A big thank you to nimtheworm14 for being my first review, I really appreciate it. I hope you enjoy the story!

"So you were sold by your sensei, who's a jounin sensei, and you're a genin team of three months from Konoha?"

"Yeah," Naruto clarified, "that's about it."

Kakashi closed his eyes, processing the information. "That is absurd." The Konoha jounin sensei cohort that Kakashi knew weren't that vain and stupid. Was it someone else? A recently promoted chunin? Or maybe an ANBU pulled out of service? It didn't seem like the right time to ask, it was probably a sore topic.

"Agreed," the boy chimed, smiling slightly. "Hey, what'd you say your name was again?"

"Hatake Kakashi," the man said, slightly amused. "And you are?"

"Uzumaki Naruto," the blond boy offered a tired thumbs up paired with a grin, "to-be Hokage!"

Sighing, he plopped onto the ground, obviously exhausted. He had just walked into the cell, escorted by Okubo, with a body tossed over his shoulder. it was most likely another boy the same age. Kakashi realised that the distant screams he had heard were probably from the body — who he hoped wasn't the Sasuke Sasuke.

The boy groaned, stirring from his position. "What the hell?"

"Right," Naruto set him down on the concrete ground of the cell, forcing a tired smile onto his face as he examined the Uchiha's shoulder. "What do you remember? Can you remember me? By the way, I'm the one with blond hair not pink in case you can't see—"

"I was drilled in the shoulder, not the brain," Sasuke grumbled, wincing.

And Kakashi knew at that moment, that this really was the Naruto and Sasuke he knew. But the fact that they were both here meant that either the Sandaime had turned senile in the last five years, or this jounin sensei was a weak-minded pathetic excuse of a shinobi. Naruto and Sasuke were candidates to form a new Sannin generation, and they had the potential to even surpass them. There was no way that the Hokage would let them be captured so easily.

(And an incompetent Hiruzen meant that Konoha was probably on fire — literally.)

"I, uhm, stopped the bleeding," Naruto said, slightly stressed. "I dunno, she just taught me how to bandages and but not use ninjutsu and your shoulder looks really bad — like, I could see your bone when I was wrapping you up."

Sasuke looked at his teammate. "You did first aid?"

"Why is that so surprising?" Naruto huffed. "Yes. Yes, I did. But it's probably not enough — look the blood is seeping out, ew that's disgusting — and I don't wanna wake Sakura-chan, I mean, she's sleeping!"

"Come here," Kakashi said, "I'll try to help."

"And who're you?" Sasuke snapped defensively, not expecting a mature male voice to speak. His eyes darted to the darker half of the cell, eyes adjusting to the low light.

"I'm someone who can help," the man said, not even taken aback by the hostile tone. "Naruto can introduce me."

"You told him your name?"

"Kakashi-san's cool, I swear," the boy said lightly, standing up and trying to haul the Uchiha up with him, "he knows literally everything about shinobi and Konoha like the back of his hand so we're safe!"

Sasuke shook off Naruto's grip, giving his teammate a glare. "You told him everything? Are you crazy? Did it never occur to you that he could be a spy for another village? Or a nukenin?"

"I'm a nukenin," Kakashi supplied quickly. "Please don't call me a spy."

Naruto blinked. "What's a nukenin?"

"Someone who's going to help you, if you let him," the man cut in smoothly. "Now come here, Sasuke."

"How do you know my name?" The boy snarled, shuffling away from the man. "I don't know about Naruto, but I'm not just going to trust some person I met in a cell probably owned by that psycho Sorocho. Naruto, get back."

"He's a good guy," the Jinchuriki protested weakly. "Please."

"Naruto," Kakashi sighed, "I'm going to teach you some emergency medical ninjutsu, okay? It's just gonna make most of his flesh mend back together to stop the bleeding, but internally, his wound is still going to be messed up. You're gonna guide his body in the healing process afterwards, but to do that, you need medical ninjutsu. Okubo will bring more supplies if you need it, alright? So don't be afraid."

