I do not own Naruto or any affiliated characters in any way, shape, or form. Hope you enjoy!

Just in case, here are some other disclaimers: I make no claims of ownership over Hiromu Arakawa or Noriaki Kubo in real life or their fictional works. May their great works be always appreciated. Kudos to anyone who can figure out who these people are and get the slight jokes I make in the chapter.

xXxXxXx

'Shadows, shadows everywhere, but not a foe in sight…' Shikaku Nara looked over the hastily made fort in the wilderness. It was not much of a hideout, really a simple cavern that had been found in the outcroppings near Takigakure. The cavern went back only about a hundred yards, and was quite narrow near the end of the passage way. Still, the area was surrounded by trees, and thanks to a few well placed logs, there was an impressive, if shabbily constructed, bit of fortifications. Watching Chouza grab trees from the forest and place them like Lincoln Logs was a sight that comforted Shikaku. There had been many missions that the three friends had been placed on together where the fortifications the Akimichi made had saved their lives.

'Just hope our foes don't have any fire users. That tinder will go up in an instant, and the wind tonight has left leaves all over the place for sparking a wildfire…' Turning back to his task, Shikaku placed another glow seal on a tree, far off the ground. The seals were something that he had talked to the Hokage about, as there was a surprising frequency that Shikaku had been sent on night time missions with his allies. At those times, Shikaku found that his jutsu became far less powerful, as darkness was not a shadow that could be manipulated. Shikaku devised the idea of a steadily glowing seal, that would shed light over large areas for a brief amount of time. Minato had agreed with the idea, and began installing them in numerous places, allowing him to increase the security of the village and empower the Nara clan to take on more dangerous missions. The second side effect though had caused Shikaku to hear several angry lectures from his wife, Yoshino. 'Maybe Naruto has something about her being overbearing…hope she never convinces Inoichi's wife to check what I think of my wife.'

As he placed the final seal, a glare of light shot out and covered the clearing in light. All of the tall trees that still stood cast large, imposing shadows over the entirety of the clearing. They formed a number of wide and long shadows that stretched over a half circle towards the encampment. The ground had been left as undisturbed as possible, though the rooting up of several trees had left a great deal of loose dirt. That had in turn been used to conceal mines, crafted from the explosive tags and several kunai and shuriken. Unknown by many, Tsume Inuzuka had a fond desire for fireworks, and was using that hobby for a deadly application. Tsume was busy placing traps, while Kuromaru followed behind, marking the area in the way of any dog. Still, that allowed the group, through Tsume, to know where the emplacements were located. Inoichi stood on top of the hill, his frame still as his mind cast out into the forest. There was a frown formed on his face as he concentrated, his mind having stumbled on something disturbing. Shikaku frowned in a similar fashion, and leapt back towards the clearing, using the trees to avoid Tsume's mines.

Shikaku found the form of his other teammate, Chouza, busily checking over his armor and equipment. He caught his friend reaching back to touch a box of pills at his waist, though the hand trembled as they rested on the contents. 'You won't have to use those, my friend. I'll make sure of it.' Chouza looked up, sensing his comrade's attention.

"All of the seals are in place I see. Do you think there is more trouble coming our way tonight?" Shikaku nodded, his face solemn as he looked down at the ground. Chouza stood up and dusted himself lightly, patting his sword and armor lightly. Again, his hand turned to the pill box strapped to his waist.

"Inoichi seems to be troubled by something. We should probably both go talk to him now." Chouza nodded to his friend and the two moved over to where Inoichi was seated. The man had broken out in a cold sweat, and seemed to be visibly shaking. A fine aura of chakra emanated from the man, and his eyebrows had been drawn down, settling his face into a cringing look. His eyes snapped open when his teammates came within five feet of him, his blue eyes turning to glance over his fellow leaf ninja.

"The battle with the demon ended a while ago, however, there appears to be five individuals who are following both Fugaku and Mikoto. They were unaware of the tail before I informed them. As it is, the pair following seemed to sense my momentary scan and have backed off a ways." Shikaku and Chouza kept their faces neutral, expecting to hear more. "The trackers that were following have enough chakra between them to easily stand against the Hokage, at least from what I can tell from here." Shikaku grimaced at that report. A team of that power, numbering five in number, was the sign of a pentagram formation, a favorite of Iwagakure.

"Do you think that Iwagakure learned of Naruto's presence here? We left quickly, and the marriage was not announced publicly…" Chouza looked towards his skinnier teammate. Inoichi had his eyes focused on Shikaku as well, watching the gears turn in the other man's mind. Shikaku sighed, looking down at the ground as his eyes settled into hard spheres of onyx.

"This is going to be far too troublesome if they did discover our whereabouts. We are not ready for a pentagram formation, nor do we have the necessary elemental affinities to face them if they are holdovers from the last war." Inwardly, Shikaku was already busy compiling different strategies against such a formation. 'We have fire in Fugaku, wind in Mikoto, earth in Chouza, and water with Tsume. We have all the elements but lightning, but without that we are sunk.' Inoichi seemed to be concentrating once more, casting his mind back out over the groups in the field.

"Even if they are holdovers from the last war, we are close to the village. If it came to it, we could ask Takigakure, or those Suna-nin for help in stalling the enemy while Naruto and Sasuke escaped." Shikaku shook his head in denial, looking up at his friend. The look of depression that had flitted across his face had passed quickly.

"Inoichi learned that they are not hostile against Konoha, but I still do not trust them with both Naruto and Sasuke. Those two are important for Konoha's future, so we must do everything to guard them from being taken, even from allies like Suna." Shikaku sighed, pulling his ponytail back once more before looking out over the fortifications. They suddenly did not seem strong enough to withstand the coming storm. "Those ninja are also not strong enough to move on their own yet. Tsume used what knowledge she has of medicinal herbs to help them, but the four of them were still heavily poisoned. The girl was much better for some reason, though without a medic here we won't know why or if she'll recover soon."

