A/N: Eh, not much to say, except a thank you for everyone's favorites and alerts and reviews! Can't have done this without you all. :)

Warning: This chapter's a bit weirder than usual, darker, I guess. Some—well, not really gore, but maybe a little bit not really graphic descriptions of killing? Ehehehe

Disclaimer: Police report excerpt: '-ninja mode?- Sneaks to Kishimoto's house. Tries to hack open door. Fails epically. Is arrested.'

Dark Angel: Chapter Twenty

How stupid are you? I'm the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox! I haven't fallen so far that a little baby can influence me! I'm a living mass of malevolence! –Kyuubi no Yoko

Tears are the words the heart can't express. –Unknown

His arm slid through the sleeve of his cloak, the cloth settling around him in a familiar manner.

He cracked his neck once and stretched, feeling the pleasant not-quite-pain ache spread through his body. His torso twinged a bit, but it was mostly healed. The only thing that still bothered him was his eye, a reminder of his loss against Naruto. Because no matter what the other Akatsuki members said, Madara still believed he lost.

And losing, as many have learned, is unforgivable for those who called themselves 'Uchiha'.

Madara carefully placed his new mask over his face. It wasn't orange anymore, but instead red and white like the Uchiha crest. It hadn't been his idea—in fact, he wasn't sure whose idea it had been, but for now, it would have to do.

He strolled to the only window in his room, lit dimly with the ever-present rain. He was aware that recently Nagato hadn't been keeping it up, but with the new developments on Naruto and Konoha, he'd started again. Madara stared at the rain for a few more seconds before turning away and expertly pulling on his all-black glove with his teeth, flexing his fingers experimentally. He was set.

The corridor outside his room looked stale and not very clean, smelling of water and metal and a tiny bit of rust. Most of the buildings in Amegakure were made of pipes and the like, steel and iron; supposedly to keep the buildings from being destroyed by mold by the constant onslaught of rain.

His footsteps echoed hollowly on the unpolished floor. Madara encountered no other rooms in that particular hall, and opened the door at the end with a creak.

Another hallway greeted him, this one slightly more welcoming with brighter lights and dark gray walls. He let the door swing shut carelessly behind him, debating whether to go left or right. Madara was saved by his decision when paper fluttered together next to him, forming Konan.

"Pein wishes to speak with you," she said, the standard note of respect still in her voice. All Akatsuki members spoke to each other with some level of respect, if only to keep working conditions, well, workable.

It might not seem like it, but Akatsuki members could form bonds too. Although bonds of killing and bonds of death might not seem ideal, they proved strong enough to defend your partner's back in a battle. Because when one has nobody, the first thing that welcomes them often makes irreversibly loyal to that thing.

Madara nodded, and he could see Konan examining him from the corners of her eyes. He had two eye-holes in his mask even though one of his eyes still didn't work properly.

He frowned, remembering. Sucking the jutsu away had taken a lot more out of him than he'd guessed, and Madara was certain his current eye wouldn't be of any use any longer. If he wanted to keep operations running smoothly, then a new eye would be in need and immediately. Madara was a busy man... and he was tired of waiting.

A blink sent a faint thrum of pain through the same eye. It was annoying, he decided, turning to face Konan. A mask with one eye would have been better, because his eye right now could barely make out the blues and gold that made up the female Akatsuki.

Konan spoke first, regaining her manners. "Will you see him?"

It took barely a second for Madara to remember who she was talking about, and inclined his head, considering. It would be a good idea to talk to Pein and discuss strategy for next time; but then again Pein always seemed to be able to take care of the 'others', if there ever were any.

No. Pein could wait. There were some more pressing issues to address anyway. He met Konan's eyes, blank like a doll's. It was somewhat uncomfortable to see something dead-on with two differently focused eyes.

"I will speak with him later," Madara told her, blinking instinctively to try and clear the fuzziness. It didn't work, of course.

Konan's expression didn't change at all and her mouth opened cautiously to answer. "When would be a good time for you?" Was that a hint of mutiny in her voice? Or just his ears playing tricks on him?

