. At that moment, lightning flashed through the sky, lighting up the damp forest floor. Clearly, Naruto could make out two figures encased in a thick bubbly layer of clear goo. The two bubbles were resting in opposite trees and both people had a similar blank expression on their face.

"Hinata! Sakura!" Without thinking, Naruto tried to rush over to them. He was meet with the resistance of a thousand weights and his body went limp as he panted heavily from the exertion.

"I'm surprised at Naruto." Sasuke said in disappointment. "Tell me what would you have done once you had ran your neck into my kunai?" Sasuke pressed the weapon harder against Naruto's skin, reminding him of the danger he was in. Naruto narrowed his eyes at his old comrade, his face deep in concentration.

"It's no use." Sasuke stated. "You won't be able to call on it here, I told you, this is my world. The beasts chakra cannot penetrate my mind, at least, not after you're already in it." Sasuke glanced up at his captives. "Now then Naruto, are you ready to move on?" Sasuke asked in a tired voice.

Naruto looked up into Sakura's and Hinata's unseeing faces and furrowed his brow in anger. "No Sasuke, I am not done, I still have some questions I want to ask you."

Sasuke's eyes rose in surprise. "Oh, and what would you like to know?" He asked, his voice challenging.

Naruto thought for moment, trying to assess the situation. He couldn't tell if what was going on was real or not. "Why haven't you changed in the three years you've been gone from Konoha?" Naruto inquired.

"Humph, that's it? That's what you want to know?" Sasuke lauged. "Have I really not changed in the three years that I've been gone, or do I want you to think that I haven't, or maybe, maybe I'm not Sasuke at all." He smirked at the suggestion.

Naruto stared at the frozen figures of Sakura and Hinata in confusion. "Well if this isn't real, is this a dream?'' Naruto wondered.

"No, this is not a dream, it's as real as anything else in your life." Sasuke told him, the rain pouring down on the two figures.

"Well if this isn't a dream, are you really Sasuke?" Naruto pushed. He wanted him to keep talking, the more he knew, the more likely it was he would be able to escape.

"I am to you." Sasuke replied cryptically.

"If you're the real Sasuke then prove it." Naruto challenged.

Sasuke rolled his eyes and shook his head in annoyance. Then he gripped Naruto's head and forced him to look at Sakura's body, trapped inside the clear bubble.

"Sakura is the girl you've desperately had a crush on since the academy, but she never acknowledged you in that way, in fact, she preferred me and annoyed me with her constant flirting and nosy personality. She shunned you and never believed in your abilities as a ninja and to this day you want her to be your girlfriend. You even asked her out on a date, on which she left you at the sight of me." Sasuke accurately pounded out the facts. Then he turned Naruto's attention to Hinata. "Hinata has always been a shy, but capable kunoichi. She has spent most of her life being degraded by her family and was severely injured in her fight with her cousin Neji during the chuunin exams. Her father favors her littler sister Hanabi over her and she has admired you from afar and always believed in your abilities as a ninja. In fact, it was from her encouragement that you faced Neji yourself during the chuunin exams. To this day, she trains herself harder than any of her teammates, just so that she can be a strong ninja, like you Naruto. She believes she is weak and will never have the strength to be your equal, as ninja, or as a lover." Sasuke finished with a smile. "So is that evidence enough for you?" Sasuke jammed his knee into Naruto's back. Naruto winced in pain as he stared up at Hinata.

"So if you're Sasuke, then why are you here? What do you want with Sakura and Hinata?" Naruto asked, anger resonating through he voice.

"Don't you see?" Sasuke whispered. "I told you from the start this is a game. It's a test." Sasuke explained.

"A test?" Naruto repeated, confused.

"Yes Naruto. You will have till morning to save Sakura and Hinata." Sasuke sneered as his tongue rolled over their names.

"That will be easy, they right here." Naruto claimed, his overconfidence shining through his paralized exterior.

Naruto had barely finished speaking when Sasuke snapped his fingers, causing the two bubbly prisons to disappear.

"Where did they go?" Naruto demanded, his eyes wide in horror.

