Disclaimer: I don't own the narutoverse or anything related to it.


"Here, I've put some energizing herbs in, thought you could use a little boost. It won't help the taste of the tea though." Jiraiya handed the drink over to Tsunade as the Hokage sat down with a big sigh. She had just spent a little over four hours in a clean room, busy healing Naruto for over three and a half hours and using the remaining time to get an update on the other ninja that were being treated. It had been close, but they would all live.

"Thanks." Tsunade muttered, taking a large gulp of tea and immediately wishing she hadn't. The tea was still very hot. Even so, the blond took another sip almost immediately. "So, How'd you consider this exam went?"

"Overall, I'd say it's a huge success." Jiraiya said, sipping some tea himself. At least the man was compassionate enough not to start downing sake when Tsunade was not able to drink just yet. "We succeeded both on personal goals and the goals of our alliance with other villages. After everything he did in the finals alone, it'll be impossible for anyone in Konoha to deny that Naruto is at the least a Chuunin level ninja. His promotion is almost certain, but they might be able to throw his damaged arm in the argument to stop it. First we'll see how he's doing."

"I might actually agree with keeping Naruto back because of his arm." Tsunade's voice sounded exhausted, but even worse then that, she felt defeated. "It's very unlikely that he'll recover from the damage in any reasonable amount of time. But go on."

"The goal of the exams in general was luring out the Akatsuki, which definitely succeeded. In the end, the Raikage's assistant didn't even need to interfere. We managed to keep her abilities a secret for now, so on that front, everything is a massive success. We should even pat ourselves on the back for the fight with Orochimaru."

"Yeah, now that is something I considered as very impressive." Tsunade agreed, though she still sounded weary. The tea would take some time to give her the much-needed energy boost. "They're all nothing but a bunch of kids, rookies for all they really know of the world, but they managed to hold him off and even injure him without any casualties. Orochimaru is able to take down an entire enemy platoon by himself, but now he even had assistance from Kabuto – who's skill we can't ignore either – and the best they could do was escape."

"Better yet; the kids were doing well enough that I could take the few precious seconds I needed to prepare my poison, which is still running through his system now. So, overall, this has been a very successful exam for us." Now there was a satisfied grin on Jiraiya's face as he remembered Orochimaru's face when his favored weapon was being used against him. "And that's not even considering that we now have Uchiha Sasuke in captivity as well, ruining Orochimaru's plans for a body transfer."

"And the specifics? You said we accomplished our goals and that overall it was a success, but what'd you think of the specifics?" Now the white-haired man stood from his chair and started pacing, a sign that he was still having considerable doubts about this.

"I'm not sure. The strike that Akatsuki made was too obvious, too risky. Why would they risk attacking in so open a manner? Better yet, why'd those two stay to fight that long? It should have been obvious when we didn't interfere that it was a large trap, yet they remained to fight. And more then that, something was odd about the way Kakuzu behaved just before he was killed. I can't quite place my finger on it, but I've got a bad feeling about it."

"I know what you mean." Tsunade stood up as well, but she only moved to stand next to the window. "But there's little chance we'll find out anything about what happened, unless you've managed to get a spy in there lately. Did you?"

"No, whoever their leader is, he keeps a tight reign on his organization. No-one gets in without his personal approval, even if they never actually meet him. Anyone who tries and doesn't get approved is never heard of again. Simple, but effective. What're you going to do about Sasuke?"

Another sigh escaped Tsunade as she realized that her tea was already gone. She could use another cup right now.

"He'll go back to the village with us, for starters. Once there, we'll see how much he's willing to cooperate with us. He could be a potential wealth of information about Orochimaru and his actions. Not to mention that with him captive, we can have the Sharingan grow throughout the village once again. How long do you estimate you'll have before Orochimaru has fully recovered?"