"Just let him know I'll be dropping by soon," Madara replied dismissively, turning to head past her. She stepped back, letting him go by without commenting. The sound of paper falling through the air told him Konan had departed.

He continued down the hallway without any more disturbances. Soon, Madara reached a crossroad type of hallway, and he stopped.

"Which way to Zetsu?" he thought aloud. He didn't want to take a wrong turn and end up outside, where anyone could see the cloak and connect the dots. All the corridors were lit exactly the same too; to confuse any enemies, he supposed.

Still, right now, it was very annoying for Madara to figure out where to go. Rain was annoying. These buildings were annoying. This was why he rarely came to Amegakure.

He made a quick decision. Left. Hopefully, it would lead him somewhere—like to the other's quarters.

There were no rooms for a long time, and it stretched on long enough that Madara was seriously beginning to consider heading back when he turned a corner and found himself at a dead end.

Well, it wasn't exactly a dead end. It had a door, so to speak.

Madara examined the plain door for a moment before pushing it open. It was well-oiled and swung inward without a single creak, revealing a dark room. His eyes (or rather, his good one) could barely make out the vague, shadowy shape of a window on the far wall, curtains drawn tightly closed.

Unafraid, he stepped in. Even though he felt no fear, he kept his senses alert, scanning the dark room. It was a meager space, much like his own room, with a dull white cot and a door, presumably leading to a bathroom. And that was all.

"Empty, then?" he murmured, turning to leave.

"No, it's not."

Itachi stood in the doorway, blocking the light from the hall. His face lacked any sort of emotion, which was really by now no surprise.

"I was wondering where everyone was," Madara said, brushing past Itachi and exiting the room. He heard the other follow him with light, almost soundless footsteps. "Have they all recovered?"

"Zetsu's still running a little low on chakra, but he should be fine in a day or two. Other than that, everyone is fine."

Madara nodded, retracing the long path back to the crossroads. "Where is he?"

"I'll show you," Itachi replied, moving in front of the older Uchiha and taking the lead. He turned left at the crossroads, and Madara made a note of that. North of my room is Zetsu's, west is Itachi's.

"Who lives down the east passage?" he asked curiously.

Itachi didn't turn his head as he answered. "The Paths are housed there. Pein himself lives higher, along with Konan." The north hallway was much shorter, and soon opened up into a bigger room, almost like a greenhouse but without the heat.

Rain pattered on the glass dome arching high overhead, darkening the room without meaning to. It was a rather bare room, mostly made up of rock instead of the usual iron.

A table was placed in the center of the open room, and that was where Itachi headed. He sat fluidly down into a chair, obviously done taking Madara around. He wanted to ask where Zetsu was, but it was clear the creature was around here somewhere, so Madara wandered over to the windows.

If he had been afraid of heights, the view would not have been a good one for him. The room was placed so it was soaring above the rest of Amegakure, and the city was sprawled beneath him, gray and damp.

It made sense that it was up high, actually, because since this room was open, anyone could see in and thus, see the Akatsuki members. Little colorful dots moved far below; the civilians trying to hurry out of the rain.

Madara snorted. It all seemed like a waste of time to him, keeping up the façade of being an 'angel' and 'ruler' of Amegakure. What could two rogue ninjas gain from being leader of a village, and not even a very powerful one at that?

They were powerful and had no alliance, which meant they were open prey. But oh well, whatever made them happy, Madara thought with a smirk. As long as it didn't interfere with his plan...

He glanced up and caught sight of the soaring metal tower that stretched even higher than the glass room. It looked spindly and unreliable, ready to fall when a strong gust of wind hit it.

That must be where Pein controlled the rain, he assumed. Madara saw no other tower higher, or even close to as high as this one, so he shrugged and turned back toward the middle of the room.

Itachi still sat there, calm and collected, hands folded across each other. There was something almost disturbing about his too peaceful expression. Maybe it was the fact that that expression would stay the same, no matter what he was doing. Eating (something Madara knew he had never seen Itachi do), killing, talking. It was all the same.