"How do you know she'll do that?" Sasuke challenged, seeing the Uzumaki waver. "Unless you're with them."

"A hunch." The reply was after a pause, adding to the Uchiha's sneer.

Naruto was caught in between. He wanted nothing more than to help his teammate, but like Sasuke said, he couldn't just trust some random guy who he just met. He glanced back and forth between them, biting his tongue out of habit. But he had to help Sasuke. If he didn't, then the boy was going to bleed out. There was literally nothing stopping the destroyed arteries and veins from pouring out blood.

"Alright, it needs to be quick," Naruto said quietly, turning to Kakashi.

"Naruto—"

"Shut up and save energy, teme," the blond boy smiled, "don't worry. I learn fast, dattebayo."

He turns to the man strung up on the wall, and the nukenin offered a small reassuring smile. "I need you to focus chakra into your hands."

It was going to be a challenge, teaching medical ninjutsu with nothing but words — a skill that required immense chakra control and concentration; some would say it was on par with the skill of writing with a hand and drawing with your other. The Hatake didn't even have his own chakra to spare, it was all being sucked out of his body at a steady pace. Since he was replenishing his chakra at the same pace, that meant he never had more than he has now, which was the bare minimum to keep him alive.

"Like this?" Naruto frowned, and a pale blue shimmer encased both his hands.

Kakashi really didn't know how to do medical ninjutsu, much less teach it. He just learned along the way, especially during his time in ANBU. "You're going to practice on me, okay? Now you see my legs?"

Naruto snorted. "Course I see your legs."

"Make a cut."

"What?"

"I need you to harm me before you can heal me," the man said slowly. "Your chakra's hostile right now, a simple stab can probably cut me open. Now hurry, otherwise, your teammate's going to bleed out."

Naruto glanced behind him, and he saw Sasuke propped up against the iron bars. The Uchiha was pale, his breathing was uneven, and a puddle of blood was forming underneath him. The Jinchuriki grit his teeth and swung an arm blindly at Kakashi's legs, hoping that it didn't hurt too much.

The man didn't even flinch when a cut opened on his left shin. "Now that I'm bleeding, I need you to focus on making the chakra soft."

"Soft?"

"It needs to feel as soft as a cloud. Right now, it's probably like a fire, right?"

"Yeah," Naruto said quietly. "How do you know all this?"

Kakashi smiled. "Experience."

"Okay, a cloud..." The blond boy's face scrunched up in concentration. "A cloud..."

Sasuke coughed from behind. His teammate startled and whirled around in alarm, the chakra dying away from his hands. Before he could even say anything, the Uchiha put up a hand. "No."

"No?"

"Just no," the boy confirmed. "Just...learn properly."

The nukenin hid a satisfied smile. Wasn't he the one who was against learning medical ninjutsu? Kakashi had a taunt at the tip of his tongue ready to irk Sasuke, but he held back. There was no need to anger the child, especially when injured.

"Naruto," he said instead. "Focus. You won't be able to do it otherwise."

"Got it," the Jinchuriki closed his eyes, and the dim light of blue reappeared around his fingers. "Cloud...cloud? Cloud..."

Kakashi watched closely, analysing the boy's chakra carefully. It wasn't even a full thirty seconds before he spoke again. "Thinner. Lighter."

"Huh?" Naruto blinked, eyes flickering open.

"Imagine your chakra's like," Kakashi searched for the right word, "smoke. Or steam. Something extremely light and easy to pass through. That's the kind of chakra you need. Think 'air'."

"Air..." Naruto's voice was uncertain.

But as if a switch flipped, his chakra brightened and turned into a pale blue-green shade. Kakashi smiled. "Exactly."

"I did it?" Naruto's eyes widened. "I did it!"

It flickered back to blue out of excitement. He deflated. "I didn't do it."