"Sometime." Jiraiya said, also leaning against the window now, standing next to his old teammate. "I actually injected him with two venoms at once, that's why it took me so long to prepare. The first is the obvious one, a blood-venom that spreads fast, but works slowly. It will mess up his blood system's workings, making him physically weak for a time. The other is more subtle; a neurotoxin that takes time to find it's way to the nerves and then even longer to become effective. When it does, however, Orochimaru will find himself unable to suppress basic reflexes or properly control his motor functions. It won't become active until about two or three days after the blood venom's been removed. It's a sleeper agent, which is actually counteracted by the blood poison. Undetectable, until it activates. And when it does, it'll be spread all across his nervous system, even Kabuto won't be able to remove it in time for an assassination attempt."

"Ok, you've given us a perfect opportunity to strike." Tsunade wasn't sure if she should be happy or not. Orochimaru was one of Konoha's greatest enemies, there wasn't any doubt about that, but he was still her old teammate. "We'll leave for Konoha tomorrow-morning. I'll need you around to help keep an eye out for ambushes and the like, so you can't hurry on back. In Konoha, take two days to assemble an assassination team and move out to Orochimaru's base. I'll get a message to our agent inside his base to verify where he is and put you into contact with him. Your mission is above S-rank; assassinate Orochimaru."

XxX

The group of Konoha shinobi was making their way through the lands between the hidden Rock and Konoha remarkable swift, despite the charts they were dragging. Considering the wounded they would be taking with them, the Tsuchikage had provided two medium-sized carts to carry the wounded home. More than that, considering their fresh injuries, he had also provided the Hokage and her entourage an honor guard of five Jounins, to escort them until they reached their own nation's borders.

Although the borders to the Fire Nation were close by, Hinata was not feeling comfortable at all. She knew enough about the way ninja's did things to know that their honor guard could easily backstab them and kill most of their group. More than that, Hinata had to forcefully remind herself not to keep rubbing her neck every other minute.

She was walking besides the cart, forming the guard and observation of the wounded, along with Shino, Tenten, Konohamaru and Shikamaru. The task was simple, since both Naruto and Sasuke were kept drugged at all times to prevent their waking up and Kiba and Chouji were smart enough not to risk the wrath of the Hokage, or her apprentices. However, that only allowed her mind to dwell on how she had nearly died. Fighting Kabuto had been dangerous, she knew, but charging at him when she could barely stand on one of her legs had been plain idiocy.

Fortunately, she had been able to eject a barrier of chakra around her throat, similar to using the Kaiten only not projecting the chakra as far, when Kabuto struck, otherwise he would have immediately severed every connection in her neck. That would have been an instant death. Her improvised version of the Kaiten had saved her life, but even so Kabuto had struck with enough force to collapse half her windpipe. An injury that could kill her slowly and painfully, but it had taken only a second for a medic to heal.

The people on the carts weren't so lucky.

Chouji and Kiba had been ordered to lie completely still, since they were still severely weakened. Kiba had lost a lot of blood and only time, food and rest could restore it, while Chouji still had remnants of poison in his system, which could only be completely cleaned in Konoha's hospital. And those were light injuries compared to the other two…

Naruto and Sasuke were kept in a comatose state, so they didn't feel anything, but anyone who looked at the state of their arms couldn't help but wince. No medic in the world could restore damage that extensive.

'What'll happen to Naruto-kun now?' Hinata thought for the hundredth time, her eyes jumping over Naruto's features. He looked so tranquil, so at peace.

So unnatural.

Looking around, Hinata caught sight of her father looking at her. His face was, as always, stoic, but the only way to ever read Hyuuga Hiashi's emotions was through his eyes. And right now, he was showing encouragement to his oldest daughter. Having made eye contact, Hiashi stepped away from Hanabi and made his way over to Hinata.

"I see you're worried about him. I am too." The head of the Hyuuga clan admitted, though it was a simple statement. "But you should not forget that Naruto-san has done the impossible often enough before. Perhaps he will pleasantly surprise us once again."

