Itachi! Kisame! What are you doing here!
The ride back to Konohagakure was a short and sweet one, Naruto thought as he stretched his legs inside the furnished carriage. Still laughing to himself, Konoha's jinchuuriki couldn't help but feel a little giddy at Gaara's apparent innocence. Shaking his head, Naruto looks at the Godaime Hokage, and laughs at her apparent stupor, and the small drool dripping down the side of her face. To her other side, Ero-Sennin was looking out the door, a large bump in the direct center of his forehead.
Laughing, Naruto can't help but wondering if things were, this time, going to work out right.
Konoha Gates
The two figures stood forlornly under the southern gates of Konoha. ANBU had been dispatched over the vague identity of the intruders, and orders had come from Hokage Tower to restrict travel for the time being. Nara Shikamaru sighed, as he stood in the blazing hot sun, wanting nothing more than to go under the shade, lay down, and watch the clouds, but no. Here he was, stuck holding a Kage Mane no Jutsu, making sure the two intruders didn't get away.
"Finally" he thought as Rabbit and Wolf ANBU showed up. He'd been at this for ten minutes and was about to pass out, his reserves far lower than that of his jounin otousan. When said Jounin, at the special request of the ANBU also arrived, Shikamaru watched as his Kage Kubishibari no Jutsu took over where he once was.
"Shikamaru, you did well, holding these two until ANBU could get here. Now, take a Chakra Pill and come back, I may need you yet."
Sighing to himself, Shikamaru sighed and opened his pouch, pulling out the pill, and made to place it in his mouth.
Suddenly, a Kunai flew from the hand of the first figure and a cold, cool chuckle was heard over the suddenly quiet area.
"Can I cut their arms off, Itachi?" the first figure asked, his hood covering his forehead and a veil covering the bottom of his face. The other, named Itachi, looked at his partner and said, "troublesome, now we'll have to fight our way out."
The ANBU suddenly tensed, as the wind blared to life and pushed the hood back off of Itachi's face.
"Uchiha Itachi!" Rabbit ANBU said, in disbelief as the famed murderer of the Uchiha clan stepped into Konohagakure. Itachi's calm exterior baffled Shikamaru, who could feel the suppressed fear coming from his colleagues.
"Well yeah, but this way is more fun!" the unidentified figure said to Itachi, who had a decidedly displeased look on his face. "Shut up, Kisame. Why you are in Akatsuki, I fail to understand. We were told not to be caught, and the first thing you do is say, 'can I cut their arms off, Itachi?' You forget, I am wanted here, Kisame."
Kisame, who had pulled back his hood to reveal shark-like features simply sighed and said, "so what? Who cares, we're S-Ranked Nukenin. We could take the entire village apart and no one could beat us."
Shikamaru groaned, drawing attention to himself once again. Looking at the troublesome two, he sighed and said, "and to think, I wanted to look at clouds today. Why are enemies so troublesome.
Itachi sighed, looking at the Chuunin and said, "hai, but friends are even worse."
Rabbit ANBU cleared his throat suddenly and said, "Itachi-sensei, what have you returned for?"
The Uchiha simply turned his gaze, solemn as it was, to Rabbit and said, "we're here because we must be. It would do well for you, Ame, to get out of our way."
Rabbit and Wolf both tensed and prepared for battle, all the while Shikamaru looked up and said, "how troublesome. Well, if I must."
Taking a Soldier Pill, Shikamaru chewed half of it and held the other piece under his tongue. Standing up, Shikamaru said, "it is troublesome, but I am a Konoha-nin, and I will fight you if I must."
Kisame, who had been listening said, "ha! You, a Chuunin? I bet you're still wet behind the ears too. Let me guess, you just made Chuunin at the last exam, am I right?"
Shikamaru sighed and said, "it was troublesome, but that is correct."
"Enough talking. You asked why I was here, Hikage Ame. I am here for Uzumaki Naruto. Where can I find him?"
