Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

Chapter Twenty-two: Tribulations

He didn't want it to have to be this way.

Just the idea alone left a bitter taste in his mouth and made him want to vomit. But he trekked onward, trying to ignore his sour stomach and nagging conscience. Trying not to think about what he would soon be participating in. Trying not to think of the horrors of that dreadful night from all those years ago, because he knew that this would surely remind him of it. Would kill another piece of his soul like it had then. Would... Would…

Stop!

Itachi blinked hard, forcing the thoughts from his head once more and focused on the current task at hand. If he didn't, it would consume him before the soon to come massacre even started in earnest. Ahead of him Shizuko prowled carefully through the tunnels of the hideout. She did not utilize her unique jutsu, so he could see her shadowy figure as they crept through the dimly lit passageways. Their progress into the hideout and towards the barrier was going smoothly. They began their mission less than twenty minutes ago at noon. Like the reports had mentioned, and as both ninja already knew, the shinobi of the hideout were a nocturnal bunch, and only a few passing ninja patrolled the tunnels at this time of day, making it easy for the duo to slip past their defenses. Shizuko used her impeccable sensor abilities to navigate them through the tunnels and around the patrols effortlessly. In her possession she had a map of the complex so he knew she would not lead them astray into dead ends, but right for the barrier. Though he wouldn't call himself a sensor, Itachi could still feel the brimming presence of people and chakra surrounding him, making him a little nervous and envious of Shizuko's shadow manipulating abilities even though he was quite gifted at stealth himself. He could only imagine how Shizuko felt with her sensitivity, being able to feel and sense at the level she did. Unlike him, though, she did not seem troubled one bit by their mission. He felt no tremor in her demeanor that was resolute determination and a seemingly perpetual bemusement towards life in general. He found himself envying that, too, in that moment.

From time to time he would remember his own attempts at infiltrating the hideout as they crept through rooms full of sleeping shinobi or crates of supplies, quiet as mice. Although only a number of weeks had passed since then it felt like ages ago, he mused to himself. For all his prowess and infamy, he didn't get very far with his solo efforts. He clung to that humor and other lighthearted thoughts – anything to keep his mind off the impending bloodshed. He thought of his coming to find Sakura in Hougyoku and their time together since then. Of finding his brother. Of his games of shōgi with Shikamaru. Happy memories he could distract himself with as he obediently followed the girl in front of him. But such distractions only preoccupied his thoughts for so long, and always their mission crept back into his mind. This cycle repeated itself over and over as they went.

Eventually, the barrier was before them. Just as Shizuko had admired the ethereal beauty of it the other night, Itachi found himself momentarily transfixed by the silvery sheen. Beyond the translucent veil he could see the darkness that was the enormous cavern she told them about, and the two paper sutras flanking the end of the tunnel. His attention shifted when his companion spoke quietly.

"Come here," she whispered, slightly startling him though he did not show it physically. He did as she asked and approached to stand beside her. She held her hand up to him, wanting him to do the same, and he hesitated momentarily before mimicking her, understanding her reasons not long after. Her upheld hand reached out to his, gloved fingers coming together with his own to complete a hand seal. "We must make this seal together and concentrate our chakra output similarly to be able to pass through the barrier without disturbing it." Itachi looked down through the slits in his mask to their hands and the sign their fingers formed. He gave a nod of his head. Shizuko's free hand came before her and into a seal to concentrate her chakra. Itachi copied her. "I will be the one to do most of the work. Just try to match my output. You will feel it once we begin."

"Of course," Itachi acknowledged, and began to concentrate his chakra when she did. It was easier than he thought, and like she said, he could tell through their shared seal how much to push and to pull back. When she took a step forward he matched her stride. He couldn't help but tense a little when she stepped right through the barrier and he held his breath despite himself as he touched the silvery shield. It was a strange sensation, almost like walking through water, but when they passed through he was still dry. They stood still for a moment, Itachi not withdrawing his contact with the girl until she ordered him to. Instantly he was on edge, but he could not feel any disturbances around them. The breath he was holding he slowly exhaled, and his fingers entangled with hers clenched a little tighter. Itachi did not completely register Shizuko's small voice whispering to him 'Let go,' too distracted by what just happened and the need for vigilance, anticipating that a horde of ninja would be coming to meet them at any moment despite their anticlimactic passage through the barrier. But a moment later he heard Shizuko chuckle a little and it brought him back to his senses.

"You can let go, now," she told him again, and he flinched a little, then did as she requested. Any need to apologize or feelings of embarrassment was stolen from him as he finally gazed out into the distance before them and registered the sheer size of the cavern. It made him feel exceedingly small compared to the enormity of the space surrounding them.

"I'll alert Uchiha-san that we are about to begin." Shizuko whispered. He looked back to her and gave a little nod, watching as she reached up to her neck to push a button on her radio strapped there. "Taichou, do you copy?" she spoke. A moment later he heard his brother's voice over the frequency of his own radio.