Years back, Hiashi had been as many of the other villagers. He had no love for Naruto and for the most part found him an eyesore. That opinion had been as much from Naruto's behavior as from the secret he carried inside him. However, if there was something that Hiashi prided himself in, it was how he could change his opinions without being hampered by personal feelings. Once Naruto had shown he could be an exemplary shinobi, Hiashi had not been begrudged to change his opinion on the boy. Now, he considered him a very positive influence on his daughters and a respectable shinobi.

Hanabi, Hinata was shocked to notice, didn't say a word as she continued to walk alone. She had also been sneaking looks into the carts every five minutes or so, but the normally very vocal girl was surprisingly quiet. Yet, every time Hanabi's eyes glanced over Naruto, her eyes shone a little brighter with the fire of determination.

But there was one thing that was bothering the Hyuuga heir even more. Slowly her eyes drifted over to the front, where Lee and Neji were flanking their special guest. Every time Hinata saw Izayoi, she felt chills run down her spine. A chill that had nothing to do with the other kunochi's ice-controlling abilities.

Why on earth was that ice queen joining them in Konoha?

XxX

Within ten minutes of returning to Konoha, Tsunade and Jiraiya had found themselves in a meeting with the clan heads and political advisors of Konoha, not even having had the time to feel grateful for a completely uneventful trip. While traveling, Tsunade had send out the summons for the meeting and wrote down the mission report as well, so everything was ready when they entered the gate.

Naruto, Kiba, Chouji and Sasuke were immediately transported to the hospital, a squad of ANBU around them to keep guard, while the others were dismissed after entering the gate and Tsunade had suggested they get some R&R. The pace that she and Jiraiya had pushed on the group had been harsh, but it was needed to reach Konoha in time.

But as she was sitting in the meeting, Tsunade could feel a headache already growing. It had taken all of three seconds for this 'council' to decide that they agreed with Tsunade's decision of assassinating Orochimaru, as if they could have done something to prevent it. They were all advisors, not rulers. But advisors still had some power and could cause plenty of headaches. Like the one they were giving their Hokage now.

"I still say it is dangerous to rely on allies." Nara Shikara, head of the Nara clan said. His last hairs, all as white as snow, were still bound back by his clan's traditional hairstyle, but unlike his nephew Shikaku's family, he was anything but laid back. "Allies have a habit of striking in the back, right when we need them the most. Look at our alliance with the Hidden Sand, three years ago!"

"While history shows that Shikara has, at times, been correct." The man opposite him, Inoshi, the head of Yamananka clan started. "We must not forget that allies have also saved us at times. Had we not been allied with the Hidden Grass and several other villages, Konoha would have been wiped out during the Third Great Shinobi War. I vote in favor of this alliance, though we keep a weary eye out."

"Backstab them before they can do it to us." The massive figure of Akimichi Chouda, head of his clan and severely lacking in the plump cheeriness his grandson Chouji often displayed, grumbled. "Let them be the first line of defense and when it becomes clear that our victory is secured, strike them down. We will defeat our enemy, the feared Akatsuki, and strike a critical blow to our allies all at the same time."

"I fear we drift from the subject of discussion." The monotone voice of Shita Aburame always managed to cut through the conversation and silence anyone who was talking, despite being hardly above a whisper. For years, Shita had been the clan head and chief producer of the Aburame Silk, so he had been present at business meetings for decades before retiring and focusing only on his position as clan head. "We are, for the moment, focusing our attention on the subject of Orochimaru and his assassination. According to what the Hokage has said, it is possible some of the other nations might assist us in this matter. Is this true?"

"Yes." Tsunade said; enjoying the silence that Shita had created. He was definitely one of her favorites for that ability alone, but that said very little. She liked almost no-one in this room, but she needed them. "As the mission report said, the Mizukage has ordered the Jinchuuriki of her village, Izayoi, to join Konoha for now, aiding in any attempts to take down Akatsuki. The Jinchuuriki of the Cloud, Yugito Nii, will also be joining us in approximately two weeks to continue a hunt for Akatsuki."