"I have placed them somewhere safe." Sasuke answered. "They are sitting at opposite ends of the forest. Sakura has been sent to the waterfalls. Remember the waterfalls Naruto, the place where we fought as I left Konoha and you vowed to bring me back." Sasuke chuckled sardonically at the memory. "And Hinata, she has been placed near Hokage mountain. Remember, you only have til dawn to rescue them, which means that you only have time to go after one." Sasuke paused, allowing the information to sink into Naruto's thick head. "So which will you choose, will you go after your teammate, and long time crush, or will you rescue your friend, who has always been neglected, who has always believed in you and more than admires you?" Sasuke released Naruto and gave him a sardonic smile. "Oh, before I forget, you cannot use any justus here, so don't even think about using your shadow clones. You'll have rescue them the old fashioned way, without any chakra." With that Sasuke disappeared and Naruto was left in the dark, rainy, forest alone. He collapsed as the hold on his body was released and he clutched the mud in his hands, as the tears rolled down his cheeks.

It would be dawn within a couple of hours, he needed to hurry if he was going to rescue anyone, but which one should he go after. He secretly cursed Kiba and Shino for not being more protective of Hinata. If they had been more vigilant, he would only have to worry about Sakura, but now, now he had to choose, between his long time crush and new found friend. Desparately Naruto stared up into the sky, drops of water hitting his eyes. Frantically he searched the cloudy night, he needed to find them, he needed to see them. They would give him his answer, but they weren't there. He couldn't find the two guiding lights he had become so accustomed to. It was as though they had gone out, leaving Naruto like a lost child in search of a home. Home, Naruto thought. That's it. He quickly pushed himself off of the ground and made his way through the woods. He knew what he had to do. He hoped she would forgive him.

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Hinata shook in Kiba's arms, her tears staining his jacket.

"It's okay." Kiba coaxed as he gently caressed her hair. "It's okay, you're okay. We're here now, nothing's going to happen to you." He tried to force a smile across his hard face, as he pushed back the tears trying to make their way out.

Neji studied his cousin as Akamaru snuggled against her back.

"What do you think happened to her?" Shino inquired.

"I don't know." Neji responded. "Perhaps it would be best if we scoured the area." He suggested.

"I concur." Shino agreed, as he held up an arm and silently ordered a small army of insects out of his jacket to scour the perimeter.

"What should we do about Hinata?" Neji wondered as the two viewed the disheartening scene laid out before them.

"We should give her time to recover from what happened to her." Shino wisely advised. "She'll be more useful when she isn't as emotional."

As Neji and Shino observed their two comrades, a small winged bug made it's way back to Shino's hand.

"That didn't take long." Neji noted. Shino didn't respond. He intently focused his attention on the tiny creature that had returned to him, then he turned to Neji.

"I think I'll go for a walk. Stay here and keep an eye on Kiba and Hinata, Naruto has been spotted. I'll contact you if I need help." Shino said nonchalantly. Neji just nodded his head in agreement and watched as Shino sauntered out of sight.

Kiba clutched the small locket he had discovered in his hand. Slowly he lifted Hinata up so that her bloodshot eyes meet his concerned face. He wanted to cheer her up, but she wouldn't speak to him, she only cried, so he thought this might help. Carefully he positioned the locket in his hand and presented it to her. "I found it before I discovered you." Kiba explained.

Hinata eyed the small necklace, her eyes staring at the heart, the place where he resided. She quickly pushed Kiba's hand away and hugged her knees, tears rolling down her face harder than before.

Kiba shot her a quizzical look and studied the locket in his hand. She had been so happy the day he had given it to her. She finally had a place to put her strength so she could always have it with her. Why wouldn't she want it now?

"Hinata, don't you want the necklace I gave you, the one where you keep your strength?" Kiba tenderly asked.

Hinata didn't even look at him, she just shook her head and pressed her knees closer to her chest. A fierce surge of anger erupted in Kiba and he clutched the necklace tight. If that son of a bitch had done something to Hinata, then he was going to rip him a part. Suddenly he felt a soft hand on his arm and he looked down into Hinata's soft face.

"Um, Kiba." She whimpered. Can you hold onto the inside of the necklace? I don't think I can keep it right now." She asked. Kiba looked into her sad eyes. He wanted to make her happy, he wanted to see her smile again.

"Okay." He said, then hesitated. "If I do, then do you want hold onto the necklace?"

Hinata bit her lip as she contemplated his question. It didn't feel right without her strength, but the locket could no longer hold onto it. Kiba had given it to her as a friend, there was no reason she shouldn't wear it. Hinata stared into his brown eyes. Then Hinata took a deep breath.

"Yes, I want the necklace." Hinata answered. "Maybe it will protect my strength again one day, but for now it will just have to remind me of my friends." She said with a smile. A small sinking feeling pulling on her heart.

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