"Missing Kisame?" Madara asked, sliding into the seat across from him.

Itachi hadn't been—fond, so to speak, of Kisame. Not really. Even if Akatsuki members had bonds of hatred, that didn't mean they necessarily had to have bonds with one another. Still, the two had been good partners, complimenting each other: brute force and cunning speed.

"No," Itachi replied shortly. His fingers twitched in his sleeve, and Madara knew he wasn't telling the whole truth. Itachi's eyes sparked, daring him to say something.

"Tsk, you're always so short-tempered these days," Madara mock-scolded, leaning back in his chair. His one arm was placed casually behind his head, and only his feet kept him from falling over backwards. "I just asked a question."

Itachi chose not to respond, like Madara expected, and now without somebody to torment, he sighed.

Zetsu chose that moment to slink up beside him.

"Glad to see you're up and moving," the black side said silkily. Zetsu extracted himself from the ground, sitting in the chair next to Madara's. "Itachi."

The Uchiha nodded back and White Zetsu spoke. "We need more of the First Hokage's cells, if you want more clones, that is," he added, serious for once. Madara studied the creature.

Zetsu still looked like his old self: half black and half white, with the strangest green hair and leaves folding around his body, but he seemed—flatter, almost. Smaller. Not enough chakra or the cells, Madara supposed. He nodded.

"I'll see to it soon." Then he leaned forward, unable to help himself. "Any news on anyone?"

Black Zetsu frowned. "Not much, because we can't create clones. But we've managed to glean the fact that Sasuke and Naruto are very near each other. I suspect one or the other will catch up and meet soon." White Zetsu tried to nod, but his other side didn't let him.

"We—" White Zetsu tried, thinking that if he couldn't be in control of his body, at least he could talk, right? Wrong.

"I also have suspicions that the Kazekage is moving to join forces with Konoha, or make a move. Either one." Black Zetsu shrugged, and White Zetsu gave up, splitting from his other side with a strange ripping apart noise. "What'd you do that for?"

"You were being annoying," the white side grumbled. He folded his arms.

"That's all good news."

The other three stared at Madara. "Sasuke joining with Naruto is good news?" Itachi finally asked. "And the Kazekage, whom we beat just a few weeks ago, is good news?"

"Well, it'll be more fun," Madara answered lightly, "can't deny it." His eyes locked with Itachi's for a brief Sharingan showdown.

White Zetsu, oblivious to the tension, snorted. "Just need to keep your brother and the Kyuubi brat from killing each other is all."

Madara stood, nearly knocking over his chair and breaking the eye contact. "That can be arranged." He stretched. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have an appointment with Pein. He's up there, correct?" His hand waved toward the general direction of the tower soaring above them.

Zetsu nodded, both of them at once.

"Well then, I'll be seeing you."

Madara warped away.

Itachi stood too, and Zetsu looked up, in the process of merging. "Where are you going?"

Itachi's eyes narrowed just the tiniest bit. "I also have an appointment to keep… there's a certain relative of my brother's that I have been meaning to investigate for the longest time."

Soon, Zetsu was left alone. The White side commented, just a little hurt, "Well, they sure left fast."

Tenten panted tiredly as she struggled to keep up with Lee and Gai. Why did she have to be put on a team with her old sensei? She was a jounin now, and perfectly capable of taking care of herself. She drooped her head, feeling exhausted.

Meanwhile, Lee was still running in place, a determined expression fixed on his face. "Come, Tenten! We don't have time to spare." Gai was running at an even faster pace next to Lee, sweat pouring off his face.

"We must train to help get Naruto back!" Gai grunted, unexpectedly switching to pushups. Lee copied his sensei and soon both green-clad men were chanting. "69, 70, 61, 72!"

"Neji, do something," she pleaded, flopping onto the ground. Tenten wiped her forehead with the back of her hand, wishing they were already there in the village. But no, Gai insisted they had to stop to 'train'.

