Gfggh

by Shantal96

Absynt

13. 5 (10-22 14:09:22)

42. Old Habits A/N: I'm confused as to why people don't know how Naruto and Hashirama are related. :P In Chapter 37 Mai (Tobirama's kid, not the woman he had an escapade with) has an affair with Senju Umeki, who complains about not having "Grandpa Hashirama's" bloodline. It's easier to understand when viewing the family tree screenshots I posted on Tumblr.

"All right, rock paper scissors?"

Her husband huffed out a laugh. She saw his head tilt back, blond hair illuminated by the beams of light intermingled with the shadows, as he sent a glance at the ceiling. They were both more than a little concerned about the cracks that had appeared.

The hallway they'd been standing in for who knew how long was a dead-end, sectioned off by a wall covered in symbols. Due to the shivering that had started, though, several of the seals had detached and were just floating around in dead space. There was a particular weak spot a small bout of chakra could break and slip through, but they were sure the base of the array would repair such a large break almost instantly.

"It's so dark," a familiar voice muttered. Occasionally, voices floated through the pipes, but they weren't necessarily recent. Sometimes they were from years before; sometimes just a few hours. It didn't happen very often.

Water seeped back in through the floor. "I thought he'd gotten rid of that," he muttered in concern.

Kushina eyed the wall. "Seriously, Minato. Which one of us should jump through that thing?"

He glanced at the wall, at the floor, at her, back again. "I think it should be you," he said softly, making her bite her lip.

"I wish we could go together."

"Well, we could try, but this is so complex- he must be so skilled." A proud smile alit his lips for a moment before he went on. "There's an eighty percent chance a single one of us could jump through, but for both-"

"I know, I know, it goes down substantially." She stared at the wall in apprehension; she'd never been one to back down from a challenge, but this challenge was fairly daunting. What would she say first?

"When should I do it?"

Minato surveyed the seal work with a focused expression. "I think you should wait just a little bit. It's made to keep us here no matter what, but it doesn't seem to be immediately fixing those small lapses, for some reason. I would say the layer that's guarding the support rather than the main network is putting energy elsewhere. They're only going to get worse, so your chances will increase-"

A scream echoed through the pipes, making his mouth go dry.

Neither one of them said anything; they just glanced at each other and stood uncertainly in the darkness.

"All right." She huffed out a long breath and took a few steps back so she would have enough room to get going. She only had one chance, and she wasn't going to waste it.

When the Hyuuga had first come to him with their request, Danzo had been skeptical. At first glance, it looked like something the Hokage would do to bait him- but they did have probable cause to want the boy gone. The magnitude of what he'd accomplished- at only thirteen, no less- spoke multitudes of what he could accomplish as an eighteen-year-old, a jounin, someone truly as powerful as his father. No doubt Tsunade was planning on passing the hat to him, eventually, and if the way the boy looked at him was any indication, he would come right after Root.

Their offer was almost too good to pass up.

They would dispose of the thorn in their side, and Danzo would gain a Jinchuriki.

The boy may have bragged about his sealing prowess, but with enough time, Danzo's fuinjutsu-oriented shinobi would be able to crack the code on his seal. The extraction would kill him- slowly and painfully, fulfilling those naïve elders' bloodlust- and the Kyuubi would be sealed into one of his Root's shinobi.

The Hyuuga would take the fall for his disappearance; their grudge was so very obvious. He would get out clean, as long as his operatives performed adequately. Even if they didn't, they couldn't divulge anything about him, and he wasn't stupid enough to bring the boy to Root's domain.

It took only a little pushing and prodding to rouse the anger in some of the shinobi who'd hated Naruto the most. They were more than happy to help what they thought were the Hyuuga and other 'fox haters' like them kill the boy.

Iwana Akame, a man who'd lost an eye on a foreign espionage mission and had hated Naruto since his birth.

Bekko, one of Akame's drinking pals and cohorts who shared his intense dislike of the village pariah.

Yajirobee, another fool who would follow along right to his death.

They wouldn't be doing the actual dirty work- they were far too unskilled; no, his soldiers would, and the three buffoons would be scapegoats and make the Hyuuga's guilt all the worse, making the abduction look even more like something done out of prejudice.

His operatives and the Hyuuga would strike when the boy was alone- he spent far too much time in the woods- bring him to the base Danzo had sanctioned off for the purpose, and leave the idiot chuunin and several Hyuuga to guard him as a few choice Root shinobi performed the extraction and transferred the Kyuubi to a host of Danzo's choice. This left him with minimal connection to the incident, and the smallest amount of shinobi there in case they were spotted.

He didn't trust the Hyuuga, of course. He would have eyes on the facility just in case they decided they wanted the Kyuubi's power for themselves; he wasn't about to lose such an asset.

When the report came in his squad had successfully captured the Uzumaki in the forest, he was pleased, but disappointed they'd failed to retrieve any of the boy's equipment. His explosives would have been a great asset to study; Konoha had no explosive corps, but Danzo could see the merit in one, unlike the brat currently in the Hokage seat.

Still. They'd acquired the boy, and that was all that mattered. Danzo had no grudge against him personally- no enmity or hostility for him as a child- he was simply another pawn in the way of gaining the power to further the village's. The Kyuubi would be much better suited in the hands of someone able to use it to follow the orders of their superiors.

Little did the old man know about how ineffective that route would've turned out.

Naruto remembered numerous pairs of hands and feet and a needle before he woke up in a dark place; the first thing he noticed as the cold floor on his knees, and the second thing he noticed was that his wrists were throbbing.

Unlike most people who found themselves abducted for nefarious purposes, his first instinct was to laugh. Long, loudly, and probably enough to get himself smacked in the face. If they thought they were going to crack his seal in a timely manner, they were sorely mistaken.

There were long lines of symbols spread out from the main spiral on his abdomen, shooting up his arms and out from his wrists to connect him to the wall and keep him upright. They'd taken his jacket and gloves, and cut through the shirt under his haori to get to the seal.

Inwardly, Kurama tried not to remember when Kushina had been strung up the same way. At least this extraction wasn't going so smoothly.

Naruto had spent months devising a new seal and several days messing around in his mindscape to change it. The base layer- the 'core' as he called it- regularly mixed their chakra together and formed a strong link between them, tying their chakra and chaining their spirits together. He'd worked two seals over it that connected both to each other and to the core; they were practically part of the core themselves, and it was always harder to break something in threes. Three security layers overlapped over it; every time an intruder broke one, another was waiting while another in the background worked on repairing the first one that had been broken, trapping someone not skilled enough in an endless loop.

The very first surface layer out of the seven he had was a decoy. Odd numbers were best. It was what the shinobi in front of him had broken through- he probably thought he'd accomplished something- and he'd redirected the symbols that had flooded out onto his arms to keep him anchored.

He took stock of his situation, not saying a word. Stereotypical grey room that looked like something out of the ANBU headquarters with a single bright light hanging overhead? Check. Masked guard at the door eliminating the possibility of disabling the nin trying to unravel his fuinjutsu and escaping? Check. Chakra sealed? Check. They really weren't leaving him many options.

I don't like this, Kurama growled. You should've added more security layers.

Naruto internally rolled his eyes. Most seals just keep the Bijuu in and they're extracted rather easily. It was a new frontier trying to keep a mass of chakra in. You're not a book or a table or a tangible object that can't be divided; they could, theoretically, find a way to bypass security layers at all and just start pulling chakra out until there's nothing left of you for the seal to hold onto.

How long do you think it'll take them?

He eyed the shinobi drawing a pattern on a piece of paper in front of him. Dunno. More than a day, at the least.

His eyes alighted on Izuna's form on the right. He looked ragged, worn thin, sitting against the wall with a furious expression. Madara stood beside him looking no better- worse, even, but nudged his brother with his foot when he noticed Naruto was conscious.

"Naruto!" the Uchiha hissed, leaping up and jumping closer to crouch next to him. "I won't be able to possess anyone for at least three days."

Well that's just great. The seal master- if he even was a 'master'- raised an eyebrow at him, but none of the living in the room said a word. Naruto wondered if it was safe to speak to Izuna at all- would they catch on and knock him unconscious again, or think he was just insane?

"Where are we?"

The shinobi let out a soft snort and didn't answer.

"A few hours south of the village," Izuna explained. "An underground bunker. There's a few idiot chuunin around and some Hyuuga, but it's these two masked idiots I'm worried about." He cast a frown at the other two in the room.

"You know, I'd much prefer to be in the village right now," Naruto drawled, a tinge of sarcasm in his voice.

"Quiet," the shinobi told him.

Izuna frowned. "We memorized the way. One of us will have to go back and find Tobirama. He told me he could communicate with Sarutobi."

Naruto eyed him meaningfully. "All right. Madara, you head back to the village." When his brother raised an eyebrow at him, Izuna glared. "I don't care if you don't want to be the one that gets to talk to Tobirama. I'm going to scout around here. Will you be all right alone?" He directed the question to Naruto just as the shinobi got up, reached forward with the array he'd drawn, and spread it over the seal on Naruto's stomach, activating it with a burst of chakra.

The two seals hummed and sizzled with energy as they clashed and worked against each other, making Naruto grit his teeth. He winced and curled forward slightly, straining against the ink keeping him attached to the walls and closing his eyes.

The sparking stopped and the paper floated to the ground. The shinobi tilted his head, retrieved it, and tried again.

"Oh, yeah," Naruto spat through gritted teeth. "Just peachy."

"Everybody here?"

Sasuke tapped his foot impatiently and watched Sakura take a headcount. "Everyone's accounted for," Shikamaru drawled, hands in his pockets and posture seemingly relaxed, but Sasuke could see the underlying tension in his stance.

"Good. Missions for a good chunk of jounin and most ANBU have halted, and though some jounin and most chuunin and genin are still being sent out, we're all stuck in the village for either being connected to Naruto personally, like Sasuke and I, or our sensei being involved in the rescue team. That makes us the perfect people to go searching with no one to notice we're gone."

Kiba was bouncing on his feet, though not out of excitement; he just couldn't hold still. His mother and sister were out of the house helping the retrieval squad, so no one would even notice his absence; Shino's house was empty as well. Shikamaru's father was helping Tsunade coordinate, so he'd made up an excuse to his mother about a mission and set off. Choji's father was out on a mission, and his mother busy caring for a friend about to have a child, so she didn't think anything of it when he told her he'd be out with Shikamaru.