"Copy. What's your position? Over." he asked, voice grainy with the sound of static as it fed into their ears.

"We are past the barrier and are going to proceed to disarm the explosive tags, now. Over."

"Perfect. Proceed as planned. As soon as you are done, radio in, and Phase Two will commence. Over."

"Roger that. Over and out." Her hand fell away from her neck and her fox shaped mask looked back to him once more. "Let's be quick about this."

"This anticipation is going to kill me."

The frustrated admittance was voiced by Daigo who stood beside her, peering out from the trees and to the distant, sprawling cliffside and the waterfall across the little lake. In the light of the afternoon sun they made sure to stay well concealed in the forest. They were waiting; waiting for Itachi and Shizuko to complete the first phase of their plan. Then, they would move in on order from Sasuke as soon as all the tags were disarmed. Well, they wouldn't move in, per se, she frowned as she corrected herself; that was, her and her ten medics to be exact. They would be waiting inside the main entrance tunnel into the hideout with ten other Foxes to protect them while Sasuke and the remaining company advanced into the complex, divided into smaller squads, eliminating the targets within whilst they slept.

Sakura struggled to decide which was worse; to stay out of the frontlines and not have to partake in the grisly killings, or to remain on the sidelines and be away from the Foxes, unable to help if they needed medical attention should an alarm be raised. Of course, the group still had their own ten medical ninjas with them, distributed between the squads, but still, Sakura was troubled. Anything could happen. She remembered the wounds Itachi had received from his attempts at infiltrating the hideout by himself; how injured he had been when he came to find her in Hougyoku. She didn't want to see him in such a state ever again. She didn't want to see any of their ninja in such a state. Admittedly, though, she was more concerned over his mental status with the nature of this mission. Though she did not realize just how much it was affecting him, Sakura knew that Itachi would have a difficult time with this style of infiltration. She prayed earnestly for his well-being and his sanity.

"Patience, Daigo," Sakura finally told the man, who grunted in response. Her mouth twitched into a little grin. It hadn't been that long yet, she had to think to herself, glancing down at her watch – about thirty-five minutes past noon. But she couldn't blame his unease; she felt it, too. She looked over to where Sasuke was standing, talking to a few of his ninja. In the forest the remaining Foxes also hid, awaiting the signal to move in. She could feel the anticipation they radiated; the air was thick with it. Her heart skipped a little when the radio tuned in, and the sound of Shizuko's voice filled her ear in scratchy, quiet tones. She saw Sasuke stiffen, too, and then heard his own voice as he and Shizuko conversed via the radio. Not everyone was equipped with a device, just squad leaders, the hunter-nin, herself, and Itachi and Shizuko. They wanted to have as little interference as possible with any radios or other devices that Hakumei might be using within the hideout. Sasuke looked her way and caught her eye. He nodded with his head towards her little group, and she understood the meaning. She looked back to her medics to inform them of the news.

"They made it past the barrier," she announced, and ten faces looked her way. Daigo grinned at the information.

"Good." She nodded in agreement and then swept her eyes over the other medics. Each wore varying degrees of nervousness or excitement.

"It shouldn't be long, now."

Disarming the tags was tedious, delicate work, but they were making steady progress. Itachi took to one side of the tunnel and Shizuko the other, and they worked their way around, slowly, but surely, making for the very back of the cavern where they would meet again. Although he could not feel the presence of anyone within the cavern, Shizuko told him that she sensed a handful of ninja down below in the recess that housed the training grounds – only eight this time around. He itched to go down there and see what she had seen the other night but dutifully went from one tag to the next, forming the correct seals, inserting his chakra just right, and neutralizing the tags to become inert. He did not dwell on the thought of one going off. The chaos that would ensue would be monumental. While he had ways to withstand such a blast and the damage of one tag setting off all the other remaining tags and the unavoidable cave in, he wasn't too sure of Shizuko. He prayed that she had other tricks up her sleeves to keep herself safe if something happened to go awry, or that he could be fast enough to get to her if need be. Hopefully it wouldn't come to that.

Squaring his jaw, he veered his thoughts away from negative things before his mind could elaborate the potential outcomes of failure. It paid to be prepared, he knew, in the event of something going dismally wrong, but it did not pay to dwell on them thusly. He lowered his hands from before himself as he neutralized his latest tag. Twenty-seven, so far, he thought to himself, keeping count, as he turned and headed for the next one. He cast a look around, his senses reaching out, his sharingan working, making sure no threats were looming behind him, or that the ninja in the cavern did not sense their presence. Nothing seemed amiss and Shizuko hadn't radioed to him since they began their task, so he kept going. This continued in similar fashion. Minutes wore on as the pair went from one tag to the next. With each passing minute his heart seemed to pick up a little quicker, and that nagging worry and sour taste in his mouth became more prominent. Itachi desperately tried to ignore it. Finally they met the other towards the back of the cavern after what felt like hours. Here, they could hear the hum of generators. It sounded deafening in the quiet of the large space, like a horde of swarming wasps. Itachi saw Shizuko's small, shadowy form slowly getting closer to his own with each tag they disarmed until they both finished. Itachi was the one to complete last. He turned to face his partner once he was done.