Tenten had tried to keep up for the first ten minutes, then gave up. She wasn't as in shape as they were. After all, her job mostly consisted of throwing weapons and aim.

Neji watched from the sidelines, leaning against a tree. His white eyes were inscrutable and from the start, he'd denied training with them. At last, he spoke, while Gai was yelling, '99—100!'

"We should get going on our mission. If we don't leave soon, we'll be behind and have to return to Konoha even later." His voice was low and reasonable. Lee stopped to stare confusedly at Neji.

"But Neji, we can train here! It's a change of pace from our usual training spots, and it'll provide youth for our bodies," he tried to explain, but Neji didn't listen.

"I don't care about youth. I care about the mission. If we return home late and Tsunade has already assigned Hunt: Uzumaki Naruto's mission to somebody else, how will you feel then? Knowing you spent valuable time training?" Neji sneered the last word, and cut Lee off when he tried to talk. "So if you want to save our friend, then you need to stop training and get on with our mission! We're the closest to Konoha, so we can get done the fastest. Quit messing around!"

The last sentence echoed around the clearing, and even Tenten stared at the Hyuuga in mild shock. She recovered her voice first, although it was timid and small. "Uh, Neji, you… you didn't have to go and say all that, you know."

The glare that Neji gave Tenten sent her shrinking against the forest shrubs, quaking. "I didn't say anything," she mumbled.

"Well, I didn't know you were so enthusiastic!" Gai said loudly, slinging his pack onto his back. "We must be off, Lee, since Neji wants so much to finish his mission!" He struck a brief pose before jogging off through the trees, toward the civilian village about half a mile away.

"I am sorry, Neji," Lee told him formally, even bowing a little. "I didn't mean to upset you that much." He started to follow Gai into the trees.

"It's okay," Neji muttered, helping Tenten up. "I don't know what came over me, really." Tenten gave him a slightly concerned glance before also following the rest of his team.

Actually, he knew what came over him.

It was the feeling that had been plaguing him ever since they left the gates of his home. He knew Tsunade was sending them away for a reason, one Sakura had probably figured out, if her actions last night were any judge. And soon, the feeling had boiled over and manifested as anger.

He shook his head, wondering when his control had gotten so slack. Huh, Naruto always had this effect on him, even when he wasn't here. He really was annoying, managing to get under Neji's skin when he was probably a thousand miles away, killing more people.

Neji grimly followed Tenten, ready to vent what was left of his 'feeling' on the bandits plaguing the village. He pushed all thoughts of Naruto out of his mind, ready to face the oncoming battle.

The idiot never did know when was the right time to quit. All Neji could say was neither did they, his foolish friends.

If they did know, then they wouldn't be trying to kill someone who still mattered to them, more than they all wanted to admit.

Naruto woke with a sword pointing at his throat.

For a second, he couldn't do anything. His heart jumped automatically at the threat and promise of battle and bloodshed, the Kyuubi's anticipation pounding through him. The haze that fighting brought threatened to descend on him any minute, and Naruto struggled to fight it off.

He couldn't succumb yet, even though his hands twitched with longing and his nerves bunched tight. There was too much coiled up inside of him—he needed to let something about before it exploded.

Naruto squinted, blinking to try and see better in the dark. The moon had vanished behind a cover of clouds so he couldn't tell if dawn was approaching or not.

The cold kiss of iron on his throat brought him back to the present and his dilemma, and his eyes glared up. Who would wake him, deliberately?

Oh right, lots of people.

But who would find him? How could they have?

"You're awake."

The questions would have to be saved for later, Naruto resolved. The voice was unfamiliar but undeniably male, and he tentatively reached out his chakra, feeling for others.

They were there, masked, but poorly. At once, he remembered the pitiful excuses for ninjas at the Village, a good day's travel behind him. Could they be them?

If so, they were bigger fools than he'd thought. Right now, Naruto wasn't in the mood for playing nice. Anyone who got in his way would just get hurt, and badly. His hands clenched reflexively from beside him.

