And Put Him In A Box...

Gasp...gasp...

Naruto had stopped to rest. Glancing belatedly about the thick oak trees he hung his head and gasped again.

Damn! I'm lost. How did that happen? I was gonna go back to their wrecked hideout where they took Gaara and see if they'd rebuilt it...but then again they'd probably not have done that. I just don't have any idea where to go.

He scratched his headband in puzzled annoyance and embarrassment.

Geez, perhaps I was a little hasty to rush out here. Maybe I should head back...

Mind did battle with heart for a few minutes, but this was an older, wiser Naruto and with a deep sigh he turned to head back.

"I can best save them by waiting my moment," he said under his breath. "I hope the guys at Konoha are not too worried..."

But a day dragged by and he found himself as lost as ever, surrounded by an ocean of trees. By his own admission Naruto would have admitted his sense of geography was limited; others may have described it in slightly harsher words. Worn and exhausted he collapsed beneath the warm caress of a sunbeam that lit him up like a bright orange beacon, and warmed the old gnarled tree trunk behind him. It sent him drifting into a dreamy half-real world where childhood memories spun and twisted as tantalising uncatchable threads.

Flashes of sweet pink Sakura before she grew up, Sasuke's solemn dedication, my foolish antics, Kakashi's kind mysterious face; a time when happiness seemed mandatory. When did this darkness steal in and so cruelly poison all the happiness I knew? Wrapping its slimy, thorny, poisoned stems about me and warping my world into such a nightmare.

Dull tears pricked his eyes and he buried his fist into the turf.

"I'm sorry Hinata, Sasuke, Sakura...I wasn't strong enough to save you. I was too weak."

"Fool! Who said we wanted to be saved?" Sasuke said with contempt, alighting above Naruto in the centre of the giant ash; gazing down majestically at the scruffy orange ninja.

"You should be more worried about saving yourself," came Meiunhi's cold scornful voice from the tree in front. A mocking smile played across her lips.

"No way..." gasped Naruto as he struggled to his feet..."no way you joined them...and...and..." His head swivelled to see Sasuke in the same robes. "No!...Why Sasuke? You were only out to kill Itachi right?" Sasuke's face flickered slightly, for the briefest moment it seemed a trace of pure misery passed across it, then he resumed his emotionless mask.

"Yes. But now that's fulfilled there is no going back Naruto. I am carrying out what my brother would have wished for me. I shall achieve the ultimate power. Meiunhi and I have sought power over friendship and both of us can't stop our walk now. You shall come with us." Naruto desperately tried to work out if he could say something to change their minds, a speech of friendship...of hope, but no words came to mind. He found himself torn between fighting and giving up; he knew he should fight but his emotions were too jaded to resist. Dropping to his knees he flung the kunai he'd withdrawn across the clearing into a tree and felt a single tear roll down his face and drop to the floor.

"I can't fight you, either of you. I care too much...if this is what you've become then I can go no further. Take me and do as you will. I have no reasons left to fight."

Within both Meiunhi and Sasuke something stirred, a trace of compassion and love, so hard to crush and ignore. Both were too darkened to let it overcome them but it troubled them. They said nothing more as they swooped and bound Naruto, who submitted without resistance. His vision was already fading fast as he saw Sasuke withdraw a parchment from within his robes. Then as his mind collapsed to sleep he felt his body being sealed within a crate similar to the one Sasuke had been carried in to Orichimaru; he let himself pass into a mercifully deep dreamless sleep.

Plants with gaping jaws surged and swerved across wide clearing; Sakura was fighting off several that persistently pushed her closer to their hungry mouths. Shikamaru desperately dodged several swaying snapping green and red traps, trying to come up with a tactic that didn't involve burning them as none of the team could use fire. Kiba's fighting had redoubled after Akimaru had been consumed by one of the menacing pods, the loyal dogs body eroded and digested by the enzyme dripping plant. Shino too was struggling, a number of his bugs had fallen to the plants and Ino was also slowly losing her battle, soon she'd probably be covered in hungry enzymes and warmly licked and slurped over by the caressing crimson tongue within one of the dancing plants; feeling her exposed body dissolve so slowly, disappearing layer by layer. And all the time the instigator of the attack ducked and vanished beneath the ground. A two faced predator and master of plant jitsu, the oddest member of the Akatsuki was finally playing his part; running his show and destroying Konoha's last hope.

Desperately Shikamaru tried to reach Ino in time but to no avail for two more plants sprung up. He saw Ino's body flipped up into the air, her short skirt flying up to reveal bright pink and white striped knickers beneath. At any other time a welcome distraction, Shikamaru thought as he dashed on; watching despairingly as Ino fell straight towards the drooling mouth. With his own attention distracted another plant rose from the ground to catch him about the waist.

"Damn!" he exclaimed in horror as he felt his jeans start to erode. It will truly take a miracle to save us now...