Shikamaru tensed readying himself for battle. He recognized that as the name of the troublesome new Chuunin that was in Hyuuga Neji's year, and container of the Kyuubi.
"He is not in the village, Uchiha Itachi. Nor should you be. We, the Shinobi of Konohagakure will fight you, even if it means our deaths."
"Shikato, you are a fool. It would be troublesome to fight you over a Jinchuuriki."
"You will not take a shinobi of this village, Itachi."
Uchiha Itachi sighed and said, "Mangekyou... Sharingan!"
Shikato gasped, his eyes widening in horror at the thought of what was about to happen. Itachi caught line of sight with his eyes and said, "Suffer the pain of a thousand deaths... Tsukuyomi!"
Shikamaru watched as his father fell to the floor, blood coming from his throat, as the ultimate Uchiha genjutsu washed over him.
It was over in less than three seconds, but Nara Shikato was out cold. Ame ran toward the two nukenin and drew a kunai. "Kage Kunai no Jutsu!"
She threw her kunai, which separated into three, and few at her former sensei. Itachi sighed, and swiped away the three kunai as Kisame drew a large sword and said, "prepare to meet your maker. This is my sword, Samehade."
Shikamaru twitched and said, "troublesome."
Soon after, reinforcements showed up, surrounding Kisame and Itachi now were several of his former friends.
"I told you, Kisame, not to start... now we really will have to fight our way out."
As Shikamaru helped his father onto his shoulders, he looked at the Shinobi surrounding the two nukenin and smiled. "Ino, Chouji, it's time."
The two genin and got into place as the ANBU all ran forward at once. Shikamaru sat on the ground and placed his hands upside down, his thumb and middle finger meeting in a circle. Shikamaru closed his eyes and then opened them. "Troublesome" he said, "no matter what we do, we cannot defeat them. It would take someone of Sannin level to even touch them."
The two genin nodded to their team leader as he stood up. "Well, it's troublesome, but we have no choice. Kage Mane no Jutsu!"
His shadow flew at Itachi and tried to strike him. Itachi must have noticed because he jumped up, barely dodging the ANBU that had attacked him. Kisame was on the other side of the wall, he noticed, fighting ANBU with swords smaller than his. Shaking his head, Itachi stuck to the wall and dropped, his hands making five seals. Tori, Ryu, Usagi, Saru, O-ushi. "Suition: Daibakufuu no Jutsu!"
A large bomb of water flew from the surrounding air, and directly at the ANBU. Itachi smirked and said, "really, if that's all..." but was interrupted by a shout of, "Katon: Karyuu Endan no Jutsu!"
A large fireball, nearly as tall as the water bomb, flew at Itachi, who's Sharingan was now blazing. "Don't use any new jutsu!" one ANBU shouted, "he's using his Sharingan!"
Itachi looked boredly at the new Gama ANBU and said, "I don't need to learn any new jutsu to defeat you, you are not a challenge for me."
He jumped as the shadow from the one user again came at him.
Shikamaru sighed, the nezumi seal he was holding dAmeing him of chakra. If Ino didn't hurry, it would be troublesome.
As the shadow again moved at him, Itachi jumped, and spun. As he landed, he heard a voice say, "Ninpou: Shintenshin no Jutsu!"
Suddenly, Itachi's mind went blank as the Shadow then connected with his body. "Chouji!"
"Yosh! Dai baika no Jutsu!"
His hands grew, and stretched towards the bound Uchiha, as the ANBU appeared behind them. One ANBU smirked at the Chuunin and two genin and said, "and that proves a genin and chuunin, working together, can defeat anyone."
Then, he took his thumb and hit in the back of Itachi's neck, watching as the S-ranked nukenin fell over.
A curse from the other side of the wall and a call of, "Itachi, retreat!" was soon followed by a burst of chakra as the other nukenin flew off.
Suddenly, Ino fell over, her face blue from exhaustion. Shikamaru's shadow failed and Chouji lost his grip. Itachi's eyes opened and he smirked. "It took longer than expected, but she won't be waking for a while."