TenTen's father had known she was up to something, but he had just passed her an extra tantō on the way out and told her to be careful. The old woman Lee lived with was none the wiser and Neji was able to slip away easily. Hinata was covering for him at the clan grounds, despite how eager she was to help Naruto; it would look too suspicious if they both randomly disappeared.

"How're we gonna do this?" Shikamaru asked, speaking around a strand of wheat.

Before Sakura could answer, a knock sounded at the door. She swiftly got up to answer it, surprised when she found Ino standing in Sasuke and Naruto's doorway.

"Sakura," she said, tone nervous.

"Uh, Ino. Come in."

Ino stepped inside and gulped. "I want on the team," she said, guessing at what they were doing easily enough.

Sasuke and Sakura frowned in sync. "Ino, I think-" Sakura began.

"No. Don't you of all people treat me like a little kid. I can and will be useful," Ino insisted. "This could turn into infiltration, right? Do you have anyone else who can jump into someone's head?"

Sasuke glanced at his teammate and shrugged. "She has a point. It's your call."

Sakura stared at her for a moment before nodding. "All right. Take a seat."

Ino let out a sigh of relief and slid onto the cushion next to Choji. They were all gathered in the meal hall; it would have been fun to be in Sasuke's house had Naruto not been missing.

"All right. I'll lead one squad," Sasuke said, pulling a map out from the wall. Practically every room was equipped with them, though they were hard to spot. "Sakura will lead the other. TenTen, Lee, Ino, Shino, you're with her. Neji, Shikamaru, Choji, Kiba, you're with me. We'll each have some of the foxes with us to help track."

"What is the most preferable way of contacting the other Konoha teams if we find a lead?" Shino asked. When Kiba had finished pitching a fit after being expelled from Tsunade's office, he'd finally noticed the death grip Shino had on the railing of the bridge they'd ended up at.

Ino's hand shot up. She swallowed when everyone looked at her. "Karin let me sign her raven contract," she said. "I can send messages."

Sakura was pleasantly surprised. "Okay, great. That covers my team."

"I can use my hawks," Sasuke nodded. "Shino, you can also contact the other shinobi from your clan on the other teams using your insects, correct?" The Aburame nodded. "And if we have to, we can send a fox with a message. Slower than flying, but still effective."

"Where are we supposed to start?" Kiba asked, squinting at the map. Sasuke had marked off where the other teams were starting.

"We're going to branch out wider than the other squads and start from there. It will simply be more effective if we have more teams out, but we can't forget our adversaries may be jounin level strength or above to take down Naruto. We have to be careful," Sasuke went on, taking a box from a table near the wall. "These are experimental, but Naruto was making them for missions like this." He withdrew what looked like patches and them out. "Press it into your skin and drop a drop of blood and chakra into it. Press it against another surface, and that becomes the homing point. If you become gravely injured or near death, it should bring you back to the homing point, which I suggest you put in the hospital."

Shino, Neji and Kiba shot each other looks. Teleportation fuinjutsu was certainly familiar.

Shikamaru noticed and narrowed his eyes at them, but said nothing.

"Yosh! When do we head out?" Lee asked, slamming his palms against the table to stand up.

Sakura sent him a fond look. "Two hours," she replied. "Two hours to prepare and get anything you need. Meet back here and we'll move out. Clear?"

Everyone nodded.

Inoichi wisely ducked to the side of the hallway out of Jiraiya's way as he stormed out of the Hokage Tower, deciding not to question it when he found one of Tsunade's chairs broken. No one else was mentioning it, so neither was he.

Maps of the surrounding forest had been carted in to fill the room, covered in various marker lines and notes. Shikaku was examining a map of the area Naruto had disappeared in with a frown.

It was dark out. Seven hours since the Uzumaki was last seen.

"Is it possible they took him into the Land of Rivers?" Shizune asked. She was clinging to Tonton, the pig being more downtrodden than usual.

"I don't think so." Tsunade chewed her thumb nail, narrowing her eyes at the wall. "The only place to go from there is the Land of Wind, and it's not unreasonable to assume we would call on Suna as our allies. They'd be trapped between two forces. I figure they found a place to hole up, wait out the initial wave of searchers, and eventually travel north away from the Land of Fire."

"Do we have a motive?" Inoichi asked, setting his coffee down. "The most likely is because he's a Jinchuriki."

"We can't rule out being kidnapped for his blood relations, though," Shizune said.

"Someone could have kidnapped him because he's the Uzumaki clan head," Shikaku shrugged. "But it's not likely. There hasn't been a ransom demand yet."

"Could be pure revenge," Inoichi argued.

"What's the point of kidnapping just one of them? There's been nobody suspicious spotted around Karin, and that woman obviously made it here in one piece, assuming she is an Uzumaki. Her wounds are all very old and her state now is from being in the cold. The red hair is kind of a giveaway; even if every redhead isn't an Uzumaki, every redhead would draw suspicion for being an Uzumaki. They've been practically hunted to extinction; doing this would just make it all that harder to get at the other two because of ramped up security, so if this was just about the Uzumaki there would have been coordinated attempts."

"If it's not because he's a Jinchuriki, which is still unlikely, it could be because of his father," Inoichi pointed out.

Shikaku didn't miss the glance Tsunade and Shizune threw each other. "Hokage-sama, what else is there to know about Naruto's heritage? Every bit of information is vital here."

Tsunade leaned back in her seat and rubbed her forehead. "I highly doubt it's the reason he was kidnapped, as we ourselves only found out recently, but…he's not just 'directly related' to my granduncle. He's his grandson, as well as Hashirama-jii-chan's grandson." Shikaku's eyes widened in surprise. "There's a few 'greats' in there, but I can't remember right now."

"Has…" Inoichi trailed off uncertainly. "Has there been any sign of-?"

"No, no wood spikes coming out of the ground," Tsunade said with a wry smirk. That's always what people want to know first, isn't it? "He does, however, have three bloodlines numerous people would be interested in."

"Three? I thought he only had Kushina's chains and that healing bite," Shikaku frowned.

"Bakuton."

"I'm not surprised," Inoichi sighed. "Though that's…ironic, considering that's usually aligned with Iwa."

"Could it be because of his father?" Shizune wondered.

"We've kept the secret so well, though," Tsunade said, then frowned. "But…he has just been using Hiraishin willy-nilly, despite my warnings." A small tick grew on her forehead, making Shizune sweatdrop. "And I know for a fact he's used those chains where people can see and carries Uncle's sword in broad daylight. I wouldn't be surprised if someone put it all together."

"So the two primary motives are 'Jinchuriki' and 'Yondaime's son'," Shikaku summarized. "A less likely but still technically possible motive being his relation to the Shodaime, despite him not showing any signs of the Mokuton."

"Could someone within the village have pulled this?" Shizune pointed out.

The four fell silent for a moment. "And that's the reason," Tsunade said, raising her cup of sake, "none of what we just said leaves this room."

It was late into the night when Madara reached the village.

It seemed running was somehow tiring when one was exhausted as he was. It hadn't taken any effort at all when he was at full strength, but he'd overextended himself fighting off the…whatever it was.

Naruto was yanked into the ice, and Izuna screamed.

Even if he hadn't grown attached to Naruto himself, Madara still would have reacted so quickly just because of his brother screaming so much. They both dove into the water, an odd feeling that was a mix of letting himself drop and actively putting effort to swim, reacting mainly on instinct- he would never admit it, but the thing instilled terror into even his mind.

Getting closer to it was worse. His brain felt like it was pulsing; his eyes throbbed like he'd overused the Mangekyo. At first, he was too afraid to move, but the sight of Naruto clawing at the black appendage around his neck roused him enough to lunge forward despite how he could feel a pounding in his chest that felt like a racing heart.

Grey flames exploded in the water. Izuna, panicking, had unleashed so many they were completely surrounded. They fell upon the thing's back and made it scream, but its surface was only slightly sizzling.

Madara's Sharingan whirled into existence. He added his own flames to the fire, and they both ignored the fact they were getting burnt as they fruitlessly tried to drive the thing away.

It turned and shrieked at them. The water rippled outward as they both froze, in much the same way they had when first exposed to their father's killing intent.

And then it violently snapped backwards, releasing Naruto as it was yanked upward towards the surface.

Izuna couldn't move for a few seconds. He lunged into action as soon as the feeling passed, grabbing Naruto and dragging him towards the surface, desperate to get him to fresh air and more than a little motivated to run far from the thing himself. Madara shook himself and tried to forget the disturbing face he'd seen on the thing, a smorgasbord of eyes and noses and chins and hands, joining his brother and pulling the boy upwards.

He dragged himself through the streets looking for the damned Senjus. It seemed just when he needed to speak to them, they were nowhere to be found, despite how determined they seemed to irritate him at all other times of the week.

"Well, well, if it isn't the traitorous scumbag."

Of all the times.

A few of the oldest Senju had appeared outside a shop in front of him, all male and featuring various battle scars. One had a ponytail; the other two were short-haired, but one had a scar over his eye. He recognized a few of them; had even known them by name at one time. "Where's Hashirama?" he snapped.

"Why would we answer that?" one of them responded, actually seeming a little bit genuinely confused under the irritation.

Resisting the urge to grind his teeth, Madara schooled his face into a blank, vaguely haughty expression, as if they were just bugs beneath his feet- aka Uchiha Expression #34. "I don't have time for your childish games. Tell me where he is, or Tobirama. I need to speak with them."

The most annoying-looking one smirked. "Do you?"

"You know, you're not looking so good," said the one with the ponytail. "What's the matter? Get tired out making plans to destroy the village?"

Madara was truly starting to get annoyed now. "I say we teach him a lesson," scar-eye said, eyes narrowing to slits. "You're not nearly as powerful as you were in life, traitor."

Madara would love nothing more than to teach them a lesson, but he wasn't stupid. It would take very little to send him to the afterlife.

The three started towards him.

But he also wasn't about to back down from the challenge.

"L-leave him alone!"

The three paused, ponytail frowning, as a mousy-looking girl sprinted in between them. Madara vaguely recognized her from the compound.

"Oh, great, it's that one," short-hair sighed. "What? Aren't hanging around with your girlfriend?"

The girl flushed and curled in on herself. "W-why do you three have to be so- so-"

"What, mean? This village doesn't make shinobi like they used to, do they?"

Madara squinted in confusion. "Just deal with both of them," scar-eye suggested, cracking his knuckles.

The girl's face could only be described as terrified. Not thinking about what he was doing, Madara grabbed her by the arm and hauled her behind him, making her yelp. "Picking on children?" he intoned.