"They want to make us the target." The head of the Inuzuka Clan, Urufu barked out. he made the statement sound like something he approved of though. Urufu, for all his smarts, was still too much of a battle-crazed berserker sometimes. "Send all demons this way, so the enemy will concentrate all their power on us. Smart move on their part. But how will we hold up, with the Uzumaki brat wounded that badly? And, on the subject of Orochimaru, how are we going to infiltrate there? Striking just him won't be enough; we'll need to deal a crippling blow to the entire Sound village."

"If you would let me finish!" Tsunade said through clenched teeth, "The villages of Sand and Rock have offered to co-operate with Konoha in a raid on the hidden Sound's main village. Konoha will still be the ones to perform the attack on Orochimaru's person, but with the aid of two other great nations, we can wipe Sound out in little less then a month. Arrangements have already been made and the squads will move out in roughly four days."

"What of Uchiha Sasuke?" Shikara asked; his face still grim as always. "What do you intend to do with him?"

"We should have the boy executed for being a traitor." Chouda said almost at once, "But he could be a source of great power for our village. He is one of the last Uchiha, we cannot afford to waste his Sharingan. And imagine all the information he might have on Orochimaru…"

"I have plans for dealing with Uchiha Sasuke, but for now they're still on hold." Tsunade announced. Jiraiya gave a slight grin; he knew the plans, had actually been the one to suggest them. "Our first priority with him is to ensure his survival after we wake him from the artificial coma and learn how much control Orochimaru has on him. Anything else is of secondary priority. Finally, there is one last matter we must attend to; the promotion of the shinobi that participated in the Chuunin Exams. I trust that by now you've all finished reading the recommendations of the officials?"

"Indeed." All voices in the room murmured, though no-one seemed very happy. They should be; this was the only matter in which they had any real power. The Council of Clan Heads could decide against a personal promotion and if it was still pushed, every member of that clan could possibly ignore the additional authority that person gained, essentially making his promotion void in the field.

"As you know, Team 14 made it to the finals and they have received recommendations. Neither Sarutobi Konohamaru nor Hyuuga Hanabi have received positive reviews, do you consider them ready for promotion?"

"No." Hiashi was the first to remark. "Neither have the experience or skill needed to survive the missions of a Chuunin at this point. It is impressive that they made it to the finals with the skills they showed, much as it pains me to say of my own child, but they are not yet ready for a promotion."

This was something that Tsunade had not expected, but it was a very welcome surprise. Hiashi held much power with the other clans, possibly second only to Tsunade herself, and if he agreed with her, it was as good as done. At Tsunade's side, Kurenai – the acting head of the Sarutobi clan, until Konohamaru was of age, thanks to her marriage with Asuma – agreed as well.

"Finally, there is the matter of Uzumaki Naruto. All reviews by the judges have been exceedingly positive, what is your judgment in promoting him?"

Silence reigned in the room. Hiashi and Kurenai had already made their point to Tsunade in private, but the others still had to voice their opinions.

"I'll admit the kid knows how to fight, but with a teacher like Jiraiya-sama that's not surprising." Urufu barked again, his larger-then-life wolf-dog howling in agreement. "But we can't discuss his promotion until it becomes clear that the boy is capable of continuing his career as a shinobi. From what I've come to understand, his injury is permanent, which would cripple him in the field."

Unlike Hiashi, Urufu had always been vocal about his disapproval of Naruto. The fact he had mixed a compliment in with his backstabbing showed just how impressed he really was, but when every other clanhead agreed with him, Tsunade had no choice but to condone. She herself actually agreed, but she wanted to see Naruto promoted, damnit. He had earned it.

But, Tsunade reminded herself with a pang, there was nothing as dangerous as a promotion someone wasn't ready for. Nawaki had died to make her learn that rule.

XxX

Konohamaru, for his part, made his way back to his home when suddenly the rest of his old squad appeared around him. Moegi and Udon had recovered from their injuries in the time he was gone, now walking, running and jumping around town as usual, Ebisu-sensei hot on their trail.