Then, faster than the eye can see, Itachi disappeared in a flume of smoke. The ANBU that had knocked him out, supposedly, stared at the girl that wasn't breathing.
And, in the sunset, no one noticed the single note of paper that was being carried to the Hokage Tower.
Arrival
Tsunade and her entourage showed up later that night, after an exhausting day, too see the signs of battle. Jiraiya was the first out of the carriage as he took up a position of security to protect his former teammate.
Naruto got out after, and walked to the wall, picking up the baka, Sasuke's scent, and that of a Suiton jutsu user.
Tsunade sighed and walked to the gates to see a seal on the cover that said, "locked" on it.
She looked at Jiraiya who nodded and bit his thumb. Wiping a trail of blood down the center of his palm, Jiraiya looked at the seal and jumped up. Using chakra to stick to the large gates of Konoha, Jiraiya then said, "Joumaefuu Kaiin!"
A surge of Chakra later and the doors swung open as ANBU proceded to make a defensive position around the three of them.
"What's going on here?" Tsunade asked at the Gama ANBU. Gama looked at Jiraiya, Tsunade and Naruto, nodded her head and said, "arigatou, Hokage-sama. We were visited by Uchiha Itachi today, looking for the jinchuuriki for Kyuubi."
Jiraiya cursed and said, "nani!"
"Hai, Nara Shikato was placed under the Mangekyou Sharingan, Hokage-sama. We need your medical expertise in order to save him. Also, several ANBU confronted him, and another. We believe it was Hoshigaki Kisame, a nukenin from Kirigakure."
Tsunade cursed and said, "let's go. Naruto, come by my office tomorrow and get your team assignment. Jiraiya, I'm placing all Jounin on active duty as of now, and need you to come back in case they decide to return. You'll retain your former position as a Sannin, and will be in charge of overall security at the gates.
You're dismissed Naruto!"
Naruto sighed as he looked out, over the burnt walls of the Southern Gates, signs that a battle had surely broken out. The streets were filled with riotous civilians, and active jounin were searching the streets looking for the renegade S-ranked Nukenin.
As the first rays of sunlight hit his face, Naruto sighed and placed his attire on, increasing his weights to an even nine hundred pounds, and buying a new body suit, a rip appearing in his old one on the way back from Sunagakure.
Naruto sighed as he placed his weights on, and the new ankle and wrist braces, before standing up, his chakra already compensating for his lack of hold on gravity.
Jumping off of the window ledge, Naruto jumped to the cooresponding building, and over the top, before he reached the building next to the Hokage's Tower. Two jounin were standing guard on the rooftop, as Naruto stopped his momentum.
"Hello, Uzumaki Naruto-san."
Naruto nodded his head and said, "hi, Tsunade-sama wanted me to report this morning for assignment."
The jounin nodded and said, "it was wise to come this way, the villagers want your death, they believe that it was your presence that brought those men on us. So, please, follow us."
Naruto nodded, and jumped off when, all of the sudden, his vision blurred.
The darkness was overwhelming, and the thick sulfur was so musky, so strong, that Naruto could feel his lungs moving into overdrive to breath.
The heat was unimaginable, and the pain excruciating, it felt as if he were burning from the inside out.
Above him, a large, free nine-tailed fox waved another one of his tails, and sent a fresh bout of air into the area, infuriating the flames that spread even further.
The Hokage's Tower, the once proud symbol of heritage of Konohagakure, was aflame, while the house he stood atop of burned brightly.
Standing across from him, a Jounin bearing the symbol of "captain" on his vest stood and looked at him. "Uzumaki-san, we need your assistance on the field. There are wounded."
Naruto nodded his head, jerkily, as he jumped down off of the building, blinding pain sweeping over his leg as he landed.
He looked at his leg, bandaged and bleeding, and stood up, pushing through the pain and ran.
Above them, the nine-tailed fox again swung another tail, sending a fresh wave of fire through the city.
"Suiton: Suishouha!" from behind him a strong voice sounded.