"Says the traitor to the village," ponytail hissed.

"Madara-san is nice!" the girl squeaked. "Leave him alone!"

Madara was surprised, but didn't show it. It was true the Uchiha compound was where he spent most of his time if he wasn't with Naruto, but he still didn't quite…interact with anyone besides Izuna. He generally ignored the other Uchiha and they usually ignored him.

This girl reminded him, however, there was a couple who'd been bakers when they were alive who always greeted him when he returned and waved when he left, and whenever Kagami came up to speak to Izuna he extended a polite greeting to Madara as well. The old Uchiha woman who usually asked Naruto if he'd had anything to eat asked Izuna if he'd rested recently and asked him if he'd found anything 'interesting'. (He still wasn't quite sure what she meant.) He'd caught the Uchiha children goggling at him sometimes, running off when they saw he'd spotted them but giggling as they did so. The woman who hung around Naruto's house- though she didn't speak to anyone very often- had once told him his hair was 'even more impressive than Izuna-san's'- and the man at the dock had given him a solitary nod once when he'd been looking for somewhere to meditate alone and ended up there, leaving them in silence, though not a particularly uncomfortable one.

There was a time when the Uchiha clan had been where Madara and Izuna belonged, and they knew they had their clansmen's support. When he left the village he'd been a lone wolf even in his own clan, but maybe they weren't ignoring him as much as he thought now.

Ponytail lunged. Madara, out of patience, went to meet him head-on.

Let it be said that neither he nor Hashirama, as skilled in tactics as they were, were as level-headed as Tobirama when dealing with petty grievances; that man could somehow keep himself in check even when he'd already lost his temper. Hashirama tended to try and smooth things over with a smile and, in Madara's opinion, let people walk all over him, but it took a lot to make Hashirama snap- Madara had only seen it happen once when they were younger, when a dignitary from the daimyo had somehow managed to insult the Hokage, flirt with his wife, and harass Madara in one sitting- but once he did, he exuded a quiet anger and could hardly be persuaded to not kick the ass of whoever had pissed him off. Madara was much more rash than the both of them and, though he was a master of containing his emotions and exuding a blank mask, his fiery temper had gotten him into trouble with his father more than once.

Still; it had been years and years since he'd actually lost control of said temper. But he felt more like his old self than ever before, and his old self was someone who'd once had too much sake at village celebrations and punched out someone over a disagreement concerning whether kunai or shuriken were more effective.

It was rather annoying, being unable to teach these Senju a lesson for daring to attack him; when it came down to it he was more skilled than the three of them combined, but his form was already starting to flicker and there were three of them. For this reason (he would've been able to handle them easily at full strength) he ended up laid out on the ground in an alley as the Uchiha girl went slamming into the wall of the building next to him. It was at least admirable she refused to run away, despite the fact she resembled a small, frightened animal more than a kunoichi.

"By the way," he said, feeling a bit out of it as he turned his head to look at her, "what was your name?"

"M-M-Miki, Madara-san," she replied, speaking from behind the arms she'd raised to protect herself. "I-it's nice to formally meet you!"

"Likewise."

"What the HELL is going on here?"

The three Senju froze in their places. With no small amount of struggling, even with Miki helping him, Madara sat up and huffed out an irritated breath. He blinked several times to make the world go back into focus. It looked as if there were two of his rival, three of his brother, and two and a half of Mito.

"H-Hashirama-sama," ponytail-Senju stammered. "This isn't-"

"What it looks like? Because it looks like you're blatantly assaulting a man who did nothing to provoke it and a teenage girl," Hashirama snapped. His face was set in a stern look, providing an intimidating contrast to his usual sunny grin and friendly expression.

"Nothing to provoke it?" scar-face said, sounding disgusted. "He's a traitor! Practically all of them are-"

"You're a liar!" Miki yelled, pointing at them. "All of you are! Madara-san hasn't done anything wrong since Naruto saved him!"

Mito slipped between Hashirama and Tobirama to start forward with a worried expression. "Miki? Are you all right?"

"Senju," Madara interrupted, blinking several times as he leaned forward and got to his feet. The three looked at him in apprehension, making a sneer settle on his face. "Not- not you. Idiots. Hashirama."

"Madara, where've you been? Where's Naruto?" The Senju patriarch rushed forward, concerned.

Madara's mind was beginning to grow fuzzy. He had the oddest urge to start cussing someone out. "There was-" His goal. He had to keep his goal in front of him. "Naruto. He's-"

"He's what?" Tobirama pressed, eyebrows furrowed.

"Hashirama," Madara said, growing visibly confused. "Why are-" He lifted a hand to point at Hashirama's puzzled face. "Why are you in sage mode?" A sweatdrop ran down Hashirama's head.

His eyes rolled back in his head and he passed out, making Miki stumble to catch him with a shriek and startling Hashirama.

"Madara!"

Tobirama turned to his clansmen with a thunderous expression. "Do you have any idea what you've done?"

"W-what?" short-hair yelped. "Wh-why would you defend Madara, Tobirama-sama?"

He grabbed the one who'd spoken by the collar, a tick growing on his forehead. "I may not like Uchiha Madara, but currently, he is the only one who knows where my grandson is-"

"Our grandson," Mito corrected. It would've been comical in any other situation.

"And he is currently passed out on the ground," Tobirama finished. All three of them had blanched. "So tell me, do you think I should be irritated right now?"

"Uh." Short-hair licked his lips anxiously. "Yes?"

"There they are!" A new ghost came sprinting out of an alley, pointing wildly. "You see? I told you!"

Ghosts wearing the Uchiha fan flooded from the alley. A cold pit settled in Mito's stomach; she knew the beginnings of a mob when she saw one. As long as they'd kept it quiet, Hashirama could've dealt with the few Senju who'd started the problem and been done with it, but now inter-clan relations were certainly going to take a nosedive. A similar situation had once nearly unfolded between the Shimura and the Inuzuka due to a fight between a few of their members; Hashirama had just managed to settle things between them.

"I saw the Senju attacking Madara-sama," the Uchiha who'd spoken explained. "I ran straight to the compound."

"We should've known this would happen again," another Uchiha snapped. "You Senju can't be trusted with anything!"

"Wait, this isn't-" Hashirama began desperately.

As if on cue, several Senju came running through a building. A few non-clan ghosts were mixed in with them.

"We saw a large number of ghosts massing on this position," Hiroto explained, making Hashirama slap a palm to his forehead and groan. "What's-?" He cut himself off, frowning in confusion.

"Was this planned? I bet you had something to do with it," an Uchiha near the front accused. "What're you trying to do, send him to the afterlife?"

"What?"

"Everyone calm down," Tobirama ordered. "Panicking and jumping to conclusions will help nothing-"

"As if we'd listen to you!" an Uchiha howled. "You were suspicious of the Uchiha through your whole rule!"

Tobirama narrowed his eyes. Hashirama grimaced and held up his hands in a placating gesture, trying to diffuse the situation before it devolved any more. "We'll deal with the perpetrators, I assure you-"

"Yeah, right," an Uchiha muttered.

"You have my word. Please return to your homes and let us handle this."

"To hell with that!" Uchiha Inabi pushed through the crowd, scowling. He was notorious for not serving as the water that dampened a fire before it could spread, but rather the gasoline that stoked it. "Before we know it they'll be coming into our compound again to spread trouble!"

"We have not set foot in your cursed place for years," a Senju argued.

"Oh, it's CURSED now, is it?"

"Considering your very clan is cursed-"

"Enough!" Hiroto exclaimed, exasperated. The men behind him either didn't hear him or ignored him.

"We're no more cursed than you are," a young girl with a kind face insisted. Miki recognized her as one of her friends, Izumi. "You can't just go around attacking our members. How would you feel if Inabi-san and his friends cornered a Senju and beat him?"

"That isn't comparable," the Senju snapped. "Madara tried to destroy the village and most of you attempted to overthrow it. You're nothing but criminals."

She looked pained. "Yes, the clan was planning a coup. We're regretful of that now and paid for it with our lives. Isn't that enough for you?"

Shouting broke out on both sides. Hashirama grimaced and clapped his hands together, prepared to try anything just to get them all to be quiet, before a voice carried over the clamor.

"Enough!"

The Uchiha fell silent with a collective wince; the Senju followed suit out of sheer surprise.

The Uchiha parted to the sides, deferring to Kagami as he strode down the alley. They were silent as he surveyed the situation, casting his stare from Madara to the Senju to his old commander and back again. With a sigh, he raised his hand.

"Fighting will get us nowhere; it's been proven time and time again. It is true that Madara at one time betrayed the village, but-" Here he stared at the crowd of Senju, steeling his expression. "You know what Naruto's rules are."

The ghosts flinched. Mito eyed her husband in confusion, but found no answers with him. Rules?

Kagami motioned with his hand. Hikaku, a man from Madara's era, and Yakumi, one of Fugaku's most loyal men, crossed over to Miki and took Madara from her, each pulling an arm over their shoulders to carry him back.

Tobirama was surprised; when he'd last seen Kagami in life, he'd been young and a follower rather than a leader. Now, even if he didn't look a day over twenty, he carried himself with a different air; if Izuna was the de facto leader of the Uchiha ghosts, Kagami had to have been second choice. None of the Uchiha were questioning him.

"Return to the compound, all of you." After a moment of hesitation, Kagami continued. "I think it would be wise to stay there until further notice."

Hashirama's expression fell. "That's not right. You all shouldn't feel as if you can't walk freely in your own village."

Kagami smiled without any feeling behind it. "Unfortunately, Hashirama-sama, many of us already feel that way. Tonight only served to cement those feelings." He glanced at Madara briefly. "I think it would also be wise for no Senju to visit the compound right now."

"What? But-"

"I apologize, Hashirama-sama; I know you wouldn't cause trouble, but I feel this is best to allow all of us to cool off and for the Uchiha to feel most comfortable." Hashirama glanced at the clan members behind Kagami, stomach dropping to his feet when he saw several from generations after him look away from his gaze. They'd never met him before, and though they'd heard stories of the Shodaime's kind disposition, they were just that- stories, not firsthand experience of any sort. The idea that any of his villagers were afraid of him didn't set well with him.

Tobirama spoke up. "What about Madara?"

"We'll oversee him until he wakes," Kagami replied.

He frowned. "We would prefer to speak to him directly when that happens."

"I can relay any messages for you."