"I'm glad you can see in the dark," he snarled, blue eyes shining. They seemed to give off an almost animalistic glow, not quite as bright as a cat's but more shiny than a human's would be. Naruto felt the sword shake slightly. "Scared?"

"Of course not," was the aloof answer. The sword steadied again, and all around him the branches rustled as ninjas poured out of nowhere. They didn't attack, however, choosing to remain ready for their leader's command.

Naruto remained still too, wondering what the best course of solution could be. First of all, he would have to get out of this position. It was far too vulnerable. But that was the easy part. Then, he'd have to get rid of all this shinobi, so they couldn't go back and spread stories. There was a tiny pang of pity for them; the ninjas had just come to their deaths.

He was distracted when the stranger holding the sword spoke again. "Tetsuya?"

That name...

Naruto wondered where he'd heard it before. Tetsuya. Tetsuya?

The man at the village, the Kyuubi supplied helpfully, speaking up for the first time since Naruto had woken. The idiot one.

Oh, right. Him. He had been stupid, Naruto agreed. Hey, could you help me?

Almost before the words were out, he heard the fox's denial. You need to learn something for yourself. This will make you stronger, he promised, but all Naruto heard was betrayal.

I thought you were supposed to stay by my side! The words were angry, and he vaguely became aware of the fact that he was shaking infinitesimally all over. You said! You promised!

Pray tell, when did I do that? The words were slow and hurtful, amusing. But Naruto felt no pain.

Fine! I don't need your help. Just watch, Naruto growled, I'll kill them all!

He blurred into action without waiting for a reply, grabbing the sword fearlessly and twisting it out of the leader's grasp. Shocked, the man let the sword fall hilt over metal to land on the ground.

Naruto was on his feet in a flash, fury written all over his expression. His eyesight suddenly sharpened—or maybe it had just adjusted to the dark—and he could clearly make out the man's features, sharp and scared. It was another ordinary looking ninja, gray hair and a vest.

He took no note of it, though, when he grinned. "Are you scared now? You should be, because you're going to die!" There was no compassion left inside him.

Naruto swung forward, hand clenching around the other's throat. The man looked like a frightened rabbit now, kicking futilely and getting nowhere. Slowly, as Naruto's hand remained firm, his struggles weakened and started to falter, and in the dim lighting his 'night vision' brought, Naruto could barely make out the shape of the man's mouth gaping like a fish's, gasping for air. His eyes rolled in their sockets, and with a last breath, the man managed to heave out, "Attack—him—"

The hand loosened its iron, too hard grip on the corpse, and Naruto turned, hearing the body crash through branches on its way down. Everything was silent for a minute before it exploded.

It was obvious that these were the ninjas from the Village, Naruto realized. They had no particular attack strategy, just throwing themselves off branches without a second's hesitation. Sharp weapons were usually clenched in their hands, and it was almost too easy to avoid them. More often than not, the ninjas would collide with each other and injure themselves; not to mention, fighting in a tree wasn't exactly the best place to fight.

At first, the ninjas kept to taijutsu and weapons. Naruto easily disarmed a few and stabbed others with their own weapons, leaving them to fall to their deaths. Crunches could be heard every few moments as people either slipped on their comrades' blood or was pushed off by others, or just killed by Naruto.

He grabbed a ninja who leaped at him, hand outstretched, and swung him into another kunoichi. They both fell, screaming, and Naruto winced at the noise.

Something slammed into his back, sending him stumbling forward into thin air. His stomach spun with vertigo briefly before his instincts caught on and his hand grabbed a branch, swinging back upward.

He was met with the sight of about two dozen to three dozen similar ninjas—no, not quite. They looked the same, but there was about three different types of 'same'. One group with black hair, one group that was skinnier than a beanpole, and one that looked positively puny.

If these could be called clones, Naruto might as well be considered the Hokage of Konoha.