"Arigatou, Orochimaru-sama!" a voice from his other side said. It was the fish net psycho girl Anko.
"You shouldn't be here, Uzumaki-san." the silky voice of Orochimaru called. Naruto frowned before standing again and walking forward, where a down shinobi lay.
Pressing his hand to the man's chest, Naruto frowned as a green chakra flowed from his hand.
Soon, a last wave from the nine-tailed fox above swung and a wave of fresh air blasted through, boasting the flames.
It wasn't until a minute later, and a great man fell off of the top of the Hokage's Tower, that Naruto realized what was happening.
With a scream of, "ARASHI-KUN!" Naruto ran forward, before Orochimaru laughed and a kunai went through his heart.
"Goodbye, Uzumaki Rioku."
As the limp body of the Yondaime Hokage fell to the ground, Naruto looked up one last time, and into the eyes of the Jounin from before. "Ja ne, ikeike."
Naruto lifted his hands to his face, the blood drenching him, and filling his senses.
He passed out a minute later, only to wake back in the same position.
Suddenly, as the image played for the fifth time, Naruto woke, as two fingers touched the middle of his forehead.
"Tsunade-sama!" The distressed of her assistant Shizune screamed out. Tsunade looked up as the door burst open and she entered the room with Hyuuga Neji. Standing, she looked between the two and said, "Nani, Shizune?"
"Tsunade-sama," the breathless voice before her caught her attention, "it is Uzumaki Naruto-san. He is missing."
"Nani?" Tsunade said, jumping over her desk. "Where is he, Neji? Did you see what happened?"
Hyuuga Neji frowned. "The last thing I remember, Hokage-sama, is Naruto-san telling me that he was coming to the Tower for his assignment. He was supposed to meet at Icharaku for breakfast, but when it came time, he never arrived. After Nara Shikamaru arrived, I immediately became suspicious because he and Naruto are always the first to arrive.
But, I thought, at that time, Tsunade-sama, that Naruto-san was simply awaiting orders for our mission."
He held up the mission scroll Shikamaru gave him. "However, as we both know, Shikamaru-san was in possession of the mission scroll. I sent him too look for Naruto-san, than I came here."
Shizune said, "I told him that Naruto-kun hadn't been here, Tsunade-sama? I was right, wasn't I?"
Tsunade nodded, "Hai, I thought he was simply sleeping late. We got in at a late hour last night, and I gave him the rest of the night off, but he is usually here early in the mornings, no matter what amount of time he sleeps. YOSH! Shizune! Contact Jiraiya and the top three Jounin in the village! Hyuuga Neji, you will complete your mission to the best of your ability today.
We will get Naruto-kun back, Neji. Do not worry."
Naruto
Naruto groaned slightly as he awoke in the dark room, the dank smell of dirty water his only source of sense. The room, enshrouded in shadows to make escaping harder, was cold, the only source of light or heat the window in the upper tier of the room.
Naruto tried to move, only to lose all sense of control over motion as a sudden, external source hit him, dAmeing him of his Chakra faster than anything Naruto had ever felt before. A liquid slid down his arm, and Naruto, for the first time, shivered as blood from the small incision on his wrist fell up his arm, gravity pulling it toward the floor.
The smell of copper in the room increased, and for the first time Naruto's enheightened senses made him sick.
Feeling around, Naruto could tell he was hanging from the roof, his arms tied together by chains, and his feet held down from the bottom.
As the dAmeing of his chakra increased, Naruto wondered what was happening.
"Ah, so he is awake," a low, growling voice called from the outside of the room, the voice reverbating off of the walls. Naruto's head exploded in agony as his hearing picked up the voice at high levels.
It was almost as he didn't have control. "Welcome, Naruto-kun. I hope you enjoy your stay."
"Where am I?" Naruto said, the agony of his own voice hurting his enhanced hearing. The man let off a sharp laugh a moment later and said, "you are my guest, Naruto-kun. For a special cerermony."
