Author's Note: People seem to have taken a liking to the shorter chapters, so I think I'll stick with them! It means quicker updates for you, as well as less reading. I know some of you liked sitting down and having a good read, but I know a lot of other people have little time during the day, and the smaller chapters work for their busy schedule. I certainly know they work for me.

And now, a request. I can imagine at least one of you knows what goes on this site better than I do, so I'm hoping you can help me. A while back, everyone was going bonkers about stories being taken down suddenly with no warning whatsoever, that the admins were finally holding to their promise to take down stories with explicit adult material. What I would like to know is the status of this situation. Have they backed down, or are they holding to the rules they set down when the site was founded? I've tried looking for it myself, but the navigation of this site still confuses me from time to time. Thanks in advance.

For those concerned with not having Naruto and Hinata in the last chapter, I must admit you'll have to wait a little longer. Their relationship will take center stage once more soon enough, but I won't sacrifice the adventure portion of this story to get back to that, even if that's what I prefer writing about. I'm really excited with the action and adventure this book will hold for you, so I hope you'll be patient for the NaruHina growth, and understand that it will come when it's time.

Here is the summary for the previous chapter:

Sasuke is informed by Tobi about his target in Suna. He needs to bring this man back for interrogation, and is a dangerous user of Sealing Techniques. Sasuke believes he will have trouble with the encounter, and Tobi leaves with a few cryptic words about who he SHOULD be worried about. Within a secret room in the mountain, Tobi tortures a man for information about a mysterious person, someone whom Tobi is very interested in. His prisoner claims that the mystery man has died, but Tobi does not believe him.

Meanwhile, Pakkun and Asoko are on their way back to Konoha, when a sudden sandstorm forces them to take shelter in a rocky canyon. Pakkun insists Asoko continue without him, as he can use the portal of the toads that exits near Konoha. Asoko is reluctant, but accepts Pakkun's request, and leaves.

Taka begins their journey, and with the spurring of Sasuke, arrive at the Land of Wind in record time. They immediately begin their search for Yakuhin, as he is known in the village, to take him back to the Mountain's Graveyard.

Book Two: Chapter 3 - A Mysterious Elder! Yakuhin Discovered!

"I need this artery sewn up now! If we don't restart the blood flow soon, he'll bleed out. Yakuhin, I need a surgical clamp!"

"Right away!" Yakuhin hurried over to a table littered with various tools. He picked out the correct one, before rushing back to give it the doctor.

"Alright, the bleeding has stopped for now. Yakuhin, can you get me the suturing needle?"

"Of course, sir." Again he headed for the table, grabbing the needle and the thread necessary to close up the wound.

"Here you are-"

"Not yet. I found a clot further up. Get me a scalpel, now!" The doctor was growing worried; if they didn't hurry soon, this man's life would be lost.

"Here!" Yakuhin exclaimed, already having one nearby. The doctor grabbed the blade, and made a longitudinal cut along the artery. He quickly replaced the blade with a pair of tweezers, fishing for the clot. Suddenly, he pulled out a small amount of congealed blood, holding it up to the light.

"There you are, you son-of-a-bitch…" He threw the clot in the trash nearby, picking up the needle Yakuhin had brought earlier. He began to run the thread through the more recent cut, working through the bleeding as best he could.

The patient began to flat-line. "Doctor…" Yakuhin said nervously.

"I KNOW." He wiped the sweat from his brow, adjusting his glasses. He just needed to stitch up that second cut, and…

Beep.

Beep.

Beep.

"He's coming back!" Yakuhin shouted, sighing in relief. The doctor took a few steps back, collapsing into his chair.

"Thank God…can you finish stitching him up? I'm about to pass out."

"Of course sir." Yakuhin approached the patient, deftly grabbing the needle and thread. He worked far faster than anyone would thought for someone his age, but he been doing this sort of thing for years now. The cut was stitched up, and he gently wrapped the leg in gauze, taking care to keep the leg elevated. After he was finished, he relaxed in the chair next to the doctor's.

"Thank goodness. You performed wonderfully, doctor. You save another life."

The doctor turned to his assisstant and smiled. "Thank you, but don't sell yourself short. If it weren't for you, I would have failed."

"I'm glad to help. Doctor…if it's alright..."