"Even still, we should gather as much firepower as we can if we expect to stand up against a pentagram formation…" Chouza's hand had again reached for his pillbox, and for the first time that night, rested on top of the family recipes. Inwardly, the large man was casting his mind back, over the events of the last war. Iwagakure had employed the pentagram formations as a tactical strike and retrieval unit; they were composed of members that were at least chunin and were well trained in at least one of the elements. The groups would then train extensively in combination attacks, drawing out as much power as they could by lining up the different elements. They had been a priority target during the war, and were largely the reasons for Konoha's early losses during the conflict.

"It's not a pentagram formation, Shikaku. I recounted the signatures, focusing in on the targets. There appear to be only two men traveling, but the elemental signatures are set at six, not five." Shikaku grimaced slightly, already discarding several of his combat plans. "Either way, they are not a pentagram formation, though they hold all of the power of such a group." Chouza turned and began walking back towards the rear of the cave. "I'm going to go check on the individuals from Suna again. Perhaps we can get some help from them fighting these unknown individuals." Shikaku looked at the retreating back of the larger man and turned towards Inoichi. Facing an unknown target was not an event that could be easily prepared for in advance. Shikaku either needed more firepower, or more information.

"Inoichi, can you probe the mind of those individuals?" A silent moment passed between the two as the blonde haired man concentrated. The shaking of his head brought frustration out on Shikaku's face, and he reached for the cigarette pocket located on the front of his military vest. Pulling out a single cigarette, the man lit up and took a calming draw. "I'm gonna need you to contact the leader of Takigakure. We are going to need their help in this coming combat, I'm afraid." Tsume walked up from the clearing in time to catch those last words, causing the woman to glare at Shikaku before turning to stare over their preparations.

'Shikaku's worrying too much. Anything that could attempt to make it through my mine field alive had better be immortal.'

xXxXxXx

Naruto sat on a collapsible cot, reclining in the cave. There was little light, save for the emergency seals that Shikaku had placed in the resting area. Beds were set up, and held the currently sleeping forms of the ninja from Suna. All of them were still knocked out it seemed, though there had been some slight stirring from some of the older males.

The younger two foreigners, a girl and a boy, were both older than Naruto, but also appeared to be completely unconscious still. Inoichi had removed the sleeping jutsu after they had verified that the individuals were truly allies. That process still gave Naruto a bit of the shakes. An ability that allowed someone to sift through a person's thoughts, and discover information while you slept terrified the blonde. He realized that Ino would soon be learning such an ability, and really hoped that the girl would leave the boy and his secrets well enough alone. Currently, all of the adults knew of Naruto's burden, but his father had forbidden the children to be told of the Fox until Naruto agreed to have the information disseminated. Still, there was nothing in place if one of the children learned the truth of Naruto's secret.

Sasuke twitched in his sleep at something, dragging Naruto out of his thoughts. His friend had insisted on keeping pace with the adults on the way to the cave, but had ended up passing out soon after they reached the hideaway. Sasuke had pushed himself hard in his training with his father, and then had fought full-throttle against Suien, draining nearly all of his chakra. Naruto watched, a small smile coming to his lips as his friend awoke.

"Looks like you finally decided to rejoin us, Porcupine Hair…" Naruto shot a sly grin at the boy, whose hair was again scattered in a number of directions. Sasuke grimaced, reaching up to pat out the errant strands. His eyes quickly took in the caves, and he looked over to the patients on the other cots. Nodding at this, he flicked his gaze back to Naruto.

"How long have I been out?" Sasuke croaked from a dry throat. Reaching next to his bed, a canteen was hastily opened and poured down a waiting throat.

"About an hour, maybe two…You really pushed yourself back there to save me." Sasuke lowered the canteen and sent a haughty smirk at Naruto. "Why did you do that? We were being trained to escape situations like that, not run towards them!" Sasuke's smile faltered at the yell of his friend, and he looked away.

"My father told me that my family had been assigned to protect the Hokage's son. Even I was being trained in how to do that. If I had run away, I would have brought disgrace to my family name, and left my only friend to the mercy of an enemy." Sasuke looked up again, his gaze of determination and sadness locking onto Naruto's surprised visage. "Could you have done that, Naruto?" This time, it was Naruto who turned his gaze away, looking back over the sleeping forms of the Suna-nin. As he did, he noticed that one of them was sitting up.

It was a man, with a turban covering his head. He seemed to still be wearing a flak jacket, and had a muscular build to his frame. "Hey, Sasuke, I think one of them just woke up. We should go and talk to him, get him to tell us what's going on." The other boy nodded silently, pushing himself to his feet. He wobbled slightly, still exhausted from the day's workout, but managed to make it over to the bed. A man with tan skin and red markings on the right side of his face stared at the two youth's. A turban covered the left side of his face from view, and the shadows cast by the seal-light hid the shape of the man's mouth and jaw.

"Where are we? Last I remember, we were all being ambushed by that Takigakure ninja…" The man's gaze spotted a person tied up in a corner, suppression seals laced heavily over the figure. "Guess you two managed to take him out for us…thanks for that. What are your names?" The two boys glanced between themselves, obviously unsure of how they should respond to a foreign ninja. "I see no headbands, so you obviously have not graduated from an academy yet. Still, to take on a trained ninja in armed combat, your skills must be at least slightly impressive." Again, the look flashed between the boys, and Baki sighed heavily. 'Guess even complimenting them did not get them to break…usually when you praise a young student they are willing to spill just about anything, unless they come from a prestigious clan.' Baki straightened, and looked at the boys questioningly. "My name is Baki, and I am a ninja from Suna sent to escort the daughter of the Kazekage to the meeting with Takigakure." This got a reaction from the two silent children, who began to look over the man once more, judging his appearance.