Suddenly, the room filled with brightness, and Naruto screamed, his eyes, slitted as a sign of the demon chakra flowing through him, filled with the bright, unending pain.
"Oh, I'm sorry, Naruto-kun. Are you hurt? It was not our intention." the figure simpered. Naruto glared, shaking at the chains, a scream erupting from him as his chakra was pulled forcibly from his body.
"It would be unwise to continue moving, Naruto-kun. Should you continue, you will find our chains are far more effective at dAmeing chakra than you realize."
"Who are you?" Naruto growled, but the man simply smiled and said, "I am your captor, Naruto-kun. It would be best for you to rest, Naruto-kun, in the morning, you will die."
"KUSO!" Naruto yelled, struggling against the chains that held him in place. As the pull at his Chakra became too great, Naruto passed out.
Konoha
"Jiraiya!" Tsunade's voice called out, the blonde haired Hokage attempting to get her wayward ex-partner's attention. Ever since word of Naruto's abduction had spread in the village, a lone villager overhearing Shizune's explanation to Jiraiya, the village had been in an uproar in protest of going to get the jinchuuriki.
And he wasn't the only one. Genma, recently returned from a lone A-ranked mission, and Gai, always up for a fight, were attempting to leave the meeting room, the sound of the protestations becoming too much for them to bear. "Genma, Gai! That is enough!"
At once, all three protesting men came to attention, the throb on Tsunade's forehead a sign of impending pain should they continue. "I've just received word from a man I trust that the council is holding an emergency session. I believe they may be voting on Naruto's situation. I want you to proceed immediately on an S-ranked retrieval mission. Should you pass Sarutobi Asuma, he is going along with you, so take him as well. Be out of the village gates within the hour, should I become forced to withhold my hand."
"Hai!" The three shinobi said, proceeding to disappear. Tsunade walked over to the doors, opened them as Shizune knocked, and then proceeded to lock them back, the sound of the villagers becoming like a loud roar.
"Tsunade-sama, I just saw Hiashi-sama on his way to the office."
"Kuso! Shizune, I am stepping out. Stay here and tell Hiashi to wait, we must stall until Jiraiya and his team leave!"
"Hai Tsunade-sama!" Shizune said as Tsunade disappeared in a flume of smoke. She looked at the ground below her, her appearance shifting to that of her true self, an old, wrinkled woman with brown looking skin. Her once golden locks shifted to look grey and the green jewel, her source of all her Chakra, faded as the chakra holding her appearance let go. She would need to restore it later.
She jumped across the gap separating the Hokage's Tower from the housing, and jumped down, grabbing a cane set on the wall and pretending to be an old woman. Stepping outside, she saw an unmaned cart and grabbed it, set her cane atop the cart and pushed, gimping toward Jiraiya.
"Jiraiya," she whispered as the man, leading the now team of four out of the gates. "Run, they're already after me."
Jiraiya, not turning to look, said, "get off me old woman! How dare you touch the great Jiraiya-sama! Your breasts are ragged, and your skin is ugly! You do not possess the youthful beauty of a woman that should be displayed in my great works!"
The throb appeared on Tsunade's forehead, and she went to strike out before Genma whispered, "Tsunade-sama, Jiraiya-san is merely trying to make you look like an old merchant woman."
She settled her anger by swatting the Sannin with the cane she stole and smirked, as the guards on duty said, "Jiraiya-sama must have it bad, old women hitting on him all day. You would think they'd get a clue."
As Jiraiya guffawed, Tsunade smirked. The old baka did know what he was doing, after all.
She went to her favorite sake booth a moment later, surprised to see old man Icharaku and his daughter sharing table. She walked over, smiling when the old man scooted over, and said, "Hokage-sama."
She shot him a look, glad to see the booth was almost empty, save a Chuunin at the counter pouring himself a cup of Sake, the small bottle in his hand crushing and mixing with his blood. As he walked over, Iruka sat down and handed Ayame, Icharaku's daughter, the cup and said, "good morning, Ayame-chan."