"Your break. Of course. You worked far past it today, so why don't you just take the rest of the day off?"

Yakuhin looked worried. "Are you sure? I can stay if needed."

The doctor shook his head. "No need. I have nothing but simple check-ups for the rest of the day. You've earned yourself some time off, so I'm not taking no as an answer."

"Of course, doctor. Thank you." Yakuhin stood, bowing deep for his superior. The doctor rose momentarily to return the gesture, slumping back into his seat once Yakuhin had left.

'That man is a gift from the heavens…'

It had been quite the oddity. This man in what appeared to be his late forties arrived to the village one day, asking if he could be of any service. The guard had been about to send him on his way to the next village, when his companion complained about a pain in his side having bothered him all day. Yakuhin had offered to take a look, and after a brief inspection, had horrified the man by revealing that one of his kidneys had failed. If he didn't see medical attention soon, it might kill him. Yakuhin was brought into the village to oversee the operation, and first he had been looked upon wish disdain by the other doctors. After all, this man came out of nowhere with extensive medical knowledge, and the other doctors were afraid he would be after their jobs.

But as time wore on. That never happened. Yakuhin stated he merely wished to help, accepting a position to assist the surgeons and general practice doctors when needed. He proved to be quite useful, and never complained or failed in his tasks. He rarely said much, but it wasn't for him, many lives would have been lost. He had earned a place of honor in that hospital, and the entire staff hoped he lived a full, happy life.

Yakuhin yawned. He hadn't gotten much sleep last night, and short nap at one of the benches seemed like a wonderful idea. He could feed some of the birds afterward; maybe share a few stories with the children playing in the park…

Anything to get his mind off of…that.

It was the reason of his insomnia. Why he rarely spoke to the doctors other than to pass on medical information. He had been forced long ago to rely on a powerful sleeping agent for many years now, sneaking it out of the hospital. He had become addicted, and it drove him to the brink of insanity every day. What was worse, paranoia stalked his every footstep. He always thought he was being followed. He hated it, hated what he had done. But most of all, he hated that he didn't hate himself.

What he had done was terrible, yet not a shred of guilt lie within his heart. All those innocent lives lost forever…it was why he fled to the Land of Wind. No one could find him here; remind him of the atrocities he committed. He would live as long as he kept his cover. No one would have to know…

He turned around to make sure no one was following him. A few steps later, he did it again. Villagers would ask out of concern what he was looking for, to which he would joke that because of his age, he sometimes forgot where he was.

It took him several minutes to reach the small park where he could spend the rest of his day. Grass wasn't an option, as it took far too much water to keep it healthy. Instead, small pebbles adorned the ground beneath his feet, forming waves of color across it. Planters lay around the edge, with exotic flowers and plants decorating the soil. Yakuhin chose a bench that sat underneath a large palm tree; it was his favorite spot.

He settled in, listening to the soft sound of the desert wind. He could faintly hear the bustle of the village nearby, and he felt his eyes begin to grow heavy. As soon as they closed, however, the memories began.

Mangled bodies, dark interrogation rooms, and a mother desperate to hold onto her child for one more second…what if someone came after him? To seek revenge for his deeds? He had dedicated his life to helping people now, surely they would spare him? It terrified him, death. And even though every day he told himself he was safe, his heart would refuse to accept it.

"Are you Yakuhin?" he heard a voice say, making him jump in fright. He opened both eyes, finding a small family standing in front of him. There were four of them; a man and woman, assumed to be husband and wife, what appeared to be an older man, possibly a grandfather, and a young child, with brilliant white hair. The child gave Yakuhin a dirty look, and he couldn't help but feel a little uncomfortable.

He gave the strangers his warmest smile. "Yes, that's me. How can I help you today? Would your son like to hear a story?"

"Like I'd want to hear any of your bullshit stories!" the child spat out. Yakuhin blinked.

Now he felt very uncomfortable.

"…who are you? What do you want?"

The man stepped forward. Yakuhin avoided eye contact, but could feel his gaze upon him. He felt nothing but hatred in those eyes.

"You're coming with us…Raiā."

Raiā stiffened. He hadn't heard that name in decades. It scared him. There were only so many people who could know who he truly was.