"Hey Konohamaru-chan!" Moegi called out as she enveloped the boy in a fierce hug. As soon as he was released, Udon gave his best friend a rough tap on the shoulder, but neither action caused much reaction in the boy.

"Hey guys, how're you doing?" Konohamaru sounded more depressed then anything else, something they were not used to from their hyperactive 'second-in-command.' "I'm back, I guess."

"What's wrong, Konohamaru-kun?" Ebizu asked, concern now clear in his voice. "You don't sound like your usual self."

"Yeah, what's up? Don't tell me you're worried about Naruto-nii-san's injuries!" Moegi piped in. "We saw him being brought over to the hospital."

"Sakura-nee-san told us he'd gotten them while fighting a super-strong enemy." Udon added. "She said that even she was helpless against who the Leader was fighting. You can't blame yourself for that."

"I'm not." Konohamaru replied with force, but still only a ghost of his former self. "I'm not cursing myself for what happened to Nii-san, or anyone else during the exam… I'm not… really. But it's just… what happened during the exam…" Konohamaru took a deep breath, turning his head away from his friends. "It was… the exam was so hard, it was unlike anything I ever did! And… and… neither Hanabi-chan nor I could even come close to everything they asked us in those exams. But Nii-chan, he… he solved everything so quickly."

"Well, he's the Leader!" Udon remarked, like it was the simplest solution in the world. We all know he's amazing, why're you so surprised?"

"It's not just that! Nii-san was amazing during the exams, but even more so when we got to the finals. The way he fought… everything he showed before, it was just a fraction of his ability. And then, when the exam was over, that damn snake Orochimaru tried to kill him. But, but… everyone else jumped down and fought him, everyone except for Hanabi-chan and me. I got the message, Ebisu-sensei. I got the message that you, the Hokage and anyone else who formed our squad wanted to send me." The last part was spoken, oddly enough, with pride as he looked his teacher in the eye.

Turning back to his two best friends, Konohamaru's voice finally regained some of it's normal quality, but it sounded much more mature then before.

"No matter what we might think of ourselves, we're not ready to take our skills to the next level yet." He told them, causing Ebisu to smile. "I got to the finals, because Nii-san was dragging me there by my feet, I only slowed him down. And I got a first-line demonstration of the gap that exists between us and Chuunins. Of the gap that exists between those that want to be Chuunin and those that are. If we ever want to reach that level, let alone higher, we're going to have to work ourselves like we've never worked before."

XxX

Hanabi was lying on her bed, her eyes looking at the ceiling, but not seeing anything. She had eaten dinner with her family, but she hadn't spoken. After she had returned home, Hanabi had done very little other then sitting in her room, not even keeping track of the time. She had appeared at dinner because the gong had been sound, indicating the time.

Suddenly the door to her room slid open, waking the young Hyuuga from her trance-like state to realize that her mother had walked into the room. Without a word, Hyuuga Hinabi closed the door behind her and sat at the end of her daughter's bed.

"Hanabi, I'm worried about you." She started, hands busy straightening her skirts while her eyes were locked on her daughter. "Ever since you came back you're so silent. Your father said you were also very quiet on the journey back and when you didn't say anything during dinner… I was expecting you to start telling us about the adventures you had during the exam."

"I'm sorry mom, but there's a lot on my mind." Hanabi muttered, trying to avoid looking at her mother, who had started to give her soft, motherly smile. "I don't really want to talk about it."

"I can understand that, honey, but please listen to me." Hinabi's smile never left her face. "Your father, your sister and many others of our clan who have chosen the path of the shinobi, they've all run into things they wished they didn't. Every shinobi does. And many of those things, you can't talk about because the mission is classified. If you keep everything bottled up, even the things you don't have to, you'll break at some point. So, talk about the things you can talk about, don't stockpile them. Even your father didn't keep everything he encountered to himself when he was still actively taking missions."