"Kagami, he has information on where Naruto is." A small amount of impatience slipped into his tone. "Do you not realize how urgent-"

"Yes, Tobirama-sama, I do." Kagami hadn't raised his voice; in fact, he'd gotten even quieter, but it made Tobirama pause more effectively than any yelling would have. "Don't forget. We were caring for him long before you three. Do you honestly think I- we would-" He stopped short, pursing his lips. Waste time? Not pursue pertinent information? Let Naruto die? Inwardly, he wondered if Tobirama would defend Madara at all.

Tobirama hadn't meant to imply he didn't care for the boy, and he certainly hadn't meant to slight one of the most loyal and competent shinobi he knew- a shinobi who'd been loyal to him, specifically, despite knowing he was suspicious of his family. It seemed his past mistakes were determined to slap him in the face today.

Kagami wasn't showing any anger at all. It was just like him. "If you'll excuse us, Nidaime-sama." Okay, that stung.

He raised his hand and motioned again. The Uchiha leapt onto a rooftop in a group, Izumi making sure Miki didn't get left behind, and left the Senju and a few bystanders standing awkwardly in the alley.

After a moment of silence, Mito spoke as she opened her fan and heaved a sigh. "Well, that went splendidly."

43. Stranger Things Ino was apprehensive. The Sasuke Retrieval Squad had nearly come back in pieces, so it was understandable to worry the Naruto Retrieval Squad would end up the same; they were miles from the village and any help, and they had no idea who or what they were up against.

Sakura lead the group through the trees, two foxes running along either side of her. Shino was just behind, ready to direct her with his insects or take the lead himself if they caught something. Lee was taking up the rear, ready to defend them from any surprise attacks.

"You all right?"

Ino jumped. She looked at the girl behind her; she was almost intimidating in just how proficient she was with weapons, and though Ino had trained with her a few times, they weren't especially close. "I'm fine."

TenTen wore a friendly smile. "Don't be nervous. We're all in this together; at the end of the day, we have something the other guys don't. The desire to protect our comrades. It's what Konoha ninja are most well-known for- we pull through when it looks impossible because of that desire, and we call it the Will of Fire."

Something burned in her. She didn't want to see Choji or Sasuke or Naruto in the hospital again, let alone in a coffin. "And besides," TenTen said, nodding at the front. "Look at her."

Ino followed her gaze. Sakura had stopped to consult a map and Shino, occasionally glancing up into the trees. Her shoulders were square and devoid of any uncertainty, her stance at ease- still alert and cautious, but exuding a quiet confidence Ino admired.

She'd seen Sakura follow before, but damn if she wasn't a good leader, too.

Sakura turned and motioned them forward again. Ino only caught her gaze for a moment, but she recognized the sweep Sakura did- instantly surveying each comrade for any injuries, no matter how small, any differences that would suggest they'd been replaced or tampered with; it was both a medic and a captain's glance that lasted barely a second but gathered all the information she needed.

Sakura wouldn't let any of them die. She would die herself before it happened.

Ino started forward, the pit of anxiousness in her gut gone. The running came easier even after the little training she had done; she didn't run out of breath as quickly and didn't find herself waiting for the next break. She kept up the pace and kept in formation, ready for any signal Sakura would give her.

It was raining.

Sasuke wrung out his hair with a deep sigh, glad he hadn't grown it out like Madara's or Izuna's. He only knew what the former looked like because of the portrait in Izuna's room, and he knew what the latter looked like because of the sketches he'd seen in Naruto's sketchbook. The boy had a talent for art- not just bombs- even if he refused to show anyone. (He had sketches of all his friends; a whole book dedicated to Team Seven and Jiraiya, one for the ghosts, another for the rest of the Konoha 12, Karin, and Tsunade and Shizune, and his current one, populated mostly of sketches of wildlife, Neji, and Kurama.)

"This isn't good for tracking," Kiba muttered. He sat with his hood up against the cave wall, stoking their small fire. Choji had taken out the cooking supplies he'd brought and was cooking a small pot of stew.

Sasuke eyed Neji, who still had his Byakugan active searching the surrounding forest. "Don't strain yourself. You're the most useful here, considering they're probably underground, and there's no use looking if we're immobile. We should wait out the rain." The two foxes curled up near the mouth of the cave made noises of agreement.

Neji nodded and let the veins around his eyes recede. Sasuke glanced at Shikamaru; he was in his renowned thinking pose. "What're you trying to determine?"

"Just where's the most likely place an abductor would take a clan head," Shikamaru grunted, eyebrows furrowed in concentration. Sasuke paused and turned away. If only he could tell them being a clan head probably wasn't the reason Naruto had been taken.

Kiba narrowed his eyes at his back. He made eye contact with Neji, suddenly wishing Shino were there. "Is there anything else we should know about Naruto concerning why someone would kidnap him?" Neji asked, raising an eyebrow.

"No." The answer sounded normal enough, but there had been the briefest moment of hesitation. Choji watched them all in confusion.

Kiba shared another look with Neji. He stood up and set Akamaru on the ground, patting him on the head to let him know to stay. "Hey, come over here for a minute. I needa talk to you." Sasuke frowned at him, but followed him deeper into the cave. Neji glanced at Shikamaru and Choji before following.

"What's that about?" Choji asked, squinting. Shikamaru only narrowed his eyes in contemplation.

As soon as they were far enough away for the rain to cover what they were saying, Kiba turned to Sasuke and let out a growl. "All right, enough is enough. What're you hiding?"

Sasuke tried not to look insulted. He settled for a glare. "I don't know what you're talking about."

He hadn't spent a lot of time with either of them, but he knew Naruto liked them. He wanted to believe that neither would change their treatment of his friend upon learning of his literal inner demon, but he was also more than a little cynical.

"We know who his father is," Kiba snapped.

"Kiba!" Neji hissed.

Sasuke reacted on instinct. He lunged forward and slammed Kiba into the cave wall by the collar, Sharingan spinning to life. "How do you know?" he hissed.

"So you know that, at least," Kiba barked out, staring straight into his eyes without fear.

Neji pressed a palm into his shoulder and grabbed one of his wrists. "Enough," he insisted. Sasuke let go and stepped away, but his Sharingan didn't fade. The Hyuuga chose his next words carefully. "We are certain that we happened upon this information by accident. We noticed that the adult generation in Konoha has always treated Naruto negatively, so we went looking for any leads on the Uzumaki side of his family to discover why. Shino was unable to access his family tree due to his security clearance being too low, and when we heard Naruto call Jiraiya-sama 'godfather'…it wasn't hard to put together when we compared photos of the two."

Sasuke stared at him for a moment before he heaved a sigh, let his Sharingan deactivate, and scrubbed a hand over his face. "This is a mess," he said, sounding more tired than Kiba had ever heard him.

"L…look, man," he said, a tad guilty. It was easy to forget, sometimes, since his point of reference for Sasuke and Naruto up until a few months ago had been 'bitter rivals who hated each other', but Sasuke cared for Naruto like a little brother- it was more apparent now than ever. "All we wanna know is the real reason Naruto's in trouble right now, because you obviously know."

They both saw the indecision flicker across Sasuke's expression. "I…I can't tell you," he said, making Kiba deflate. "It should be him. It's his secret to tell, not mine. What I will tell you is…" He grimaced. "We don't have much time to find him. That's why Sakura and I were so eager to get out here. Normally, two squads of genin wouldn't be of much help, but we need all the manpower we can get, and you all are particularly…exceptional; chuunin-level, at least."

Neji and Kiba were both silent for a moment before Neji spoke up, tone quiet. "Just how urgent is it that we find him?"

"Depending on how skilled his abductors are? He could already be dead." A cold pit formed in Kiba's chest. "Because of how skilled Naruto is, I choose to believe he isn't. I know he isn't. But if we take more than a few days to find him…" The way Sasuke's expression fell was answer enough for both of them. "Hokage-sama has already sent out teams of Inuzuka and Aburame in addition to the main squads. He's more important to the village than you could ever guess."

He glanced up at the ceiling of the cave. "The rain's letting up. We should get back out there. Are you two satisfied?"

Neji and Kiba eyed each other. "Yeah," Kiba shrugged. "We're satisfied." For now.

"Good." Sasuke started back, but paused. "I apologize," he said to Kiba, a tad sheepish.

He waved him off. "It's all good. I'm an Inuzuka. I know a lot about losing my temper." A wry smirk appeared on his lips.

Sasuke didn't quite smile, but his expression relaxed. None of them noticed a thin tendril of darkness snake away, zipping down the cave and back into their resident Nara's own shadow, depositing a piece of radio equipment into his palm. They were all equipped with short-range radios, but only one of them had been using theirs in the cave.

Shikamaru shifted the piece into his pocket as Choji obliviously crunched away at his chips. As Sasuke strode back and ordered them to quickly eat and get ready to move out again, he said not a word, but his mind was whirling at a mile a minute.

It was a testament to how pissed off and worried Jiraiya was that Tsunade hadn't heard hide nor hair of any bathhouse incidents. Of course, if he'd been wasting time peeking on women she would have put him near death again- that was a given- but there had been numerous serious and urgent situations over the years that hadn't put a wrench in the man's perverted habits. The fact he was too stressed for his 'research' simply spoke of how much he cared for Naruto.

If he kept pacing, though, she really was going to put him in the hospital. "Jiraiya. Cut it out," she said through gritted teeth.

"The toads couldn't reverse-summon him," Jiraiya said, totally ignoring her. "That means they have to have someone at least skilled enough to make an anchoring seal to block the summons and another to seal his chakra so he can't Hiraishin without interfering with the Kyuubi's chakra. It's already been a day, which means they've had roughly-" He paused to frown- "twelve hours to go at it. The kid's good, one of the best I've ever seen- probably better than me- but with enough time they'll get the Kyuubi out of him. He told me there was a twenty-nine percent possibility I could crack his work in two days or less; accounting for whoever this is not being at my level, that's still a minimum of twenty percent, which we have to treat as an absolute certainty, because a fifth is still a damn good chance-"

"Jiraiya!" Tsunade yelled, slamming her palms onto the desk as she stood up. "You're going to give me an aneurism. Trust me, I already know everything you're saying. This isn't helping."

"Sorry," he groaned, covering his eyes with one hand and stretching his neck. "I can't stand being cooped up. I should be out looking."

"You aren't a tracking ninja. If the toads suddenly gain the ability to track scents, let me know, but I need you here in case one of the squads send word they found him, not out there miles away from a messenger."

