Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto…no really, I'm serious.

SORRY! All my stories were updated late because I had a friend staying for a while, so less writing time! Please forgive me!

Kimimaro dodged another chakra coated hand, bending down and spinning his legs out to catch his opponent off guard. Joben jumped away at the last minute, panting heavily. The kumo Genin had never fought so hard in his life, but he was sure as hell not going to stop now. He charged back into the yellow tinged mist, attacking Kimimaro with a flurry of improvised Juuken strikes. He drew back to catch his breath, growling when it became clear that his attacks had no effect.

Dammit! How the hell am I supposed to defeat this guy? His armour is too strong! Joben had his hands on his knees, struggling against the exhaustion. Think, think! How can I hurt this guy…Michio's poison! If I can just get that cloth off his mouth, it'll eventually kill him! I'll just have to stall him until it takes effect…

Smirking, Joben rushed at Kimimaro once again. The young Kaguya brought up his bone swords, slashing at the older boy. Despite the pain, Joben didn't stop. He reached up towards Kimimaro's face, causing the white haired boy to hastily harden his bone armour, centred around his skull. But instead of striking as expected, Joben ripped away his make-shift mask. Kimimaro's eyes widened in shock, how had he been so careless! He swept his dagger upwards, catching the thick band of Joben's mask, slashing it. The black gas mask fell to the ground with a thud, and Joben started to panic. No! Dammit! He internally cried in frustration. …I'll have to finish this quickly!

Kimimaro coughed harshly as he inhaled the infectious gas, gritting his teeth against the burning pain. Joben was also wheezing and clutching his throat as the poison invaded his lungs. He gripped a Kunai hard, staggering forward.

"Even if I die here…"he hissed, "…you will be coming with me!" Joben tackled the weakened Kimimaro to the ground, stabbing him with the Kunai with as much force as his body could muster. He knew if they stayed in the gas any longer they would both die, but that was ok now. He had avenged his teammate, and done the best he could. In the end he had won…a proud smile graced the young Ninja's face. His opponent was already unconscious.

I hope I made you proud…Tou-san…

And the world faded away.

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Haku's eyes fluttered as she slept restlessly. She occasionally tried to move, but ended up crying out in pain each time. The Hawk had really torn her shoulder up badly. Naruto sat by her while Gaara disposed of the Kumo girl's boy and Sasuke was out getting more water to clean Haku's wound.

They had taken Haku into the cover of trees, near the battle site. Naruto swept the damp, warming cloth across her face gently, removing any dried blood, sweat and dirt from her fight. He looked up as Gaara walked over to them, his clothes showing no evidence of the body his sand had just crushed into oblivion.

"How do you think the others are doing?" Naruto asked quietly, as not to wake Haku. Before, the blonde had held no doubt what-so-ever in his adoptive families abilities, but now that Haku-nee had been hurt…

Gaara sensed his 'brother's distress and took action. "Itachi can take care of himself. And Kimimaro survived the elimination of his whole clan…I am confident that they will not lose to a single Kumo team." The red head said logically. But logic rarely had an effect on Naruto.

"But what if Konoha does come? What if-"

"Then they will be forced to fight them also. But there is no point in worrying unnecessarily, Naruto." Gaara sighed. "If the time comes, then the time comes."

Naruto looked away. "Yeah but…Konoha is where I was born Gaara…It was my home for almost my whole life. It feels wrong to think about fighting them…" he admitted.

Gaara looked at the blonde seriously. "How you feel doesn't matter. Not in a battle anyway. When it comes down to it, you fight to protect those you care for, correct?" he asked rhetorically, already knowing the answer.

"Of course I-"

Gaara interrupted. "Then what if a Ninja from your home village was holding a blade to Haku's throat? Or if Itachi was captured and scheduled for execution? He is a criminal to them after all."

Naruto's eyes widened fearfully. "T-that would never happen!"

