Madara. He had come for Uzu-hime much earlier than expected.

Lee gave the man a feral smile and pulled a kunai out of his weapons pouch and took up a defensive position in front of the corner as his dark eyes flashed an demonic glowing red.

Come get some.

And die screaming...

(*******************************************************************************************************************************************************************)

At five fifty seven p.m on September the sixth an explosion coming from the nine tail biiju's apartment rocked the quiet little village as two figures burst out of the ruins. One wearing a black and red cloak, and a strange swirling face mask and another wearing an emerald green outfit with a kunai in one hand and a small body firmly tucked under the arm of his free arm. Red chakra swirling around him as he landed on the rooftop across form the smoldering apartment ruins.

Madara stared at the young man in shock. His mind not quite comprehending what had just happened. No, he had much more disturbing things going through his head. Like questions about the familiar red chakra swirling around the young man. It looked like the demonic chakra of the nine tailed fox, the cold feeling a dread settled in his stomach as he started to understand.

The Biiju had shared her power with this young man. Turning him from an ordinary human to a half demon. A sentinal. A watchdog.

Someone who could pass himself as human for the sole purpose of killing anyone that tried to hurt her. How clever. No doubt she had also shared other things with the young man as well, meaning that the Uchiha would have to watch his step around this Biiju. His mind already labeling her as too dangerous to let escape. If he failed to capture her, then she would only create more watch dogs, share her power with them and change them into half demons too.

If he let that happen...he would never be able to seal away the nine tails and use it's chakra to take over the world! Okay. He was done playing with the kid. One way or another the blond was leaving with him.

"Alright boy...hand over the little one and maybe, I'll let you live." Madara growled in annoyance. His time was running out. He could both see and hear people coming to investigate the explosion.

Lee looked down at Uzu and smiled faintly then turned his glittering scarlet eyes back to his enemy.

Madara wouldn't touch Uzu-hime. Even if he died, the Hokage and every nin in the village would be out for his blood. He just had to hold the mad man back a little bit longer...

(****************************************************************************************************************************************************************)

Kakashi had been almost to the apartment when the explosion had occurred. He had been so close that the sudden shift in the air pressure and the loud boom followed by flaming metal and wood and glass flying in all directions, had knocked him off of his feet and sent him flying a good ways back before he had flipped himself and dug in his heels and used his chakra to keep from being flung across the village as he lifted his arms to protect his uncovered eye as large swirling red vine like things appeared, whipping in the air and he felt the bottom drop out of his stomach as fear coiled it's long cold fingers around his heart.

Oh god.

It was the Kyubbi's chakra.

Had the seal been broken somehow? "Uzu..."

Dear god, that explosion had been huge. Was she still alive? Or had she been killed by the thing that she had been used to suppress? I have to know. He ruthlessly squashed the fearful feeling threatening to overwhelm him and stood up. Ignoring the little pieces of glass and wood that were still whipping in the wind, cutting at his body, slicing open his skin and took off running. If Uzu had survived that explosion them it was imperative that she be found and taken to safety and healed before the seal completely shattered.

(****************************************************************************************************************************************************************)

Lee didn't give an inch.

He simply couldn't afford too. Every time Madara got around behind him he would speed up his body movements and get behind Madara. Help was moving in closer, he was aware of the third Hokage's presence along with Kakashi's. He could feel Kona, Shika, Hinata, and others heading towards them and was surprised when Gaara's sand shield came between him and Madara as the Uchiha moved in to strike a fatal blow.

The sand protected him, and at the same time pulled him back and took Uzu from his grasp, wrapping the girl in a small cocoon of sand that was as impenetrable as steel. Gaara broke the trasformation jutsu, changing himself from child to adult and stood next to Lee, his eyes glowing a bright and frightening red, his lips peeled back from his teeth in a silent snarl.

"How dare you..." He growled, his voice sounded deeper and much more chilling. Lee's eyes flickered to the red headed man as Gaara used hsi sand to drive Madara back away from the cocoon ofsand holding Uzu back at a safe distance.

He had tweaked his sand jutsu specifically for something like this. He had placed a seal, designed by Uzu herself to thwart Madara's ability to shift through space and time. By activating it, he could protect Uzu-hime and Lee and himself from the man's efforts to reach them until help arrived.

He grabbed Lee and pulled him closer to his side and let his sand form a sheild around them as well. He had had enough of this man and his constant attacks on the people closest to him. Madara had already killed a majority of his friends.

His siblings.

His jounin instructor and everyone else dear to him. He'd be damned before he let the mad man take Uzu, and Lee too.

Madara blasted the sand in front of him with chakra in an effort to rip it open and kill the two pests. It had taken him a second to realise just who the red head was. Or what he was rather. But he was puzzled about why the Shikaku container would be in the leaf village.

Sure, he knew that Biiju were drawn to one another like magnets. He also knew that some were soldiers meant to serve the other, more powerful Biiju's. But this-

This was odd.

He was about to try a more powerful jutsu when the Third Hokage and several dozen Anbu and jounin appeared, firmly placing themselves between him and his goal. Madara growled in annoyance and was about to leave when he felt the air stir behind him and turned his head just enough to let his Sharigan meet the angry glare of another.

"Chidori..." Someone seemed to say in a deep rumbling voice from far, far away an instant before he felt something begin to tear through his chest.