"I'm Naruto Namikaze, son of Minato Namikaze. I greet you in the name of Konoha." The boy bowed formally, though the words seemed stiff and rehearsed as he delivered them. Rising up again, the boy looked Baki dead in the eyes, "Why was a jonin of Suna so easily defeated by a ninja of Takigakure? How did you get poisoned badly enough to limit your combat skills?" At first, Baki was angry at the questions of the brat, son of a Kage or not. At the mention of poison though, the man stiffened considerably.

"Mukade…that traitorous bastard…" Sasuke recognized the name, and his eyes suddenly leapt to life, changing quickly into the Sharingan.

"Mukade was the name of your ally, back at the clearing where you awoke the first time. My parent's left with him…what could he have done?" Baki snorted, upset that he had allowed himself to reveal that much to a young punk.

"Mukade is a master of genjutsu and poison techniques. He is probably going to use genjutsu to lure your parents off guard, then attack with a poison technique. That's his method, and why he was promoted so early to jonin." Baki felt bad for telling the boy this news, but it was better he heard this now, so that when he saw the bodies he would be prepared. The last thing the man expected was for the raven haired child to start chuckling.

"My parents will be fine then. They are the clan heads of the Uchiha Clan; No genjutsu can catch the Sharingan off guard." Baki's eyes flew open, scanning the kid in front of him once more. The boy appeared to be no more than seven or eight, hardly old enough to enter the ninja academy.

'But if he's from the Uchiha Clan's main family, there is no telling what he's capable of…' Baki lessened his gaze a bit, and searched his surroundings, looking over his missing gear and equipment. "They removed our gear when we came in I see…do you know the status of the rest of my group?" Naruto and Sasuke nodded at this, though it was Naruto who spoke up first.

"No one else has come to this place since we arrived, and you are the first to wake up. You and the girl had the lowest level of poisoning, but the other boy was by far the worst." A puzzled look passed over Naruto's face, and he leaned close to whisper in a conspiratorial tone. "Do you know why he seemed to be wearing make-up and black clothing? He's not gothic, is he?" A chuckle escaped the larger man, who shook his head from side to side. Naruto seemed to relax a bit at this, and leaned back to notice a smiling look on Sasuke's face.

"That is in fact war-paint that he is wearing. His name is Kankuro, and he is the eldest male of the Kazekage. He recently decided to become the new puppet master for Sunagakure." The man paused, looking to see if the news had any effect. The blonde for his part seemed to remain smiling, a doubtful expression rooted in place. "As for the girl, her name is Temari. Your future wife…" That got the response Baki was looking for; the face of both boys faulted, and Naruto could not stop himself from glancing over at the prone form.

Much of the body was covered by a sheet, but Naruto could just make out the gentle rise and fall of the girl's chest. Her hair had been taken down, and dirty blonde locks covered one half of her face. Dirt smudged the other side of it, and Naruto noticed that her skin looked creamy smooth where the covering tapered off. Sasuke grunted at his friend's staring, though the boy did not stop once he started.

"Well, this is great. Now I'll have two troublesome blondes to look after…" Naruto whipped around to face his friend, who was smirking lightly. His eyes twinkled with merriment as he continued, cutting off Naruto's reply, "…but, you better watch out. If you can't keep Ino away, everyone will say you just have a thing for the blonde women." Naruto nearly had an apoplexy at this, his eyes' going wide and his skin flushing a very bright tomato red.

"You…You take that back right now, Uchiha!" Naruto jumped at his friend, who dodged out of the way. In an instant, the two were up and running, dodging among the patients and leaving the improvised ward.

"Those two brats are too loud…people are trying to rest, you know?" Baki was surprised to see Kankuro raising himself from the bed. His makeup was removed, and brown spiky hair was shooting all over the place.

"I'm surprised you're awake. They said you had been poisoned really badly…" Kankuro smiled lightly and whipped himself out of bed. He landed smoothly on the ground and began to walk over to his leader's bedside.

"A practitioner of the puppet arts is highly trained in the art of poison. One of the first things that I was taught were the different poisons available in the village and how to detect them. But, before they take on any student, the individual must go through a painful process of inuring themselves to the most famous poisons of Sunagakure." Kankuro shrugged as he formed chakra into the palm of his hand, running it over Baki's chest quickly. "I can sense the amount of poison in my system already, and can identify the type of it as well. It's a powerful variant of Chiyo-sama's, but I developed a resistance to this as well." Surprise was etched onto Baki's face as he watched the boy move, feeling the immediate relief of poison leaving his system.

"If you have this many advanced skills, why have you not graduated from the academy yet?" Kankuro looked down and away from the man, his hands moving back to his side. The feeling of the poison had passed completely though, and Baki kicked his legs off the cot, coming to a sitting position. When the boy spoke, it was in a quiet tone full of sadness.

"I graduated from the academy when I was seven. At least, I should have. My father wanted me to become a puppet master though, and to wait and form a team with Temari and Gaara. So I started the process, training for the last three years with Chiyo-sama." The boy paused, and returned his eyes to Baki's. "I haven't really seen my home in the last three years while I trained." Baki nodded silently in understanding. Such was the way of the ninja.

"You should see to your sister. They said the poisoning was light, but she will not have the benefits of your training." Kankuro turned, about to leave, but Baki placed a restraining hand on the boy's shoulder. "You should be proud of what you have accomplished, and of the fact that you can help those close to you." Baki seemed to stare into Kankuro's mind as he held the boy for that moment, releasing his hand when the boy smiled lightly in return.