"Yeah, yeah," he returned sourly, crossing to the window to stare at the forest. She sighed and picked up another mission report- she still, unfortunately, had duties to attend to in the quiet hours when no reports from the squads were coming in. A message from Sakura the foxes had brought her sat on the other side of the desk; she'd stayed overnight at Sasuke and Naruto's to make sure Sasuke didn't do something stupid. Little did she know what they were both really up to.

Jiraiya tapped his fingers against his bracers, something that would undoubtedly make Tsunade throw a chair at him in a few minutes. However, he simply couldn't sit still. His spy network was useless to him, all his skills unhelpful and every avenue he, personally, could pursue was fruitless. Tsunade already had her best trackers in the field.

He tried not to think about his track record with apprentices. The first three had been assumed dead until Naruto had told him two of them were apparently terrorists now, and Minato…

"The rain's going to make tracking nearly impossible," he sighed.

Tsunade sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. "You two should come up with a seal for this."

"That's a good idea. We should." It would have to be somewhere on the body, or else he would have to hound Naruto to wear whatever article of clothing he had a tracker in and with their luck he'd get snatched when he wasn't wearing it.

There was a soft knock at the door. "Enter," Tsunade called, grateful for any distraction from her paperwork.

With mouse-like quietness, Hinata slipped inside and bowed. "I just came for, uh- S-Sakura," she said, trying not to let her nervousness show. She hated lying, and lying to the Hokage? "She and Sasuke went out to train, t-to, erm, get rid of some extra energy. I don't think they…they like sitting around very much."

Tsunade sipped at the cup on her desk. "I didn't think they would. At least they're staying in village." She set a hand over her eyes and sighed again.

Hinata chewed her lip guiltily. If he hadn't been staring out the window, Jiraiya would've spotted her lie straight away. "Is there anything I- that I can do, Tsunade-sama?"

"No, Hinata, not right now, at least. Just keep an eye on Sakura and Sasuke for me, will you?"

"Yes, ma'am."

Hinata stepped back into the hall, letting out a breath she hadn't known she'd been holding. Jiraiya was too lost in his thoughts to ever be the wiser.

"This is a damned mess."

Madara was still unresponsive. Kagami had only seen ghosts pass out a few times, but it usually took days for them to wake up again. They'd brought him into the main house and set him on Sasuke and Naruto's couch, leaving Izumi and Miki to watch him in case he roused.

"Everyone calm down," he called out, making his clansmen go quiet. "I understand that you're all angry and concerned, but keeping a cool head is important- for Naruto's sake." Several nodded in agreement with him. "We can't be going out and starting trouble with the Senju right now; that's why I said we should all stay here and they should stay out. Just in case, I want the border of the compound patrolled around the clock- the last thing we need is for some freak event of bad luck to send Madara to the afterlife. Go in duos and keep the other partners just within your range of sight. And for the love of Kami, if you see a Senju, don't attack it."

"Yes, Kagami," several muttered when he glanced pointedly at them.

"If Senju Toka, Hashirama, or Tobirama or Uzumaki Mito appear at the gate, come and tell me at once; don't send them away. Keep your eyes and ears open. That's all."

The Uchiha nodded at him and went on their way. Kagami sighed and rubbed his forehead, turning to head back to the main house.

"Kagami?"

He paused and glanced back. "Ah. Naori. Good to see you." The woman smiled politely at him. She wore the standard Uchiha attire, forehead protector tied securely around her forehead; what she had died in. In the informal chain of command, she would take leadership after him, if both Izuna and Naruto weren't around. She had never succumbed to the Curse of Hatred. "Did you need something?"

"I only wish to know if you would be all right with me leaving the compound to search. I thought I would go into the forest where Naruto disappeared and see if any animals had seen what happened."

Possessing animals was tricky. It was rather easy as long as it wasn't a summoning animal, but a spirit had to be careful not to overexert it or damage its body. Naori was unique in that she was skilled in looking through her host's memories and projecting what she found outward, a form of ghostly genjutsu. "You're fine. I trust you."

"Thank you, Kagami. I'll be back soon."

He nodded and they parted ways. When he reached Naruto's porch he glanced back, watching her exit the gate. She strode away with quiet purpose guiding her steps, chin up but not in arrogance; she was a humble person even if she had confidence in her abilities.

If anyone could find any clues, it was her.

It had been over two days.

Naruto was sure that, even with the famous Root emotionless composure, the shinobi working on his seal was about to have an aneurism. Could their conditioning be cracked by pure frustration?

Izuna still hadn't come back. Madara hadn't either. The Kyuubi was growing more stressed at the near-constant attempts to grab onto his chakra and pull him out of his host, and Naruto was starting to feel the strain of having someone mess with the seal for so long. It burned every time, making him grit his teeth against the pain as sweat rolled down his forehead. They hadn't let him eat or have any water either, and his wrists were freely bleeding.

They'll come back in time…they will. … Won't they?

They would. He just had to trust them.

"I've got it."

Naruto froze.

The shinobi turned to the guard at the door. "The security layers are difficult to bypass if I try to open the seal itself. However, I can create a seal that acts as a magnet and pulls chakra out. It will be a slow process with the array he's created, but it will work nonetheless."

"Do it, then."

Shit.

The shinobi painted an elaborate array on the floor. He formed a series of hand seals to activate it, making it glow a bright blue.

Pain exploded in his abdomen as a sliver of Kurama's chakra was pulled from the seal. His security layers immediately tried to latch onto it and funnel it back in, keeping most of it from leaving, but a small trickle still escaped, flowing from his stomach towards the ground. The chakra his seal funneled back in was pulled on again, repeating in a vicious cycle. His own chakra tried to flow from his body, but it was bound tightly by his captors' chakra seal, leaving him to feel like he was burning on every square inch of his body. His chakra and Kurama's were so deeply intertwined that it felt like someone was peeling his skin off as they were separated.

"Dammit," he hissed out through clenched teeth, closing his eyes.

"Make sure the vessel is ready," the sealing shinobi intoned. The guard slipped out the door.

Izu-nii? Please get back quickly.

Naori slipped into another bird and watched through distant vision as Naruto passed by in the forest floor below. She frowned and jumped from the bird to a tree branch. It squawked in confusion before taking off. Still not the memories I need. This is searching for a needle in a haystack. Glancing up at the late afternoon sky, she chewed her lip and tried not to think about how much time had passed. Naruto-kun is strong. He can make it through this.

But right now? Right now, she needed a miracle.

A soft mewl from below caught her attention.

Startled, she glanced down and did a double take when she spotted a small, orange fox staring up at her. It wasn't one of Naruto's summons- it was obviously wild- but it was just sitting primly on the forest floor, staring straight at her even though it shouldn't have been able to see her. She didn't think it could see her- it was more like it was staring at where it knew she was.

"Well then."

"Kagami-san! Kagami!"

Hashirama had been sitting on a tree stump somewhere near the Uchiha compound rubbing his temples when he heard a female voice call out. Tobirama and Mito were on either side of him, both staring with contemplating frowns in opposite directions, but looked up when an Uchiha streaked by on the road in front of them.

Kagami rushed out of the gate and down the road when he heard her, meeting her halfway. "What'd you find?" he asked, alarmed.

"I'm not entirely sure, but-" The Uchiha woman glanced to the side as the Senju emerged from the trees. "I should show you instead of trying to explain."

Kagami wordlessly motioned for their guests to come closer. He'd known they were near the compound, even if they were staying far enough away most of the ghosts wouldn't notice them. Honestly, he reckoned they didn't know what to do with themselves, with the Senju acting like attack dogs and Naruto nowhere to be found.

Naori turned and, to Hashirama's surprise, activated her Mangekyo. She formed a hand seal and visibly concentrated, staring at the ground.

Slowly, an image flickered into focus. Tobirama didn't even try reigning in his surprise. Kagami gave him a look that said I'll explain later.

"You ever had any cats before?" Mito jolted, stepping closer to watch Naruto enter a clearing.

Izuna grinned. "The Uchiha's always had a relationship with nekonin, but if you mean pets, we had a cat once when we were children. Remember that?" he asked, glancing at Madara.

He snorted. "The one we had for dinner?"

"We were starving. But before that, it was fun."

"If you call 'fun' waking up to a shredded tent flap. Father nearly skinned it alive."

"Well, technically he did anyway eventually."

"Gross," said Naruto.

Izuna huffed out a laugh. "Cat meat doesn't taste good," he said. "Remember when you found it hanging around camp? It was skinny as a stick; you could see its ribs."

"It scratched up my face," Madara complained.

"Yeah. That was a good day." Hashirama's expression grew fond. He hadn't seen Madara converse so comfortably with anyone for a long time- the dynamic between the two Uchiha brothers and Naruto seemed so…special when looking in on a moment that had taken place when no one had been watching them.

Naruto snickered. "Just be glad you didn't see the days of Tora the cat. That thing's from hell. It's the bane of every genin's existence."

Izuna laughed. "I'd almost feel sorry for it if it weren't so-" He stopped, nearly running into Naruto. "Hn?"

The boy had come to a halt in the middle of the clearing. "What is it?" Madara frowned.

"You hear that?" They quieted. "Silence."

Naruto took a step and paused.

He glanced down. "Naruto," Izuna warned, "I don't think this is a field."

"Yeah, I figured," the blond said, slowly raising one hand and summoning a pentagram to jump onto. He began to bend to jump, but froze at a cracking sound.

He motioned the pentagram towards him to grab onto.

He froze again.

"Naruto," Izuna whispered, "Hiraishin to the village."

"I-" Naruto spoke in a creaking tone, obviously terrified of something. "Can't."

The ice exploded. A black shape made of what looked like hundreds of hands snatched him and dragged him under as Izuna screamed.

"NARUTO!"

They both dove in after him. The silence dragged on.

"Oh my god," Kagami wheezed, eyes wide. Mito and Hashirama looked horrified. "Did he drown?"

"Keep watching," Naori ordered. They waited in tense silence. After several minutes, the relative calmness of the lake broke as Izuna and Madara dragged Naruto out, not looking too good themselves. Hashirama felt like he was about to explode; if he couldn't sit still from worry before, he was even worse now.

"Naruto! Come on, snap out of it!"

The boy gasped and gulped in air, grasping Madara's shirt as the ghost pulled him onto the bank and leaned him against a tree, crouching at his side as Izuna hovered over him. "What- what was that?"

"I don't know," Izuna said. "You were under for seven minutes."

"How did-?" They both looked exhausted. Grey Amaterasu flames flickered on the surface of the lake.

Even Madara looked freaked out. Naruto caught sight of a dark shape in the trees across the lake behind Izuna's back, going pale when he did. Madara and Izuna both snapped around to face it, staring at the shadow lurking between two trees.