"And if it did? Then, what would you do Uzumaki Naruto?" Gaara demanded. He knew he was being harsh, but the blonde needed to hear it how it was.

"I…I would save them! I will never let my precious people be hurt!"

Time to say it. "Even if it meant killing Konoha's Shinobi?"

"…" The blonde's mouth was gaping, opening and closing like a fish. Gaara's emerald eyes narrowed.

"Answer the question Naruto. How far would you go to protect the ones you hold dear?"

"…" Naruto still had a shell-shocked look on his face, clearly stunned and confused. His whiskered face was conflicted.

"Would you die for them? Kill for them? Take on the world for them? How far, Naruto?" The red head demanded.

"I-"

It was time for Naruto to see the real world, and not his peaceful fantasy. "Are you able to put aside your own desires and commit sins for the sake of those relying on you is the question."

"Y-yes! I will always protect you guys! I-I won't hesitate if it's for us! I'll never hesitate!" Naruto yelled. Gaara looked in his hardened blue eyes and felt satisfied.

"Do you swear this Naruto?"

"I swear it on Sasuke's life!" Naruto exclaimed.

"Dobe, what the hell are you swearing my life on? I'm a bit offended you know." Sasuke quipped as he strode back into the area holding two bags of water. Naruto yelped and spun around, pointing accusingly.

"S-Sasuke! Don't sneak up on us Teme!" the blonde growled.

"Not my fault a Baka and a Dobe can't even sense me approaching." He smirked as he bent down to pour some cool water onto Haku's wounds. Naruto twitched.

"Shut up bastard!"

Gaara rubbed his forehead, he felt a headache coming on, and this time it wasn't from Shukaku. "Sasuke, Naruto, please don't wake up Haku-nee. She needs her sleep to recover."

Both boys shrunk down in apology and whispered in union, "Sorry Gaara."

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Kakashi met the eyes of his frightened comrades, silently telling them not to let their fear show to the enemy. Izumo nodded tersely and flattened his mouth into a thin line. Kotetsu washed away his nerves with another wave of fury, standing in front of them was somebody who had betrayed their village! Iruka bit his lip but steadied his hands, his eyes gaining a new defiance as he glared at the smirking Uchiha.

"Well, well Hatake. It seems this batch isn't as cowardly as the last I came across." Although Itachi had kept it a secret from his younger companions, he had been located by Konoha's Shinobi multiple times during their travels. Some had been hunting him, others had simply happened upon him during missions. None that challenged him had survived, obviously. In any other situation, the rogue Uchiha would have simply wounded them gravely, perhaps scarring them with a Genjutsu. But now, he knew the ruthlessness was necessary to keep himself firmly under the radar, lest his little group be targeted as well. If he had allowed them to live, they could have found the kids, and that was not going to happen anytime soon if the Uchiha had anything to say about it.

Kotetsu growled. "You filthy rotten traitor! How many of your former comrades have you slain since you ran?"

"Ran? Oh no, I never ran. I simply left that weak village to pursue my own endeavours." Itachi smirked, infuriating the Konoha Nins further.

Izumo's composure cracked. "How dare you call us weak? It is only because of Konoha that you became as strong as you are, but that doesn't mean we can't beat you!"

Itachi chuckled coldly. "Konoha crafted a living weapon in the forges of supremacy, and then feared it when it did was it was created for." Itachi spoke dispassionately. "As for your earlier question of how many have died by my hand since that day?" he smirked evilly. "I've lost count."

That was of course, a blatant lie. Itachi knew exactly how many of his former village's Ninja he had been forced to slay. Thirty-four. Everything from Hunter-nins and ANBU to Genin, no one had been spared. Thankfully he had only encountered one Genin team over the time he had been a Missing-nin.

Kotetsu growled as savagely as any Inuzuka, and Iruka's face hardened with further determination to fight the criminal responsible for the deaths of so many. Kakashi kept his Sharingan trained on the prodigy, analysing and calculating every possible scenario.