"Everything is going as we planned so far," she whispered just loud enough to him to be heard over the hum of the generators. Before continuing, though, and radioing in to Sasuke, she motioned for him to follow her with a small wave of her fingers, and he obliged, figuring that she didn't want the sound interference from the generators when contacting his brother. Silent as wraiths they darted along the catwalk until the humming slowly faded away. When she stopped and crouched down along the cavern wall Itachi immediately joined her, and the girl reached for the button on her radio again.

"Taichou, do you copy?" He responded almost immediately.

"Copy. Over," his eager voice sounded in their ears.

"We have finished disarming all of the tags, Taichou. We are go for Phase Two. Over." While she conversed with Sasuke, Itachi remained alert for them, eyes peering out into the darkness of the cavern for any movement, anticipating any spikes in chakra around them, but still nothing stirred. His heartbeat even more rapid, now, his palms growing clammy despite the coolness of the cavern.

"Excellent work. We will begin Phase Two starting immediately. If anything seems off, tell me right away. I will do the same to you guys. Over."

"Understood. Over and out." Shizuko stood a little straighter, then, and turned to face Itachi. "We will start with the eight shinobi currently within this cavern; once finished, we will exit the barrier the same way we entered it and then begin sweeping back through the tunnels." Itachi nodded, following her movement as she turned to face the deep recess that filled the cavern to where he could see the shadowy forms of buildings in the distance. He tried to ignore the growing pit in his stomach.

The first of the eight ninja were easy to find. A group of four playing a card game in one of the many barracks. Within mere seconds Shizuko formulated a quick and efficient plan to eliminate them, proving yet again how valuable she was. Hiding in the little alley between the adjacent barracks, she suggested that they make a quick entry and catch the four by surprise. In their start, Itachi would cast genjutsu on the four and Shizuko would handle the messy work. Itachi nodded curtly, the plan foolproof for them. Taking but a few moments to prepare himself, Itachi came about to the front of the barrack. Opening the door loud and quick enough to catch their attention, Itachi looked down the length of the narrow building to see the four gawking faces of the startled Hakumei scouts. Their masks sat on the table before them where they had been playing their card game, some coins and sake bottles littering the table top. Before any of them could react, Itachi cast the appropriate genjutsu on the lot. None of them were equipped to thwart off a genjutsu of Itachi's level, and their eyes glazed over as sleep overtook them.

Itachi felt the barest brush of movement against his legs as Shizuko made her entrance. She swept past him in a rush, a kunai in each hand hurled at two of the men, catching them in their throats before her feet hit the ground. The young woman landed delicately despite her barreling speed in front of Itachi, spinning about with the momentum, and drew out another two knives. First one was launched at the third ninja, then the second at the fourth. They were all dispatched before the full effect of his jutsu could take hold, and each ninja was dead before their bodies hit the ground. The four thuds of their weight meeting the wooden floor below happened in mere seconds from when he first barged in.

"Effortless," he heard the girl whisper as she righted her body and approached the four slain ninja, retrieving back her kunai and cleaning the blades on their vests. "Come, search their bodies," she quietly ordered him, not even looking up to her comrade. Itachi did as he was told and began to rifle through their pockets for anything valuable. He did his best not to look at their faces. Behind the mental cloak he swathed himself in to protect his sanity, he marveled at how easily the young girl took to killing those men. At how misleading she looked to the eye, and yet, how deadly Root had trained her. He had to untether himself a bit further from his own consciousness again when he felt a ping of jealousy at her nonchalance towards taking the life of another, especially someone unarmed and unprepared. Such troubling thoughts would only distract him and get them killed.

"There's nothing of value here." Shizuko commented, almost sounding exasperated, after their search turned up nothing but some spare change and weapons. "Let's get these bodies back here in the corner so they're not in plain sight," she suggested. Itachi could only nod, and once the task was done they too left the barrack. "The remaining four are farther back in the prison," Shizuko whispered to him as they shut the door behind them. With her fingers she gestured towards the back of the cavern and then they darted off through the shadows once more. They were there within moments. Itachi tried not to pay much heed to the passing sights despite his interest in them, doing his best to focus on their task at hand and not be distracted. The generators could be heard again behind the massive building as they neared. For a split second he thought of the generators back home in Kurumu, but immediately those thoughts were washed away forcefully. The pair flanked the entrance, and then with a signal from Shizuko, moved inside.