Baki watched for a second before rising from his bed. He may have all of his ninja clothes, but he was still missing his gear, as were his charges. 'Kankuro and Temari should both have graduated by now, but they are being held back…Kanbei, what are you planning?' Baki shook off those thoughts as he brought his mind to the task at hand. Mukade had betrayed the group, and had endangered the mission. Then again, it came as little of a surprise to the man, based on that night at the outpost.

The breeze had been whistling pleasantly the entire night, and the moon was nearly full as Baki sat atop the roof of the outpost barracks. There had been little in the area, nothing more than a supply depot and a small bar to entertain the Suna group. Not that Baki was allowing himself to enjoy those benefits. He had decided to give both Isago and Mukade a break from the constant vigil. This was possibly one of the last times that the group would get to rest before moving along the border.

Leaning back in the cool night air, Baki craned his neck back to observe the sky. The air was clear, not a cloud in sight, and the evening breeze brining in the smell of fried foods at the local eatery. Breathing in the scent, he turned to look at the small eatery, wondering what the cooks were preparing. The cuisine at the outpost could not hardly be called fine dining, but it was still fairly good provisions. 'Though maybe not as good as what Mukade has been making for us thus far…' Baki smiled at the thought, thinking on the skills of the young man.

'I really have not read too much on the kid, but he made jonin at the age of seventeen he states. That is extraordinarily young for someone to reach my rank, but he did take on a number of dangerous assassination missions.' This brought a grim look to the man's face. All of the data about those missions had stated that the targets had been double crossers to the village. It worried Baki only because in his experience, the more one associated with traitors the more likely one was to consider defection. Suna had a remarkably low level of betrayal within the ninja village, but the rate for those outside the village was historically high.

Movement by the outskirts of the encampment caught Baki's attention. The speed of the individual, combined with their movements, was not something that a samurai could have spotted. A ninja jonin though was able to pick out the movements of a shinobi with ease. Baki felt a chill go down his spine as he watched the figure disappear into the nearby bar.

'If I leave the children, there will be no one protecting them while I investigate.' Baki cursed as he watched the spot where the figure had disappeared, unsure of what took priority. 'Is it better to ensure the safety of my charges passively, or should I take an active role in protection?' As the thoughts traipsed through his head, he watched as the figure appeared again, carrying a figure over one shoulder. The target leapt away into the night, slipping once more past the samurai guards with ease.

Baki stretched his consciousness as far as was possible, following the figure with his sensing skills. After a few tense moments, Baki realized the figure had left the area, and that they had been carrying a normal individual, not trained in the arts of ninjutsu. 'It could have been a routine assassination mission I suppose…nothing to alter our course over as long as we are well and gone before first light.'

In the morning, Baki had looked over his two subordinates, surprised to find a slightly tired looking Isago and Mukade. "I had hoped that the two of you would have stayed away from the bar last night, following my example…" Isago grinned sheepishly, and Mukade in turn had a slight blush while staring pointedly at his sandals. The two reeked of alcohol still, though they were completely sober as confirmed by Mukade. Purging poison from the body was similar in a sense to purging alcohol. This allowed the young jonin to help his senior and himself, removing the threat of a hangover from the picture. "…then again, I'm not that surprised that you would do this, Isago. I hadn't pegged you for the drinking type though, Mukade." Baki smiled as the youth blushed more in embarrassment, though he noticed a questioning look on Isago's face. A silent moment of communication passed between the two, and Baki felt his stomach tighten lightly in response. "Whatever the case, I am glad to see you two got some rest and are ready to depart for our journey along the border. Let's go wake the kids so we can head out." The two nodded and turned and left from the room. Before long, the group was on its way, leaping through the trees with a small security detachment.

Baki found himself taking point with Isago, leaving the rear to Mukade and the center of the formation to the patrol group. "Isago, what did you notice earlier?" The man stiffened, and cast a quick glance around him as they leapt through the foliage.

"I was at the bar the entire time last night. Mukade never showed up even once, though he still reeked of booze this morning. While it could be that I was just too far gone to notice him, I'm pretty sure that he never entered that bar." Baki felt the cold shiver race down his spine again and he turned a questioning look at his long time partner.

"Tell me again, how did Mukade take out all of those targets for assassination?" Baki kept his voice neutral as he said this, but his hands were shaking slightly.

"He sidled up to those betrayers, making them believe that he was part of their cause. Then, in the night, he would poison them and leave a genjutsu snare of the target remaining healthy for several days, at least until the damage had progressed far enough. Then, he would leave as silently as he had arrived." Baki swallowed dryly, looking back at Isago's eyes.

"Last night, I saw a figure disappear into the bar you were in, and leave few moments later with a villager on one shoulder. If what you said is correct, then Mukade might be a double agent. I think we need to heighten our guard a little, Isago." The other man nodded, and turned to give a smile to his older friend.

"Well, if you have to worry about someone stabbing you in the back, the best response is to keep it is far away from them as possible. Let's see how fast we can push this crew, shall we?" Baki smirked and took off with Isago, the two blurring as the wind heightened their body flicker technique to new levels.

A crunching sound rested the jonin from his memories. Baki heard movement coming from the direction of the cave, and saw a large man in samurai armor approach his bedside. The man had his hands resting on the shoulders of both Naruto and Sasuke, and seemed to be restraining the two from confronting one another. It did nothing though to silence the verbal sparring that was being exchanged between the two, but Baki paid it little attention. It seemed to largely be the normal juvenile jibes of boys their age. Baki instead focused on the giant of a man guiding the two back to the cavern walls. On his chest was the kanji for the word food, and a large sword was strapped to his side. The man had markings similar to Baki's, in a vertical fashion, on both sides of a round face. Long hair pushed against a headband, and was swept back into a ponytail like fashion. A symbol of the Leaf Village stood out boldly on the front of the headband, and small circular earrings glinted in both of the man's ears. 'So, they sent the Ino-Shika-Cho trio as part of the escort mission…that's quite a bit of firepower to throw out there…' Another sound, this time a groan, cut through the jonin's thoughts. He looked across the cave to see Temari waking from her slumber, her eyes fluttering open to look around the dimly lit cavern.