But it wasn't looking good.

Every idea Kakashi played out in his mind all ended badly for the Konoha squad. I can't die here! Kakashi told himself sternly. I still need to find Sasuke and Naruto! For Obito…for Sensei! I cannot fail them, not again! His Sharingan morphed slowly into it's rarely used Mangekyo state, causing Itachi's own to widen and automatically activate Mangekyo as well.

I will not be defeated here today! Kakashi swore.

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Itachi prepared his next attack, aimed at the illusive copy Ninja. Iruka had long since been knocked unconscious, and Izumo was currently trying desperately to stop Kotetsu from bleeding out due to a stab wound in the gut. Kakashi was breathing hard, not bothering to wipe the hot sweat off his face despite the sting it gave his open injuries. Itachi breathed in deep, ready to fire off a Katon jutsu, when he felt a nagging sensation on the edge of his senses. Tuning in, he whipped his head around to his left, inwardly cursing.

Kimimaro…dammit!

Kakashi took advantage of his enemy's distraction, knowing how rare it was to occur. He lunged at the younger male, his movements practically invisible to the naked eye. Such was the power of a Jounin. Itachi growled internally.

Shit! Kimimaro's chakra was fading fast, and for the first time in years Itachi felt something akin to panic. His eyes bled, burning with unimaginable pain as he released Amaterasu.

The unstoppable black flames burst from his eye sockets, searing them in the process. The relatively new technique was basically untested and completely unrefined, as he had not yet risked training with it. The flames lit upon everything his gaze touched, forcing a stunned Kakashi to draw back.

The fire burnt through solid rock, reducing it to nothing but ash. An agonised scream filled the air, and Kakashi watched in wordless horror as the crippled Kumo Jounin was burnt alive. He retreated further, signalling for Kotetsu and Izumo to flee while he picked up the unconscious Iruka as a wall of flames separated him from his opponent.

"Until next time, Hatake." Itachi monotoned, before disappearing from view as the flames rose higher.

Itachi deactivated his Mangekyo and wiped the trails of blood off his face, before rushing in the direction of Kimimaro's dying chakra signature.

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Itachi leapt into the dispersing cloud of poisonous gas, holding the corner of his dark cloak over his mouth as an air filter. His Sharingan spun as he squinted, trying to distinguish which of the unconscious bodies was Kimimaro. He spotted a glimpse of white hair and scooped it up hurriedly. Itachi jumped out of the lethal smog and made a break for the tree line, keeping his hold on the unconscious boy.

He dropped to the ground, holding back a cough and channelled as much chakra as he could into his palms, placing them on the Kaguya's back. It was a standard procedure of Konoha's ANBU, for the scenario that a squad mate has inhaled some kind of toxin. His chakra sank deep into Kimimaro's chest, coating the abused lungs in a thick layer. Concentrating, Itachi forced his chakra up and out of the younger boy's lungs, and up into his throat, taking with it majority of the poison. The only drawback to the technique was that it could not repair the damage already done, as it was not a very advanced medical jutsu.

Kimimaro coughed violently, ejecting the discoloured mist from his throat in large, cloudy plumes. Itachi sat back against a tree, thoroughly exhausted. The Mangekyo took a lot out of him, and he had just expended a large quantity of his chakra into helping Kimimaro.

He noticed that slowly the Kaguya's breathing had begun to even out, becoming more stable, and Itachi let out a small sigh of relief. He vaguely wondered how Haku's fight had gone, and if the younger kids were ok, but the thought fled quickly from his tired mind. Itachi let his eyelids slip closed.

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Naruto looked up warily at the sound of approaching footsteps. He tentatively leaked his chakra in order to get a read of whoever was coming towards them. He couldn't risk letting too much escape, lest whoever it is decide to search for the source of the chakra, and with Haku in such a state they were open to attack.