"I have no intention of going with you anywhere. You're lucky I haven't sounded the alarm already."

Suigetsu scoffed. Despite his current stature, he still managed to be intimidating.

"That's cute. You think you have a choice. How about you come with us, or I start killing people? Women and children first, of course…"

Raiā's eyes widened. Surely this child…no, this was no family. Raiā cursed himself not having noticed it sooner, but surely these people had no intention of murdering the villagers? They were innocent, they were…

The hypocrisy tasted bitter in his mouth. If he had been capable, what made these people any different?

"You would truly murder a child to get to me?" he asked, searching Sasuke's eyes for answers. He found none.

"…very well. I will make a deal with you."

Sasuke drew his sword, hidden underneath his cloak. "I'm not making any deals. You will come with us, now."

Despite the situation, Raiā laughed. "Foolish child. Do you really think you could take me alive, and still escape the village? I could kill two of you by then, and soon the entire Land of Wind would be after you. You will accept my conditions, or I sound the alarm."

Karin leaned closer to Sasuke. She hoped his temper wouldn't get in the way of their mission, as it would surely spell their demise.

For a few minutes, Sasuke seemed to consider the deal. It was true, if Tobi had claimed this man was as dangerous as he spoke, they wouldn't be able to take him down before the rest of the village was alert to what was going on. That would…complicate things.

"What are they?"

Raiā leaned back against the bench, closing his eyes.

'Good. Then you are not as stupid as I thought. I won't go quietly, I refuse to give up my life that easily. However, there are the ruins of a village 10 kilometers from here. At midnight, we will meet there."

"And what exactly are we supposed to do when we meet?" Sasuke asked.

"Fight. If you want me, you'll have to beat me."

"Sasuke, please let me kill him right here. I could be extra quiet…" Suigetsu took another step forward, but Sasuke stopped him.

"…fine. If you try to run, I will know."

"Of course." Raiā replied, smiling again. "I would never dream of it. Now, you have exactly five minutes to leave the village, or I call the guards anyway. I'll be following you, so don't try anything."

Sasuke didn't seem to like the idea. He stared off behind Raiā, as if his mind was elsewhere. After a few moments, he nodded, and turned around without another sound. Karin and Jūgo made to follow him, but Suigetsu stamped his foot impatiently.

"Geez Sasuke, you're getting too soft! What if we just cut off all of his limbs? That way he couldn't run away!" He continued to try and convince Sasuke to sway to his side, his reasoning growing more and more graphic with each passing second. They turned the last corner, leaving Raiā to his thoughts.

Raiā grinned. That boy was as stupid as he had originally thought. It would be easy enough to slip past them and make his escape. There were plenty of ways out of the Land of Wind, many of them known to only a select few. He could head for a rocky outcropping towards the eastern border of the country, and from there make his way into the Land of Rivers. He would lay low for a while. He would survive, just as he always had.

He slowly brought himself to his feet. There was much packing to do, and Raiā was so busy thinking of what supplies he would need to bring…

That he hadn't noticed one extra plant among those in the garden. The plant was larger than any of the others, resembling the maw of some great beast. The plant moved, shifting in its place, before it began to sink beneath the earth.

Nightfall. The moon had fully risen into the sky, illuminating the vast desert. The pale light reflected off of the dunes, making it resemble a great ocean of light. Truly a sight to behold.

Of course, Pakkun had seen nothing but that for the past three days.

The sand storm had only relented earlier that morning, but unfortunately for Pakkun, his leg hadn't fully healed yet. Every step still sent a sharp pain up his leg, and he was forced to spend most of his time carefully maneuvering it around the rocky outcropping he had found, regaining his strength. He had found a small pool of water, and while they tasted disgusting, some left over soldier pills kept his stomach quiet. It wasn't the most luxurious way of living, but Pakkun had lived through worse.

'I wonder how the frog is doing…' he thought to himself. He was worried about Asoko, even though he would never directly admit it. He hoped Naruto had received the message, and that he could get home after today. His leg seemed just about ready to complete the journey, and Pakkun just might have to demand a reward from Kakashi for all this trouble he had to go through.

But just as his mind was beginning to wander into what he could force out of the Copy-Ninja, something caught his nose. He took an experimental sniff.

It was human.