"You need to concentrate very hard," Kakashi took note of the boy's beads of sweat down the side of his temple, "or you won't be able to sustain it any longer than that. Quick, try to heal my leg. Feel my chakra, and connect with it. Feel the flow, then you'll feel a bump — or a hole, depending on the wound. I want you to push the bump down, or fill in the gap. Understand?"

The boy's face was one of pure confusion. "What?"

"Alright," Kakashi closed his eyes, taking in a breath. He knew where bad practice of medical ninjutsu could go — he could very well lose the whole leg. But looking at the shivering Uchiha, who was suffering from blood loss, he had to take the chance. "Just try."

"What?"

"Don't worry, I trust you," Kakashi reassured the Uzumaki.

"I — we literally just met?"

"Naruto," the man's voice took a stern tone, "do it. Or Sasuke's going to pass out. Don't waste time, or you'll pass out too."

Naruto blinked. "But—"

"Dobe," Sasuke said sharply. "Are you going to do it or not? Make a damn decision."

"You need to shut up," the blond grumbled, inhaling deeply. "Alright, alright! Gomen, Kakashi-san. I hope I don't mess this up."

He placed his hands closer to Kakashi's shin, closing his eyes to focus. His flickering blue chakra dulled before bursting out brightly in a green-blue colour, and his eyes snap wide open and he presses his hands against the bleeding wound. Like he had just learned of a revelation, his blue eyes light up like electricity, and he forced more chakra into his hands.

"The bump," Naruto murmured. "I feel it!"

"Good," Kakashi nodded as much as he could, though his arms pinned away from each other made it hard. "Now push it into place."

"Uh-huh," Naruto tilts his head to the side, perspiration trickling down the side of his face.

"Not too much." Kakashi's tone was quiet, not wanting to disturb the child. "Not too less either. Be careful, calculate it closely."

Sasuke shuffled on his spot to find a comfortable position, breathing becoming even more erratic. "That's why it uses so much control, huh? What happens if you go over?" He suddenly twitched, and let out a groan of pain when he accidentally hit his shoulder against an iron bar behind him.

Kakashi doesn't answer. He looks down at the blond boy, who was concentrating so hard he didn't even notice the red layer of chakra leaking out of him. The ex-nin stayed silent until he felt the Kyuubi's chakra about to take over, his voice loud and clear, "enough."

"Huh?" Naruto stumbled back, landing awkwardly on his backside, chakra disappearing from his hands. The red chakra receded, disappearing into the boy's stomach. "Ow! That's so tiring, Kakashi-san."

"Exactly." The man looked down to see a fresh scab in place of the cut. A single drop of blood rolled down to his feet. "Huh. You might have an affinity for medical ninjutsu."

"Really? But you're bleeding!"

"You shouldn't expect it to be perfect." Kakashi decided to poke fun at the boy. "You still have a long way to go. Try controlling your chakra better, because you're wasting a lot just to give me a scab."

Naruto pouted. "Fine!" He drew out the 'i', keeping a playful look on his face. "Can I operate on Sasuke-teme now?"

"Don't use the word operate," the Uchiha said weakly, "makes me trust you even less."

"Whatever," Naruto rolled his eyes, but he still looked to the ex-nin for permission. "Can I?"

"Sure," Kakashi sighed, "but be careful. The wound's going to be on a whole different level to mine. Don't aim to heal the whole thing, just try to push and fill all the uneven parts. As much as you can."

"I'll be fine, dattebayo," Naruto grinned widely. "Alright, here I come to save your life, Sasuke-teme!"

The Uchiha snorted, but didn't make any move to avoid his teammate, who settled in front of him. The boy closed his eyes to focus, and he gathered chakra once more into his palms. Sasuke watched the alluring glow as it changed colours, and winced it was placed onto his shoulder. He felt a sting of heat before it eased into a welcoming warmth, and he shuddered as he felt tendrils of chakra weave their way into his body.

"There's so much?" Naruto phrased it as a question. "What — I don't get it —"

"A — let's call it a hotspot — hotspot represents something wrong in the body system," Kakashi explained, keeping it simple. "Because I only had a cut, there was only a couple of small ones and one large one which is the one you healed. But Sasuke's probably got his main blood vessels and muscles demolished, so there's a lot to deal with."