To the blonde's immense relief, it was just Itachi. Naruto frowned when he picked up Kimimaro's signature, it was a lot weaker than usual. Was he injured as well? Dammit, he told them he should have been able to fight! Instead, Sasuke, Gaara and himself were sitting on their butts while their family was getting hurt!

Never again.

No way was he gonna just sit out next time, risks be damned! He was going to be the greatest Ninja ever, and to do that he would have to take risks, despite what Itachi would say. Yes he was young, but that doesn't make him a child! He is a Shinobi now, and Shinobi don't leave their friends and family to fight alone.

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"What!" a sinister voice hissed in the darkness. "The Kaguya child, how bad are his wounds?"

"I am uncertain Orochimaru-sama, but it seemed as if Itachi-san ridded him of the remaining gas. What damage has been inflicted is yet to be determined." Kabuto recited what his contact had told him.

"I see…" Orochimaru said, soundly distantly displeased. "I do not wish for my Kaguya to be ruined Kabuto, perhaps you could evaluate the damage personally?"

"Of course my lord, however I must ask, how shall I get to the boy? Itachi rarely lets the young ones out of his sight, and I admit that I am no match for him in battle." Kabuto stated.

Orochimaru chuckled coldly. "A match for him in battle? Ku ku ku, my dear Kabuto, you will not be required to engage the Uchiha baby-sitter. The boy will come to us."

The young Medic-Nin blinked. "Come to us? But he seems loyal-"

"To the wrong people Kabuto…we shall make him see the light! Offer him power, revenge for his clan, medical help if need be. I shall have him!"

"…Hai Orochimaru-sama."

Orochimaru smirked. "Good. Now, before you begin this mission, I have other request of you…"

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The group sat in a stony silence. Haku was wrapped in a cocoon of blankets, staring blankly into the fire. She had woken up a few hours ago and was clenching her jaw in order to keep from crying out at the pain in her shoulder. Kimimaro had refused to be 'coddled' into a blanket and simply acted as he usually would, if not for the stray cough every now and then. Gaara had his eyes closed in thought. Sasuke was feeding the already flaming fire with his wristband, idly adjusting it every now and then. Naruto picked at a rock lodged into the hard surface of the ground, determined to unearth it. Eventually Itachi spoke up, breaking the lull of noise.

"We have underestimated our opponents…a rookie mistake. I can understand you five, but I should have known better. I apologise, I have put you all in danger with my foolishness, and I do not hope to be forgiven of that. However, we must learn from our mistakes to ensure that this never happens again. Are we clear?"

"Hey, I was all for helping out…" Naruto mumbled dejectedly. He was ignored.

Sasuke met his brother's eyes. "So what's next Aniki?"

Itachi chose his words carefully. "…I think we should take a break from missions for a while."

Naruto's face scrunched up in disgust. "We can't run away just because of one close call! That-"

Itachi interrupted him and spoke coldly. "It is not 'running away'. It is time to get more serious with your training, a minimum of 13 hours a day."

"Th-three hours? Are you insane!" Naruto balked.

"Yes…" Sasuke muttered. Itachi gave him a glare.

"I agree with Itachi-nii." Haku said suddenly. She met their curious faces with resolve. "I was over-confident in my skills and it nearly got me killed. We need to be stronger."

Gaara nodded slowly, having opened his eyes sometime during Itachi's 'speech', and reached up to touch his tattoo. "We could have lost two of us today, next time it could be more, and we might not be so lucky. I think it's a good idea."

Kimimaro remained silent, continuing to stare into the orange flames.

He could not feel what remained of the poison festering inside his chest, slowly infecting his lungs already. It was a much more gradual process now that the majority of poison had been removed, but it was not over yet. This is the reason why the Yoshida clan was so admired amongst Ninja specialising in poisons, and many villages wanted their skills for themselves. Suna especially had issued multiple attempts to convert the clan, to no avail.

The only question was how long until the problem crippled him entirely.

