"Akamaru! Stop running!" Naruto begged as he, Hinata, and Shino ran after the pup he had not seen in months.

They had been enjoying a simple and music filled lunch with Takeda and his caravan of performers. But as Naruto tried to get a laugh out of Hinata, the white dog had run into the tavern and over their food, his tail wagging animatedly and eyes shining brightly as he caused a mess.

Of course they had then chased after him without a second thought. They had already finished their mission, after all. The caravan had reached its destination without any complications. All that was missing was to get their payment, but that could be sought later on. It had been so long since either of them had heard any word of Kiba or Akamaru. They weren't about to pass up the chance to meet them again.

Naruto had honestly thought Akamaru was trying to lead them to a spot where they would find Kiba. Or maybe a hideout that they'd have to save Kiba from. He'd been expecting something exciting, adventurous.

But the dog had yet to stop running and they were quite a ways away from the village. And there was no end in sight to the dog's run.

"Akamaru! Please!" Hinata gasped out, "Stop running!"

But the pup didn't stop. And neither of the kids wanted to accidentally hurt the dog by trying to use any more creative methods to stop him. So they just chased after the dog, hoping that he'd eventually stop.

It took the animal a few minutes, but he eventually did. Among the cover of trees, the dog stopped running and turned to the three humans, tail wagging happily. And as soon as Hinata was close enough, he jumped into her arms, dropping the scroll in his mouth to begin to lick and kiss her.

The Hyuga giggled at the pup's affection, "I missed you too, Akamaru!"

"Akamaru! Am I glad to see you!" Naruto breathed out as ran up to Hinata, panting but smiling broadly, "I haven't seen you in so long!" Then he began to pat the pup's head, earning licks in return.

Shino allowed himself a small smile at the scene of both his friends and the dog, then crouched to pick up the scroll the pup had dropped. He unrolled it with hesitation and hope in his heart, hoping that this was a message from Kiba.

Reading over the sloppy scrawl that could only ever be Kiba's, Shino's heart began to swell with the first few sentences. Kiba and Akamaru were fine. Those two ninja hadn't hurt either of them. If anything, they treated the two right.

But midway through the scroll, Shino's swelling heart froze for a second, eyes going wide. He read and re-read the line over and over again, to make sure that he hadn't read wrong. And the more he read, the worse and worse Shino felt.

... That fool!

"We must go back."

He didn't tell his teammates anything else. He took off running without another word, worry for his idiotic best friend reaching a point that had his stomach lurching and his heart squeezed in a vice-grip.

When they entered the tavern, Kiba noted the dozens of innocent people that had the horrid luck of finding themselves in such an unfortunate place at such a horrible time.

As soon as they stepped in, Kiba was able to zero in on his target without any trouble. Or... At least... It hadn't been any trouble at first.

The man was a strong looking type of character with broad shoulders, tanned skin, dark hair, and muscles that spoke of having been built over a lifetime of work. All of these characteristics, Kiba had taken in without trouble. All of these he could understand in their target.

It had been the man's smile that had made him falter.

It was a kind smile, showing full teeth and even some dimples at the corner of his bearded lips. It was an earnest smile. An honest one.

Kiba's stomach immediately lurched because of the pure kindness he found in the man's face. How could a man with a smile that earnest possibly be a rogue ninja from the Mist?

"Kid."

A frown found its way onto Kiba's face when Kakuzu called him. His nose had never lied to him before. But... Wasn't there always room for mistakes? Maybe he was letting his harrowed emotions interfere with his skills...

Yeah... That must be it... Seeing his old friends again and having to take drastic measures to keep them safe must have thrown him off his game.

Feeling himself begin to shake at the idea of possibly angering Kakuzu, the boy stuttered out, "Th-there are a lot of scents... P-please... Give me a s-second."

What had he been reduced to? Stuttering like Hinata. Doubting his own abilities. Fearing every single person he interacted with.

This was not how an Inuzuka should act.

