A/N: That illness? Not going away. It's faded, mostly, but still there. Still coughing a lot, and so on. That's part of the reason for the delay. The other parts are: Lack of sleep (pretty dire, actually- averaging 2-4 hours a night for a couple of weeks) and it's impact on my ability to focus, and most importantly; that lack of focus. It's hard to write when you can't string a single sentence together correctly. As a result... I apologize if this chapter is a bit off. I tried (quite hard) to make it both cohesive and correct in language, but... no guarantees as loopy as I've been. Hopefully the last couple sections are better, since I've been better the last few days. Oh... and I 'think' I've worked around the plot problem that developed. We'll see in the next chapter or two.
Also, hopefully, not quite such a long wait next time. :)

Chap. 25 Home

"Team Samui, Team Naruto is ready to escort you from Kumogakure to Ootorigakure."

The busty blonde woman, six inches taller than the blonde speaker, nodded curtly before speaking. "Team Samui is pleased by your assistance. The sooner we reach Ootori the better... no more formalities, let's go!"

With a grin, Naruto took off after the suddenly sprinting older team, Jonin all, with his own Chunin-level team behind him.

Later that night, Naruto's spirits had fallen considerably. "This is taking too long... it took us... what, would have taken us about six days to reach Kumo if we hadn't been ambushed?"

Sakura nodded, "Yes, about that. Tsunade-shishio suggested we take it easy once we got inside Kaminari no Kuni, so we didn't attract too much attention, but... it would have taken about that. Maybe another day."

Naruto nodded, "And we have four days left to leave Lightning, so we're good there. But Yugito's probably more than half-way to Iwa by now, if they aren't already in Tsuchi no Kuni. We have to move faster!"

Sasuke shook his head, "I don't think it's that big of a problem."
Naruto shot the black-haired teen a glare, but the Uchiha continued calmly, "These 'Akatsuki'... 'Red Clouds'. They... or at least two masked men in black robes with red clouds on them, approached my brother about a year ago. Asked him to join them. We- he- fought them off, but only just. As skilled as my brother is, as powerful as his Mangekyo Sharingan is, he was just barely able to fight two of them off- not kill them. We have to have reinforcements if we're going to take them down."

"I know!" Naruto shouted, drawing annoyed looks from the rest of the assembled ninja.

Again, Sasuke seemed unperturbed, "Do you? I haven't even gotten to my point yet."
He ignored Naruto's grumbling that maybe he should do just that.

"Look, I said all that to illustrate how powerful, how dangerous, these guys are... how much chakra each of them has. But compared to a Bijuu, each of them is a puddle compared to a lake. Anything- anything- they're planning to do to a Jinchuuriki would take time, even for them.

"You said 'extract' in Ei's office."

Distracted by the change in topic, Naruto nodded without thinking, "Yeah... that's what we think the Akatsuki are trying to do with the Bijuu... take them out of their hosts, use them for something else. We don't know how they're controlling them, or even containing them, without a host, but... me and Ero-sennin came across the old host of the Sanbi. He was dead... had been for about three months when we found him in one of their bases. But there were no signs of injury, poison, disease... no sign of death at all. But even a dead body has some chakra left over, months later, if nothing else because of the decay of all flesh after death. This guy, Ero-kyofu said his name was Yagura or something, the old Mizukage, he... he had nothing. Not a trace of chakra. The closest thing we found to an injury was scar tissue around his seal, like it'd been ripped off and healed over at the same time, or something. So we..."

Naruto's train of thought seemed to derail for a moment. When he resumed speaking after a few second's uncomfortable silence, his tone was subdued, quiet.
Ino found it strangely unnatural, coming from someone who talked more than she did, and louder, too.

"We figured out they'd torn the Bijuu from his body, stole the Chakra, the Youkai... and we think they took the soul, of both the Bijuu and Jinchuuriki, too. They'd need the container's spirit to control the Tailed Beasts', we think. Either way, there was nothing left but a husk when we found Yagura. So... yeah, extraction. That's the fate that awaits all the Jinchuuriki if the Akatsuki win. That's what Yugito has to look forward to."

None of the group missed the unmentioned fact that a similar fate awaited Naruto, as well, should he be captured.
Nor did Sakura, Ino, or himself forget how easily he had been taken down by just one of the Red Clouds in Yugakure.

(O)(O)(O)

"I've got an idea," Naruto said over breakfast early the next morning. The camp had already been broken down aside from the tiny cook fire Omoi had used to heat the simple traveler's stew Kumo ninja favored on the road (Naruto had to admit it was much better than the former Konoha's stale crackers in terms of flavor, if nothing else).
"About what?" Ino replied, already glaring. Quite aside from not being a morning person- which she wasn't- Ino was quite worried about the likely-hood of him suggesting they split up. Undoubtedly, with him going alone- or effectively alone- to chase after his kidnapped friend.