"How do I —"

"I'll teach you how to recognise them later," the man said quickly, "but right now, look for the largest one. It's most likely the blood vessel."

"No pressure," the Uchiha added dryly, head lulling backwards. "Ah...I feel lightheaded again."

"Aw, I hate that feeling," Naruto pursed his lips, eyes closed. "Oh! Found it! It's a hole!"

"You're going to need to fill it with your own chakra," Kakashi guided. "Not too much, not too less. That's the rule for medical ninjutsu, remember it."

The Jinchuriki repeated it quietly, "Not too much, not too less."

"Yeah," Sasuke cracked open an eye. "Don't blow my arm away with your chakra." His voice trailed off, and he blinked a couple of times at his teammate in disbelief. The red layer of chakra was leaking out again, and this time, it was faster. It started from the seal; the stomach, and it grew to cover his whole abdomen. Knowing that it wasn't a good idea to break Naruto's concentration, he looked up, catching Kakashi's eye.

He couldn't see properly because of the low light, but the Uchiha swore he saw the man shake his head.

"The face," the ex-nin said calmly. "Watch the face."

"Huh?" Naruto blabbered, his voice weakening out of fatigue. "Hey — hey I can't see! — I can't feel it—"

"Calm down," Kakashi's voice was reassuring, "you're doing fine. Focus, I want you to hold onto the flow. The hole you were just filling, the sense of Sasuke's chakra system. What does Sasuke's chakra feel like?"

"Ice," Naruto said instantly, eyes squeezing tighter together. "Cold. Empty."

"Okay," the man didn't sound surprised at all, "I want you to fill the holes with your warm chakra."

The boy nodded and centred himself with a shaky breath, and his hands tightened ever so slightly on the Uchiha's shoulder. Sasuke flinched, but he didn't say anything, his dark eyes trained on the Uzumaki. The red chakra was slithering over his blond hair, giving it an orange tint, and just before it could touch the boy's skin, Sasuke's left hand — from the non-injured side — shot out and smacked the boy right under the jaw.

Naruto blinked, looking at his teammate in surprise, before slumping forwards and collapsing into the Uchiha's lap.

"I said face, not knock him out," Kakashi said dryly. "Good job though."

"It looked dangerous," the dark-haired boy sniffed, before looking at his shoulder. The bleeding had stopped considerably, and he could even feel the mobility return to his joint. He didn't realise medical ninjutsu was so effective.

"Good job," the man repeated, and the Uchiha could hear the slight smile in his voice.

"What was it?"

The ex-nin sighed, stifling a yawn in the process. He was always tired, ever since he was tied up in the dungeon. Probably a side effect from the chakra constantly flowing out of him. "Well, I'm sure Naruto can tell you once he's woken up."

Sasuke pinned his cold gaze on the man. He switched tactics. "Who are you?"

"Kakashi Hatake, nukenin," the man said lightly.

"Where were you formerly from?" Sasuke narrowed his eyes. "Konoha?"

"Maa," Kakashi smiled, tilting his head to the side. "You got me. Yes, I'm a ninja from Konoha. Defected, hmm, about five years ago? You won't find traces of me, really, I'm a very insignificant guy." Guy...that reminded him of Gai. He hoped Konoha's Green Beast was doing alright — didn't he pick up a genin team just last year?

Sasuke didn't need to know such trivial things. All he needed was, "Were you involved in the Uchiha Massacre?"

"I defected before it," the man inclined his head. "I thought I would recognise that attitude. You're one, huh? The last one?"

"You don't sound surprised," the genin said flatly.

He eye-smiled. "Of course not. I lived in Konoha, Sasuke."