Maybe... No. He had to stop that line of thought before it even started.

With a deep inhale, Kiba chanced one more glance at the man he believed the scent to be coming from.

The man was laughing loudly now. Drinks were being passed around and a few men and women were singing a drinking song, combined with one or two instruments. Every single person inside the establishment was having a good time.

Nausea and unease began to eat away at him as he began to frantically search the tavern for anyone else. He hoped to find some seedy looking character that would undoubtedly be the rogue Mist ninja they were looking for. He hoped beyond hope that his nose was wrong and the kind looking man sharing his drink with a clearly in love woman wasn't who he was looking for.

There were no dangerous or looking men to find.

Only jubilant tavern goers.

Once more, Kiba's eyes fell on the man that seemed to be emitting the targeted smell. Now he was being part of the fun by beginning some kind of story in a warm and deep voice.

Kiba could feel the ground under him give way when Kakuzu began to walk in the man's direction.

But he didn't move at all to stop the man. His nose had led him to the smiling man. And while his eyes and ears could be fooled by genjutsu, Kiba was an Inuzuka. Their sense of smell was unparalleled. It was inconceivable to argue against it. Their noses were never wrong, could never be fooled. He had been stupid in hoping he was wrong.

"Hey, Takeda! Where'd our little minions go?"

The man had a name. An identity. Had built a life and formed relationships with others.

"They ran off after a dog!" The man- the target- answered with a soft smile on his face. "I do hope they come back... It would be a shame if they leave without saying goodbye." Then, he breathed out and looked towards the direction of the tavern's entrance. Towards Kiba. "They also need to receive their pay for having done such a swell job."

This... This couldn't be... His target was a man that had contracted his friends? His friends knew this man?

Kakuzu walked softly and proudly towards the man. His shoulders were squared and his head was high, giving off complete confidence as he did so.

The pit in Kiba's stomach grew the closer Kakuzu got to the man- to the target- and he soon felt Hidan rustle beside him.

"The fuckface will have a bit of fun with the target... While he does that, I'm going to give a few sacrifices to my god."

Hidan's joy at the very idea was almost palpable. And Kiba's heart stopped, his chest becoming cold.

The people around their target were still partying happily. They had yet to figure out the danger that was coming their way.

And the cold in Kiba's chest began to spread to the rest of his body.

The target's eyes fell on Kakuzu as the man grew even closer and Kiba's chest began to tighten, making breathing begin to hurt. Then, from Kakuzu, they moved on to Kiba... Those light eyes spoke volumes of different emotions. And the smile on his face never once faltered as he seemed to look into Kiba's soul.

Kiba wanted time to stop at that very moment.

He just wanted everything to freeze, all movements to halt. He wanted to be able to think about just what the hell was going on and what he was to do in it.

But Kakuzu was still walking calmly towards the target and Hidan was beginning to make his giddy way over to the innocent victims, blissfully unaware of the deranged psychopath targeting them. The oblivious men and women continued to drink and sing and the barkeep continued to serve them.

Everything was moving and there was nothing Kiba could do to stop it.

The idea of watching a massacre unfold before his eyes sickened the Inuzuka. The very thought of blood made Kiba's stomach churn, his heart chill- even more than it had already chilled- and he began to feel almost weightless.

Hidan couldn't really be thinking of doing what he kept talking about... Right? He had just healed from the fatal blow given to him by Kakuzu. He couldn't seriously be lusting for more violence after that.

His whole body became numb as images of those partying innocents dying and succumbing at the hands of Hidan began to fill his mind. That one woman that kind of looked like Hana... Her head being severed from her body by a sadistically grinning psychopath.

Tears sprung up in his eyes the more he looked at her smiling face. She was oblivious to Hidan's ill intentions. They all were.

But what could he do to stop the carnage?

Hidan could stop him without any problem... And if he used the poison on him now, maybe Kakuzu would hurt him for having impaired his partner for something he may deem unimportant.

But... Maybe...

The boy's stiff legs began to move before he had even finished forming the thought.