"I know exactly where they are. Same as last time," she whispered. Itachi knew she was talking about her previous visit to the complex. She made her way in as if she knew it like the back of her hand until they came to a room where the opposing door was shut, and a line of light was glowing beneath it. "In there," she whispered, though he knew that without her telling him. Through the silence Itachi could just make out muffled voices and he could feel their presences through the steel door.

"We'll do it the same as last time," she suggested, and Itachi could not argue. So, like he did at the barracks, Itachi readied himself and reached for the door, Shizuko crouched behind him, kunai in hand. The scene went down like it did before, and soon he was looking into four surprised faces yet again, though this time he was quicker on the jutsu casting. Unlike last time, though, it seemed there was a ninja a bit more resilient than the others. Perhaps chūnin or jōnin ranked by their ability. Perhaps someone likewise skilled in genjutsu, and why they worked in the prison. Three of the four bodies swayed under the influences, but the fourth caught themselves before toppling over on the table they had been surrounding moments ago. Itachi felt Shizuko zip past him as she had before, kunai flying.

"Shit!" the still conscious Hakumei ninja spat out, hands coming up to form the seal of release before the genjutsu could try and overtake him once more. Itachi's brows twitched in annoyance and he drew out his own kunai, but Shizuko was the quicker. The other three were already killed, and Shizuko lept towards the fourth who had their own knife in hand, now. Itachi stepped back and out of the threshold, this room much smaller than the barracks, allowing Shizuko her space and not bothering to interfere. He doubted that she'd need his help against one opponent whose chakra level didn't read too impressively high even if they were able to thwart off his genjutsu.

"Shūsoku scum," the ninja spat out as his blade sang against Shizuko's. Itachi imagined a smirk on her face at the insult behind her mask. Her response was to only parry his attacks. The ninja leapt back and over the table, trying to get distance as he was unable to exit the room seeing as Itachi was blocking the door. There was one other door which was currently shut. Shizuko did not give her opponent any time to react and was on him again instantly, vaulting over the table, kunai readied. The ninja swept out with his blade once she landed, so she leapt back, landing atop the table this time. Before he could bring his arm back around to attack again, Shizuko jumped towards him, bringing up her legs and then kicking him square in the chest. Though much smaller, she was strong enough to send him flying backwards and into the wall - probably with the help of chakra. Once landing, she righted herself immediately and let her kunai fly with the immaculate precision Itachi now knew her to harbor. The blade struck home in the other ninja's neck before he could gather himself up, and he was gone after a few gargled breaths. Shizuko approached him shortly after to retrieve her kunai and began to search his pockets once it was clean of his blood. Itachi did not need to be told to do the same to the others. He counted himself lucky for now that Shizuko was the one to do the dirty work, but he knew that time was over.

"Look at this," her quiet voice called out to him, pulling him from his thoughts, and he quickly looked her way to see her holding something. It was a scroll that looked like any other scroll a shinobi might have on their person for weapons or jutsu or the like, except that the labeling characters read Hakumei on it. It was on the higher ranking ninja she disposed of last. "This could be promising."

"Don't try and open that," Itachi instinctively warned her. "It could be rigged." She undoubtedly already knew that, but she nodded her head regardless for him; he imagined her rolling her eyes at him behind her mask.

"Right." They didn't find anything else worthwhile, but at least they found the scroll. It was better than nothing. And once their mission was done, they'd have plenty of time to come back and scour the complex for more information. For now, they needed to continue onward and make their way back towards where Sasuke and his squads were sweeping in from the entrance of the hideout. Shizuko read his thoughts and informed him it was time to go. So out the prison they went, back across the field, and towards the entrance of the cavern. Nothing seemed amiss and Shizuko could feel no other chakra signatures in the cavern with them. When the rim of the recess met them, Shizuko hopped up with delicate movements onto the top of the railing and looked down to him, balancing with the ease of an acrobat. In a flicker of movement he jumped up to join her on the ground.

"Come," she quietly beckoned him close as she hopped off the railing and made for the barrier. Same as before they passed through without disturbing it. The vast cavern loomed darkly behind them, but on the other side of the barrier it seemed more welcoming than what now awaited them in the remaining parts of the hideout.

"Well, Uchiha Itachi," she said softly to him, and Itachi tensed. Though he knew she knew who he was, this was the first time she addressed him by name since they began their mission, and admitted her knowing of his presence there. But she said his name not with disgust nor fright, but with an almost awed reverence. It made him feel sicker. His throat felt thick in anticipation as he waited for her to give them the cue to begin their slaughter. "The rest of these tunnels are crawling with vermin. Let us exterminate this place of its infestation, shall we?" From her person she drew a kunai into each hand, the cold steel catching the cobalt light of a nearby lamp. Behind that fox-shaped mask she wore, he knew she was wearing that same smile he saw her wearing during their mission brief. He suppressed a shudder. Itachi once again drew on every psychological tool he could muster as he closed off his emotions, remembering the armor he wore during his time in Akatsuki. Telling himself of the need for their mission. Telling himself that this was their best method in defeating Hakumei. That he was a shinobi right then and there; nothing more, nothing less. These people brought it upon themselves. And he was simply following orders, and once again protecting the people he loved in the best way he knew how.

