I'll admit... this chapter was difficult. I rewrote it various times in various paragraphs but I never honestly was pleased. My apologies, I really tried, but today is busy for me because I celebrate my birthday, so I didn't have tons of time. I wanted to release this because it's essential to moving the story on. Anyway, as to the question, it's difficult to hide the fact that Naruto was injured. This isn't to say that everyone knows what happened to him, just a lot of people know he was injured badly. As to why Gaara knows, he's the Kazekage. With such secret organizations shifting around the villages would, in theory, need to be connected. I'd expect Tsunade to inform Gaara professionally of what happened, and Gaara took it upon himself(Likely with motivation from someone else, mind you) to give Naruto a message. I highly doubt Gaara would normally do such a thing, which is why I added that little clause there. I don't like to believe Gaara is apathetic and dispassionate anymore, but I do believe he's still learning the concepts beyond being a kage and normal member of society.

So... yeah. I personally don't like it too much but you might, so... sorry again. Must... please... readers...

Hinata looked up at Kiba with her eyes full of fear and whimpered one more time, trying to draw his attention away, make him stop, something. The tiny Akamaru just barked a bit at her and Kiba scoffed. Shino followed behind quietly as if there was something better he could be doing, but knew there wasn't. Kiba was pushing her along with a palm on her back, basically forcing her to Naruto's room. It was uncommonly cruel for Kiba, but Hinata was acting 'just plain weird' in his opinion. Shino had gotten annoyingly loud in the past month because of all the scheming and had even outright told Kiba to give up and go back to training. When that failed he told him to rush it or he was going to ask Tsunade for missions. Hinata began pleading, but to Kiba's surprise she wasn't shaking madly or sweating profusely, just trying to get him to stop:

"K-Kiba… pl-please!"

"Oh, c'mon! You delayed an entire month!"

"N-no!"

"You had your chance to do this on your own, now we're having an intervention."

"I c-can't!"

"You just need to talk. Talk. And not pass out."

"Yes," Shino added, "Loosing consciousness generally ends conversations fairly quickly I've noticed."

"Shino, shut up."

"I c-can't!"

"In fact," Shino continued, "It's such an effective tactic I'm wondering why it's not widely used."

"Shino, shut up!"

"N-no! S-s-stop!"

"I'm just making a note." Then Shino pushed his glasses up with his index finger.

This horrible racket and noise drew attention from all sides, doctors shooting them looks and eventually a nurse outright telling them to 'shut up' after various shushing sounds failed to contact them. Hinata eventually got the point and began walking her forced walk, fidgeting and occasionally blushing horribly. This drew more strange looks, Kiba just grudged on. Shino kept up his little act of hiding under the hood, grumbling occasionally about something or the other. This would be the deciding moment, he hoped, that either Naruto would shut them up or Sakura would or someone else would end it all. His pessimistic attitude had grown more due to annoyance over the few days but he kept his generally calm attitude on the outside, only hinting. The hints were getting just a tad too quiet for his taste and he desperately desired to just get to the point and tell them that they were starting training again.

Hinata walked to the door that, when opened, would expose Naruto, laying there, looking sick and hurt, and hopefully sleeping Naruto. Kiba wasn't being rough, but his pushy attitude left little option. She did admit to having just put a horrible amount of worry into the whole thing and was probably looking absolutely horrible, and now she didn't have the will to just walk off and away and refuse them this. They were trying to help, she told herself, but her hand began shaking at the door. Sadly for Hinata she didn't need to open the door, because even more surprisingly Shino suddenly jumped and shouldered her out of the way. Hinata was confused, hurt, and scared suddenly, only to see the door jerk off its hinges and literally fly into the immobile Shino who didn't even have time to protect himself.

Kiba watched in horror as the door collided with the shoulder of Shino in a sickening crunch, then, having hit his shoulder, shift to slam his head, then the ceiling, then fall on top of him. Moments later Lee emerged from the room carrying Naruto who was wrapped up in his blankets, slung over Lee's shoulder like some sort of sack carrying nothing of importance. Naruto looked uninjured but unconscious. Kiba stumbled back at first, Lee looking at him with those burning eyes filled with hate to him. It was sudden, unexplained, and he could barely understand. Lee began progressing to him, medical nins having moved from their common positions to try to figure out what the noise had been about.