Now, for the average traveler, the smart thing to do would be to find this person immediately and request aid. But Pakkun knew better; Being a talking dog that was the summon of one of the most famous ninja alive, it was better for him to lay low. He silently leapt to the top of the rock he was standing near, trying to get a better view of his guest.

It was an old man. His hair was greying, but Pakkun could make out faint traces of red in his scalp. He quite a large amount of supplies, and Pakkun had to stop himself from jumping down to try and help the elderly man. He couldn't explain why, but this man felt…off. He didn't like the way he smelled.

The man was always looking behind him, checking to see if he was alone. Pakkun was sitting downwind of him, so he didn't need to worry about being noticed. He could hear the man mumbling to himself, and craned his neck to hear.

"…good place to camp for the night. Yes, this will have to do. I'll be out of the country by morning…"

'So, this guy's obviously running from something,' Pakkun decided. 'I better keep an eye on him, see if I can't figure out what he did.'

The man began to set up a fire, and Pakkun let himself relax. This guy wasn't dangerous; he may be a scumbag for whatever he was running from, but he wasn't dangerous. Pakkun almost let himself relax, when he felt 4 other chakra signatures heading his way, and fast. He ducked back beneath the rock, dropping his chakra signature to its absolute lowest point. They approached the elderly man from behind.

"Did you really think you could run, Raiā?" he heard a voice say. He swore he recognized the voice, but couldn't quite put his paw on it.

"H-how did you find me?" he heard the elderly man say, fearful. "I was so careful!"

"No one escapes my eye. You're coming with us whether you like it or not."

Pakkun's eyes widened. No, it couldn't be…

"That's the Sharingan of the Uchiha clan!"

'Sasuke…' Pakkun grew deathly quiet, even holding his breath as much as he could. He slowly moved around the rock, trying to get the slightest peek.

And there he was. Sasuke Uchiha, and the other members of his team, was right there in front of him. He didn't know what they wanted with this man, but it couldn't be good.

'Dammit! If only my leg wasn't…' He growled to himself. This was a difficult situation; if he hadn't been injured, he wouldn't have come across Sasuke, but now that he's here, there was no way to get help. He could have reverse summoned Kakashi, but that would attract far too much attention. For now, he was stuck.

"What do you want with me?! I've done nothing wrong!" he heard 'Raiā' say.

"Don't grovel to me. You have information I want, and there's someone else. What he wants with you, I don't know, and I don't care."

Pakkun heard the sound of drawing steel. This was about to get very bad.

"Another bowl, please!"

Naruto held his empty bowl up for everyone to see, wiping the excess broth from his mouth.

"Coming right up!" Teuchi replied. From the corner of his eye, Naruto could see Kakashi staring at him.

"Uhhh...yeah?" he asked, slightly unnerved.

"You never told me why I'm treating you to ramen." Kakashi sighed, taking another look at the ever-growing mountain of ramen bowls. "At this rate, you'll bankrupt me."

"But Kakashi-sensei, it's a time for celebration! I have a girlfriend now, so you have to treat me!"

The jōnin sat up. Did he hear…what he thought he just heard?

"Naruto…did you say-"

"Yep, it happened yesterday!" Naruto's expression softened, though it didn't look any less happy. "I guess I liked Hinata more than I thought…"

Kakashi smiled from beneath his mask. It wasn't the usual, boisterous Naruto. This was a Naruto who truly seemed happy; he didn't need to put on the mask for anyone anymore.

"Naruto…" he said quietly. "Eat as much as you'd like."

The blonde grinned, nodding enthusiastically. He was just about to dig into his 7th bowl, when he heard something.

"…NARUTO-DONOOOOO!"

He barely had time to turn around before Asoko slammed into Naruto's face, sending him tumbling over his stool. Kakashi didn't react to it much, but it still surprised him.

"Seems like your friend got back to you," he said, amused. However, his gaze hardened when he noticed something.

"Where's Pakkun? Why isn't he with you?"

The toad finally leapt off of Narutos face, landing on the counter in front of them. He was thoroughly out of breath.

"Pakkun is fine, Kakashi-sama. I will get to him momentarily. However, I do believe I have some business with Naruto-dono first."