You are nothing more than a tool.

"Yes," he finally answered her.

A weapon to be used.

"Right, then..."

You feel nothing.

"...Let's begin."

Nothing.

"First waiting on the sidelines outside, and now waiting on the sidelines inside."

Sakura rolled her eyes for the umpenth time that day at Daigo. Truthfully she felt the same, but as Head Medic, she felt like she needed to remain calm and patient for her medics. If she was just as restless as Daigo, then the whole lot of them would be a mess; especially Jouta.

"Daigo, stop complaining," she told him quietly again, their voices muffled slightly by the not so far off rumbling of the waterfall that masked the entrance to the hideout. She could not hear any commotion over the deluge and hoped that the Hunter ninja still stationed outside were doing okay as they waited to intercept any Hakumei ninja trying to enter, or exit, the hideout. Daigo grunted a response and Sakura fought to roll her eyes at him and grin at the same time.

"All in good time, Daigo," she placated him. They weren't the only ones having to wait. Ten Foxes were flanking Sakura and her medics inside the tunnel to keep them protected from harm. But again, Sakura was thankful for being left out of having to participate in the morbid killings currently going on inside. Perhaps Daigo was a little more bloodthirsty than she realized. Sakura tried not to dwell on the thought. The small bought of adrenaline at the move to leave the shelter of the trees to the shelter of their current location only lasted so long. Daigo wasn't the only one who was becoming impatient, either. She could tell that not just a few of her medics were itching for action, but also the other ten Foxes with them. The wait and anticipation was definitely taxing. Sakura silently kept sending prayers out for everyone, particularly Itachi and Sasuke.

Hang in there, guys…

Sasuke was anything but a saint. In his short lifetime he had done many terrible things he was not proud of. Today was not an exception, even if he was a shinobi. Even if this was part of what it meant to call himself a shinobi. But he loathed it nonetheless. Repeatedly told himself it was necessary. The lesser evil, he chanted to himself over and over again as he and his ninja slipped through the dark, blue-lit tunnels, killing whoever came into their path, awake or sleeping. People who were completely unaware of their presence there. Of their impending doom. The mantra was the only thing keeping him going as he shrouded his subconscious and morality with blinders, and told himself that this was the only way. He was glad for his mask, for he did not want to let his fellow ninja see the frigid expression on his face as his blade slit one throat after the next. And Sasuke avoided all thoughts of his brother as best he could.

In the back of his mind he knew that they were making good progress, and that nothing had gone amiss so far. He felt no sudden spikes in chakra. Heard no alarms or worried voices. Just the sound of his blade and the gurgle of a last, drowning breath. Each room they happened upon only housed a small number of ninja. There were no large gatherings. He was glad he broke up his ninja into smaller squads to fan out. Hoped this pattern of small numbers stayed the same and none of them would have to take on large groups.

During a lull, he and his squad were in a small room. Other bodies littered the floor now that were not their own; once sleeping figures. Once living people, now, just corpses. Sasuke closed his eyes tightly and took a deep breath through his nose, trying to ignore the thick scent of pooling blood at their feet. The other Foxes worked as efficiently as he did. He was likewise glad he could not see their faces.

"Taichou?" one of them whispered when Sasuke stayed standing still for a moment too long, and the young captain's head moved so he could look upon the other shinobi.

"Yes?" His whispered voice sounded heavy in his own ears.

"This room is cleared. Let's continue," the ninja suggested. Sasuke could only nod his head in return, and the ten ninja moved on.

He lost track of how many lives he had taken so far, not that he had really wanted to keep count in the first place. Memories of that night flashed in his eyes despite his attempts to keep them at bay. The dead faces of his family and friends. The prone bodies of his parents. The cold expression upon his brother's face as he constructed the lie, the beginnings of their fated relationship all those years ago. And then the tears, glittering down his cheek in the moonlight.

No… no… stop thinking. No thinking, only doing. Only action. You're a shinobi. Act like it...

...Oniisan…

It seemed like a bad nightmare, yet he fought through it. Fought through it with the same resolution he had used to fight through Akatsuki. There was no time to dwell on it. No time to hesitate. No time to back down. The fate of their world depended on it. Finding Hakumei's Leader and destroying them depended on it. Keeping this complex intact depended on it. Throwing aside his sanity, his humanity, for the time being, depended on it.