Without worrying about the consequences of possibly pissing Hidan off, Kiba ran to the nearest occupant, a young man no older than his own sister with features that reminded him achingly of Ino, the blonde spitfire he'd never see again. The thought struck him deep in the heart, but didn't stop him from shouting, "Run! He's going to kill you!"

Most probably, if Hidan hadn't reacted the way he had, the man would not have believed Kiba. But the silver haired psycho shouted at Kiba and brandished his large scythe, threatening with killing him right then and there.

In the back of his mind, Kiba began to wonder just how dumb the man must be if he thought that was the best way to react to his plans being ruined. But he did not have too much time to truly process the thought before he was having to jump out of the way of the three-bladed scythe Hidan swung his way.

Chaos broke out after that.

Shouts of terror broke through the jovial party attitude that had been created in the tavern. Men and women screamed in terror and fear as they ran to escape the establishment before the scythe wielding maniac could touch them. They ran over one another, pushing and shoving to ensure their survival.

Amidst all of the havoc, Kiba noted that the man with the target's scent merely sat on his stool. His face remained smiling softly, not even flinching as his friends trampled over each other to be able to leave.

"The stories of my bounty are true then."

The boy's eyes widened as soon as the man spoke up, his voice smooth yet cold, like an icy river. It caught Kiba off guard and caused shivers to run up his spine.

"It's just business." Kakuzu commented with a shrug, finally coming to a stop before the man with his arms planted on his hips.

"You know... You are lucky that boy sent my performers running." The man spoke with an air of ease, hand waving slightly in the air. "If any of them had gotten hurt, I would have killed you all without any remorse." Then the target began to slowly get up, inhaling deeply before breathing out heavily, "Now I will just cripple you."

With these last words, the man smirked slyly, rolling his shoulders in preparation of what was to come.

Hearing those words, taking note of the man's features becoming almost dangerous... It all threw Kiba for a loop.

The man... He had seemed so innocent and kind... Was he truly a rogue ninja? Could he really incapacitate Kakuzu and Hidan?

No... He couldn't! He seemed so kind! His eyes were so bright! His smile so kind! He was the complete opposite of...

Now Kiba's eyes widened and his breathing stopped.

Subconsciously, he had been comparing the man with the bastards that had hurt him. He had forced himself to see the target as everything those monsters hadn't been. Blindly and unknowingly, he had allowed his past to influence his present. And, because of this, he had decided that this man must have been innocent, for he was the exact opposite of those bastards. He had allowed his eyes and mind to beat out his sense of smell, the only one he should ever truly pay attention to.

The only reason why he was able to break out of his reverie and sudden realization was because of the violent shaking Hidan decided to give him at that moment.

"You dirty little bastard!" The Jashinist roared, dark red eyes enraged. "You just cost me the favor of my Lord!"

Kiba's already foul physical state worsened at being manhandled by the man, but his eyes didn't even look at the man. Instead of focusing on the psychopathic murderer that would undoubtedly wish to punish him for costing him his kills, Kiba kept his gaze on the target.

With a sly smirk clear on his face, the man tipped over the tankard he had been drinking. Then, with hands blurring in a flurry of symbols Kiba couldn't make out, the man created a perfect clone out of the liquid. Both the man and the clone smirked proudly at the wide eyed look Kiba gave him, then they jumped onto the back of the bar and began to smash bottles and spread liquid throughout the establishment.

Immediately Kakuzu moved to stop them, jumping over the tavern as well, but a third clone appeared out of nowhere and pushed him to the far wall, effectively stopping him from reaching the men spreading all sorts of liquid around.

The fact that they were so set on throwing drinks everywhere confused Kiba greatly. So much so that he barely even heard Hidan's growling in his ear or felt the man's hands tightening around his shoulder, using so much force they'd surely leave a bruise. He was just too caught off guard by the man's techniques and strategy. It was unlike anything he had ever come across before.