There was a flash of light, and it was gone.

"What?" Naruto said. "Kurama? Kurama?" He paused. "He was scared," he breathed out. "He was really scared."

"What on earth could scare the Kyuubi?" Tobirama asked, poleaxed.

The two Uchiha shot each other concerned frowns. "We need to get back to the village- now," Izuna said, standing and glancing around the forest. "It's still too quiet."

"Right." Naruto dug his heels into the ground slightly, but didn't move. "Right."

Izuna spotted something in the trees. "Dammit. Naruto, Hiraishin. Now. I can't possess anything right now."

"What?"

"In the trees."

Naruto clambered to his feet. Shapes darted down from all sides; he pressed his right thumb into his left palm. His explosive pouches, katana, the Raijin no Ken, and everything else besides the clothes on his back disappeared.

He vanished. He reappeared a few yards away with a bloody nose.

Mito was livid as she watched masked shinobi descend on her grandson. They injected him with a needle full of what she guessed was a form of sedative, knocking him unconscious. Izuna started cussing them out.

"Shit, shit, shit," Izuna bit out, fisting his hands in his hair. "I can't possess any of them. Madara!"

"Follow them," the Uchiha hissed out, one hand pressed over one of his eyes.

Even Tobirama was slightly dumbfounded at the rage that had settled on the former Uchiha leader's face. Kagami was completely unsurprised; Naori showed no reaction.

"We'll kill them later. Make sure you memorize where they take him."

"He does know where Naruto-kun is!" Hashirama cried. "Isn't there anything we can do to wake him up?"

Kagami groaned and turned away from the image as it fizzled out, rubbing his forehead. "I don't know any way to revive him any quicker." He paused when something occurred to him. "Naori? Where did you get this memory?"

The woman let her Mangekyo fade from her eyes, sighing at the strain. "A fox," she explained, closing her eyes.

Kagami frowned. "Animals can't see spirits. That's impossible."

"I don't know how it occurred, Kagami," she replied calmly. "I was looking through the memories of all the animals near the lake for hours. When I thought it was becoming pointless, I saw a fox below staring straight at me. It was almost like it knew where I was even if it couldn't see me. I retrieved this memory from its mind. From the point of view, it makes sense a fox would see those events- it was from the ground, and the angle suggests a small animal."

Tobirama raised an eyebrow, wondering who she was again. Kagami frowned and set a hand on his chin. "So you're telling me," he said, making them all look at him, "that just when you needed it most, a fox- a fox, of all things- miraculously appeared, knew exactly where you were, and had this memory even though it shouldn't be able to see ghosts and therefore shouldn't be able to possess this memory, all after Naruto is mysteriously attacked by a poltergeist that terrifies even the Kyuubi and Madara?"

The five of them fell silent. Tobirama stared at the ground where Naori had projected her memory with a deep frown.

"This is strange," Naori murmured, narrowing her eyes.

"It's more than strange," Kagami continued, scowling. "Something's going on here. There's something else at play, and I don't like it."

44. Kushina "This is bad. This is really, really bad."

Naruto stared up at the ceiling of his mindscape. It had begun to crack. He winced when another tendril of red chakra zipped past him.

"Stop it," he murmured, covering his eyes. He'd retreated to his mind when the strain on his body had become too much. Even his four and a half hours with Ibiki weren't as bad as this.

He could feel Kurama being pulled out of him bit by bit. It was slow, and his abductors hadn't managed to pull even a quarter of the Bijuu's chakra yet, but Kurama had always been the one solid, steady factor in his life- even when he hated Naruto. To feel him slowly being extracted was worse than any torture.

Dying wasn't his foremost worry. He couldn't lose his best friend. He imagined retreating into his mindscape only to be greeted with silence and emptiness.

Kurama had an invisible death grip on him. "I won't go easily, kid," he whispered, unable to speak louder; he was concentrating everything on staying curled into a ball safely in Naruto's mind. "I won't leave even if it kills us both."

That was a very real possibility. Naruto knew he would cut himself off from his chakra if need be and let his own mind die with Naruto. Good luck to the sorry bastard who would try to control the very literal mindless beast made of chakra they would end up with.

It might have seemed morbid to others, but Kurama knew Naruto would die anyway if he was extracted. If it came down to it, Kurama would willingly kill himself to make sure Naruto didn't go alone.

"I don't want to be alone," Naruto whispered, tone wobbling.

You monster, the halls of his mind whispered. Old voices and memories filtered through the air, stirred up by the stress his mind was going under like sand being stirred up when the water it resided in was disturbed.

Demon.

Freak.

Monster.

Get out of here!

What's wrong, Naruto?

You're a useless nuisance nobody wants.

"No," he said, backing away from the darkness creeping in from the hallways. "Stop-"

Go die already.

Stop crying, you little shit!

Just go away already!

No one wants you here.

Get. OUT.

Good riddance. You belong on the street with the dogs.

You deserve to die.

"I didn't do anything," he yelled.

"Kit!" Kurama hissed. "They aren't real! Calm yourself before-"

The room shook. It didn't shiver this time; it quaked like it was falling apart.

"Stop it!"

The voices ignored him, closing in around him until he couldn't hear Kurama any longer. They started going faster and faster until they were all he could hear.

Monster.

Demon!

Freak!

Troublesome idiot.

He covered his ears to try and block them out, but they only seemed to get louder.

"You're being a distraction."

What'd you do to him, huh?

Dead-last.

Monster.

Go away. No one wants you here.

You don't have a mother or father. You were born a monster.

He was crying. He couldn't stop himself.

GO AWAY-

"No, it's all right. You can stay here."

The voices stopped.

There was light all around him.

Naruto stood with his hands still over his ears, eyes pressed tightly shut and his head ducked towards the floor. After a moment of silence, he realized someone had spoken, silencing all the other voices at once. Who…who was that?

The voice sounded familiar.

Slowly, he opened one eye, stumbling in shock when he found himself standing in a bright space filled with relaxing shades of pale yellow and white. "Wha…?"

"Heheh. You're even cuter than I thought you would be."

His breath hitched. What…?

Go on, kit, Kurama whispered, his voice faint. She's here.

She's here…?

It hit him all at once. The moment he'd been waiting thirteen years for. The moment he'd been fearing and anticipating for thirteen years. There was no time to think of what to say or do or be nervous; she was right in front of him, and the day I meet my mom was right now, not some far off point in the future.

He made himself look up.

The red-haired woman grinned down at him. "Okay," she said, setting one hand on her hip and holding up three fingers. "I'll give you three guesses! Who am I?"

Naruto lowered his hands. His jaw was trembling; hell, he was sure his whole body was trembling. "Are you real?" he asked shakily.

"Of course I am! What kinda question is that?"

She's real, Kurama answered. She's your mother.

Kushina's grin softened when she saw tears begin to slide down his cheeks again. "Aww, c'mon, you don't hafta cry," she said, bending down to look him in the eye on his level. "I'm right here-"

Naruto cut her off by rushing forward and throwing himself onto her, arms wrapping tightly around her waist as he rested his head against her abdomen and wept into the green dress she wore. She was startled at first, but her expression went soft as she laid a hand on his head and the other on his back. "It's all right," she cooed, her own nervousness vanishing as instinct took over. "Momma's here."

Momma's here.

They were the words he'd never heard and always wanted the most.

He cried harder.

She let herself sink to the floor; he went with, legs having gone weak. She rested her cheek against his hair and let out a long sigh. "I've wanted to meet you for so long," he gasped between breaths.

"I've wanted to meet you for a long time, too," she murmured. "I'm here now, baby. Mommy's here."

It took several minutes for him to calm down. Naruto would have felt embarrassed if he wasn't so overwhelmed. When his tears finally stemmed with only a few stray sniffles to show for it, he hesitantly pulled away from her and wiped at his eyes with his sleeve. "Uh, sorry for…"

"It's all right. I'm your mom. That means I get cried on," Kushina interrupted him with a grin. Naruto nearly burst into tears again at her words, but managed to restrain himself.

He sat back and narrowly stopped himself from falling over. He couldn't have stood if he'd tried. "How…how are you here?" he asked, confusion finally showing itself. He couldn't stop staring at her.

She chuckled. "Since I heard the Kyuubi talking to you, and you seem to recognize me right off the bat, you…know what happened when you were born, right?" He nodded. "I guess Jiraiya-sensei or Sandaime-sama told you…"

"K-Kurama actually told me," Naruto corrected, smiling. "That's his name, Kurama."

"He has a name?! Why didn't you ever tell me that, fuzzball!"

Ugh, Kurama groaned. I forgot how annoying two Uzumaki in one room are.

"Well he's cheery," Kushina snickered. "But, yeah…Minato and I sealed some of our chakra into you, so you would meet us one day."

"So that's what that chakra I sealed up was," Naruto muttered, sheepish. "Uh, sorry about that."

"No, no, I was so impressed! You're so good at it!"

He grinned, going pink in the face. "I learned some on my own and some from Kurama, and some from ero-sennin."

"Hold up, is that-"

"Jiraiya-sensei."

"Oh my god, I'm calling him that forever."

Naruto laughed and bit his lip as she giggled. "And a tiny bit from Kakashi-sensei, though he couldn't help me for long."

"Aww! Kakashi is your sensei? That's so awesome, dattebane!"

"He's the best. I'm on a team with a girl called Sakura and Sasuke-"

"Mikoto's son?"

"Yeah, dattebayo!"

"You have my tic!" she squealed, pouncing on him for another hug. Naruto's smile couldn't grow any wider as he soaked up her affection, practically radiating his happiness.

"Yeah, 'ttebayo- I've done it ever since I can remember. Though I only really do it when I get nervous or excited…"

"Me too, dattebane!"

"Does…that mean you're really excited right now?"

"Of course I am! I finally get to meet my baby boy!"

"I'm really excited too," Naruto said. "I've…I waited for so long for you to show up." His smile wavered as he spoke. "In the real world, I mean."

Her brow crinkled in confusion. "Real world?"

"Oh. Uh…right. I'll explain that later." He rubbed the back of his neck, sweatdropping. She beamed at him, finding the action cute. "I…I've got so many questions but I dunno what to ask first," he laughed.