Hinata on the other hand could see the body of Naruto dangling there off of Lee's shoulder and struggled to get up, having fell to the ground. She was too worried and too shocked to note the door lying flat against the ground, lacking Shino's body. Naruto's back was still injured yet he was curled up in the sack, it was probably painful and probably hurting him. Lee hadn't seemed to pay her any attention. Akamaru barked again, loudly, then jumped off Kiba's head. Kiba began to speak to the odd looking Lee with a mark on his forehead, trying not to sound outright afraid:

"Lee! What're you doing?"

"I believe, personally, that it's time for Naruto to die."

"What!"

"You heard me. I believe Tsunade will agree he's a direct threat."

"What in the hells are you talking about!"

"Even if Tsunade doesn't agree trust me, the Council will, and Tsunade will be thrown out of her power at this rate."

"Lee, just… just put Naruto down and calm down, you're not making any sense."

"Good, then I'm accomplishing my mission."

"What?"

"Let us make this simple! You move, and I pass through nice and peacefully."

"Lee, you don't even… sound yourself. Just… stop. Stop and calm down."

"This isn't going to happen in a happy way, is it?"

"No! Put Naruto down."

Kiba wasn't a complete idiot, Lee couldn't be Lee. For that matter if Lee was trying to end Naruto's life why not just jump out the window and deal with him elsewhere, or outright kill him in the hospital. Something was out of place, and he needed to know. Thankfully Shino was already on it, quietly stepping behind Lee. Sadly the plan didn't quite go as expected, for as Shino slowly pulled a kunai Lee swiveled around, sending Naruto like a human weapon at Shino's head. Shino ducked, only to find Lee's foot in the way. It contacted, sending Shino off his feet and careening into a wall. Kiba took the chance with Lee's back turned, shouting, "Now!"

Akamaru exploded in a puff of smoke, Kiba jumping over it then landing standing on the back of the full sized Akamaru. Running forward Akamaru mauled Lee, only to find Lee's foot in the way again. Cringing at Akamaru's yelp of pain Kiba managed to jump off his companion, fly into the air, then twist. Upside down Kiba hit the ceiling, bending his knees, then rocketed forward towards Lee. Lee, however, had twisted about after the kick, and his other leg was trailing another dangerous blow that landed on Kiba's face. Kiba's momentum twisted to save his neck from outright snapping, his body twirling in a corkscrew only to smack into the ground harshly.

Hinata had taken her chance and heading straight for Lee whilst he was midair she had readied the Byakugan. Lee did something she hadn't expected similarly in another feat of dexterity, and that was, having been twirling, threw Naruto directly into her path as hard as he could. When Lee threw things he threw them hard, and torn between dodging and possibly having Naruto hit the end of the corridor hard enough to die or catching him the latter was fairly obviously her reaction. She felt Naruto's body hit her own then outright flew backwards, tumbling but at the same time trying to absorb shock for him whilst rolling to her feet when she could.

Kiba was in-between congratulating her concern for him or hating it, but Lee did what he had hoped and went for his target. It was an odd move, one that just created more sound when Lee probably could've outright punched her. Then again, Lee had never done well against Neji in the past, and though he'd likely improved Neji and Hinata had as well. Nonetheless, capturing Lee and letting him kill Naruto would've been pointless. Medical ninjas had already began scattering to get support, none of them actually combat ninja.

Lee yelled audibly as he charged Hinata, but Hinata had indeed managed to roll to her feet. Kiba rushed after Lee with Naruto but he simply lacked the speed that Lee had, and even then Lee was moving too slowly to be reasonable. It was as if he was trying to match the level they were at. Jumping up Lee's speed suddenly picked up. Before she knew it the back of Lee's fist had hit her in the chest, sending her forward, skidding on the floor. Kiba just barely managed to roll over Hinata and rush at Lee, who was gathering up Naruto's body. Kiba once again was caught too much off guard when Lee ducked at the final moment, tripping him.

They had been on a high floor in the hospital and for Kiba the only way down from there was falling, his momentum too great, having shattered through the glass and scratched himself up extensively. He flew towards the ground, trying to move to land on his feet and prevent the four story tall drop from outright killing him using chakra. Akamaru, who had been leading behind him, flew out the window a split second later as effect of Lee planting the bottom of his foot on Akamaru's gut and rolling him out the window. That left Shino and Hinata, and Kiba himself had a few split seconds to worry about other things.