And they elapsed into a prolonged silence. Sasuke made an effort to try to haul Naruto off of him without moving his freshly mended shoulder, but the blond was literal dead weight when he refused to move off his teammate's lap. The so-called Uchiha prodigy glanced at Kakashi, wary. He was not going — he doubted he would ever — to trust this nukenin, especially when the man came from the same village. He would probably trust an Iwa nukenin rather than a Konoha one. A Konoha nukenin had a very distinct possibility of hating the village, and a Konoha-hating mongrel was not someone the Uchiha wanted to pour his thoughts out to.

Even one who was currently motioning for the boy to do something with the third member of their team.

"What?" Sasuke snapped, having had enough of the awkward head movements.

"She's cold," Kakashi said, voice light yet serious, "you might want to give her something to cover her up."

"We're all cold," the boy replied, barely sparing a glance at his shivering teammate. "She'll be fine."

"Her lips are blue."

"That's normal."

"I'm assuring you, it's not."

Sasuke let out a breath of annoyance. "Well, what can I do?"

Kakashi raised his eyebrows. "You're asking me?"

"Since you care so much about what happens to them," the boy made sure not to group himself with the others, "you should have a solution."

The silver-haired man fixed his one visible eye on the Uchiha. The boy sneered, making man sigh. "Put her next to Naruto. They can keep each other warm. Not too close though, Naruto's chakra's still leaking out of him. We don't want it to touch Sakura by accident."

"What happens if it does?"

"Nothing." Kakashi eye-smiled. "Well, nothing instantaneously. But long-exposure can probably make her quite...aggressive."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow.

"I'd advise against it," the man suggested. "But, as you can see, I'm a little tied up here. Do me a favour? Then I'll owe you. There's nothing better than having a nukenin owe you; that's a lifelong tip right there."

The Uchiha snorted, but rose up shakily and made an unsteady step towards his female teammate, whose quivers were now like seizures. "You owe me."

"Got it." The Hatake's smile didn't fade.

.

The next to go was Naruto.

Okubo had returned to collect the next victim — she was insanely pretty, the boy realised, but the thought was gone the moment she motioned for him — and she was at the cell door, head cast downwards. The Jinchuriki didn't know if it was her personality, out of respect, or if it was fear. It looked to be a bit of all three.

"Sorocho-sama has called for the blond child," her voice was as meek as she looked. "Please do not waste any time."

Sasuke narrowed his eyes, not at all thinking anything positive when he saw the girl waiting. "Oi—"

"I'll be fine, dattebayo!" Naruto grinned, giving his team a thumbs up. "Nothing's worse than having a drill in your shoulder, right?"

"A what in what?"

Sakura had just woken up about fifteen minutes ago, spending the time gathering her thoughts and processing the fact that Naruto had learned basic medical ninjutsu and Sasuke was injured, though they didn't have time to go through the details. It seems they forgot to tell her how Sasuke got the wound in the first place.

"I'll be fine," the boy repeated. "Sasuke-teme'll tell you everything, Sakura-chan!"

"I—"

"He will," Kakashi cut in. His tone was heavier than usual. "Naruto, you better go. You should never keep him waiting."

"Eh," Naruto shrugged, "I'm sure I'll be fine."

The Hatake clearly didn't think now was the time for jokes, and he wasn't smiling when he said curtly, "Naruto."

Sakura blinked, having never heard the man speak so strongly.

"Got it, got it," Naruto's grin turned into a reassuring smile at Sakura's frantic look back and forth between them. "I'll be fine, Sakura-chan. Teme'll keep you company, even though he's horrible at keeping a conversation going."

"Hey," the Uchiha said, half-heartedly.

"We must make haste," Okubo's quiet voice said. "Please."

"Coming! Lead the way, Okubo-san!"

Naruto felt like his footsteps were heavier than usual, but it might've been the excessively echoey hallway. He was too focused on patching Sasuke up the last time he travelled through the area; this time, he was actively looking around, and he decided to keep his thoughts to himself. Interestingly, he didn't see any other cells other than the one he and his team occupied. Did Sorocho never bother to build more?

"This way," Okubo said when Naruto was barrelling on forwards. "The left," she added when he blinked at her blankly.