"Father did?" Hanabi shot up, disbelieve clear in her voice. Her father was an exemplary shinobi who had never failed any of his missions. He could keep a perfect stoic face in any situation and never show his emotions and that made it almost impossible to imagine him talking about something horrible. The way her father acted, nothing ever affected him.

"Yes, he did." Hinaba continued with a smile. "But don't tell him I told you. He used to try to keep them away from me, but he always talked to his own mother; and his brother when he still could. I think he might have even talked about his missions with his father at times, but he tries to keep me from finding out about it. It wasn't until we were married for almost three years that I finally managed to get him to talk about it, but it was very much needed. So, don't bottle it up."

"Well…" Hanabi still had trouble wrapping her head around the idea of her father feeling as downcast as she was right now and talking to someone about it, but… the times that Hanabi had ignored her mother's advice before, somehow her mother had always proven to be correct. Might as well talk about it. "It's something that happened in the exams. Actually, it's a lot of things."

"Well, take your time and tell me." Hinabi reassured her daughter. "I'm not going anywhere and I'm here just for you."

"Well… I was… mom, I was scared!" Hanabi mumbled, trying to swallow the words as much as possible. "After we completed the first part of the exam, I was scared. Even when we were in the forest and we met that other team, from the Mist, I was already scared. Every single time we met an enemy squad, every time we fought them, I was sure they were trying to kill me. I was sure I'd die, and I was scared because of it."

"Being scared is nothing to be afraid of, Hanabi-chan." Hinabi said as she closed the distance to her daughter and wrapped an arm around her. "It's natural. I'm scared every time you or anyone else leaves the mansion for a mission, scared you might not come back. Your father feels that fear as well, even if he doesn't show it. Your sister told me she is still scared every time she has to fight an enemy and even Neji, strong as he is, still feels fear. Cherish your fear, Hanabi, because it shows that you're still human." Even through her shaking body, Hanabi recognized the quote. Iruka-sensei had often told it to them, when teaching them the rules of the shinobi.

"Cherish your fear, but do not be hampered by it. Acknowledge it exists, but do not act upon it. That is the way of the shinobi." Hanabi recited. It was such an easy rule to memorize. Why was it so hard in practice then?

"Were you the only one who was scared? Was Konohamaru-kun also without fear?" Hinabi was now hugging her daughter closer, realizing how close she was to bursting into tears. Hinata had been much the same, years ago, after her crushing defeat by Neji.

"N-no, Konohamaru was scared as well, at least back in the forest he was. But in the cave, he fought without a problem. I couldn't. It wasn't until Naruto-san came back and distracted my enemy that I could really fight. And then I killed. I was even more scared then before. But Naruto-san… Naruto-san wasn't afraid, not for one moment. He always stayed cool, always stayed in control."

As Hanabi sniffed, drawing in more air, Hinabi wisely stayed silent. She knew how hard the first kill was, despite not being a shinobi herself. But Hanabi was getting everything out of her system, so it was best to let her go on and safe the consoling talk for later.

"And when the finals started, I lost my first fight. My opponent was far too strong for me in every area, and she made it to the semi-finals, so I… I shouldn't be ashamed of losing, but I am. And I'm even more scared, because I saw what she could do. And then the other fights all continued. With every fight I saw, every match I watched, I… I felt weaker and weaker. Everything that was happening in the rounds down below, I couldn't do them. I couldn't fight anyone in that tournament."

By now tears were already streaming down Hanabi's cheeks and into her mother's kimono, but Hinabi kept her daughter's face to her bosom, while she kept talking.

"Then, when Naruto-san fought with the Uchiha, I couldn't keep up with what they were doing. Everything they had done so far, every single fight I'd seen them in… they had only been showing bits and pieces of their ability and seeing just how strong they were… I was terrified. Even when Nee-san got down and fought against those other ninja, I was too petrified to move! I couldn't do anything, even when Nee-san fell with a scream… all I could do… I could only… watch."