Shino meanwhile quietly congratulated himself as insects began to do his bidding, crawling along the ventilation system to the overpowering stench of the female on Lee and the marker on Naruto in case they lost Lee's tracks and had to find Naruto. Hinata rushed him again, probably intending to use the gentle fist to counter Lee's attacks, but Lee didn't seem to be using the style Shino had seen him use so many times before, the iron fist. Too flowing, too abstract. It was hard to tell the truth from only a few attacks but Shino assumed for the sake of the whole ordeal, yet didn't call off Hinata, hoping she'd realized too.

Lee grabbed he cloth he had twined around to hold Naruto harder, preparing himself, trying to register the attack. His amazing speed only did so much against the gentle fist, Hinata knew, and she'd use that to her advantage. Readying her attack she wasn't too amazed to find Lee behind her. She ducked forward and maneuvered her chakra filled palm towards him without turning. No attack from him it seemed, at least not until she felt the fist. He'd hit exactly in her blind spot as if it was some sort of easily achievable task that had only cost him a bit of effort. Lee wasn't Lee, even his strength was indescribably 'not Lee'. It felt like Tsunade, yet Lee had no chakra to control in that way. The change in momentum had left her attack short by a mere inch and sent her back down to the ground, then the wall beside the broken window, the originally large fixture pouring in light and a mild breeze.

Lee closed in on Shino, closer, closer, and closer. Shino tried not to act alarmed but his defenses weren't ready, and as Lee closed at his leisurely pace Shino knew they wouldn't be ready in time and began to move back. It was like a black flash that saved him just in time, the fist that was going to hit him right in the neck, right where it would've been lethal instead flinging away. It went towards a wall, punching a small crater, the ANBU that had kicked it in the direction doing a small back flip only to carefully set his… rather her cloak around her body again once on the ground. Lee seemed happy to find it, surprisingly having saved Naruto from simply splattering on the wall too.

The ANBU didn't seem to be particularly merciful for the day, wearing the mask of a wolf over her face. Jolting forward it was hard for Shino to believe that, in a split second, Lee had slipped under the ANBU's defense and kicked them with both feet. This generally would've sent someone skywards, but instead the ANBU hit the ceiling. Falling down the ANBU curled in the air and brought her feet down at Lee, sending him back. At the same time Shin let the bugs fly from the ventilation and begin weighing Lee down. Sadly Lee wasn't one to be restrained in such a manner and moments later he began struggling along. Shino grunted, the ANBU speaking, "Do whatever it takes."

Then the ANBU outright went towards him as Shino, with some hesitation, ordered the insects to begin crawling into Lee. Lee ducked in time to avoid the punch from the ANBU, then let his feet drop out from under him to avoid the kick, but had left Naruto open. Out of nowhere Hinata had grabbed him and yanked the sack out of his hands and skidded down the hallway. Lee was beginning to get angry as he, despite Shino's greatest resistance against him, jerked his fist into the ANBU's stomach. It would be only a short while before more ANBU arrived, and then Lee wouldn't have a chance.

Hinata had handed off Naruto to a medical ninja who had been waiting to aid if need be at his own danger, and upon receiving the boy began running. When Lee rolled out from under the ANBU and flew into the air, spinning rapidly and flinging the bugs off, Hinata outright charged as well to present a roadblock. Lee hit the ground beside Shino who scarcely had the time to hear it before behind slammed in the back with a fist, only to continue towards Naruto and, in effect, Hinata. Hinata didn't stop or flinch, instead she concentrated on the mission, the fight. Naruto or not, she knew she couldn't loose her focus.

Lee's first attack hit despite this, a blur to even the Byakugan, followed by a punch to her stomach. The uppercut sent her into the air, and Lee followed by jumping up and kneeing her jaw. Flying still Hinata found the ground beginning to approach her slowly, only to have Lee's heel dig into her back and increase the rate of decent. She hit the ground and literally bounced off of it, Lee landing on her back and sliding her down the hallway then proceeding after Naruto.