Itachi was as thankful as he was appalled by Shizuko. A ruthless killing tool Danzo crafted to perfection. Her devoted nature towards the shinobi's world and ethics was flawless when she was in action. Her mechanical pattern of taking down the enemy left and right, those patrolling the tunnels or those sleeping in their beds, kept him going. He did not think he could continue time after time if she had shown the slightest hint of hesitance. It scared, and yet, comforted him that they had people like her in their ranks. Because he wasn't the only bastard who would displace his consciousness so far off to get the mission done for the sake of peace and protection for his loved ones. In the far reaches of his mind, where normal, rational, compassionate human thought was just barely tethered so he would not lose grip of it, he wondered briefly just who she wanted to protect so badly that she still clung so ardently to the teachings and conditionings of Root without having it eat her alive from the inside out with guilt.

She was truly a strong woman.

A squad of five Foxes prowled through the tunnels. They hadn't seen any Hakumei ninja in a handful of minutes, but then finally the tunnel came to an end and opened up into another room that was occupied by sleeping figures. The leader of the small squad signaled the others to stay at bay for now while she inched a bit closer, trying to get a better look inside the room. Six… no seven… Okay, we got this… She turned about, ready to give the appropriate hand signals for her squad to move in when suddenly from the other tunnel across the room she heard faint footsteps. Immediately she held her hand to steady her squad as she felt the subtle spike of different chakra signatures join the area, her heart skipping a beat. Peaking about, she saw three new ninja join the room. They approached their sleeping comrades and woke them gently, thought urgently, if the dim lighting didn't betray. She strained her ears for the whispered words they shared.

"...Enemies… Under attack… Hurry..."

Her heart dropped in her chest and dread washed over her.

Hakumei knew they were there.

Shit.

As his group made their way down a tunnel, Sasuke thought he felt a sudden change in the overall chakra flow of the hideout. A sudden increase concentrated in an area not close by, but close enough for him to register and for the fine hairs on the back of his neck to prick up. Without warning he stopped in his tracks, the other four ninja behind him diligently following suit. He wasn't the only one who felt it. Two of the other four ninja with him more sensitive to such things sensed the sudden leap, too.

"...Taichou…?" one of the two who didn't seem to understand what caused their sudden stop dared to whisper. Sasuke's hand shot up to silence him as he remained statuette, listening, feeling out, with all his senses. His heart began to beat more quickly despite his attempts at remaining calm. He had a bad feeling about this.

"Taichou, do you copy?"

The sudden voice in his radio earpiece nearly made Sasuke jump, but he managed to only betray his start with a small tremor of his body. The voice sounded strained and urgent. He had a very bad feeling about this.

"Copy. Over," he responded, his fingers feeling numb as he reached to push the button. A response did not come right away, and the growing anticipation was agonizing. He could feel his squad members' interest and suspicion rising behind him. Finally the squad leader responded.

"Taichou. Our cover has been compromised. They know we're here. They-"

The staticy voice cut off, and Sasuke frowned deeply. He reached up a moment later, pushing the small button once more.

"Kozue?" He whispered the ninja's name fiercely. "Kozue?" There was no response.

"Taichou?" his squad member dared to ask once more. He turned to look back to the shadowy, masked faces of his four other ninja. If not for their masks he would have expected to see two sets of confused eyes and two sets of steely resignation to what was about to unfold. Only the four ghostly white fox-shaped masks looked mischievously at him through the dark blue dim.

"Our cover's been blown." Even the two who seemed to suspect it visibly stiffened with the other two at the revelation. "Hurry - we have to make it to the barrier." The others nodded curtly and the squad continued down the tunnel.

Relief washed over Itachi like the analgesic chakra Sakura would wash over his body during her healing sessions back in Hougyoku. That shinobi training, that tactical side of him, cursed just momentarily until the pacifist he liked to claim himself to be rejoiced. Besides him Shizuko breathed out a curse into the small room they currently occupied. Ten cots housing ten unmoving occupants accompanied the space with them. Even before the sudden news came through the radio, Itachi knew Shizuko could tell something was amiss. Just moments after they made their pass of death through the room, rather than continue onward she hesitated and murmured something too quietly to herself he didn't catch. Then, the grim message was received and the spell of concentration she had been under was broken before he could ask her what was wrong.

"Dammit," the young woman hissed next. Itachi had wondered if she might feel any relief if this came to pass, but by her reaction he couldn't say she did. But the integrity of the hideout was now at stake, and even though they disarmed all of the explosive tags in the cavern, Hakumei could have other tricks up their sleeves. All of this could have been for nothing.

"Shizuko, do you copy? Over." The girl spat out another curse before her hand flew up to her neck to push the button there for her radio.

"I copy, Taichou. Over," she whispered. Her usual carefree, cheery voice was agitated.

"Make your way back to the barrier. We need to intercept any possible attempts to destroy the cavern. While you're at it, try and pinpoint how many of the enemies numbers are left. Over."