"It's about time! I was starting to get worried you had gotten lost or something!" he gently untied the scroll from Asoko's back, before releasing the seal. Asoko kept his mouth shut, not wanting to let it slip that he had gotten lost, and that was the precise reason he was so late in his return.

"Let's see here…"

Dear Naruto,

I am truly sorry to hear of your recent experiences, as I am all too aware of the consequences. However, I think I may be of some help. You asked me how I stopped the nightmares, how I kept the beast within me at bay. I can tell you it was nothing of my doing.

"How the heck is that helpful!?" Naruto said with a groan.

Kakashi rolled his eyes. "Maybe you should finish reading first, Naruto."

Naruto shot his teacher an embarrassed look, before returning to the letter.

What I can tell you, however, is that I think I may know what happened. The Shukaku tormented with me with nightmares to keep me under his control, to keep my bloodlust at the forefront of his mind. But as I grew to love my village, care for my people, I felt the nightmares wane. The more I filled my heart with the love of my village, the farther I drew away from the beast. I believe I was able to keep his power at bay within my mind as a result of these thoughts. If this is confusing, I shall say simply this:

Find someone to love, Naruto. Hold onto that person or those people, and hopefully the Kyūbi's power will wane. Perhaps he is stronger than that, perhaps my advice will not help you, but it is the best I can do.

Be well, Naruto.

Gaara, Godaime Kazekage

'Find someone to love…that's what Kakashi-sensei and Iruka-sensei said…'

"Well, Naruto?" Kakashi asked. "What does it say?"

The blonde re-read the letter once more. Was it really that simple? Was Hinata really the key to all of this?

"I'm going to try something, Kakashi-sensei. Hold on for a second…" Naruto closed his eyes, slowing his breathing. His heartbeat began to slow down as well, putting him in a meditative state.

"WELL…LOOK WHO IT IS…"

The Kyūbi stared at Naruto through his cage. This was unexpected.

"WHAT DO YOU WANT?" he demanded.

"You're going to leave me alone. The nightmares are stopping, right now." Naruto said this firmly, but it only made the demon laugh.

"AM I? DO YOU REALLY THINK YOU HAVE THAT KIND OF CONTROL OVER ME? YOU FORGET YOUR PLACE, WHELP. I WILL MAKE YOU SUFFER AS LONG AS I PLEASE!"

"You're wrong! I have Hinata now!"

"WHAT?" The beast almost sounded…worried.

"You heard me. Hinata's my girlfriend now, and as long as I think about her, you won't have any power over me!"

"YOU ARE A FOOL IF YOU TRULY BELIEVE THAT. ONE PATHETIC GIRL CANNOT CONDEMN MY POWER. I HAVE WARNED YOU; SHE WILL DIE, AND IT WILL BE YOUR FAULT."

But Naruto was defiant. He shook his head angrily. "I don't believe you! She's everything you're not, and if I have her with me, she's the stronger one!"

Now the Kyūbi grew angry. He stalked towards the bars, red eyes gleaming,

"WATCH WHAT YOU SAY. YOU MAY LIVE TO REGRET THOSE WORDS."

"I never regret anything I say," Naruto replied proudly. "Hinata's my girlfriend, and she'll stop you!"

"Besides…even if she doesn't, I'll just start spreading rumors around the village about how you're afraid of a 16 year old girl."

"YOU…YOU WOULDN'T DARE."

"Try me. You wanna play dirty, we'll play dirty." Naruto grinned. "Hey everyone, did you hear how much of a pussy the Kyūbi is? He's scared of quiet, sweet Hinata! Isn't that funny?"

The demon roared angrily, trying to reach Naruto with his claws.

"HOW DARE YOU! COME HERE…I WILL SLICE YOUR THROAT, SPILL YOUR BLOOD! NO ONE MAKES A MOCKERY OF ME!"

Naruto turned around, waving off the beast's threats. "Yeah, sure you will! I gotta go, later!" he felt his surroundings slowly begin to disappear, and the next time Naruto opened his eyes, he was once again sitting with Kakashi.

'Any luck?" the jōnin asked.

Naruto shrugged his shoulders. "We'll have to wait and see. Even if this doesn't work, at least I pissed him off!"

Kakashi shook his head in amusement. Naruto truly was something else. He turned to Asoko.