Then, he tipped his head and said, "good morning, Tsunade-sama."
Tsunade's head shot up and Iruka smiled. She held a breath.
"Don't worry, Tsunade-sama," Ayame said, a whisper on her face. "It is a known fact Naruto-kun is great friends with you. And Otousan has seen you without your genjutsu before. Iruka-kun is more observant than even most Jounin, years of watching students make you better in that area. Naruto-kun was especially hard to keep track of."
"You'll find that most Shinobi won't know who you are on sight, I would not have unless I heard Teuchi-san say your name."
"This will not cause you a problem, will it, Iruka-san?" Ayame asked. Iruka said, "well, I am supposed to search for you, the Council's orders. But, I am under the control of the Hokage, and if Hokage-sama wishes for me to search for her, I will. They dishonor this village by trying to use us Shinobi for their own purposes."
To a passer-by, his comment would simply be a comment from a drunken shinobi. But, if there was one thing Iruka was good for, it was who controlled the village. In political matters, the Council made all the decision based on the good of the people at large. If it was, however, a matter of the Shinobi, it was the decision of the Hokage.
"So tell me, young man," Tsunade said, playing to the moment. Iruka, a controlled shinobi, nodded, his eyes shining with amusement. Tsunade twitched, "what is your opinion of the council?"
"They are trying to take too much power. When the Shodai founded Konoha, the power ultimate power was the Hokage's word. It wasn't until the age of the fallen Sandaime-sama that the Council was founded, the last act of the Nidaime, to assure Fire Country never became a war torn country."
Smiling, she took the Sake cup from Iruka, and said, "arigatou Iruka-san. When do you plan on becoming a Jounin?"
Iruka smiled, "I was planning on asking Naruto that same question, Teuchi-san. Well, I'm going home, if the council really is planning on ordering Hokage-sama to drop the search for Naruto, then I want nothing to do with this search."
Then, dramatically, Iruka paled and said, "I wasn't supposed to mention what this was about... please forget I said anything."
Tsunade smiled, the Chuunin really could play it up. As his alarm went off, Tsunade laid down a Ryuu and said, "here, Iruka-san. Thank you for the insight. Don't worry, your secret is safe with me. Teuchi, I thank you for dinner, Ayame-san."
As she walked away, Tsunade closed her eyes and said, "find him, Jiraiya."
Jiraiya
He sneezed. It was the first clue that something wasn't right in the dead town on the outskirts of Fire Country. As Jiraiya came to the border separating Fire from Kusa, Jiraiya sneezed.
"Are you alright, Jiraiya-sama?" Genma's worried face shone in the moonlight. Jiraiya nodded, cursing whomever was talking about him this night. As they approached the borders to Kusa, he cursed. "Halt," a guard for Kusa stated, halting the procession. Jiraiya stood back and halted the group.
"State your names and business here!"
Jiraiya said, "we seek passage into your borders to escape a retrieval group that may be on our tails. We seek passage into Ame Country, but your border was closer. We will, of course, submit to armed security while within your borders."
The guard nodded, and within moments, the group was surrounded by jounin on each side. "Why are you going to Ame?"
"It is a matter of most urgency for Hokage-sama. I'm sorry, we cannot speak on it."
The Shinobi of Kusagakure looked at each other and nodded, before saying, "let's make haste, get you out of our borders before anyone can ask questions."
As they ran toward Ame, Jiraiya sighed. "Hold on, Naruto, we're on our way."
Holding Cell
Naruto winced as he woke, the sights and sound coming from down the hall enraging him. The whimpers of others pain, and the laughs of the nine shinobi holding them captive as they yelled out in a mix of fear and anger, was pure torture in its own right. By the sound of it, there were three other people being held prisoner, one woman and two men. By the sounds coming from the other room, Naruto felt it wouldn't be long until he became the forth tortured in this lavish dungeon.
"Oy, baka kitsune, where the hell are we?"