When he turned to look at his fellow blonde, she was slightly reassured. His eyes didn't have the manic gleam she'd come to associate with protecting those he cared about, but a twinkle of amusement at his plan, as if he knew something they didn't... but they'd regret learning. "I have a plan to get us to Ootori, and maybe Iwa, faster than normal. It's a bit risky, but I think we can pull it off."

Karui, the hot-tempered red-head that she was, blurted out, "Well, tell us already! We need to get a move on, one way or another!"

Naruto just grinned and bit his thumb, muttered, "Kuchiyose no Jutsu." and pressed his palm to the ground in front of him.
With a puff of smoke, a yellow-skinned toad wearing a black jacket, as tall as Naruto and probably six times as heavy, appeared next to him.
"Hey, Bro! How'ya doin? Got any snacks for me? I'm reeeeeeaaaaly hungry!"
Naruto grimaced, "I meant to get 'Kichi, 'Tatsu... why'd you come? You're such a pig!"
The yellow toad laughed, a surprisingly high-pitched noise from such a large creature, "Yer funny, Bro! Bro's busy with his girlfriend, so he sent me! Where's the snacks, Bro?"

The others appeared more than a little... well, less than impressed. But Naruto was not to be stopped by the obstacle of his second-favorite toad, no matter how slow he was mentally!

"Hey, 'Tatsu... you want a lot of snacks? Like, a wagon full?"
The toad's bulbous eyes swelled comically. "A wagon full? That's a lot! Like, a whole meal! What do I gotta do, Bro?"

Naruto grinned, "Just relay a message. Go back to your old man, and tell him I need him. I'll get you that wagon of snacks next time I summon you, and tell him I'll buy him... hell, I'll buy him two barrels of Dragonfire Sake to pay him back for what I need him for!"

"All right, Bro! I'll go tell Dad right now!"
"Wait, 'Tatsu!" Naruto called, but the toad had already disappeared with another puff of smoke.

Silence reigned over the campsite for several minutes, while the crowd- who, admittedly, had been somewhat impressed with Naruto up until now- tried to digest the kind of utter failure that could summon massive creatures (summoning had never exactly been a common art), but had to bribe them into service.

It was Sakura who broke the stunned silence, "Um, Naruto... Why d'you have to pay for snacks and sake? Aren't summons honor-bound to obey their summoner?"

The shinobi in question grinned sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head, "Well... yeah. But Gamabunta, 'Kichi, and 'Tatsu are my friends... well, the younger two are, anyway. It's not really payment, I'm just doing them a favor to be nice, aren't I?"
The others rolled their eyes, including the normally stoic Samui. Clearly, this blonde did not know how summoning contracts actually worked. Still, it wasn't worth explaining it to him... she'd leave that for his sensei. He was supposed to be a legend, after all.
"Still... isn't Dragonfire Sake like... really expensive? Tsunade-shishio never opens up the one tiny bottle she has. Says it's too expensive to drink."

Naruto nodded, grinning once again, "Yeah... Ero-sennin owns the company, so I get it for free. Only... don't tell 'Bunta, 'kay? If he found out it doesn't cost us anything to get it for him, he'd drink the company under! So you can't tell him!"

A tremendous cloud of smoke washed over them, accompanied by a booming, echoing voice, "Can't tell me what, little brat?"

Naruto's face paled several shades. "C- Chief! You got here fast!"

His flimsy attempt to change the subject didn't distract the monstrously large amphibian, however. "Well, yes, my boy said you had a wonderful payment for me... so I came to your world at once. Now, what am I not supposed to know? What about this task are you hiding from me?"

Fortunately, Naruto was wise enough to take the toad's misunderstanding and run with it, "Uh... nothing, Boss, nothing! It's just..."

Faster than most of the humans could register, an eye larger than any one of them- larger than two, in the case of Ino and Sakura- was leering down at them from just over their heads, the rest of the orange, wart-covered head blocking the sky from view. "You're lying, little brat. You are hiding something... tell me what requires such a heavy payment."

"Well..."

The toad's eye narrowed quickly, and most of the group quailed. Naruto, however, had long since learned to deal with Gamabunta's intimidation tactics, and stood firm. "It's... you aren't going to like it, that's all, it's not really hard. It's just..."

"Spit it out, boy!" the toad roared suddenly, shaking the trees around them for several dozen yards.

In a rush, the blonde stammered out his needs, faking nervousness with all his skill (after all, one didn't need to actually be nervous if you could dispel your summons with a single, focused thought and burst of chakra).

"You what?" the toad boss cried.

Naruto's nose twitched, there was a sudden smell of urine... faint, but there. Idly, he wondered which of his six companions had been the one. "Taxi! Long way, big emergency, have to hurry! Two barrels of Dragonfire!"

The toad's next response was comparatively quiet, almost soft, though the tones shook the leaves beneath their feet. "You want me to carry seven ninja all the way from here home, and then to Iwagakure later? Are you insane? That's worth at least four barrels!"