His eyes drifted to her hair again. "Y-your hair is really pretty," he blurted out, making her eyes widen a fraction. "I always wanted your hair-" He remembered himself slightly, twitching as he clenched a fist with a dramatic spotlight. "Instead of Dad's stupid scruffy bird's nest-"

She burst into laughter. Startled, he stared at her and waited for an explanation. "Scruffy bird's nest," she repeated, giggling and wiping a tear away from her eye. "Did you know only one other man has ever complimented my hair?" she asked with a secretive smile, making his eyes widen in confusion.

"Who?"

In hindsight, the answer was rather obvious. "Your dad, silly!"

He resisted the urge to facepalm. "Of course, duh! Wait- can you…" She tilted her head when he trailed off. "Can you tell me about you and Dad?"

Her expression became nostalgic. "Of course I can. I suppose the best place to start is the beginning. I originally came from Uzushiogakure, the Village Hidden in Eddies. The Shodaime's wife, Mito, was the Jinchuriki before me, and had me brought to Konoha to become the next one due to the fact she was nearing death. I had a special chakra that made me a prime candidate. I was really scared, but she took the time to comfort me and apologize for what she had to do, and give me the best advice for how to deal with becoming a Jinchuriki. She told me to fill myself with love to counter the Kyuubi's hatred."

Even though he already knew some of the information she was giving him, Naruto listened with rapt attention, not daring to interrupt the sound of his mother's voice.

"I didn't really fit in that well at first. Everyone in my class made fun of my hair and called me tomato. They liked to push me around and make fun and pull on it, too," Kushina pouted. "In fact, that's how I met your dad! We were in the same class."

"Did you beat 'em up?"

"You bet I did!" A glint appeared in her eyes. "I showed those bullies not to call me tomato! I crushed them like tomatoes!" Naruto grinned like a shark.

Kurama sweatdropped from the seal room, momentarily distracted from his chakra being extracted.

"Anyway, one day this kid got his older brother and chased me around until they tried to beat me up. So I beat them up. I got real mad when I saw your dad watching and ran off. When I came home from school one day, a bunch of Kumo nin were waiting in my house for me. I would've been a goner if it wasn't for Minato. I'd been leaving strands of my hair along the way, hoping someone would follow them. We were almost to the border when he caught up with us, knocked them all out, and took me back safe and sound. He was the only one who'd noticed; he told me that day that he hadn't intervened with those bullies because he knew I could take care of myself and admired it, and that he thought my red hair was beautiful." A nostalgic smile overtook her face. "That was the day I fell in love with him. My hair wasn't my curse anymore. It was my red string of fate leading me to the person I loved most."

She began stroking a hand through his hair. "You got Minato's coloring. And his eyes… I'm glad you love my hair so much. You know, I have three special words I only give to men who compliment my hair." He blinked in confusion. "Will you accept them?"

He nodded vigorously. She beamed once more and placed a hand against his cheek. "I love you, Naruto."

His eyes quickly filled with tears again. He went to wipe them away, sniffling. "I-I love you too, Mom," he croaked. She nestled into him again, a few tears of her own leaking from her eyes. "Thank you."

He never wanted this to end. He wanted to stay in this perfect space forever.

"I'm guessing you took Mito-sama's advice too," she murmured. "If you've got it so good with Kyu- Kurama."

"I tried," Naruto replied, eyes on the floor. "I found people who really love me. Kurama's my best friend now. At first it was…" He trailed off with a shrug.

She frowned, concerned. "You can tell me anything, I promise."

Naruto smiled sadly at the floor. Some memories would stay hidden inside him even now; they were in the past, and he knew they needed to be forgotten. "I don't wanna bring the mood down," he laughed. "I'll tell you someday. Right now, do you think, umm…"

"What is it?"

"Maybe…we should…get Dad out?"

Kushina froze. "Aw, crap! I forgot about your dad!"

"We're running out of time."

Kiba eyed Sasuke out of the corner of his eye and watched the Uchiha pace. Akamaru let out a worried whine and sunk further into his hair.

"We wait much longer the chances of finding him are going to be zero," Shikamaru drawled. "There's only one solution and you know it."

Neji frowned. Sasuke paused and glanced at the Nara before nodding. "We're splitting up."

"Normally I'd mention how that's how people die in horror movies every single time, but I'm gettin' real worried," Kiba muttered. He glanced at the cloudy sky above them, casting the world in tones of grey; they'd already reached the third day, and he'd yet to catch Naruto's scent.

"All right. Choji, Shikamaru, you go together. Kiba, you're with Neji."

Kiba frowned. "What about you?"

Sasuke shook his head. "I'll be fine on my own." He motioned one of the foxes over to Choji, biting his thumb and going through the seals for a summoning. Choji caught Shikamaru's eye over his head as he did, knowing he was thinking the same thing. They didn't want to have another Sasuke Retrieval Mission.

Three hawks appeared from the smoke. "One of them will follow each of us. Use them to send a message if you find anything."

Kiba tilted his head at the hawk meant to follow him and Neji, and it did the same. "Well, you're a weird one," it said, speaking in a mocking tone.

"Eh?! What's that supposed to mean!"

"Tatsumaki," Sasuke sighed. The hawk huffed and adjusted its wings. "All right. Stay alert at all times. And be careful." He glanced at each pair, hoping they had come far enough they could handle it if anything went wrong.

"This is taking too long."

Ino glanced up from where she'd been cleaning her headband in a stream. They were all decorated with splotches of mud from the rain. Sakura stood staring at the sky with her arms crossed, frowning. Where are you now, Sasuke? Are you thinking the same thing I am?

"Splitting up weakens our ability in battle," Shino said, coming up to her side. "But it does give us a tactical advantage in that it allows us to cover more ground and avoid staying in one large group that is easily ambushed."

She thought for a moment and nodded. "You're right. We'll split up to search over a wider range."

Ino paused, nervousness coiling in her gut. "What're the teams, boss?" TenTen asked, twirling a kunai in one hand.

Sakura turned and examined them. Lee was raring to go, bouncing on the balls of his feet, while TenTen waited for her answer with a raised eyebrow and Shino stood silently in place. "All right. First off, Shino, I'd like you to keep an insect on all of us for tracking purposes." The Aburame nodded without saying a word. "I think you'd work better alone, so I want you doing wide sweeps with your kikaichu. Try to stay as hidden as possible."

"Understood."

"Ino, you're with TenTen." Ino glanced at her fellow kunoichi and smiled a little at the thumbs-up she got. "Lee, I want you to look by yourself too. You're the fastest and have the most stamina, so you'll be able to cover the most ground on foot. Keep an eye out for entrances to underground spaces and anyone suspicious."

Lee snapped off a salute, grinning brightly. "Yes, my beautiful flower!"

Sakura motioned for them to take off. TenTen took the lead and leapt into the trees with Ino following closely behind, while Shino disappeared into the shadows with his insects already trickling from his sleeves. Sakura placed a hand on Lee's shoulder and the other on his cheekbone.

"Be careful, okay?"

His grin didn't waver. "Don't worry, Sakura-chan," he reassured, placing a hand over hers. "I will come back in one piece and we'll bring Naruto-kun home."

She couldn't help but smile. "Thank you, Lee." She leaned up on her toes and pressed a kiss to his lips, making him turn pink.

"You be careful too, Sakura-chan. If you need help, signal and I will come right away."

"That goes for you too."

"Any sign of him?"

"Not yet."

Tsunade had probably sent Ibiki with Kakashi for a reason. Any of the chuunin under the TI head would have been at least slightly intimidated by Kakashi's dark mood; to say he was 'cranky' as he traipsed through the forest would be a severe understatement. Though he would have been equally unruffled otherwise, Ibiki's own sour mood might have helped; he'd never actually seen a Bijuu extracted before, but he could guess that it was a messy affair. What could he say? He was fond of the brat.

Pakkun shoved through the brush to reach Kakashi's feet, huffing out an irritated breath. "Akino and Bull just reported in. Nothing."

"Great," the Hatake replied through gritted teeth, his mood not being done any favors by their lack of luck in finding Naruto's scent. He motioned for Pakkun to start looking again.

One of the foxes shuffled by Ibiki's feet. It was covered in purple fur, with white rings around its eyes and a polka dot pattern splattering its back. As the hours dragged on, all of them had become more downtrodden, even if they did keep the same pace as before. Ibiki had never seen a summoning contracts' animals react so deeply to a single summoner's distress, except for perhaps Kakashi's.

The fox paused. The two trailing after Kakashi and Pakkun stopped in sync, and they all let out a collective whine, noses drooping. Kakashi turned on his heel and narrowed his eye.

"Something's wrong; they can feel it. They must have started extracting the Kyuubi."

The words would have sent a shiver down a lesser shinobi's spine. Ibiki remembered the Kyuubi attack vividly, even if he hadn't been allowed to participate in defending the village.

People could say what they wanted to about Ibiki; he may have been a sadist, but he was a loyal sadist; both to his village and his comrades. "Well then," he said with a grin, "I suppose we'll just have to pay them back tenfold, won't we?"

The crinkling of Kakashi's eye told him the man was smiling, but it was a grim expression even with a mask to cover it.

Choji was talking to him in a low tone about something or other, but Shikamaru's mind was elsewhere.

"He blew him up and catapulted him into the Hokage Tower."

"He's an explosions specialist."

"We know who his father is."

"We are certain that we happened upon this information by accident. We noticed that the adult generation in Konoha has always treated Naruto negatively, so we went looking for any leads on the Uzumaki side of his family to discover why. Shino was unable to access his family tree due to his security clearance being too low, and when we heard Naruto call Jiraiya-sama 'godfather'…it wasn't hard to put together when we compared photos of the two."

"It should be him. It's his secret to tell, not mine."

"He could already be dead. Because of how skilled Naruto is, I choose to believe he isn't. I know he isn't. But if we take more than a few days to find him… Hokage-sama has already sent out teams of Inuzuka and Aburame in addition to the main squads. He's more important to the village than you could ever guess."

Uzumaki Naruto just became more and more of an enigma the more Shikamaru pursued his train of thought.

"Hey, Choji. Let's stop here to rest for a few minutes."

Choji glanced at him and nodded. He'd been following the fox summon closely, being as quiet as he could in the forest. Shikamaru sat down at the base of a tree and folded his hands together in his signature 'thinking pose', and Choji sat down opposite him, letting him think in silence.

It was no secret Naruto was the Uzumaki clan head, and yet Sasuke didn't seem to think that was the reason he had been abducted. Going off his talk with Kiba and Neji, there were two separate secrets: Naruto's father, and the reason he had been kidnapped- the secret Sasuke thought Naruto should divulge himself. The second secret was time-sensitive, as well- and directly involved how skilled Naruto was. In what? Explosives? Fuinjutsu? Were they trying to crack a secret technique of his?