Hinabi stayed that way for hours, her daughter crying into her clothing, while she herself tried to fight the tears. Shinobi life was hard, but to see her confident daughter brought down like this… she had to remind herself that it was best she learned this lesson now, instead of later, but it was still a hard lesson to learn.

XxX

'Where… am… I…' Naruto's thoughts were slow, but they seemed to echo on forever inside his skull. He tried to lift his head, but couldn't. His head felt so… heavy. Even moving his eyes was an effort. Once, Naruto had tried Ero-Sennin's supply of alcohol and had woken up with a hangover the next day, but this felt ten times worse.

Only minus the headache.

The lights overhead were blinding, but not in a painful way. With a massive effort, Naruto's eyes moved to the side, but it was little improvement. He was in a white room and all the furniture seemed to float around, even the window didn't stay put!

Wait, there was something strange. A… feeling… that tried to get through. But from where?

'Where is that coming from?' Naruto thought. 'Isn't that… I think… that's where… my… right arm… is… isn't it?'

Trying to locate the strange feeling, however, gave Naruto another realization; he couldn't feel anything else. He could see the cover he was lying under, but he didn't feel anything from his belly. In fact, he didn't even feel his belly itself!

'I must be… on some kind of… medicine.' Naruto slowly realized. His head was still weighing a ton and his thoughts still echoed on for eternity, but he was slowly beginning to think. Normally, these thoughts would have passed in a second or less, but today they were excruciatingly slow. Concentrating, Naruto tried to clear his mind – a mental exercise the monks had taught him – but regretted it instantly. As soon as he managed to force a small amount of his mind to alertness, above the painkillers, pain shot through him.

'Guess there's a reason… I'm on painkillers.' Naruto tried to joke to himself, but he only remained more worried. At least his thoughts seemed to be picking up some speed again. His head, lying to the left, had to be forced to begin it's slow and heavy path to turn around, but with some effort Naruto managed it. 'Why is my arm hurting so much?'

Fortunately, the other side of the room had a large mirror, so Naruto got a clear look at his arm. When the sight registered with him, he wanted nothing more then to scream in horror! What happened to his arm, why was it so mutilated? The only thing that stopped his screams was the painkillers, still clouding his mind.

Next to the mirror was the door, which was being opened while Naruto still tried to scream in horror. He thought he could feel the pain that must be coursing through his body return. That was a monstrosity, burned beyond recognition, not a part of his body!

Suddenly, Naruto's vision was obscured by a black robe and someone was shouting. Naruto couldn't hear what, but it had something to do with the mirror. Gently, 2 hands reached around Naruto's head and rotated it back to look upwards. Shizune was standing over Naruto, a concerned, but kind, look on her face.

"Naruto-kun – can – you – hear – me?" Shizune spoke slow and obvious, but Naruto could barely keep up with what she was saying. His mind was working far too slow, the vision of his arm still burned into his mind. "Blink – twice – if – you – can – hear – me."

Naruto blinked twice, but even that took some effort. Shizune gave a deep sigh, before she continued explaining, still talking as slow and obvious as before.

"We – only – just – got – back – to – Konoha – and – we – brought – you – to – the – hospital – for – treatment. You – suffered – serious – injuries – in – the – exam – and – needed – treatment. We – woke – you – up – so – you – could eat. The – nurse – is – going – feed – you – while – I – explain."

'No, no I can eat!' Naruto thought, but he couldn't voice his thougthts. 'I'm not a baby, I can eat for myself!'

But Shizune still gave the nurse a signal and a spoonful of porridge was put into Naruto's mouth. Despite the clouds of steam that came off the food, Naruto couldn't taste or feel anything inside his mouth. Just how strong were his painkillers?

"Naruto-kun – after - you're – done – eating – we'll – put – you – under – again." Shizune continued, each words broken up by another spoonful of porridge going into Naruto's mouth.

"This – is – going – to – stay – that – way – until – we're – done – making – adjustments – to – your – nervous – system."