"Hey sis, thought I'd never get you to wake up…" Kankuro smiled down at his sister, a light sheen of sweat showing on his skin.

"Kankuro, what are we doing here? Last I remember, we had just met up with the Konoha shinobi…" She coughed once or twice, doubled over in the bed. As she did, she noticed that someone had taken her hair out of their ponytails, and had straightened her hair. 'Wonder who went to that trouble…' She turned and took in the approaching figures, her gaze settling on the figure of a blonde boy and a raven haired youth. 'Hm…one of those two must be the son of the Hokage…I hope it's the black haired kid, he looks a little more cute than the blonde.' A slight moue formed on the girl's lips. 'Still, both of them are way too young. They don't even seem to be older than Kankuro…but they look older than Gaara at least.' She picked up on their conversation as they drew closer, and smiled at their antics. As they got closer though, her coughing started up once more, and she reached for a canteen that was placed next to the cot.

"Shut up, Sasuke! Just because the Uchiha like to mess with women doesn't mean I will!" The blonde boy snorted in derision, and seemed to want to reach out and strangle the raven haired youth. "Seriously, you and your clan traditions are just plain disgusting. There's no way the Konoha council would let you revive those old traditions of having four wives either, that's just nuts!" Sasuke merely smirked at his friend.

"I'm sorry, did you say something Naruto? I didn't hear you…" Naruto growled at his friend, trying to escape the large hand that held the two apart.

"I am getting so sick of your flip attitude, you know that?" Sasuke merely smirked at his friend, but stopped when he noticed the awakened Temari. Sasuke took in the girl's appearance, and felt a slight blush creep to his cheeks. The older girl was definitely pretty, and the searching look in her eyes had the boy straightening his spine a little.

"Enjoying the view, Sasuke?" This time, Naruto had the smug voice, though there was a slight edge of warning tinting it as well. The other boy shook himself quickly and turned a petulant look at his friend.

"Yeah, you better be careful, otherwise I'll steal her away from you…" Sasuke whispered this as they drew close, and smirked at the look of false betrayal that crossed Naruto's face. Of course Sasuke would never do that, which was the only reason the two could joke about such a low blow. Still, it was fun to tease a friend.

"You two need to stay here with the other children while we prepare the defenses." The stern voice of Chouza cut the two off from anymore as they were pushed gently towards Temari and Kankuro. "I see that you have awakened Baki-san. If you are well enough, I will take you to Shikaku to run through the defenses and strategies we have for the coming battle." Baki nodded and rose, leaving with the giant man. Kankuro wasted no time as he turned to the two boys, his gaze already saying that they had been judged and found wanting.

"So, which one you two brats is supposed to be marrying my sister?" Kankuro gruffly bit out as he stared down the duo. To his surprise the two gave him an equal glare in return. 'They are both way too young, but the official marriage isn't for a number of years, I hear. Still, glad to see that they have at least some spine.' Kankuro's glare remained steady, and the tension quickly began to mount.

"That's me, you face-paint wearing freak!" The blonde roared suddenly to life, catching the older boy off guard. Kankuro for his part found his hands form into fists, and he spread his legs slightly, preparing to leap at the boy. His next statement though gave the boy pause, "My name is Naruto Namikaze, and if you got a problem with me you can just take a ticket. First person I'm taking out around here is a certain Uchiha…" Sasuke smirked and jumped away from his friend's side. His timing was perfect as Naruto jumped into midair, missing his chance at a perfect headlock.

'Seems like he's still a little riled up about before…Oh well, can't be helped.' Sasuke smiled at the other two ninja, turning his eyes on Kankuro first. "Forgive Naruto, he may be the son of a Kage, but he takes after his mother more than his father. My name is Sasuke Uchiha, the second heir to the Uchiha Clan." Kankuro had recovered himself by now, and managed to nod politely to the boy. Even in Suna, the Uchiha were famous for their prowess and battle acumen.

"My name is Kankuro Sabaku, and this is Temari Sabaku." The girl in question had just finished draining her canteen, and she looked hesitantly over the two youths. Finding her voice, Temari turned towards Naruto.

"Do you know what happened to my younger brother? He was traveling with us before we had to leave him behind in the forest…The demon attack just came out of nowhere." Naruto stiffened slightly before shaking his head in the negative.

"Sorry, but I only know that a bunch of the people that were traveling with us had set out to fight a demon. I don't know if your brother was near there, but the people that went to deal with the attack would probably have taken care of him if they discovered him." Before Naruto could say anything more though, there came the sound of hurrying footsteps. In an instant, Baki was once more before the group of children.

"A survival squad just came in, they are carrying Gaara. Kankuro, Temari, come with me to check on him. We don't know how he'll react when he recovers, so I would like it if you were both there." Sasuke jumped up from his place on the cot at this and leapt over to Baki.

"Who was in this squad? Were my parents there?" Baki nodded, and the boy was quickly sprinting down the cavern hall.

"Temari, can you come with us?" The girl shook her head slightly, and gave Kankuro a pointed look. The boy nodded and disappeared down the hall with a frowning Baki.

"So much for protecting me…" Naruto trailed lightly under his breath, but was surprised when Kankuro also went racing past him, knocking him slightly askew. Temari chuckled under her breath at the sight, but began coughing roughly once more.

