Sorry for the wait, have just finished term so the final set of Chapters for this fanfic should go up over Christmas. As the story draws to its conclusion let me know where you'd want it to go/who you do/don't want to see die, pairings you'd like to see etc. as I haven't finalised the end yet - so any input will be taken on board when considering it - J.S

And Never Let Him Go

A fierce wind rushed across the battlefield, severing the plants hungry heads from their stalks. Several grotesque puppets danced amongst the chakra filled gusts, clearing up the odd swaying stem the wind had missed. Within a minute Zetsu's attack had been completely demolished.

"A true miracle..." Shikamaru sighed, as he looked up into the trees to see Temari and Kankaro watching over them.

"Yo Shikamaru!" Temari called out. "Why is it I'm always having to turn up and save your sorry ass?"

"...but I'd almost rather have died," he finished under his breath.

Then from the centre of the clearing, as the Konoha team were recovering their breath, Zetsu erupted from the soil; and he did not look happy. From his feet tendrils shot and squirmed to wrap about the Konoha ninja, but Shikamaru had already started his shadow technique as the vines curled up round his legs. As usual Temari had been on the same wavelength as him for she had taken to the air on her fan, gliding above the strange plant-like Akatsuki member. Under the cover of her fan's shadow Shikamaru's own shadow crept upon Zetsu. Before it could take hold though, a vine shot upwards, knocking Temari from her fan and wrapping about her chest. The vines had also almost reached Shikamaru's arms, coiling roughly round his own torso. For a horrifying second Shikamaru wondered if his shadow would reach in time; then the vines that had curled about the Konoha and Sand ninjas' bodies and necks stopped their contracting twists. Zetsu glowered at them all, unable to move, realising he was doomed.

From behind him a giant hand of sand curled its fingers about his frozen form and a shadowy figure said coldly;

"Desert coffin". Shikamaru shuddered as he saw Zetsu vanish in black rain. Stepping from the shadow of the trees Gaara emerged and surveyed the scene.

"Is anyone hurt?" He asked.

Shikamaru glanced about; Kiba looked distraught as he knelt over the skeletal remains of Akimaru's huge frame, which was understandable. Kiba would still be fine to move, although it would probably be best to remove him from direct fighting where possible. Everyone else looked fine, bar cuts and scratches.

"Are we all good to go?" Shikamaru called out and on receiving either nods or silence, turned back to Gaara. "We should move as fast as possible. It would seem Naruto is already in their hands given Zetsu was clearly a means of delaying us. Someone must have alerted the Akatsuki to Naruto's location. We should move in the following formation..."

So they took off, hurrying after Naruto and travelling at such a pace that they failed to notice two figures, one large and one small, emerge behind to tail them.

Sasuke and Meiunhi were making slow and steady progress towards the Land of Rain's Hidden Village of Amegakure. They had crossed the border and, thanks to the occasional instruction via Pein's hologram rainbow figure, were now making beeline for Amegakure. The rain itself had thickened to a steady downpour from a dull drizzle and the greying skies above seemed to be closing in upon the damp, sodden, war torn plains of the Country of Rain.

The pair said very little; lost in their own empty dream worlds of revenge and sorrow. Despite the fact that Naruto was securely sedated and sealed, his presence still drifted about them, irritating them. Passing through one battered village consisting of mere shacks, a rugged, filthy beggar held up a battered clay cup - desperate for money.

"Can you spare some..." Before he could finish Sasuke had stopped and withdrawn his sword, beside the casket, on his back. With a single stroke he severed the beggars head, sending it rolling off into a drainage gutter; those who saw fled in terror to their houses. For a second Sasuke seemed shocked at what he'd done in order to release the guilty nuisance of Naruto's love, then his daggered smile returned – creeping a little further than before.

"That will teach filth like you to try and talk to the rulers of this world," he said with satisfaction as he sheathed the sword. Meiunhi laughed, delighted that her older self that had sensed hope at Naruto's declaration of true friendship, was quailing again. I bet you'd like to see me do something that heartless and cruel too, Meiunhi whispered inside to her former self; and so in a town further along she chopped down a women with her child who she had stumbled into; although any excuse would have done. Like Sasuke she just had to quash the unsettling hope that Naruto's friendship offered, her new self justifying the rejection with a variety of devious arguments. He's lied before so why not again...besides it's all too late...you can't become a nothing again. A dozen people lost their lives as they homed in on the capital; most citizens though had the sense to stay well away from them as they passed by. Each killing brought both of them further relief from the hope and strengthened their dark resolve; revelling in the control over others lives that they were afforded.

That evening they entered the built up 'village' of Amegakure. It was a vast maze of pipes and factories. As midnight approached they stood before an old, rotting tin warehouse that sent a thin stream of charcoal smoke up between a host of other chimneys where it was lost in the ponderous swirling sky.

So here it is. The coming of something powerful...terrible... suddenly I feel scared. Yet everything is working perfectly. Naruto shall die and I shall achieve the true potential of my bloodline... Shrugging Meiunhi stepped forward and pushed open the large iron door. If there was one thing she was sure of it was that Naruto would never be leaving this place, here was where he would die as punishment for his sins.