The kitsune, tired and having been drained of nearly all its chakra reserves, opened its eyes and said, How the hell should I know, Gaki
Naruto flinched, the unadultering faze of the Kyuubi's gaze penetrating his Shinobi exterior.
"What's going on? Are the chains taking your Chakra?"
Hai, it seems they have found a way to take Demonic Chakra from their enemies but leave the Chakra of the host themselves intact. Sadly, this process is made simplier because my Chakra is always mixing with yours, so your reserves are larger than most Jinchuuriki, but I have nearly infinite stores, Naruto-baka. The pain is only going to intensify when they start taking my actual chakra.
"NANI!" Naruto yelled, "THOSE ARE RESERVES! KUSO!"
Maa, Naruto, it isn't that bad. We're only going to be here until they tire of seeing us in trouble. Once that's finished, they'll have to kill us.
"Ha, funny Kyuubi no baka. Why are my changes showing up, though. I thought those were voluntary changes now?"
They are Naruto-teme, unless too much of my Chakra flows through you. Then, the changes become unvoluntary unless you are absorbing me. Which you're not. Now, I suggest you try to escape... unless you tire of my precious company?
Naruto laughed, and was dragged away from his minds second occupant by a jab to the stomach.
He opened his eyes, surprised to see a prominently displayed Sharingan glaring into his eyes.
He opened his mouth to ask the man who he was, only to hear the words, "Mangekyou Sharingan!"
"Fell the pain of torture for seventy-two hours, Naruto-kun."
Border - Amegakure
The Ame-nin guarding the border between Kusa and Ame were surprised to see the delegation coming toward them. It was a well known fact Ame and Konoha were rarely civil to each other, even less so than Kusa, so when the two groups arrived together, the jounin on duty prepared himself for battle.
All hopes for victory were cut short, however, when the back of the man's neck was hit with the top point of a thumb. After months of travelling, the man standing at the border, a blank Hitai-ate covering his left eye was proud to see people from his home country.
"Maa," the man said, "I did not realize I would be receiving guests today, Jiraiya-dono."
Jiraiya sighed, thanking his escort for their proper help and said, "We will be back through later, if you want to escort us back to Konohagakure."
The Kusa-nin shook their heads, breathing in a sigh of relief, as the four man cell passed into Ame borders.
"Is there a problem I can help you with?"
"Hello Kakashi," greeted the writer of Kakashi's favorite book. "I suppose your help would be invaluable. Is your student here? We may need his ability."
Kakashi, who had been travelling with Sasuke, nodded. "Hai, it's alright Sasuke, you can come out."
Uchiha Sasuke jumped down from the tree he was sitting in and said, "tch, they could've been here to kill us, baka."
"Maa, Sasuke, this is Jiraiya-dono. He's a Sannin. What can we help you with?" the Jounin asked, turning to the white haired man. Jiraiya's face hardened, as did Genma's, Asuma's and, surprisingly to Kakashi, Gai's. Looking at the four men, a wave of understanding passed over him and said, "Naruto?"
Genma growled. "Yes, he was taken by the Akatsuki this morning. We are on a retrieval mission, Kakashi. The council had already decided they were going to ignore Naruto's situation, but Tsunade sent us before she could be told differently."
Sasuke, who had been listening, said, "why should we care about a baka that is so easily kidnapped."
"Maa, Sasuke, the Akatsuki are S-ranked nukenin." Kakashi said, and Sasuke smirked. "So the baka couldn't handle it?"
"Kakashi, unless your student holds his tongue, he may find that an S-ranked ninja is too much for anyone to handle," Jiraiya said, glaring at the Uchiha. Sasuke paled. Kakashi nodded.
"Jiraiya-sama, I would be happy to help Naruto-kun. That the council would betray him means they are worse than trash. Do you know where they are?"
The Sannin nodded, "hai, my spy network has stated they are in the border village of Tanuki no Sato, which borders with Kaze."
"Then why did you not pass through that country, baka?" Sasuke asked, "if the baka is so important, getting there should have been your objective."