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Kabuto smirked as he raced through the forest under the cover of night. His glasses reflected the moonlight glaringly, obscuring his eyes from view. He had recently requested a C-rank mission for his team from the Sandaime, in order to put Orochimaru-sama's plans of entering the Chunin Exams into place. His so called 'Teammates' were currently in a deep, drug-induced slumber.

His lenses slipped down his nose, forcing Kabuto to push them further up. Orochimaru-sama had instructed him to monitor the group travelling with the Uchiha, but he must remain undetected. If his presence were to suddenly show up on the radar, Kabuto had no doubt that Itachi would slaughter him mercilessly. But first, he had to complete his current assignment.

Kabuto arrived at an orphanage, cracking an unlocked window and slipping soundlessly into a deserted room. He bypassed multiple bedrooms full of sleeping children, before coming upon one room at the end. Its door was battered and abused, and the hinges were about to come off. It looked as if it had been slammed one too many times and then given up the fight. Inside this room was only one child, around twelve years old. But what surprised Kabuto was not the boy's youth, but rather his appearance.

His file had clearly said that this boy, Jirobo, was the older brother of young Juugo, the one whose DNA Orochimaru-sama had created the curse seal from. Orochimaru-sama believed that he would be able to perfect the curse seal if he got his hands on this boy, because his DNA would already be compatible, unlike that girl Anko's. While this boy certainly had the same orange hair that Juugo was known for, this boy appeared to have cut majority of his off with some kind of blade.

It was hardly a surprise that he had been isolated from the other children.

Jirobo was stockier than his younger brother, although some of that could be accounted to Juugo's occasional refusal of food, when his depression peaks. Kabuto analysed the snoring boy in front of him, contemplating his usefulness. When Kabuto reached out to rouse the boy, he was surprised to find himself suddenly locking gazes with orange eyes, identical to Juugo's. His hand was held in a painful vice-like grip. So, the boy was on guard. Interesting.

"Who are you?"

"…That is not your concern right now. Tell me boy, do you wish to have power? To be stronger?" Kabuto asked the boy emotionlessly.

Jirobo didn't answer. Kabuto took this as encouragement.

"My master can give you this…he is already helping your brother…Juugo, right?" he asked rhetorically.

Jirobo's eyes widened in shock, before narrowing threateningly. "Where is he! If you have hurt my brother-"

"Nonsense. I have already said we are helping him, with his little….problem. I'm sure you know to what I am referring?"

Jirobo let go of Kabuto's wrist and lessened the glare, but held his gaze locked onto Kabuto's. "My brother is a good person…he never meant to hurt anyone."

Inwardly, Kabuto rolled his eyes. Outwardly, he plastered a smile on his face. "We know that. Now come Jirobo-kun, and you will see your precious brother again."

Jirobo was silent for a moment. He looked out of his small window and out at the moon above, before turning back to the patiently waiting Kabuto. "…Ok…take me to him."

Kabuto let the boy walk ahead towards the door, before quickly striking the pressure point that would make the boy drop like a rock. He smirked, Orochimaru-sama would be most pleased to receive his specimen.

All they needed to do was have Kabuto erase the boy's memory before he awoke, it was a simple jutsu really. A small amount of Chakra, directed to surround the part of the brain storing memories. A slight pulse later, and it would be shut down indefinitely.

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Jirobo was anxious to leave, he hated his damned place, and he needed to see his brother, right now! He still remembered the day almost a year ago when he had woken up to find Juugo gone without a trace…but considering what had happened the day before, it could hardly be considered a tremendous shock.

Flashback

Jirobo ran through the dense forest, searching for his idiotic brother. Only Juugo would get himself lost like this! It was almost curfew, and the orphanage was very strict on latecomers. He ripped through low-hanging branches and looked in every direction rapidly. Dammit Juugo!

He turned on his heels and ran back in another direction, intent on finding his wayward brother. Eventually he was stopped by the sound of a chocking sob. Changing course, Jirobo found himself closing in on his brother's location as the sounds became louder. Finally, the younger brother came into view of the elder, who stopped abruptly at the scene.