"Here, drink some more of this, you'll need it." Temari opened her eyes as the coughing subsided to find Naruto passing her his canteen, largely full of water. She took the offered item, and downed more of the liquid. She then remembered that she had failed to take her daily dose of medicine, conserving it usually for the end of the day. She looked around, trying to spot her gear, and noticed that Baki had dropped off her pack and fan when he had returned just moments ago. Stooping down to it, she pulled out a packet of pills and swallowed one of the things. Over the last few days, she had found herself hating the pills less as she found a side benefit of them; the relieved minor aches and pains, such as the ones that developed when one was traveling for days on end.

Relief washed over her body as the chakra enhanced medicine kicked in, soothing her throat and limbs. Her eyes shut in bliss for a moment, taking in the euphoric feeling. Naruto for his part was blushing madly at the sight of the older girl acting in this manner, but quickly schooled his features as she turned to look at him.

Her eyes played over the basic garb that the boy was wearing, a mesh shirt and leggings poking out from underneath a gray top and pants. The blonde had his hair back behind a bandana, most of the cloth currently hanging idly to the side. A similar colored mask also pooled around the boy's neck, probably waiting to be pulled up in a moment's notice. 'He looks like he could disappear into the cavern wall…which is probably the point of the outfit.' Temari smiled as she took in the whisker marks on his cheeks. Now that she got closer to the kid, she could see he was cute, not handsome, but cute.

"We have your gear here, but there is also a similar outfit to mine stocked and ready for you as well. The size might not be the best match, but it could help us blend in if things get nasty upstairs…" Temari jolted out of her examination, surprised by the boy talking again. "My name is Naruto by the way, not sure if you caught that in the exchange there…I hope you're not mad, but Tsume told me to take care of you all while the adults handled the preparations, so I took down your hair for you." Naruto blushed, looking away from the girl. This brought a slight smile to Temari's lips.

'Even if we are being forced into this, at least he seems like a sweet enough kid. Who knows, eight years just might make him handsome too…' Temari smiled at the kid out of the corner of her eye, taking a draw from the canteen. "Not too many people are allowed to brush out my hair you know…the last one to get the chance was my mother." Naruto glanced up from this, a look of worry on his face.

"I'm sorry; I didn't mean to be presumptuous. It's just that there was a lot of twigs and stuff that had fallen in your hair, and I didn't want you to be uncomfortable when you slept." The boy looked sideways away from her again. "I was also just worried about the others…Your brother; he is the demon container for your village, right?" Temari jerked back as if visibly slapped. 'What does this kid know about demon containers?'

"I'm going to tell you right now, as it is part of the treaty conditions with Konoha. I'm the container for Konoha, the Jinchuuriki of the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox." Now Temari felt her eyes go wide, and her jaw slightly loosen. "There are terms to the treaty that my father asked me to discuss with you." The girl nodded once or twice, shock and fear registering in her eyes.

xXxXxXx

Sasuke ran to the top of the cave, looking out over the battle ground. Nothing had happened yet, but he activated his Sharingan again, noticing the numerous traps and improvised explosives that had been created. Behind him, he heard the movement of the Sand-nins, but he paid them no mind. All of his attention right now was focused on searching the clearing, on finding his parents. He noticed a slight flickering light in the tree tops, orange against the bright white light of the flare seals. 'That's got to be them…'

The light grew into the form of a blade, and Fugaku Uchiha stepped lightly onto a branch at the edge of the clearing. Next to him was Mikoto Uchiha, her black hair and red eye's searching the area, noting everything in an instant. Beside her was a girl who seemed around nineteen, her mint colored blue hair shining in the odd lighting. The three jumped down into the clearing and filed into a single column. Sasuke noted two more individuals, one with spiky orange hair and a damaged shikakusho, and another with long blonde hair. The first stood about the same height as Fugaku, and had muscles rippling over every section of his body. The light showed numerous cuts and scrapes on the man's form, and long gash ran down his exposed arm. The blood seemed to have clotted already from the wound, but it still looked rather nasty. The other shoulder of the man carried what seemed to be a child, probably no older than Naruto or Sasuke, that was covered in what seemed to be sand. It pooled off of the kid as they walked, leaving a trail behind the group. The other individual stood about a head and a half taller than Sasuke, and wore a red cloak over his body. Black clothes shown from underneath, and from here Sasuke could make out that it was a boy that was approaching. Sasuke grimaced after a moment, feeling the Sharingan leave his eyes.

'Guess I still have a long way to go before I can use that all of the time…but at least I figured out how to call on it at will now.' The boy smiled happily as his father approached the group. Sasuke moved to embrace him, but his father pushed him away lightly.

"Not now son, you need to stay with the other kids in the back of the cavern. We have to make sure the fort is ready for our enemies." Fugaku ruffled the boy's hair, but pushed him along with Fuu and the others.

"Come on, kid. I'll be watching over you and your group, along with my teammates." The mint haired girl had a voice that seemed chipper, if a little tired. Sasuke frowned at this, turning to look the girl over once more.

"You don't look that strong, especially if a little punk like that gave you so much trouble!" Fuu felt a wicked grin grow onto her face and Sasuke's stomach dropped. 'This woman is far scarier than Tsume-san…guess Naruto is right about my flippant attitude being annoying.' Moving into a respectful pose, Sasuke bowed deeply. "I apologize miss, I guess I'm just a little tired out from the day's activities." Fuu blinked once or twice at being called miss, but then moved in and wrapped an arm around Sasuke, smiling to herself.

"You know, you and that Naruto kid aren't half bad. A girl could get used to being treated like a normal person by more people." Sasuke wondered what the woman was talking about, but he didn't really much care. She was no longer shooting him a death glare, so his goal was accomplished. "Come on, I need to rest a bit in the ward you have set up, and then get started on helping the others out with preparations." The hand on Sasuke's shoulder was firm as it guided him back to the rear of the complex. The other two figures followed closely behind, with Baki and Kankuro bringing up the rear.