Kiba had survived, and Akamaru had miniaturized himself in time to be caught by Kiba, who then threw him up a foot to go back to his normal size. Rushing back into the hospital instead of jumping, which would've been difficult with Akamaru and the sharp, deadly window, he raced up the stairs only to find a doctor racing down. When Lee came this time Kiba was ready with the Gatsuuga. Lee, single-minded once his apparent competition was lagging too far behind, once again had taken the illogical course of running down the stairs. Perhaps it was to ensure the medical ninja didn't just outright hide, but the logic still puzzled Kiba, but not long enough for him to be noticed by Lee.

When Lee was hit it wasn't a light tap, too, he slammed into the wall under the technique, then tumbled down the wall in a mess thanks to the aftereffect. Kiba took the final leap of the stairwell by jumping, landing right on the chest of Lee, who coughed a bit of blood. Kiba, bruised and slightly battered, felt victory for a brief second, only to have Lee grip his wrists with a horrible strength. Had Akamaru not followed up Kiba was certain his wrists would've just snapped, but instead his companion bit into Lee's arm, drawing blood. Lee let go, giving Kiba the moment he needed to remove the other hand by pushing its arm's elbow the wrong way. Kiba sprung back from Lee, as did Akamaru. Lee went straight towards Akamaru.

Kiba had thought the obvious attack would've been him, who was guarding the exit, but even then he could've gotten off a combination attack with Akamaru, yet Lee's speed was godly. As was the speed of the black flash that hit Lee's blur, causing the floor itself to break apart and shatter. Shino felt just the slightest bit humiliated running down the stairs when even Hinata just jumped the distance, landing beside Lee. The ANBU were arriving at the door, one of them cradling Naruto apathetically. Lee continued to struggle despite the odds, trying to hit the ninja on top of him. He wasn't loosing strength either or fatiguing, rather he got to the point where each ANBU separately pinned his arms and legs down.

The vague whispering even Akamaru didn't manage to pick up as the small team of Kurenai's students watched whilst Lee continued to struggle like a madman, the ANBU not seeming confused so much as trying to take a course of action. Feeling suddenly very worthless Kiba looked on, slumping against the wall. Hinata fell down to sit, leaning and panting a little whilst, on the stairs above, Shino watched idly. He seemed amused enough by the ANBU, as if Kiba and Hinata's outings had finally been productive enough to gain his acceptance.

The male ANBU wearing the mask of a panther moved over and kneeled before Hinata, having noted the Byakugan long ago. Hinata stared back confused for the longest while, perhaps slightly scared, only to the ANBU eventually get annoyed and request, "Tell me… is he injured or not?" Hinata shook her head, glancing over Naruto's inner body for a second to see if there was any sort of damage. Then she blushed a bit and looked down. The ANBU simply commended her and began walking up the stairs at a leisurely pace.

Kiba grinned and pushed Hinata a little, just a playful shove on her shoulder to tell her she'd done good. Hinata simply nodded a little but didn't react to it well. Surprisingly Lee was still struggling, not even saying anything or making any noises beyond effort. The ANBU all seemed to be putting a great amount of strain into keeping him there, conversing between themselves before another one disappeared in a black flash to find the Fifth. Kiba walked over and asked as politely as possible, "Anything I can do?" The man he'd approached shook his head and beckoned him away.

Then Lee began yelling a loud, constant yell, and one of the ANBU shouted quickly to the others to incapacitate him. To Kiba, Hinata, and Shino it was another blur, but moments later it seemed not only had Lee mustered the strength to throw off four ANBU from himself, but had managed to catch the hand of the other one instantly. He'd opened some of the gates, it seemed, and his determined eyes indicated stopping was no longer an option for him. The ANBU seemed to take this in stride, but their ability to stop him could be raised into question.

Lee, using the hand gripping the wrist of the ANBU who had tried to incapacitate him, shifted around suddenly and, using all the force possible, hit the back of his elbow. The sickening pop was followed by a spray of blood causing the bone to stick out of the man's arm in two places, a scream of pain coming from him. Lee followed up with an open palm to his back, this time his strength doubled, and thus outright sending the man flying towards the wall.

Avoiding the Kage Shuriken no Jutsu above which showered the area with shuriken from above, the ANBU that was carrying Naruto having played in the attack, he jeered his shoulder right into another ANBU's mask. The man's head, then body, jolted backwards only to find that Lee's body had shifted behind him. Kicking the ANBU's back the man was sent into the air, his back snapping. Despite this Lee unleashed various punches to his stomach Two of the ANBU, setting themselves up, went for him on either side, one with a katana drawn and another with two tantos. One of them was up the stairs a bit desperately trying, and failing, at every genjutsu he tried.