The spoon that kept being put into his mouth was remarkably small, Naruto thought as he got another glimpse of the thing. And why was Shizune-nee-san sounding so sad and apologetic? Was it his arm? That monstrous thing, that shouldn't have been attached to his body.

"Naruto-san…" Shizune really did sound apologetic, but why? "We – might – have – to – amputate – your – arm."

'Amputate? What was that again?'

"If – we – don't – you – will – probably – live – your – entire – life – in – pain. I'm – so –

sorry – but – if – we – amputate – you – can – not – continue – life – as – a – shinobi.

Despite his painkillers and ruined wit, Naruto did understand that message. And with that realization, Naruto could feel another stab of pain through his body. The combination was enough to break even Naruto. For the first time since he had been a little boy, for the first time since he had made that man laugh by falling in the mud when he was a child, Naruto gave in to despair.

The nurse was done feeding Naruto just in time to avoid seeing the tears that streamed down his cheeks. Shizune, however, did see them. Slowly, she lowered Naruto down into the bed again and leaned over to give him a kiss on the forehead. It would take another fifteen minutes before Naruto would be drugged to sleep again and Shizune had many other tasks to attend too.

The sobs that followed her as she left the room nearly tore her heart out.

XxX

As always when he needed thinking, the leader of Akatsuki had removed all light from the cavern he was hiding in. For all the years of his life, for as long as he could remember, he had always thought best when in the dark. And he needed to think right now.

"Damn hormones, damn teenagers and damn male teenagers with a hormone high!" He muttered to himself as he marched around. "Years of planning and they risk everything! Why do kids always have to use the big, explosive, self-destructive techniques! There are a million and three subtle moves they can pull that'll be just as effective, but NOOOO we want big explosion and nearly dying after every fight!"

Taking deep breaths, the Leader forced himself to calm down. Yes, Sasuke and Naruto had risked much when they nearly killed each other, and even more when they gave each other permanent injuries, but he would have to make do. Convincing the other Akatsuki members that it was necessary that Hidan and Kakuzu were eliminated was easy. He had told them that Kakuzu had been denied the extra power that each member of the organization could reach for, because of who he was fighting.

Even with the power boost, the Leader had told the Members, Kakuzu could not have defeated the five Kages, Orochimaru, Jiraiya and three dozen other Jounin-level ninja. He would have been defeated by the kages, most likely, and then they would have crucial knowledge of Akatsuki's secret weapon. The reasoning was sound and members of Akatsuki felt little to no love for each other, so no-one questioned the action.

Finally, the Leader stopped his paces and set down. Rubbing the sides of his head with his hands he forced himself to calm down.

"I have to stop overreacting." He told himself. "This isn't the first time my plans needed to be altered. But I'm so close to finally… no, I can't be blinded by that, not now. The facts have changed, the pawns are altered. Don't blindly pursue other ideas, if the facts change, change the plan. That's always been the path to success."

But how? Everything was so close to fruition… only a few shorts months left, before the plan was completed. Completely re-planning it would take yet another generation, would take too long. Perhaps it was time…

"Yes, perhaps it's time for some direct intervention…" the Leader muttered, pacing again, seeing the advantages and disadvantages and going over them as thoroughly as needed. "If I leave now, I can make it to Konoha before nightfall. I'll do that. After all, those kids are just as important to my plans as Akatsuki's ever been."


Yo, Kushin eX here authenticating the betaing of this chapter! It's all good man.

As always, please leave a review telling me what you think of the chapter.

And before everyone asks: my Akatsuki Leader is NOT Pein, but an original character, as this last scene should demonstrate quite clearly. And, concerning Hyuuga Hinabi (Hinata and Hanabi's mom): many people have send reviews claiming that she is dead, but I have done some research myself, re-reading every chapter that has Hinata in it and checking out the Naruto wikia, but it is never confirmed that Hinata's mother is dead. She just doesn't make an appearance in the series at all, so she is technically an OC.