"These other two are my squad mates, Noriaki and Hiruma. They are going to need some minor attention from whatever medic you have on hand." Sasuke turned and looked up at the woman.

"The only medic we have is my mom. All we have at the moment are some medicinal herbs, so I hope that's alright." Fuu grimaced slightly before shrugging.

"Guess it can't be helped. One Sharingan should be enough to help with the battle formation, so she'll probably be down soon to look over the various injuries." She turned a questioning gaze on the kid. "Got any soldier pills? Those would be outrageously useful at the moment." Sasuke nodded once, and the girl above her smirked. "God I love those things, they really make you feel alive, you know?" Chuckles came from her teammates, shaking their heads at their leader's antics. It was around this time that the group reached the improvised ward at the back of the cave. Sasuke and Fuu both noticed immediately how close Naruto and Temari were sitting. Not wanting to ruin the moment, the majority of the group stayed quiet to watch the kids until they noticed their presence. Fuu was not part of the majority.

"Sheesh, I leave for half a night and you're already talking to some other pretty girl?" Naruto and Temari nearly jumped apart, blushes and guilty looks covering their faces. "I thought we shared something special when we were by that campfire, but now you toss me aside for some younger woman…" Fuu's voice was pouting and flirtatious, but the sardonic grin on her face gave it away. The grin only grew as the two kids stammered and tried to explain themselves.

"Hey come on Fuu, we were talking about important stuff you know?" The girl's grin grew wider. "Really important, stuff for the treaty, you know?" The girl's teeth started to show, and her eyes glinted mischievously.

"Oh, just what kind of important stuff were you discussing? Something really important for a marriage treaty, huh…I wonder what these two were so serious about, all alone?" Fuu's eyes slid over to Sasuke, who was chuckling lightly under his breath. The rest of the group had the decency to roll their eyes at the antics, hoping the girl would finish torturing the two kids.

"Look lady, I don't know who you are, but he's telling the truth!" Kankuro grimaced slightly as he heard Temari's voice. Apparently the girl was up and active enough to be angry. Fuu though just seemed to shrug off the yelling, and merely fixed the younger girl with an annoyed look.

"Oh pipe down, you little brat. Jeez, what is it with this group calling me miss and lady…Do I look like that to you guys?" This was shot at Noriaki and Hiruma, both of which shook their heads vigorously. Both of them knew not to bring up age around their partner; she was very sensitive about how old she appeared.

"Fuu-san, may we see Gaara? I would like to look over him some before we return to help with the preparations." Baki approached the bedside of Temari, cutting off the bantering.

"Sure. Hiruma, set up a few privacy seals, will you? Naruto, I want you and Sasuke to go see if you can get Mikoto down here, okay?" The two boys frowned at first, but shrugged and walked up the cavern. Hiruma was already moving, placing four kunai around a few of cots. Noriaki for his part had lowered Gaara down onto one of the cots, and was dusting himself off from the various flecks of sand. A brief flash ignited the seals, and Baki turned to face Fuu.

"We need to know what happened to Gaara. Specifically, we need to know how damaged the seal has become." Fuu shook her head from side to side.

"You might want to get comfortable. This is going to take a while…"

xXxXxXx

Gaara awoke in a narrow hallway. A hissing sound came from every direction, like the sound of falling sand. As he looked around, he noticed shards of glass littering the floor, mixed in among the sand that littered the alabaster floor. The walls and ceiling were a similar alabaster color, and Gaara noticed, for the first time, a slight breeze blowing through his hair. It was strange though; his hair moved and he was aware of its movement, but he had no sensation of feeling.

Pushing himself to his feet, Gaara noted that he was wearing his normal clothes, and that he seemed unharmed. His gourd though was not on his back, something that was very troubling.

'I promised Mother that I would carry that with me at all times…' The thought brought racing realization back to the child. He remembered falling in the clearing, wishing everyone to die. Wishing to prove to himself, and to the world, that he deserved to exist. Brief flashes accompanied this; a fight against strange foes, one of which smelled like him, who held the same curse. Of him being spared, and of the words spoken so silently by the girl who had spared him.

"I know it hurts, being alone. But you have family still…you should use this power to protect them, as it protects you. Don't go into the darkness, because once you do, it takes a great light to return…You will find that your life has the greatest meaning when you protect what you care for…"

'That girl…she was the one that was like me…yet she spoke of protection…of love…' Flashes of Yashamaru played quickly across the boy's mind. Gaara screamed, clutching his head, willing the images to leave him.

"I believe she loved you so very much…Your mother's will remained in the sand to protect you…Deep down inside, I must have always resented you…You were never loved…This is it, Please Die."

The phantasms shuddered to a halt as Gaara remembered Yashamaru's final act of betrayal. 'Of my father's betrayal…There is no one in my family who cares for me…' Echoes came from somewhere down the hallway, yawning black as night in front of him. Sand swirled around his feet where Gaara knelt, as if looking for guidance from heaven. Drying tears that he could not feel, but was aware of nonetheless, the boy rose and followed the echoes. As he did, he came to a place where a great hourglass stood in a vast room, centered and light from golden sand held within. The great timepiece was too large to see either edge of the object, and reached up limitlessly towards the sky.

Gaara noticed a small boy, his arms wrapped around a woman, kneeling in the lower half of the glass. Sand was wrapped around the figures, and covered them both. The woman was covered up to her waist, but the boy was covered up to his head. The hair on the boy was red, and black circles ringed around the boy's face. Sudden realization struck Gaara.