"Hidan! Let the kid go and help with the bounty!" Kakuzu grunted as he fought off the clone that fought him, dodging and parrying all of his moves.

"And the field has been prepared! I don't really feel like ending this too quickly, so I won't impair your senses." The man smiled broadly as he looked at Kakuzu fighting with his clone, then jumped over the bar, his second clone following close behind.

Hidan, although Kakuzu had called on him for help, still held onto Kiba. He was still livid. And now that Kiba finally broke out of his reverie of staring at the man and looked at the Jashinist, he noted that the man must have broken skin because he could feel some kind of liquid begin to run down his arms.

"You have no idea what you have done, you little bastard." Hidan hissed, the pain sprouting up Kiba's arm making him wince and finally begin to try and move away from the Jashinist. "You just let them all get away! You ungrateful son of a bitch!"

"L-Let me go..." Kiba's arms raised up to scratch at the man's left arm, but the grip was still strong and steady.

Hidan wasn't about to let him go just yet.

"You're going to see just why you can't pull this kind of shit with me, kid." The silver haired man smirked almost psychotically at this point, red eyes boring into Kiba's own with a very dangerous glint in them.

"Hidan!" Kakuzu barked out, "Leave him! The target!"

"Shut up, you fucking-" Hidan began to shout out, craning his neck to send a glare at Kakuzu, and leaving an opening for Kiba.

The man's grip slacked only just slightly, but it was enough for the boy wrench himself out of it and crouch onto the floor, then jump away and roll to the side as soon as Hidan motioned to grab at him again.

"Come back here, you little-" The man growled as he went to follow after Kiba, only to suddenly be stopped by a kunai pointed at his throat.

Kiba's heart was beating loudly now that he noticed just how close to death he had been in the past few minutes and his breathing matched it in intensity. His eyes were wide as he stared in awe and shock at the man that had just halted Hidan's advance, the very man they had come to incapacitate so they could acquire money. And the man merely sent a wink in the Inuzuka's direction, his smirk staying in place as he addressed Hidan.

"I don't really understand just what's going on here... But I have some idea. You two bullies decided to use this kid for some reason and have the scared the poor thing shitless. That's not very nice, you know." He chided slightly, wagging the finger on his free hand with a shake of his head.

Kiba couldn't believe his eyes. The man had been on the other side of the tavern less than a few seconds ago. Just how had he managed to cross that distance so quickly? And how had he done so and managed to sneak up on both him and Hidan? Wouldn't Kiba have at least been able to smell him?

The pounding of his heart was loud in his ears, but Kiba's sense of hearing finally decided to pay attention rather than let his eyes take up all his attention. And it was because of this that he noticed the soft steps making their way to his direction.

Fear spiked up in his chest as reasoning went out the window, leaving him with illogical fears and worries.

Who could be heading his way? Hidan and Kakuzu were the dangerous ones! He shouldn't be targeted! He hadn't done anything other than track the bounty down!

"Those are some pretty odd marks..."

The observation was much too close to Kiba's liking. So the boy lashed out without a second thought, digging his hand into the poisoned kunai pouch quickly to then thrust the weapon in the direction of the voice.

His hand was caught immediately and dread began to seep into his bones as soon as that happened.

Was his life just a series of unfortunate events until death finally came to him? Was he really such a despicable person that he deserved to go through so many different kinds of hell, just to be killed in a heinous manner? He had already given up his body once! Must he lose it again in a more permanent manner!?

"Hey there, kiddo. I ain't going to hurt you. You seem like a nice enough kid, after all." The second clone of the man, the one that had helped him throw liquid and glass all over the tavern... What was he doing? Why was he talking to Kiba? Why did he seem to care?

"Just how did a kid like you wind up with people like them? You don't even seem underfed, like a street rat."

Kiba could do nothing more than stare in complete silence at the man, his jaw locked shut.

The man's scent was rather strong for this to be a clone. And it was with this thought that Kiba noticed that this wasn't a clone. It was the target himself. And he had assigned his clones to fight off Hidan and Kakuzu.