Lee's counter to the attack vaguely resembled Neji's own perfect defense, even if it hardly played in the same manner. Grabbing both of the arms of the ANBU, each of their right, he quickly shifted his weight before spinning about on his heel. Turning himself to the side the rag doll-like bodies of the ANBU began pound into the floor on one side without stopping, only to have one flung at the genjutsu user. Their bodies collided with enough force that it seemed likely the single living one had various broken bones, and the one who'd been flung about wasn't even possibly alive. Meanwhile the other one was slammed directly into the floor, breaking more of the concrete. It was next to needless to say he was dead.

This was all watched on to the greatest horror by team Shino as Lee massacred an entire ANBU team single-handed. Hinata covered her mouth, vastly unable to do anything, and Kiba just stumbled back with Akamaru hiding behind him. The cracked and torn bodies of the ANBU didn't even twitch, if they had the ability. Even Shino looked shaken. In his mind ANBU was an aspiration, yet a single man had just eliminated them as if they were toys for his amusement.

ANBU were beyond elite ninjas, they were the finest possible. Shino couldn't fathom how in the hell Lee had progressed to the level of ability beyond the odd marking on his head. Lee bent his knees and progressed upwards, to Kiba's dismay, towards where Naruto seemed to be. The ANBU had assumed Lee was too easy to beat. He bent his knees to follow, only to watch Hinata beat him to the chase at he quickest rate she could muster.

Hinata understood her main chance was to catch up to Lee, who had no control midair thanks to his lack of chakra. To compensate for the speed Lee had picked up on his initial jump she hit from balcony to balcony at the best speed she could manage. All her extensive training had a time to pay off, everything Neji had been kind enough to show her, all her father's mild hinting despite his apparent apathy. Lee hadn't noticed her, he'd noticed the ANBU standing there watching him approach.

"Hakke Rokujuu Yonshou!"

In the air Lee could do nothing, not with Hinata attacking his back. Had she accidentally positioned herself to the side or somewhere else, Kiba realized, she'd be dead, yet she had executed in perfectly. He readied himself for his part of their empathetically constructed plan, an effect of all the years of team work. The first attack hit, then the next, then the next. Hinata was aiming for the bones or other areas that would effect Lee's Taijutsu. The second two attacks hit. Then more. Then more. By thirty-two strikes it seemed as if it Lee was done, all his vital areas hit.

However the momentum created by all the strikes had turned Lee just enough to see the next blow from Hinata, which let him, with the irrational speed, catch it. Flinging her around midair his heel connected with her jaw, sending her upwards and he himself down, only for the bandages around his hands to begin curling around her. Kiba had little, if any, idea on what to do. Shino himself seemed to be at a loss, moving his insects for an attack, but having seen the attack before not sure if there was a genuine way to stop it.

"Omote Renge!"

Lee began spinning and preparing for the finishing move, the air around him curling as Hinata struggled to get free helplessly. The ANBU had disappeared by then with Naruto, leaving them relatively helpless to stop what was about to happen. Kiba himself knew that it'd be just as likely to hit Hinata with an attack as it would to hit Lee. They progressed towards the ground, flying closer and closer, all of it within under a second. When they hit the crater already made at the bottom of the stairs grew slightly, Hinata's body laying there, cushioned from death just barely by chakra she herself had created. Shino, ignoring that, concentrated on Lee who was already looking up again. He was swarmed by the bugs, which went, primarily, for his face.

"Gatsuuga!"

It hit Lee, who had most of his senses cut off by either the insects crawling over them or parts of his inner gates system being open. Smacking into the wall at the end of the attack Lee began thrashing out violently and without direction, and even though the attacks were fast even Kiba and Akamaru could easily dodge them in time to perform the Gatsuuga again. Meanwhile the bugs were beginning to infest Lee, crawling in him. When Lee managed a lucky hit on Akamaru Kiba growled in rage, shifted around, and gouged at his back. It'd been his worst mistake as Lee dropped to the ground and kicked him skywards. Despite the injury of his two other teammates who were incapacitated Shino just sat there and watched Lee thrash around as if to accomplish something. Pulling out shuriken Shino sighed and idly stated, "My apologies Lee."