"Who are you trying to fool?" he barked hoarsely, a strange laughing feeling bubbling up in his throat. His hands quickly formed the seal for shadow clones and fifty Narutos popped up into existence.

They swirled through the air, taking care of the clones neatly and quickly, also dispatching the original ninjas in the first place. After his clones dispersed, Naruto caught sight of a ninja trying to sneak some hand signs in.

The ninja fell with a kunai sticking out from his throat.

The rest of the ninjas were quickly killed after that. Naruto sent chakra to his feet and poured on the speed, slitting one across the throat and plunging the same kunai into another's heart without even letting the first fall to the ground. It was ridiculously easy fighting these people. Just a simple touch and an unbalanced wobble sent them crashing to their deaths.

Naruto risked a quick glance down.

It was littered with bodies.

He shrugged and kept going.

Soon, there was only one left. Tetsuya, wasn't that his name? He looked scared, and was practically cowering against the tree. "I-it's you—" he choked out through trembling lips. Naruto was almost impressed.

"Yes, it's me," he agreed. "Who else could it be?"

Tetsuya suddenly straightened, holding out his hands like he thought he could seriously stop Naruto. He must've been delusional if he thought he could. "Stay away from me!" he shouted. His eyes darted wildly around before landing on his friends' bodies. "They're all dead…dead…"

"Mm-hmm," Naruto agreed, feeling almost too playful. What happened to the battle lust raging through him just minutes before?

"I knew you were inhuman. You and the Uchiha were both freaks. Inhuman—monsters—"

Naruto's eyes snapped and he found himself with an arm pressed against Tetsuya's throat, the other struggling and gasping for air, much like his dead leader. "I might have spared your life—actually, no, but since you called me that"—his lips pulled back in an angry snarl—"you deserve to die."

He brought his hand back, chakra already beginning to whirl in it. Tetsuya's eyes widened so big Naruto thought they might fall out of his head. "Please—please no—" he blubbered.

A white hot sword appeared centimeters from Naruto's chest.

Tetsuya stared down at the katana, a little bit of blood bubbling through his mouth and dripping down his chin. Tiny crackles of lightning sparked around the blade, so sharp it had cut through bark and flesh.

Naruto felt a grin tug at his cheeks.

"Life was not on your side," Sasuke said monotonously as he stepped out from behind the trunk, drawing the sword out from the dead body. Tetsuya slumped to the side, eyes blank, and Naruto sent him on his way down the tree without mercy.

Even if somewhere deep inside him, he knew what the plain ninja had been saying was just a result of fear and adrenaline, it still made him angry. What gave him the right to judge Naruto?

Everything was silent for a second. It looked like a tornado had torn through the tree, which was miraculously still standing. Naruto felt his breathing calm down, and heard the first chirps of a morning dove return cautiously to the area. The clouds had cleared, he noticed, and dawn was indeed spreading her rays across the black expanse of night.

Naruto felt his 'night vision' fade unexpectedly, and everything returned to its normal colors. He blinked, confused.

"Your eyes aren't red anymore," Sasuke stated. He sheathed his sword with a 'cling' without bothering to clean it off.

"Yours still are," Naruto retorted back, not letting his faint surprise show. So he could still use the Kyuubi's chakra after all, even without the demon's consent.

Naruto hopped down to a lower branch, searching for his familiar black fabric. Dammit, if he lost that cloak again—

He was stopped by Sasuke.

The Uchiha didn't look quite as sane as the last time Naruto had seen him, and he wondered what had happened. Sasuke held his gaze, red against blue (or was it indigo now?). "I'm going to kill you," he promised, eyes lighting almost feverishly.

"You're afraid," Naruto answered calmly. He wasn't some kid who could be bowled over by Sasuke anymore. He was stronger. He was himself.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes, just a bit, before blinking. And with that one blink, Naruto knew something had changed in his former rival's plans.

"You're out to get the Akatsuki, aren't you?"

"Yes." Naruto wondered where this was leading to. "So are you, or rather, your brother."