"Yea, sure, while I'm running around," she muttered quickly to herself before acknowledging Sasuke again. "Roger that. Over."

"Good. Over and out."

"Can you do that accurately while we are on the move?" Itachi dared to ask her. The girl did not look his way but started to move back towards the barrier without announcing her departure, but Itachi followed in her wake without qualm.

"Yes. I can. It will take more concentration and chakra, but I can do it. You'll need to cover me though until I'm done, or I won't be able to get an accurate read."

"Of course."

Jade eyes hardened at the conversation she heard over the radio. They were found out. She couldn't help the small tremor of excitement that coursed through her and fought to grin in delight. Sakura was growing tired of waiting on the sidelines and of listening to her fellow medics' bellyaching. Daigo seemed to notice her sudden change in demeanor and unfocused gaze as she listened in on something he could not hear.

"What is it?" Her eyes refocused and darted over to meet his own. This time, she couldn't help but let her lips be tugged into a small smirk.

"The wait will be over soon. Hakumei knows we're here." Her medics looked shocked and then spoke amongst themselves in hushed voices; the other ten Foxes there to protect them were hard to read with their cloaks and masks, though the air about them shifted.

"Quiet," Sakura ordered her medics. They instantly stopped their murmuring, knowing not to cross the pink haired kunoichi. "There's no telling what might happen now. They've disarmed the explosive tags, but we don't know what Hakumei might pull to protect their information and their secrets. Be on your guard."

"They wouldn't do something that drastic, would they?" Jouta dared to ask. Sakura's lips pursed.

"Let's pray that they don't."

She heard the swish of a shuriken zip past her left ear just shy of the hood of her cloak, followed by the metallic melody of battle, but it didn't faze her. It was much easier to sit and hunker down and reach out to sense the chakra around her and she wished that she could. Trying to tune out the sound of fighting did not help make it easier on top of running. But like Sasuke ordered, doing it on the go was detrimental right now. Thankfully they had someone of Uchiha Itachi's caliber in their group. She had absolute confidence in his ability to protect her as they ran back the way they came from the barrier, her hands before her in a seal of concentration, her eyes half-mast as she tried to see the path ahead and tried to give herself better focus at the same time.

The sound of pained grunts and cries marked the end of one life after the next. For all her skill and ability that Root had bestowed upon her through rigorous, tortuous training, she would never be as innately skilled as the Uchiha Prodigy. Even Sasuke, as strong and able as he was, she admitted fell short of his brother's prowess. Not that she would ever tell him that. It was an honor to fight alongside members of the Uchiha clan, feared warriors, renown shinobi, not only for their doujutsu, but for their natural talent towards anything they put their mind towards. Except when it comes to being thickheaded, she mused quickly, but the thought passed as she forced herself to concentrate on the remaining signatures around them. Of course their own numbers were mixed in making it much more difficult, but Shizuko knew the chakra signatures of the Foxes intimately, having worked with them for quite some time now. Even the new medics and the hunter-nins she acquainted herself with during their journey north from Hisomu.

One-hundred and eight-two were here the other night, she thought to herself. That number jumped up a bit between then and now. Those keeping watch over the comings and goings of the hideout reported five scouting squads returning and none leaving. That would have made it two-hundred and seven. If her current count wasn't off, they trimmed down those numbers substantially during the roughly forty-five minute timeframe they had between her and Itachi taking care of the tags and Kozue's sudden radio-in reporting that Hakumei discovered their hideout was under attack. Shizuko could now only locate forty-seven Hakumei shinobi inside the hideout. The odds were now in their favor, at least.

Her eyes opened all the way once she was satisfied with her count and once she double checked it (since the number kept changing as the Foxes encountered more and more of Hakumei as she made her count). She focused her entire attention before her and immediately drew out another pair of kunai now that she no longer needed to make the hand sign to concentrate her chakra more accurately. Around them, other faint sounds of fighting echoed eerily down the tunnels. Each side was trying to remain quiet, trying to keep the element of surprise. But Hakumei, if they had their own sensor - which she would not doubt them to employ at least a low-level sensor - would know that they were at a significant disadvantage, especially since the majority of their forces left read at scout level. Itachi easily dealt with their most recent encounter with a small group of Hakumei forces, and now the tunnel was clear. She could not sense anyone else in their path for a good distance.

"Only about forty-seven remain," she informed her comrade, picking up her pace though using chakra to mask her foot-falls. She needed to be careful as she had already used a lot this afternoon. "Our path is clear for now. Let's hurry." Itachi obediently matched her speed and the pair raced as fast as they dared towards the barrier.