With this thought, Kiba looked away from him and turned to the two men that were struggling in their battles, the clones they were fighting flickering in and out of existence in different locations to deliver some kind of hit before repeating their little act.

Kiba couldn't believe the speed in which those clones were fighting. And he couldn't believe that both Kakuzu and Hidan were struggling to keep up with them, for he had believed they would be just as fast as Itachi or Kisame. But they were slower and Hidan seemed to be even less refined than Kakuzu in his movements. Less graceful, more clunky.

A tug at his wrist reminded Kiba that his arm was still in the target's grip and he turned back to the man, expecting the worst, only to find the man smiling softly at him.

"You know... You look like you'd be a nice sidekick to have around. What do you say? Leave those two idiots and come join me as my little partner? I promise I don't threaten to kill my associates."

What... Just was was wrong with this man? How could he be so relaxed during a fight like this?

"I..." Kiba began to say, but immediately shut up when he heard a shout come from Hidan's direction.

Snapping his head in the direction of the man, Kiba sniffed at the air and followed the water clone's movements, finding a pattern. He was moving so fast that it was hard to keep track of the smell of the water clone, but, somehow, Kiba managed to do so.

"Hidan! Swipe left and upwards with your scythe!" Kiba barked, only to wince at the harsh tug at his hand as the man urged him to look back in his direction.

But Kiba wasn't about to look. Hidan and Kakuzu were in trouble. And although Kakuzu was holding up rather well with his clone, seeming to not be affected by any of the punches landed, Kiba knew it was only a matter of time before he too got injured.

"Kakuzu! Jump back then crouch!"

Both men followed Kiba's directions with huff and scoffs. Hidan arched his scythe in the very direction Kiba commanded and the clone flickered into existence in the very spot the boy had predicted, which meant the scythe connected with it and caused him to turn back into water. Kakuzu, in the meanwhile, jumped backwards and landed with narrowed eyes, then bent over backwards and dodged the clone's kick. With their momentum, Kakuzu grabbed onto the leg and threw the clone back, causing it to fly to the wall and smash back into its liquid state.

"Who'd have thought? The kid isn't completely useless!" Hidan managed to laugh, although he was bleeding profusely from various cuts on his body.

"What'd you do that for?" The target growled as soon as Hidan began to celebrate, wrenching Kiba's hand once more to make the boy look at him.

With a shout, Kiba looked at the man and found nothing but anger in his eyes. And Kiba had been around enough people in his life to know that from anger directed at him, he'd only find pain. Much like the pain that was shooting up both his arms now, pain that now mixed in with the one the man had caused by being so insistent. He didn't want to feel any more pain. He didn't want to hurt anymore.

"I... I..." Kiba stuttered out, then remembered he had his kunai gripped in his hand.

His wrist was being held tightly... But Sasori had said that just a simple cut should be enough... Right?

"I'm sorry!" He breathed in, then narrowed his eyes. "But I have to do this!"

With this apology, the boy jumped forward, catching the man by surprise. Because of not expecting Kiba to jump on him, the man released Kiba's wrist. And this immediately allowed the boy to plunge the kunai into the target's shoulder, causing a sharp shout of pain to be released by him.

Kiba felt the man's legs move under him to kick him away, sending him flying to into the far wall of the tavern and slam harshly against it. His whole body impacted violently against it, making him give his own shout of pain as he fell onto the unrepentant ground below.

But the second hit never came.

Instead he found himself enveloped by something that was a thousand times softer than the floor, yet wasn't soft either. It was Kakuzu. The man had stopped him from hitting the floor.

"I can say that I understand why that one called you a little bastard now." The target growled as he got up from the floor, dark eyes narrowed and smirk replaced a very serious frown. "I shouldn't have underestimated you. I should have known no people like them would ever keep an innocent child with them."

Even through the pain beginning to take over his whole system, Kiba still managed to hear the insult. And he winced because of it, the idea of being seen as deserving of Kakuzu and Hidan's company hitting him in a way he shouldn't have allowed.