"I have a plan," Sasuke proposed suddenly, voice fluid like he'd planned this all along. "I won't kill you right now. Let us join forces and work to kill the Akatsuki together."

Naruto wondered if he had an ulterior motive. This wasn't like the Sasuke he knew at all, the one who'd never acknowledged him. Then again, he wasn't the Naruto everyone knew. No, not one bit.

"A truce, eh?" Naruto murmured, feeling a devilish smirk tugging at the corners of his mouth. As the sun rose, bathing them in pink and dying the blood an even darker red, he made his decision without hesitation.

"Why not?"

Hinata entered the village cautiously. It was small, was the first thing she noticed.

Kiba followed behind her, shooting a glance around. "This sure is the best place to stay," he said, sarcasm prominent. "I can't think of anything better."

"Kiba, lay it off," Kurenai warned, taking the lead. Their black-haired sensei strode in purposefully with her team somewhat straggling behind, hesitant to enter.

It looked fine, all right, but deserted. Empty.

"There's nobody here," Shino stated, hands in pockets and slightly hunched. There was an almost nervous air around him, and his head swung side to side. It in turn made Akamaru nervous, which made Hinata nervous, and finally, just a little bit, Kiba.

"What do you mean, nobody here?" Kiba began, sniffing the air. "It certainly smells inhabited—"

"Wait." Kurenai held out a hand, stock still in front of them. "Don't do anything. Stay behind me." Her orders were carried out flawlessly, and Kiba shut up. Even Akamaru stayed still, ears pricked.

At last, she relaxed a little, but still was worked up enough to take out a kunai, clenched in her hand. "Shino, could you sense anything with your bugs?" Their sensei turned her head a little, curling black hair blowing in the sudden wind.

"No." Shino's reply was low.

"Me neither," Kurenai answered, shaking her head. "What's going on here?"

Kiba suddenly stiffened at the same time as Akamaru barked. "There's death in the air," he hissed, "and strong chakra traces. It was recent too." His eyes narrowed in determination. "We have to go and check it out." Kiba hopped off Akamaru, ready to charge into the situation.

Kurenai's hand stopped him. "Wait." She nodded to Hinata. "Check with your Byakugan quick, won't you? I don't trust this place. It's too quiet." Her red eyes lowered a bit, and she whispered, "What happened here?"

Hinata nodded hesitantly. She really didn't want to activate her Byakugan (something was warning her not to, there would be unhappy consequences otherwise) and see what dark secrets was hidden behind the deserted shops lining the road, but she had to follow her leader's orders.

"Byakugan!"

It wasn't what it seemed.

Hinata let out a breath she hadn't known she was holding, scanning the area. Nothing. No corpses—thank God—no people, no animals... What had happened here? she repeated Kurenai's question softly in her head. She was about to report when a sudden movement caught her eye. "Kurenai—"

Rocks rained down on them from a group of children who'd suddenly appeared in the middle of the road. The ninjas dodged them easily, only to be faced with another barrage once the first finished. This too finished quickly, and the four stared in bewilderment at the children, no older than twelve and no younger than four, that had attacked them.

More shadows moved from the edge of the streets, hurrying toward the children. Women. They all stood in a mob, faces unwelcoming and cold. Hostile, but with a shock, Hinata realized they were also afraid.

"We don't mean harm," Kurenai started to say, the standard greeting for any attack in a time of peace.

One of the older children, one who'd been hidden at the back, stepped forward. He did look older than the rest, maybe fourteen—or, Hinata thought sadly, it was because whatever happened here had aged him beyond his years. There was certainly something else in the teenager's muddy green eyes.

He held himself with his head high and back straight, giving defiance off from every pore. "Who are you?" he called, his voice not quite low but somewhere in between. Hinata had guessed right; this boy probably had not even hit puberty yet.

"We're shinobi of Konoha," Kurenai said back. She even held her hands up in exaggeration, showing they meant nothing.

The boy still looked mistrustful, even more so when she said 'Konoha'. "You're from that village?" The last two words were spat with an intense hatred. "Are you here to finish us off?"