The small alcove was packed with his squad and a Hakumei scouting squad plus one. The extra kunoichi was not garbed in the basic, standard scout uniform. Their chakra level read higher than the others. She was a doton user who blocked the path through the room that would take them closer to the barrier. Sasuke's brow twitched in annoyance as the scouts swarmed about them like pesky flies, giving the kunoichi her opportunity to close off the room. Not only that tunnel, but the tunnel that Sasuke's squad had entered from, as well. Now they were all blocked in. The effort did not seem to tax her too much, and he was impressed with her abilities to stall them. It wouldn't last long, though. A makeshift wall of stone would not contain him for long.

As Sasuke's sword twirled about in his hand before cutting down diagonally at a scout who managed to jump out of harm's way at the last second, the doton using kunoichi charged in at him, not skipping a beat. Sasuke used the momentum of his swing to pivot himself out of her way as she threw a right-hook at him. In the dimness he saw the trailing light of chakra clinging to her arm like Sakura when she fought. Don't let her hit you if that's the case. She'll shatter your bones like they're glass. He landed on one foot, swung himself about, and raised his blade in time to anticipate another blow. The force of her second punch moved him a few inches back, his sandaled feet scraping against the stone below. She's gotta be a medic, the thought skirted through his mind as the kunoichi retreated away from him, fists raised, ready to attack again. If so, why is she fighting me? Before either he could think on that much longer, and before he could retaliate, she did something Sasuke did not expect.

"Now!" she suddenly barked out, and with one hand she reached up to unzip her vest in a quick swipe. Sasuke's eyes widened as she revealed her mesh shirt inside to be plastered with countless explosive tags. From his peripheral vision he saw the other five scouts pull back from their opponents to the middle of the room where the kunoichi stood. From their pouches they pulled as many explosive tags they had in their possession out into one hand and then simultaneously made the sign to detonate them.

"Wait!" Sasuke screamed out, but he knew it was too late.

A mix of gossamer violet and licking tongues of orange and red exploded in the room.

He hoped he wouldn't be too late.

As the torrent of flames dissipated into smoke and ash, Sasuke fought the raging pain behind his eyes, his raised arms falling back down to his side, mouth opened as he caught his breath. The swirling, purple cloak of his Susano'o slowly fading away.

"T-Taichou," came the awed voice of one of his ninja to his side, but Sasuke could only close his eyes for a moment to collect himself so he would not stagger. The initial, physical toll of using his ultimate defense slowly passed, but a dull throb of a headache remained. Opening his eyes again, he looked down to his ninja. Before he could assess what damage may have been done, he could already smell the burning, sickening aroma of charred flesh and fabric. The medic in their group was already pouring out their glowing, healing light onto their most severely burned comrade. But he got lucky; they all survived. He let out a sigh of relief, shoulders slumping a bit.

"Such a drastic measure," their medic whispered out as he worked on the scorched skin of his comrade who hissed and groaned in pain. His other ninja had varying burns across their bodies, but thankfully nothing too dire as the one being treated. They looked painful, but were not incapacitating. Sasuke had many burns himself that seared through fabric of his sleeves and pants down to the skin, but they were nothing serious to fret over even though they smarted. Such pain could be ignored.

"Indeed," Sasuke sighed out. "Thankfully it did not cause a cave in," he added, looking up to see charring on the ceiling and a few cracks here and there from the initial explosion. His Susano'o helped not only them, but the walls around them. He glanced to the place where the Hakumei ninja had been, but nothing remained of them but a dark smudge on the ground.

"Michio," Sasuke spoke to the medic, "we don't have a lot of time; do what you can to stabilize Shin and then we'll mov…" His words trailed off and he fell silent. Michio looked away from Shin for a moment to his captain. The others did likewise, unsure of what caused the distraction. Sasuke remained unmoving.

"Taichou?"

"Shh!" Sasuke immediately hissed out before the medic could barely finish saying the title. "Shh… listen… do you hear that?" The group remained quiet but nothing could be heard over their own soft breaths. "I thought I heard," Sasuke breathed out, "...something far off, like a…" As he trailed off again, moments later there was a slight rumbling beneath their feet. Above them, the cracks in the ceiling shifted a bit so a soft shower of dust rained down from above, a few small pieces of rock falling with it and clattering against the ground before settling.

"What was that?" another ninja whispered quickly, but no one answered her.

Rumble.

Another shower of dust rained down, this time longer, and more cracks formed on the ceiling above. Their eyes danced between the ceiling and the floor.

Rumble.

"Taichou…?" they dared yet again to ask, this time, their voice edged with audible concern.

Sasuke frowned deeply, then understanding dawned on him like a slap to his face, and his eyes widened in horror behind his mask.

"The hideout… they're trying to cave it in!"

Author's Notes: The tides have changed for the Viridian Foxes. Their infiltration got off to a smooth start, but now, their fears may be coming true. Is Sasuke right? Is Hakumei trying to destroy the hideout in an attempt to keep their secrets from Shūsoku? Find out next chapter.

As always, sorry for the long wait. Happy mother's day to all you moms out there! C: