DISCLAIMER: I own nothing from the Naruto universe but I do have an imagination of my own. PLEASE REVIEW! I will take advice on any other relationships you'd like to eventually see, as well as suggestions from my readers while continuing the story.

Thinking

Biju, etc. speaking

Biju, etc. thinking

Emphasis

Tenzo finally left his senpai's side after dressing his wounds and burns as best he could. Seeing Kakashi-senpai still shivering from fever and pain, and not being able to do more was very difficult for him. Tenzo left a wood clone to watch over him and the Uchiha so that he could place barrier seals around Tazuna-san's house. He also made sure to avoid Tsunami-san's brat who was repeatedly just asking for it.

He'd already had to scold Sai-kun for the inappropriate comments made at Tazuna's daughter, and it only made Inari-brat more surly. The ROOT nin's choice of reading material had further upset Tsunami-san, and Tenzo could only imagine what she'd think once Kakashi-senpai was awake. Sitting down, he removed his hitai-ate and rubbed his face in frustration. We aren't all perverts!

He really needed to speak with someone, and he wished senpai was awake to go over the battle they'd had. Surely he couldn't be correct? Can there really be another Mokuton user out there? Tenzo knew that some of the Mokuton attacks, especially late in the battle, with Momochi and his little masked ally were not of his own making. There's no way he'd have hit his students - and they definitely had been hit.

Sasuke had been too wound-up with adrenaline, he supposed, to even notice that his leg had been wounded by wood at the end of the battle - not until after Sakura had removed the senbon and maybe even restarted Kakashi-senpai's heart. He grimaced at the thought. The brat had been hit by a wooden spike in the calf and fell from his wound as he performed the great fireball jutsu that burned their captain. Now his most angsty student was upstairs with his leg wrapped, resting in a cot on the opposite side of the room from Kakashi.

Sai had been hit with what were essentially fast-flying splinters, too, but had avoided anything worse. The pale teenager had thought his arm had been hit by the ice senbon the younger Mist nin and his clones were throwing until he'd taken off his shirt to put on a salve. Tenzo was able to remove the large splinters easily enough all at once - something he couldn't do as easily if someone had an injury from a piece of natural wood as opposed to, or rather from, his Mokuton. Sai believed his eyes were the intended target of the Mokuton attack and had barely shielded himself in time. Now the ROOT nin was resting in his room with Sakura monitoring his team's vitals.

Sakura. What to do with her? Tenzo's instincts had screamed that this wasn't the real Pinky, but now he was doubting his earlier conclusions. Sakura had begun flirting with the Uchiha rather shamelessly while attending to his leg, just like he would've expected her to do. She also treated the ROOT nin, Sai, rather callously, as she had recently. That had been an improvement to her earlier hatred of the boy, at least. He really should stop calling her "Ugly." Tenzo sighed and scratched his scalp. Had the mission trek not been so… weird! The whole thing was so frustrating! And this is exactly why I never wanted to become a Jonin sensei!

Aside from Pinky's new citrusy perfume, there was really nothing different about her looks and rather weak chakra stores. And Naruto didn't notice anything odd about her; nor did senpai seem to, aside from a few odd glances... He'd also seen her napping, and a henge would've fallen, had she been using the technique while awake.

Tenzo had noted that Uzumaki's eyes would dart ever so slightly in the direction of her out-of-sight comrades before they appeared, even when some were sunshinning in during the time he'd known her. Her sensory skills were impressive, and he'd also seen her use what he guessed was her Kyuubi-enhanced senses to check out her surroundings, subtly sniffing the air as he often caught his senpai doing. He believed that if Uzumaki thought that Pinky was a threat, she would've voiced it. The jinchuuriki had a tendency to voice whatever normally crazy thing was on her mind.

I hope she's alright. He could do little more than wait now; tomorrow they'd guard Tazuna on the bridge while Sasuke stayed off his feet with senpai.

"Please Zabuza-sama, forgive me: we need to stop!"

"You alright, Haku? You were impressive back there."

"Thank you, but," Haku leaned over to try to catch his breath, "she - this Leaf kunoichi: she's strong."

Zabuza shook the unconscious blonde down from his shoulder and laid her down on the grass none too gently as he chuckled and lifted her eyelid. Man, she's out! "She damn well should be strong! She's either the sister or child of the oh-so-dearly departed Yellow Flash, also known as the Yondaime Hokage," he exclaimed, partially sarcastically. "We've got an honest-to-Kami princess in our hands," he chuckled.

"I - I don't understand, Zabuza-sama," Haku said as he sat down next to the girl. Zabuza tossed him a soldier pill and took one himself. Haku chewed it slowly and matched the bitter, slightly pained expression on his master's masked face. "What will we do with her?"

"Meh - this isn't really my kind of thing, kid: you know that. However, she's worth a real bundle. And we need that money for The Rebellion," Zabuza said.

Ah, yes: The Rebellion. Of course... Haku really didn't want to go back to the Mist, and couldn't quite understand Zabuza-sama's love of their home country, particularly after everything his master had been through and had done there. He respected his master for his loyalty, though. Perhaps it was because Haku spent so little time in the Mist as a young boy, and his memories were only of a kind mother who was killed by his own father in front of him, as he tried to kill him as well. He nearly shivered at the memory once again. His thoughts on the matter were irrelevant, however. He was simply a tool for his master: the man who had saved him.

They'd never kidnapped or held someone for ransom before, and it deeply disturbed Haku. The young woman was not only strong but also beautiful and exotic looking. Surely Zabuza-sama won't resort to selling her to slave-traders or…

"I know what you're thinking brat - so relax." Zabuza took a deep drink of water as he rechecked their surroundings. "Konoha will pay for her in a big way: no doubt." The rogue smirked, "and if they don't? Let me tell ya something, kid. No matter who she really is?" He chuckled darkly, "If the Leaf don't pay: Iwa most definitely will."

Oh, fuck that! "Wake up you dolt!" Kurama was flooding the sewer surrounding him with as much chakra as he could get to his ditzy vessel, once again cursing her bastard father's seal. "Come on, Naruto! Honestly: you are the biggest pain in the ass beneath my great tails, do you know that?!" He scowled fiercely at his moronic partner, who had at least opened her eyes now - although she looks even dumber than usual. He would've laughed at her expression and the drool coming out of her mouth had their situation not been so serious. Kurama watched as Naruto's eyes seemed to come into focus before she looked at him sharply.

Haku jumped as their blonde prisoner's eyes opened and she clumsily grabbed at her head. He jabbed another coated senbon into her neck.

"Ice Bag: I will murder you!"

"Haku, I thought you said there was no way she'd wake or move? Let me see what you gave her anyway." Haku pulled the ration bar he was chewing away from his mouth for a moment and pointed to two seals on his scroll. "Kami-sama," Zabuza shook his head. "That concoction you made up might even be able to knock out a jinchuuriki. Oh, shit: you don't think?" He was looking into space now, considering just who - or perhaps what - he had nabbed.

"Zabuza-sama," Haku interrupted urgently, "I sense incoming chakra-signatures…" His head tilted as he tried to make sense of what he was sensing. "I cannot make out who or what they are. Forgive me…"

"Let's just get the fuck outta here, kid. We're headed toward Iwa." Zabuza already had the blonde hanging limply over his shoulder, having heard incoming dogs when he forced chakra to his ears. He grabbed his apprentice's shoulder and sunshinned as far away as possible. Going through the Land of Fire was going to be a bitch, but they'd be in the Land of Rivers soon enough.

Minutes later, Guruko howled along with Urushi as Akino sniffed the grounds the Mist nin must have only recently left. Finding a pulled-out clump of golden-yellow hair, he informed his packmates before taking off toward Konoha. Even Bisuke was deeply concerned, having let out a whine despite himself.

"What a clusterfuck," Hiruzen sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose as he watched Pakkun lap up water from a little dish the Sandaime had offered.

"We need to send a retrieval team, sir. A friendly one," Shikaku Nara stressed the word friendly to his superior. Gods knew there were those in the ranks who still thought that Hatake - or, Uzumaki Naruto was the Kyuubi. Fools.

Pakkun looked up, getting drool and water all over his chin and the Hokage's desk. "And a medical team. Like, I said, Boss is in bad shape!"

The village leader took off his hat and leaned back in his chair. "Make it so, Shikaku."

That order meant one thing to Shikaku: he could go after his daughter, himself! He pushed chakra through his old ANBU tattoo in a certain sequence, alerting those he wanted on his mission.

Two ANBU teams plus his two genin teammates met up to receive orders. One team took off to Wave, while the other took off toward the village gate with him.

"Dad!"

Shikaku stopped for a moment. "Glad you're here, son. Go tell your mother and aunts that we'll be away a while - I'll make sure to message your mother when I can."

"What's going on? It's Naruto, isn't it?" Shikamaru asked hotly.

And I thought having a smarter kid than me was a good thing… Shikaku sighed deeply, "and what makes you think our mission involves her? We gotta go."

"Wait! Naruto had… a bad feeling about her mission. We talked about it shortly before her team left."

Damn it. When were his kids going to tell him the truth? Did they not think he'd notice his bucks guarding areas on the perimeter of their forest? Areas that had so many explosive notes and Kami-only knows what other kinds of seals scattered on the ground and even hanging from countless wires? It wasn't like a Nara to be that overly paranoid… And the brats just seem to know stuff. "Troublesome. Go on now, Shikamaru."

Shikamaru watched his father and uncles leave to follow a four-man ANBU squad, feeling hollow inside. Ignoring Izumo and Kotetsu's antics, he walked away before trying to contact his little sister. Seeing that no one was around, he gripped his outer earring. "Naru - Naruto? Can you read me?!" He felt desperate and a sense of dread washed over him. Steadying himself, he reminded himself that they really had no idea of how far the connection between them could be stretched, distance-wise, and still allow them to communicate. She might just be out of range. Imouto, be okay. Please be safe.

It took too many hours to counteract a second potent toxin that badly reacted with the first poison she'd been exposed to for Kurama to be able to even speak with a coherent, but partially paralyzed Naruto.

"Do. Not. Move. And listen well, kit." Kurama felt satisfied that his vessel's eyes were on him and that she was serious and just might heed his guidance. "The Mist flesh bags have sealed their fate!" Seeing Naruto's eyes begin to tear up, he scoffed at her. "They have taken you, Naruto! Worse, we are headed North to Iwa!" Naruto's eyes narrowed as she continued to lay in the wet sewers of her mindscape. "They mentioned your sire! Do you want to end up a slave to particularly brutal and filthy perverts - or just as bad or even worse, presented to that old Fence Sitter? I will not allow it!"

He saw her whisper out, "Thank you," and felt some relief.

Honestly, the kit was too kind for this world and could really be naive about it - especially with worm food like the two Mist nins currently carrying her. "Your limbs are dead weight, but I want you to focus our chakra into your arms and hands. I have a plan, a dangerous one, but one I believe will work to get us out of this situation." Actually, he was rather excited about the plan, and had wanted to do it for years now - but Naruto didn't need to know that! "And then, brat, we will discuss the battle you fucked up beginning with the use of the Young Monkey's trench knives," Kurama lectured.

Naruto would've grimaced or pouted if she could have.

Haku and Zabuza halted for more water and soldier pills, but Haku had really wanted his master to stop for a few minutes so that he could feed Whiskers-san. His bunny rabbit seemed to be doing well despite the stress he'd been under, and Haku was incredibly grateful to whatever deity had blessed his furry pet.

"Is Lady Snowball okay," Zabuza asked seriously.

Haku sighed. "It's Mr. Whiskers, and ye-..."

"But she's a girl! And Lady Snowball really fits!"

"Zabuza-sama, how many times have we had this argument? Do you no longer wish me to be Whisker-san's primary caretaker?" He knew he'd won the argument against his stubborn master with that. Zabuza-sama only cleaned Whisker-san's cage when he was really ill or injured.

"Hell no, brat," he replied as he flung the blonde back over his shoulder. "That's your literal shit to deal with. I'm still calling her Lady Snowball, though."

Haku smiled at that as he put down more shavings and carrot pieces into the cage. Petting his bunny, neither he nor Zabuza noticed their hostage's hands going through incredibly slow, clumsy seals until it was too late.

*POOF!*

Their hostage was gone!