"Now, what were you saying about Pakkun?"

Asoko had been trying to sneak as much of Kakashi's ramen into his own mouth as he could, and looked sheepishly at the ground when he realized he had been caught. However his embarrassment faded as he began his story.

"Of course, Kakashi-sama. Pakkun and I were on our way back with Gaara-sama's information, when we encountered a sandstorm."

"Is Pakkun alright?" Kakashi asked, his voice laced with concern.

"Yes, he is fine. We managed to find a rocky canyon nearby where we could hide. He insisted I use the Enshinsui to reach Konoha, while he recovered from a small injury he sustained. He should still be there, but I have no doubt he is perfectly healthy."

Kakashi sighed with relief. "Stubborn old mutt. Well, there's no sense in keeping him there anymore. Please, stand back for a moment."

Asoko hopped back towards Naruto as Kakashi bit his thumb, placing his palm on the table.

"Kuchiyose no jutsu!" A small puff of smoke bellowed out, and a shape appeared inside.

"Pakkun, what have I told you about-" Kakashi stopped talking. Pakkun had an intensely worried look on his face. He looked as if he just seen a ghost.

"You guys need to get moving. NOW."

"Pakkun, what're you talking about?"

The hound turned to Naruto, a grim look in his eye.

"Sasuke is in the Land of Wind."

Crash!

Everyone turned to find Teuchi had dropped a dish, sending broken shards across the floor. They turned back to find Naruto staring into his bowl.

'Sasuke…'

He jumped up from the counter, and started heading for the gate.

"Naruto, where are you going? We don't have permission from Tsunade-sama to-"

"I don't care! Asoko, go tell Granny we're going whether she likes it or not!"

For once, the toad kept his mouth shut, and raced off to the Hokage's office to tell her the news. Meanwhile, Kakashi dispersed Pakkun, giving him some hard earned rest before he caught up to Naruto.

"Naruto, you can't handle this on your own. Even with the two of us…"

"I know. I'm getting Sakura-chan and Hinata too. We'll need a medic, and Hinata can track him down."

Kakashi, even though he was worried, couldn't help but be impressed. It was a smart decision. But disobeying the Hokage was another matter. Kakashi would have insisted they stay and wait until Tsunade gave the green light, but he knew Naruto wouldn't be able to wait. The best he could do was tag along to keep an eye on him.

'Besides…Sasuke is my responsibility as well…' He headed in the direction of the hospital, in order to pick up Sakura, while Naruto headed for the Hyūga compound.

Knock knock.

Hinata was sitting in her room, idly wasting the last hours of the evening before she got sleepy. In fact, her eye lids were feeling a little heavy, when she heard a knocking on her window. She knew it was Naruto, as he had been the most recent person she had shown her room to, as well as the fact that he was one of the few people who would actually do something like this; everyone else would just use the front door. She hopped up, smiling as she made to open the door to the garden. But when Naruto slid it open himself, her smiled faded.

"Naruto-kun…?" she asked, searching his troubled face for answers.

"Sasuke is in the Land of Wind. We have to go!"

Hinata's eyes widened. Sasuke? What was he doing there? Did Tsunade give them a mission to try and retrieve him? Hinata's mind began to spin with all the questions.

"But Naruto-kun, did we-"

"There's no time for all that! If we don't leave now, he'll get away! Please Hinata…"

Hinata bit her lip. She wanted to make Naruto happy, she truly did, but going after Sasuke scared her a little. She knew what he was capable of, yet she also knew how much Sasuke meant to Naruto. It was a terrible decision, but she found she could no longer face the look he was giving her. It was trust, and Hinata couldn't deny him.

"O-okay, Naruto-kun…I'll be ready soon."

Naruto smiled softly, pulling her into a quick hug.

"Thank you, Hinata. I can't tell you how much this means to me." He immediately turned around, and was gone almost as fast as he had shown up. Hinata stood in the middle of her room, dumbfounded. Did she really just do that? She would be disobeying her father, possibly even the Hokage…

'Thank you, Hinata. I can't tell you how much this means to me.'

The words echoed in her mind. She was afraid of what was to come, but she wasn't about to let Naruto-kun down. Not when he needed her. She hurried to gather her things, taking care not to miss anything. When she was ready to go, she took one final look into her room.