Still cowed by the sheer size and apparent power of the summons, it was a long time before most of the group even registered that Naruto would only have to pay more, and he would not be getting them squished today... maybe.
He, though, was right on top of things, immediately bargaining the toad down. A few short minutes of rapid-fire exchanges later, Gamabunta had been talked down to three barrels and one keg- a couple of mouthfuls at most for him-of the excellent sake for the journey, provided there was no combat taking place.
Inwardly, Naruto heaved a sigh of relief. The last time Jiraiya had made a similar request of the toad, he'd had to sacrifice nearly a quarter of the sake company's yearly profits to pay for it. The setback had caused ripples throughout the entire continent's economy as the hard-to-afford sake became even harder to find. "Deal!"

(O)(O)(O)

"I said no, Naruto! Drop it! We'll find another way!"

The younger blonde was undeterred, however. "There isn't time for 'another way'! Yugito-nee-chan's already at their base, she's probably having the Nibi extracted right now! There's no telling what they'll use it for if we don't stop them! How many people could they kill with that kind of power? Huh?"

Tsunade, though, was not a Sannin for nothing, and did not back down. "Shut up! I know what they can do, better than you do, I'll bet! I didn't say we were doing nothing, gaki! I said there was another way!"

Those gathered in the office that was swiftly turning into the 'boss office' in the foundling village fell silent, the two opposing sides shooting furious looks at each other.

Naruto, though, was the first to look away. A moment after his eyes fell from Tsunade's, his head followed. Then he spun without a word and walked out the door, shutting it quietly behind him.
The soft click of the door made Sakura, Shizune, and Ino jump as if he'd slammed it with all his might.

"Shishio..." the rosette said, but she was interrupted by the older medic.
"Quiet, Sakura. All of you, just be quiet and listen. The team is being assembled by Fugaku and Hiashi right now. They'll leave by tonight. But I don't want any of you on it, so don't get any funny ideas. There's time to get them to Iwa and back, Jiraiya's pretty sure he knows where the base is. Cloud doesn't have to worry, we'll get their Jinchuuriki back for them."
Samui spoke up for the first time in an hour, "Kaminari no Kuni and Kumogakure will not be beholden to you in this, Tsuande-sama. We have given no official mission, you do understand that?"

Tsunade snorted, "Of course I do. Just as your Raikage understands that he'll be beholden to us whether there's a mission or not. There are many types of payment, after all. Now... Sakura, Sasuke, Ino, I want you three to go home and rest. You've been through a lot. Take the cabin, no one's been there for a few days and it's probably quieter than camp. Should be enough room. Bring Naruto if you find him, he needs to calm down too."

After a few mumbled words, the three youngest shinobi left the office as Tsunade turned her attention to the older team from Kumo.

"Come on, guys... you'll probably like staying at the cabin. No need for anything else, unless you want to let your dad know you're back, Ino?"

The blonde shook her head, "He'll figure it out soon enough. He's probably been checking in with Tsunade-sama every day for a week. Let's... let's go find Naruto. I'm pretty worried... I was sure he'd slam the door."

Sakura nodded, "Yeah... he's more upset than he's letting on, if he's being quiet about it."

Sasuke, for his part, merely shook his head. They don't get it at all. He's not upset. He's more frustrated than he can bear, maybe, and angry, but not 'upset'. We'd better track him down, though. There's no telling when he's going to leave, and he'll need our help when he does.

(O)(O)(O)

Sakura half expected to have to follow a trail of broken branches and leaves as they tracked Naruto through the forest. She was also a little surprised to see him heading straight for the cabin; but thinking a layer deeper made her realize that if her childhood friend was, indeed, planning a rebellious rescue, the cabin would be the best place to do so. In addition, it was also the place best suited to cooling him off... if such a feat was possible.
"We're almost there," she muttered to Ino, Sasuke having already visited their childhood home on at least one occasion that she knew of.
The blonde nodded, "Right," and fell silent again.
Sakura was a little bothered by this behavior. The loudmouth girl, likely her chief (possibly only) rival for Naruto's affections was quite subdued, even Sasuke had talked more to her as they ran through the trees for the eleven of twelve miles they'd covered so far. "Hey, Ino..."

"Hm?"

Sasuke, perhaps sensing that 'girl talk' was coming, suddenly sped up, leaving the kunoichi behind. Sakura thought for a moment about accelerating as well, but quickly discarded the notion- Sasuke would be more likely to understand Naruto's point of view right now anyway.
"It's... you don't have to give up."

"Huh?" was her intelligent reply.

"Naruto... you don't have to give up on him. It's... it's not fair to you, and it's not fair to him. He should... he should be able to choose for himself."

"I... I don't understand..."

Sakura's green eyes closed with what Ino was sure was frustration at having to explain further, "You... you can try and get him to like you, if you want. He should... he deserves the chance to choose who he wants. Right?"

Numbly, shocked beyond belief at the bravery her rival was displaying, Ino could only nod.

A/N2: So, again not a lot to say- just read, enjoy, review, eat some pie, and review again for good measure. :D

Glossary:

Nothing.