Kiba looked taken aback. "What do you mean? We've never been here before—we're only passing through this place to reach the Land of Hot Water." The boy didn't look appeased in the slightest, and Akamaru yipped, drawing his attention.

"A dog," the boy—really, only a child—murmured, suddenly looking wistful. "I used to have a dog."

Kiba took the chance. "Was she nice?"

The boy nodded before shaking himself, glaring again. "I shouldn't talk to you! We're going to have to take you custody."

Shino spoke then, almost incredulous. "Take us custody? You're nothing more than children and women."

The group abruptly flinched back, as if it hurt to be reminded of the truth. The boy flinched too, eyes screwing shut in pain. Kurenai prodded gently, "What happened here? We promise we're no threat; just tell us what happened and perhaps we can help."

The boy took a deep breath, opening his eyes again. They were dark and words tumbled out of his mouth like a dam suddenly unblocked.

"M-my name is Tatsuo, and we were just living in peace before this. A week ago, we were fine," he said, suddenly angry, stutter gone. "But then, they came. The two of them, just one day apart from each other. I don't know who the hell they were, or why they came here, but they've done nothing but harm to us." His fist tightened.

"Are they here now?" Kurenai asked. "Oh, and my name is Kurenai. This is Kiba, Akamaru, Hinata, and Shino." She introduced them quickly.

Tatsuo nodded briefly, looking distracted. "No, they left. They didn't stay in the Village for more than a half hour each, but they wrecked so much havoc." His face was drawn and harsh. "They were missing-nins. One was the infamous Uzumaki Naruto, and the other was Uchiha Sasuke. And all of our fathers—our mothers' husbands—went after them to try and capture them, bring back some money. And you know what happened? They all died!" His voice rose in the end, almost shrieking. Hinata caught sight of a few women wincing, and tears gathered in the eyes of many children and other women.

But that aside, her own heart was jumping into her throat. "Naruto-kun was here…"

"He killed them?" Kiba muttered louder than her. She recoiled, remembering the boy's story. They all died! Did that mean—Sasuke did it? Or Naruto?

"How do you know that they died?" Kurenai's voice was suddenly harder, taking on her role of jounin.

"It's been half a week. I think we would know," he said, unspoken anguish in his eyes. Kurenai relented, eyes lowering.

"I'm sorry. There's nothing we can do about the dead," she whispered. Tatsuo drooped his head, like he hadn't wanted to hear the truth. Hinata, Kiba, and Shino remained silent. "May we pass?"

"Do what you want. The only thing shinobis are good for is death." With that, the group disbanded and slunk away quicker than they'd appeared. In seconds, they faced an empty road, deserted of feelings and life and full of loss.

Hinata felt a single tear well up and drip down her cheek.

Naruto really had changed. She followed her team silently down the road. He was no longer the one they had knew, the one—dare she say it—had loved. No, he was really somebody else now, and she finally knew why that day in the BBQ shop she hadn't been able to say 'stop'. It was because even though Naruto was no longer himself, they had to defend the only they had left: the image of him. Of who he was, what he'd fought for, what he died for. They had to save the only thing that was left of him.

Naruto was dead, wasn't he?

Hinata felt so tired.

When would they all stop running?

Especially Naruto?

Yes. I killed my nonofficial OC. MWAHAHAHA! And I'm pretty sure you guys can see where I got lazy and just ended Naruto's scene, and the Village's. It's okay though if you can't :D Perfectly okay.

Ooh I thought of something! Next week (well, next week and 4 days) is Naruto's birthday! 10-10! I guarantee that a massive influx of fanfictions will enter this website…

Aaand that's pretty much it for this time! See everyone in the next chapter :P btw, I'm always open for ideas, if you guys have any. If I can, I'll try and incorporate them into the fic, but you know, whatever. Reviews are welcome, you can PM me too, yada. Anyway, that was a bunch of random stuff, so… bye!

TBC!