"Hey! Your fight's not with him! It's with us!" Hidan shouted to grab the man's attention, "I'll deal with him once you've been cashed in, huh? Now you don't have to worry about getting back at him because I'll do it for you!"

"Hidan! Stop playing and attack!" Kakuzu barked in annoyance as Hidan rolled his eyes and the man prepared himself to attack.

Both men were prepared to begin to fight, eyes shining with determination. And when they ran at each other, they did so without hesitation, dead-set on not losing. Kiba could barely keep his eyes open anymore, darkness beginning to creep into the edges of his vision, his body becoming numb to push out most of the pain that had begun to take him over.

But, even with that, Kiba was able to see when the target's body began to falter, his movements becoming sluggish until they completely stopped. Seeing this made Kiba smile softly, for he knew the poison had taken effect.

With this thought, he allowed himself to slip into unconsciousness.

The squad of three and Akamaru ran back to the tavern as fast as they could. Akamaru had made them run rather far from the establishment, giving them very little possibility of being able to stop their foolhardy friend from hurting himself any further.

But they all pushed themselves to go as fast as they could, willed themselves to reach the village and find Kiba.

When they reached the tavern, they didn't hear the jovial sounds of music from before. This immediately worried Naruto and Hinata, although Shino didn't say anything as he took a moment to catch his breath, only to run into the building as soon as he had done so.

Hinata and Naruto had stopped beside him, out of breath from all the running and bodies begging for some kind of rest. But when they saw Shino run into the building, they both followed without hesitation.

The scene they found was something none of them wanted to come across.

The tavern seemed to have housed a water battle. Liquids of all kinds were strewn all along the floor, shards of glasses covering the floor as well. A few tables were broken and there was a dent in the wooden wall to the right. All in all, it wasn't a bad scene. It certainly wasn't the bloodiest. But there was no soul in sight. Nobody could be found in this place.

They had missed Kiba.

"That fool!"

Both Hinata and Naruto were caught off guard by Shino's sudden shout and they turned to look at the bug nin.

His teeth were ground together and his fists were trembling at his side, his shoulders shaking with the controlled anger.

"That self-sacrificing idiot!" The Aburame growled, suddenly throwing the scroll in his right hand at the wall with the dent. "How could he do this to us again?!"

Neither of his teammates had ever seen him act in such an uncontrolled manner. And after sharing looks of confusion, Naruto decided to finally ask what he had been wondering for the past minutes, "Huh? What do you mean, Shino? What did Kiba do?"

He knew this had something to do with the Inuzuka. From the way Akamaru had appeared out of nowhere with a scroll in his maw... Well... He'd have to be really stupid to not connect those dots!

"Kiba has left us again." Shino ground out, anger laced into his words, "He's not coming home. And he asked us to keep Akamaru and to not try and hunt him down. He's happy where he is!"

"What?" Hinata gasped, "That can't be true, Shino kun!"

Akamaru barked in agreement, growling at the Aburame. But the boy merely pointed a quaking finger at the scroll he had just thrown, "If you don't believe me, you can read his own words!"

"Fine! I'll read it! Because I know there's no way that Kiba would ever abandon his village!"

Naruto ran to the scroll and picked it up, immediately beginning to read it over. But his determined scowl faded into a distraught frown midway through the reading, then, by the end, he was shaking his head.

"No... This can't be!"

"Naruto kun!" Hinata looked at him with wide eyes, "It can't be true!"

Akamaru barked at the blonde, but Naruto only shook his head, tears beginning to shine in his eyes.

"Akamaru... Kiba's left you to us... He doesn't want you to go back with him."

It's been quite some time since I last updated, and I'm sorry for that. This chapter has now become the hardest chapter I've had to write for this story. There were so many things with Hidan and Kakuzu that made this hard... But the next chapter should be up in less than a week because I now have about a quarter of it already written!

Hope you all liked this! Please review!