'I'm sorry…Otō-san.'

And she was gone.

By the time she reached the gate, Naruto had everyone else there already. There was Kakashi, Sakura, and even Kiba, which helped to calm her down some.

"I ran into Kiba on my way home." Naruto said, as if answering Hinata's silent question. "I figured we need all the help we can get."

Kiba smirked. "You bet! It was the right decision bringing me along, I can promise you that."

"Tsunade-sama won't be happy about this, Naruto." Kakashi said quietly, another increasingly desperate attempt to change his mind. "We should contact Gaara, and-"

"Sasuke is our responsibility. We can't rely on others to take care of it. You know as well as I do that he needs to be stopped, Kakashi-sensei."

The Copy ninja sighed. Naruto was right, but only half so. Running in headfirst was not the way they should be handling this, but he worried about Naruto. Now that he and Sakura were going, he knew he wouldn't be able to convince them to stay behind, not with the looks in their eyes. But bringing Kiba and Hinata along…

He tried to look into their eyes, see what they were thinking. While Kiba was brimming with confidence, Hinata stood towards the edge of everybody, rubbing her arm nervously. She was scared, and he knew it.

"Hinata…are you alright?"

The Hyūga jumped, having been focused elsewhere. She did her best to smile at Kakashi, even though he could see right through it.

"Y-yes, Kakashi-sensei… I'm f-fine." She looked nothing of the sort, but he knew she wouldn't abandon them; not when Naruto had asked her.

"Fine. Everyone, we're leaving. This won't be an easy trip, so I suggest everyone use a soldier pill. This is going to be a long night."

All five of them quickly swallowed the tiny pill, letting it fill them with energy. Kakashi gave the signal, and they were off, darting into the trees.

"THEY WHAT?" Tsunade was livid. She had been having a quiet evening, nearly finished with all of her work, when some toad comes in and tells her that Naruto and 4 other have left the village to go after Sasuke Uchiha. She slammed her fist onto the desk, splintering it and nearly squashing Asoko.

"I'm sorry, Tsunade-sama! I am merely the messenger!" Asoko cowered from the other side of the room, as the Godaime continued her rampage. She knocked over cabinets, threw her chair around the room; it was the angriest she had been for a long time.

"How dare he disobey me! We need back-up, intelligence, cooperation with the Sand…if he comes back alive, I'll make sure he stays a genin for the rest of his life!"

She turned back towards Asoko, stalking towards him.

"I'm sending people after them to bring them back. They are not doing this alone."

Asoko scratched his head. "Actually, Tsunade-sama…"

She looked him dead in the eye. "…what?"

The toad gulped. He was afraid of what would happen once she found out, but he couldn't put it off any longer…

"Naruto-dono and his team left over 8 hours ago. I was instructed to tell you only after then."

Tsunade said nothing. Her hands slowly balled up into fists, and Asoko didn't have more than a second to dodge. The wall behind him crumbled to dust, and she quickly went after him again.

He croaked in fear, clapped his hands together, and quickly disappeared in a puff of smoke, having returned home.

Tsunade stood in the middle of the chaos that had become her office. It took several minutes for her to calm down, and even then she wanted to smash everything she came into contact with. Naruto was possibly throwing his life away, and what was worse, he dragged Hinata and Kiba into it.

She wandered over to the window. In the distance, she could see large clouds forming, evidence of a storm heading this way.

'Naruto…come back safely.'

Author's Note: The shit. It is about to go down. I think I said that last chapter, but I swear the next chapter contains the actual going-down-shit.

I'm slowly working my way through the chapters, improving the most heinous errors of the story. I won't change something like lax grammar, or shitty adjective choice, because that is a learning tool for my writing. What I'm talking about is misspelled words, words that have been cut off, and most of all, things that don't add up in the story. Like, the stuff that makes it painful to read. If you have seen something like this and can remember what it is, don't hesitate to message me the error. To be clear, I'm not asking you to fix my story for me. This is my responsibility, and I'll be the one to fix it. I'm only saying that if you already know of an error, feel free to PM me about it. If not, I'll get to it soon enough lol.

Expect the next chapter up by Thursday or Friday at the latest. Until next time!