He closed his eyes, racking his brain and painstakingly thinking back over every interaction he'd had with the blond. The phrase "Because of how skilled Naruto is, I choose to believe he isn't" suggested Naruto had, in some way, impeded his captors' task even if he couldn't stop them physically. That lead him to believe they were attempting to uncover the secrets of a seal or explosive- but what could possibly be so powerful that no one had noticed Naruto had it yet? There were bound to be hundreds of other fuinjutsu specialists and more explosive specialists in the world, even if the Uzumaki were the best and explosion nin were rare. It seemed to be a hell of a lot of trouble to go through to learn one shinobi's techniques- the abductors were bringing down the weight of one of the strongest hidden village's military force on their heads.

Perhaps the two secrets were intertwined. Who could Naruto's father be, that his heritage was kept under lock and key and Jiraiya the Sannin was his godfather?

There were very few people Jiraiya had public connections with; a symptom of being a hermit. The Sandaime, Tsunade, and Orochimaru, at one time, as his teammates, and the Yondaime Hokage. The other two members of Team Jiraiya were nameless and forgotten. If one of them were to have a child, however, it followed that their sensei would be first choice of godparent if they themselves didn't have any other relatives to turn to. Shikamaru couldn't remember Namikaze Minato ever having any well-known family.

Namikaze Minato.

He compared the facial structure of the man to Naruto in his head, thinking of the line of Hokage portraits in Tsunade's office. If the man was Naruto's father, he obviously took more after the mother, but the hair and eye color were identical.

That didn't make any sense. If the Yondaime was Naruto's father, why had he grown up alone, as nothing more than another nameless orphan?

And yet, the Sandaime had always had a close relationship with him and kept an eye on him. Logic dictated that if Naruto was "just another orphan" with unknown parents, he wouldn't have taken such an interest in him- unless the second secret tied in to that as well.

Shikamaru was sure of this point. Naruto and the Yondaime had to be related. But it befuddled him- why had all the adults treated him so negatively and told their children to shun him?

Something was nagging at him. Just days before they'd all celebrated Naruto's birthday, and he strained to remember what else that day stood for.

The Kyuubi attack?

If Namikaze Minato, beloved in his village, had died fighting the Kyuubi, why would they treat his son so badly? Naruto should have been treated like the son of a hero. Naruto's mother- obviously an Uzumaki- had to have died in childbirth, yet Shikamaru couldn't guess as to why. Uzumaki were supposed to have such strong life forces that their death rates of women in childbirth were the lowest of any Konoha clan. When the hospital had been set up with twenty-four-seven medical services, the village-wide rate had become even lower. Modern medicine had eliminated much of the dangers of birth in the wild or camps. If she had been in the hospital, she would have been evacuated with the others when the Kyuubi attacked. If she had been killed another way, why wasn't she in the hospital giving birth? How were Naruto, his parents, and the Kyuubi attack connected?

Namikaze Minato had supposedly killed the Kyuubi. That was what they'd been told in school. Yet, nearly all questions about it were brushed off or redirected, like someone didn't want the younger generation knowing too much about it. But if it was truly dead, there would be no danger in speaking of it. It couldn't be coincidence it attacked the very same night Naruto was born, and forever after the villagers of Konoha treated him horridly.

Conclusion: The Kyuubi wasn't dead, but then, where was it?

Both Jiraiya and Naruto were skilled in fuinjutsu. It was something they shared between them, enjoyed intensely- it made sense for Minato to be, as well. It would be weird if he hadn't been. Shikamaru vaguely remembered the man had been known for a teleportation technique involving seals. Perhaps he'd used a seal of some sort to seal the Kyuubi somewhere, or in something-

Or in someone.

Shikamaru froze.

No…he couldn't have, could he?

The little he did know about the Kyuubi told him it wasn't just a beast. It was a force of nature. More powerful than any man could hope to achieve. Even a Hokage couldn't take it on one-on-one, surely.

Had Namikaze Minato sealed the Kyuubi into his own son?

Was it even possible to seal something like that into a person?

Was that the reason only the adults remembered- that all the children didn't know because they were too young to remember? The reason Naruto's birthday aligned perfectly with the Kyuubi attack? The reason the villagers had treated him like the scum of the earth?

Various instances floated through his head; he'd seen Naruto at the Academy, sometimes at the park, always running around with uncontainable energy and yelling about something or other. He'd been treated like an idiot and a dead-last, but Shikamaru could remember hushed whispers from adults and teenagers who turned away whenever any of the children looked, too quiet to form a lasting impression in the moment but coming back to him all too vividly now.

That…that freak.

It's…THAT kid.

Don't you know who that is? He's the-

Shh! We aren't allowed to speak of that!

That's themonster.

Shikamaru's eyes snapped open.

He was important to the village because he was the only thing keeping the Kyuubi from killing them all.

Kyuubi- the Nine-Tailed fox. Naruto had a contract with foxes. He walked around with a fox that rarely left his side. In hindsight, it seemed fairly obvious. And yet, what did that mean? Did he have some sort of alliance with the Kyuubi? Had he found it within himself and convinced it to fight for him? With Naruto, Shikamaru wasn't underestimating the possibility.

Right that very second, whoever had abducted him was probably extracting it from his body, and according to Sasuke, that process was going to kill him. Tsunade had her forces out in droves not only because he was a clan head, but because if whoever had him could use the Kyuubi for their own means, they were all dead.

"Come on, Choji. We need to keep moving."

It was late in the afternoon when Madara woke up.

Where am I? He looked around with confusion muddling his thoughts, finding himself in the house. For a moment he wondered why he was there, and more than that, where Izuna and Naruto were-

Shit.

He jerked up, startling the teenager sitting on the coffee table. "Gah!" Miki exclaimed, flailing backwards.

"I need to speak to the-" he began as he stood. Or, well, attempted to stand. He slipped and crashed to one knee, letting out a hiss.

"Do you know where Naruto-kun is, Madara-san?" she asked excitedly, eyes wide in anticipation. He nodded. "Oh yes! Stay right there! Kagami-san! Kagami-san!" She went streaking out through the front wall, leaving him alone.

Madara never was one for taking orders well. Staggering to his feet, he followed her outside and ignored the swaying of his vision; he'd had an easier time the one time he'd been on a boat when he was alive.

Kagami came swooping in like a bird of prey as the Uchiha gathered around. "Madara-sama, are you all right?"

"I'm fine," Madara replied impatiently, waving his hand. "I know where the boy is. Tell Hashirama to tell that student of his."

"How are we going to lead anyone alive there? Izuna-sama was the best as possessing people for so long," Miki said, chewing her thumbnail.

"Maybe we can concentrate on an object and carry it with us?" an Uchiha suggested.

"That would take too long! What're we going to do, carry a pen the Konoha shinobi can follow while trying to go as fast as we can? It takes concentration to carry anything, and it slows you down!"

"Maybe Madara-san can draw on a map?"

"He went there once in person; I doubt he can point it out on a map he's never seen before. He probably knows individual landmarks that won't be on a map."

"And we're running out of time!"

Madara paused. He turned to Kagami, narrowing his eyes. "How long has it been since I arrived here?"

The man's expression grew vaguely anxious. "Three days." Madara froze. "I'm afraid the Konoha shinobi haven't found any leads. Naruto's abductors are hiding well."

"Their base is underground around two hours from here. They access it through a cave system." The gears in his mind turned and turned, searching for a solution. "Very well. We'll go on our own."

Kagami frowned and thought for a moment before nodding. "We have a better chance of getting there in time that way. I can't possess anyone long enough to lead the Konoha shinobi there, but I can possess one of the abductors long enough to kill the rest. Naori's max time is ten minutes, but that's long enough to help me and help clear a path for Naruto to escape." He turned to the crowd and raised his voice. "All right, we're heading out in ten minutes! I want Naori brought here and two volunteers! Too big of a party will just slow us down. And kami, someone go get the Senju already for God's sake."

Sakura raised her wrist for one of Sasuke's hawks to land on. It came to a stop on her bracer, depositing the tiny scroll in its beak into her hand. She quickly unfurled it, hoping it was good news.

Neji and Kiba spotted someone heading into a cave. Gather your team and converge on this point. I've sent a hawk to the village.

A folded-up map had been rolled up inside. Sakura withdrew it with a gleam in her eye, taking out her own supplies to send off messages to her squad members and Sasuke's team.

Night was falling, and she was going to waste no time.

"What if he doesn't like me?"

"Don't be silly, he's your dad! Of course he'll like you, 'ttebane!"

"Is…is he nice?"

"I know his portrait in Sandaime-sama's office looks all cool and imposing, but he's a giant softie, really. And a nerd. He'll love you."

"Well? What're ya waitin' for?"

"…I'm nervous."

Kushina knelt down and wrapped her arms around his shoulders, ignoring the water that began soaking the ends of her dress. "It's okay, sweetie. Meeting me wasn't so bad, yeah?"

Naruto nodded. "Yeah. But that just…happened. I didn't have to do it myself…"

"Well, we could just leave him in there… it's really boring, and he cheated at Monopoly once, so I want revenge," she said with a sadistic grin.

He blinked several times in surprise and laughed. "Monopoly, huh? Well…I guess I should let him out." He raised his hand to the wall in the middle of the hallway, pressing his palm into the seal configuration. The various symbols and runes began clicking away and moving about in a spiral pattern, all of them slowly moving into the center and vanishing. He stepped back and waited for the wall to disappear.

Kushina leaned down and threaded her fingers through his, sending him another grin. "It'll be all right, I promise."

Naruto nodded. Anticipation coiled in his gut, and he couldn't help but smile. I'm going to meet my dad.

Naruto!

His blood felt like it ran cold. In the millisecond after Kurama yelled for him, a chill swept through his mind, blowing past them like a shockwave from a Bijuu slamming its paw down. Kushina started and whipped around as she stood, keeping her hands on his shoulders and moving in front of him. "What was that?"

"Oh, no," Naruto whispered, eyes wide. The shadows at the end of the hall quivered. Kushina's grip on him tightened when they saw a shape moving about within it. "It can't be."

She glanced down at him. "Naruto? What is that?"

"It's a-"

A loud scream echoed through the hall, making them both wince and Naruto clap a hand over one ear.

The shape barreled forward into the light.

Time seemed to stand still for a moment, giving Naruto a glimpse of long, deformed limbs with fingers chiseled into claws and a form without a face before it came screaming straight for them.