"Where have the three of you been? You've been constantly disappearing for the last month, or so the guards tell me."

Naruto shivered at the threatening tone in Tsunade's even voice. He fidgeted slightly, sweat running down his back, "We..uh…we…we…"

"We've been going out for a friendly runs, Tsunada-sama," Sakura smoothly lied, giving Naruto a hard look, "All this stress has been killing us and we felt like runs around the forest would help, both with the stress and with comradeship."

Tsunade narrowed her eyes in suspicion, "For the whole night?"

All four pack members nodded quickly. Tsunade was still frowning suspiciously. She sighed and dismissed them with a wave of her hand. The four stumbled over themselves, trying to get out the door fast enough.

"That was a close one," Tenten sighed in relief, smiling slightly. The others nodded, relief also evident on their faces. Their secret was still safe. They had been meeting their hybrid friends for over a month now, both for training and for hanging out. It was tiring but at the same time exhilarating.

All of a sudden, the peace was shattered by an ear-splitting howl.

Tenten started, a worried frown on her face, "That's the signal!"

Naruto's mouth hung open, "The vampires are attacking?!"

The four looked at each other in shocked horror. Werewolf warriors surged around them, quickly making their way out of the village.

"What are you four standing around for? Let's go!"

At Jiraiya's shout, the four werewolves quickly snapped back to the present, grim expressions on their faces. They phased as they got out into the forest. Following the rest of the pack, they came out of the forest and made their way up a small hill. Looking down, they saw a mass of swirling bodies. Vampire and werewolf were mixed together, blood and body parts covering the ground.

They rushed down, determined to help their pack. Naruto flung a vampire off of Kiba Inuzuka, who nodded in gratitude. Tenten rushed off to help Temari. Sakura soon began fighting with a vampire, her fangs glinting in the sunlight. Shikamaru ripped out a vampire's heart, his growl ferocious.

Everywhere he turned, Naruto saw and smelled blood. The ground was stained red with the sticky liquid, and glittered strangely in the morning light. The metallic tang was everywhere, on him, his teammates, the ground, everywhere. A werewolf he didn't know lay dying on the floor, his throat ripped out. Vampire pieces littered the ground.

Naruto felt bile rise in his throat. 'Why does this have to happen? Why can't we get along?'

Naruto felt someone push him, startling him out of his thoughts. Sakura gave him a hard look. He nodded, shaking his fur out. He jumped back into the battle, beheading a vampire as he passed. He would let someone else finish the job.

He felt a stinging pain on his shoulder and looked down. Claw marks were visible on his golden pelt. He growled, staring down at his attacker. The vampire licked the blood from his claws then hissed at him. Naruto lunged towards him, aiming for the head. And then he stopped his attack, landing clumsily. The vampire had been about to rake his claws down Naruto's muzzle but missed. 'Don't go for the obvious kill,' he heard Hinata's soft voice in his head. He turned his body, focusing on what Hinata had taught him. 'Aim for the legs,' he heard her clear voice again, in his memory.

He made as if to attack the vampire's head again, only to duck down and rip off one of his legs. The vampire hissed angrily as he fell on the floor giving Naruto the chance he needed to rip out the bloodsucker's heart. He continued to fight on, the faces of his enemies blurring together. He let the wolf take over him, guiding him.

His concentration was broken by a scream and then a loud "NO!"

He snapped out of survival mode. He knew that voice. His mind struggled to place it, working sluggishly. Then it clicked.

'Ino!'

He ran towards where he had heard the sound, pushing past the writhing bodies of both foe and friend. He stopped a few feet from where the hybrid knelt. She hovered over a dark body, tears flowing down her face. Naruto felt his blood run cold as he recognized the dark spiky pelt.

Lying on the ground, unmoving, was Shikamaru.