Lying on the forest floor was the mangled remains of a corpse, brutally ripped apart and almost completely obliterated. Tattered pieces of clothing were embedded in the bloody flesh and strewn across the immediate area. Juugo was curled up in a ball, slowly backing back and forth as he cried.

Jirobo took a shaky breath and sighed, crouching by the trembling ten year old. He spoke calmly, keeping his voice free of any emotion other than concern.

"It happened again?"

"J-Jirobo, I-I d-didn't m-mean to!" Juugo sobbed, with tears cascading down his face.

Jirobo patted his brother on the back softly, reassuringly. "I know…It's ok, it' not your fault…"

"B-but I k-killed him! W-why me? W-why do p-people near me h-have to die? Why!" Juugo screamed, clutching fistfuls of his orange hair and pulling at it with stress.

Jirobo stayed silent, letting his brother pour all his frustrations and fear out before speaking.

"H-he was j-just a traveller. N-not even a Bandit l-like the o-others. I r-really am a m-murderer!"

Jirobo had had enough. "No. You're just a bit…sick, is all. But one day you'll be better, I promise, ok?"

Juugo nodded shakily. He trusted his brother. "O-ok Jirobo." He whispered, clenching his hands against his leg.

Jirobo helped his blood-covered brother to his feet and took him down to the stream to wash, before racing back to the orphanage just in time to make curfew.

In the morning, Juugo was gone.

End Flashback.

Jirobo had hardened himself since his brother's disappearance, even going to far as to shave most of his hair off with a razor blade. He had beefed up quite a bit as well, prepared to take on the world to save his brother. With a determined resolve, Jirobo made his way ahead of Kabuto, before feeling a hard chop near his neck. His vision darkened and he felt himself fall to the ground.

Juugo…

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Kabuto straightened up, wiping a drop of sweat from his brow. "The procedure was a success Orochimaru-sama."

"Of course Kabuto, I expected no less from you." Orochimaru said with thinly veiled amusement.

"Thank you Orochimaru-sama." Kabuto bowed.

"I simply cannot wait to try my experiment, this will surely be the breakthrough I have searched for Kabuto!" The snake-man's yellow eyes gleamed with anticipation.

"Hai, my lord. The odds of success are indeed in our favour." The grey haired teen smirked, while running a diagnostic jutsu over the unconscious boy on the slab, a standard procedure after a medical Ninjutsu. Suddenly, Kabuto froze his glowing green hand over Jirobo's head.

"Kabuto? What is wrong?" Orochimaru hissed. Kabuto met his master's eyes fearfully.

"It seems that my chakra pulse did as it was intended to, of course, but there is an unforseen side effect."

"Side effect?" Orochimaru inquired, deadly calm. Kabuto felt his heartbeat quicken as he rushed to explain.

"Hai, the pulse I sent in can be described as almost a miniature earthquake in the area of the brain. I had it perfectly controlled as not to damage any other areas, but it seems that mush like a true earthquake, a small after-shock has occurred."

"What does this mean? My experiment-" Orochimaru began to warn, only to quickly be reassured.

"It won't be compromised my lord. The after-shock seems to have only affected his mind in terms of accessible intelligence…from now on he will be mostly brawn without brains."

Orochimaru nodded in understanding. "A shame, he was such an intelligent boy from what I had gathered…but perhaps it is for the best."

Kabuto let out a great sigh of relief. "I agree my lord."

"Kabuto, it is time for you to get back to your main mission. Do not let yourself lose them, I need as much information as possible on that little group. Understood?" Orochimaru asked in such a way that it was not truly a question.

The grey haired boy bowed deeply. "Hai Orochimaru-sama."

I finally did it…..it took longer than I had wanted! A bit of a side-story going on there with Jirobo and Juugo, but the muse demands what the muse demands.

-TITM