'That's me…and that woman must be my mother!' Sand continued to pour from within the time glass as Gaara raced forwards, placing his hands on the glass. As he did, he noticed his body moved through the barrier effortlessly. Sand did not shift as the boy passed, sprinting towards the figures, though Gaara did not notice this fact. He was focused on reaching his mother, on discovering the truth of Yashamaru's words. Gaara ran up to the pair, running to embrace his mother.

The boy fell through her, exactly like the glass of the hourglass. Still, he turned when he heard her speak lovingly to the form in her arms. "Gaara, you have to wake up my son. If you don't, we'll both end up trapped in here…I know it hurts, being outside, but you have to wake up. If you don't, we'll never be able to see one another again…" The ghostly boy looked on as his mother's hand rose and fell, stroking softly through the doppelganger's hair. Swallowing once, Gaara moved to his body, gingerly placing one hand onto his form. A sudden tugging motion yanked at the boy, and in an instant he became aware of the contact of the sand all around him, pressing close against his form. He also became aware of the hand still stroking his hair, and looked up into the soft eyes of his mother.

"You heard me…I'm so glad." Tears glistened at the girls eyes, and she looked down lovingly at her son. "You have to go now…I'll show you the way out…" The woman picked up her son, carrying him through the thickening sand. The level of sand now reached around the woman's thighs as she stood, and a hissing sound seemed to be heard.

"Mother, what's happening? Why am I here?" The woman smiled sweetly at her son, though her eyes held a great sadness.

"When Shukaku was sealed inside of you, my mind and body were made into a living sacrifice, along with you. While you are awake, I am kept here, in this hourglass, holding back the sand from overcoming this container…When you sleep, I sleep as well, getting to rest from keeping the sand at bay." A whirling sound was heard, accompanied by the great rushing sound of a sandstorm. Sand whipped at the pair, but seemed to coalesce into a figure in front of the two.

"When she sleeps, I get to come out and do what I want with her…and the best part is, you usually get to watch and feel everything I do…" Sand had formed into the shape of a man, and it took on now the appearance of Gaara's father, the Kazekage. The man though was not as he normally appeared; symbols shifted sickeningly along his limbs, and his eyes spun with hatred, golden and pierced by a cross-like symbol. His form was bare, and tendrils of sand slipped from the man, reaching out to caress the woman's cheek. As they passed, blood formed in its wake, though that healed in a miraculous instant.

"Shukaku…we had an agreement…Since Gaara willingly released you this time, you would do nothing to harm the boy, or myself." Fear laced her voice, and a quaver ran through her arms where she held Gaara. The sand demon smiled, and his mouth revealed fang like teeth that were littered with blood and gore.

"You sound so excited though, Karura…" The tendrils slithered over the woman, reaching under clothes, and sliding over the woman's breasts and down her stomach. The woman stood her ground, not flinching but fixing a hard glare at the demon. The creature tsked sharply, withdrawing the sand quickly from her form. "Fine…have your way. But the next time your son wanders into my domain so lightly, he had better be prepared to face me on his own…" The sand crumbled and whirled back to the top of the hourglass. Gaara shook in his mother's arms, as she walked him towards the edge of the hourglass.

"Why did that thing look like Father?" The boy in her arms was trembling in fear. Gaara had never felt such a powerful desire to cause harm and pain directed at him, even by the villagers.

"It did that to cause the greatest harm to us. But, as long as you remain awake, it cannot harm me, or you." The woman placed the boy effortlessly through the glass, somehow able to pass through it with ease. "Gaara, you must not come here again willingly, not until you are much stronger. Do you understand me?" The boy looked up at her, fear and sadness in his eyes.

"Why? Do you not want to see me again, Mother?" The woman smiled sadly at her son, and reached through the barrier to place a comforting hand on the boy's cheek.

"Of course I want to see you again. You are my son, and I love you very much. But every time you come here, you weaken the seal on Shukaku. If you ever willingly fall asleep again, you will risk damaging the seal more, allowing the demon to escape." Tears ran down her face, and the figure reached through the ephemeral glass to embrace the boy. "I love you, Gaara, but I do not want this demon to consume you. If you wait to see me again, you will be able to free us both from Shukaku and I will be able to rest in peace. If not, I fear what may happen to us and our family…" The boy looked away sharply at the word family, tears once more tracing down his face.

"Family…we don't have a family…Father sent Yashamaru to kill me…Kankuro and Temari are both afraid of me…" Karura pulled back from her son and placed her hand once more on the boy's cheek.

"Have you given them a reason to not fear you? Gaara, you can control the sand of the Shukaku if you try. That will give you the ability to use it to protect, rather than kill. That is what I want your sand to do for others…" The boy still did not seem convinced, his eyes full of doubt as he turned to his mother.

"Why did you name me Gaara?" The woman blinked once or twice, before a smile returned to her face.

"I named you Gaara because of the meaning in the characters…I named you to be my precious love, as precious as the finest silk threads…" Gaara's eyes went wide, and tears began to stream down his face. "I have always loved you my son, despite what others may tell you. Now go, our time is drawing short." The boy smiled weakly, tears glistening on his cheeks. He nodded once before turning to leave. As he did, a gravelly voice called out from behind him.

"Sleep well Gaara…your mother and I hope to see you soon…" The boy did not look back as he ran from the room, though a large eye watched him from within the sand. A crunching noise pervaded the hall as the boy left; it sounded like the grinding of bones being crushed.

xXxXxXx

That is the longest chapter to date, and is one of the last chapters in this mini arc. I apologize for the long wait in updating, but school and applications to study abroad last year took over my time for the majority of the semester. Starting from this week though, I should be able to repost every Monday with luck. Extra bonus, my summer is rather free, so the weekly updates will continue this time. Expect a week or two break at the start of May though, final exams are hell for everyone. Hope to see some return readers in the weeks to come, and as always read and review!.