Genma glared and stalked forward to attack the Chuunin, before Kakashi said, "Sasuke, you will go back to Amegakure and remain sequestered in our room until I arrive back."
Sasuke glared, but nodded none-the-less and disappeared in a flume of smoke. After he left, Kakashi said, "not to be disrespectful, Jiraiya-sama, but why did you not pass through Sunagakre?"
"Because Kakashi," the old man said as the group of now five ran toward the village bordering Wind Country, "Naruto is the new Yuujou of the Kazekage, who like Naruto, bears a demon inside of him."
"And knowing Gaara," Genma said, "he would have left the duties to his brother and ran to help Naruto, to his own risk."
Kakashi sighed, running along with the group, his Chakra pumping through him faster than the jounin could remember.
Tanuki no Sato - 1100 hours
The group of five arrived at the border village with time to spare, as the guards bearing the hitai-ate of both Suna and Ame, stood at attention. Jiraiya walked to the gates, his Sannin garb standing out against the setting sun, and said, "we seek passage into Tanuki no Sato for a nights rest."
The Suna-nin, eyes wide in amazement, said, "Ero-Sennin-sama, Kazekage-sama has told us of your wonder-filled expressions, and the place they have in his new life! It is an honor to meet you!"
Jiraiya smiled, glad he had brought Kakashi along, as the man pulled out the newly printed little green book named Icha Icha Tactics and started giggling. The guards conversed for a moment before moving aside, on the horizon the kanji of wind displayed on the southern gate.
The red light district, a common stop for Jiraiya in border cities, stood out like a large, red sign, and for the moment, Jiraiya walked toward the center of town, surprising the others with his self-restraint.
The five shinobi checked into a room, and went their separate ways after changing, intent on finding their missing comrade, even if it meant staying awake all hours of the night.
Naruto
Naruto was startled awake by the sound of his cell opening, a man walking inside. Looking at the man, confused, Naruto said, "what do you want with me?"
The man, the bottom half of his blue face covered with a black rag, smirked as he took the sword off of his back.
"My sword devours Chakra, Naruto-kun, and converts it toward usuable energy for me. In battle, I never grow tired or weary, I can even take Chakra from the dead on the ground. Because of this, in recent years I have fallen complacent and not taken Chakra.
Simply put, Naruto-kun, I'm hungry... and you have the reserves that I need. Samehade!"
As the man placed the sword to his chest, drawing blood with the refined tip, Naruto felt his chakra leaving him, faster and faster, the pain coming from three different directions. Kyuubi's reserves, recently dried, had became completely depleted, a few seconds later. He screamed as a fresh wave of pain hit him, red demonic chakra bursting from him, as the man carrying Samehade was blown backwards, the bindings on his feet disintegrating.
Naruto flipped up, ignoring the throb of pain coming from his wrists, wrapping his foot around the top of the chain and anchoring his body. Then, using his feet, Naruto climbed upward, using his arms to hoist himself up. As the man weilding the sword stood back up, Naruto groaned, his strength leaving him faster than his demon could regenerate.
Using his teeth, Naruto grabbed the thin razor blade between the rags of white linen on his wrists, and set it comfortably between his teeth.
Placing it on the edge of the chain, Naruto began shaking his head, glad the man was knocked out by the amount of pure, demonic chakra that radiated toward him, satisfied that the Kyuubi's chakra was so potently... evil.
Ignoring the pain coming from his arms and intertwined legs, Naruto began chipping away at the chains holding him, only to look down and realize his only means of escape had been closed when he wasn't looking.
Dropping his head, the Chuunin became even more determined not to be taken by surprise and increased the volatile motions his head was making, satisfied when the chain started creaking from the strain put on the last, together, half.
Releasing his legs, Naruto dropped, the sudden rush of his weight as gravity caught him, snapping the rest of the chain.
"Alright baka kitsune, let's show these bastards what I'm capable of."
Kyuubi, who had been watching silently, grinned and said, I thought you'd never ask, kit