He chuckled awkwardly. "Riiight, thanks!"

She barely gives him a moment to speak before turning down the twisting corridors, somehow knowing where to go despite her disability — Naruto noted that she had a hand on the wall all the time, as if the stone walls could tell her their location in this labyrinth. It felt like a maze to the Uzumaki, especially when everything looked the same. He was still half-dazed from the medical ninjutsu earlier, but it was worth it.

The boy looked at his hands. A new skill, huh?

"The right," Okubo murmured quietly, again when Naruto kept going down the same hallway. "This way."

"Oh," he scratched the back of his neck. "I'm pretty bad with my sense of direction, huh?"

She doesn't reply.

"Call me Naruto," the boy jabbed a thumb at himself, trying to get rid of the awkward tension in the air. "Naruto's fine, but I mean Naruto-san would be cool—"

"Sorocho-sama," the girl bowed, interrupting Naruto's ramble. "I have brought the blond boy, as you have commanded. As for the report, the 'doll' looks to be recovering quite steadily and the girl is reacting...adequately."

"Good job Okubo-chan," the man laughed, "you're amazing as always."

Naruto couldn't see Sorocho; the metal door to the room where his voice was coming from was closed. The two of them stood patiently in front of it, and The Uzumaki distantly heard a yell from inside. He felt an unsettling chill settle in his spine.

The door opened with a soft click and a loud screech. Sorocho's disgusting face appeared in its place. "Come in, come in. I'll be calling you blondie from now on, so there's no need to be formal. Sorocho-sama should suffice."

The boy choked at the words but entered the room without much trouble but a small stumble. Not formal? Was this guy alright in the head? The only person Naruto would ever call with a -sama tagged to the end was the Fourth Hokage — not even the Third, but the Fourth only.

"Ah," the man grabbed the boy's chin almost as soon as he stepped into the room. "Mmm, not bad, not bad..." The inhumane being twisted the child's face left and right, up and down, getting a good view of his face.

"What are these?" He asked, tracing one of the whisker lines on Naruto's cheek. "They look interesting."

"It's a part of my face," Naruto said, trying his hardest not to flinch or draw away. "Uhm, nothing else."

Sorocho jerked the boy's face back into the centre to lock eyes with him. His tongue flicked out and licked his lips before he broke out into his signature wide smile. "Alright then. Let me introduce you to someone."

He pulls the boy closer to him, revealing the man who was chained to the wall behind him. "Okawa, pay your respects to blondie. Blondie, say hello to Okawa. Yes, he was the one who tied you upside down yesterday. I apologise on his behalf."

Naruto smiled awkwardly, giving a half-wave at the man.

"Wait," it hit him, "yesterday?" Had it already been that long?

"Yes," the man smiled, eyes turning into mini crescent moons. It unnerved Naruto to no end.

Okawa spat a mouthful of blood onto the ground, dangerously near Naruto's bare feet. He didn't know when his shoes were taken, but he did know that all of Team Seven were stripped of their ninja items, including shoes and coats. All they had now was their undergarments. Their ninja headbands were gone too.

"I was just going to punish Okawa," Sorocho tutted, "but you were late today! You wasted my precious, precious time. I have to teach you a lesson, don't I? Oh, I really didn't want to do this to you, it's just our first session!"

Naruto blanched internally. He really didn't want a second session. No, he didn't even want the first session. Was it too late to run?

"Hmm, the whip?" The man mused to himself, leaving Naruto in front of Okawa as he dances around the room, fingers brushing against the concrete walls and the weapons and instruments that were perched on iron shelves. "No, then the boot? No, I want to save that."

Sorocho spun around and regarded Naruto as if deciding what the boy was going to wear in the next ten minutes. "No, the boot wouldn't fit him. Ah, what to do, what to do..."

"How about nothing?" Naruto tried.

"Flaying!" The man clapped his hands together. "Exactly! Flaying!"

Naruto hadn't heard of the word before, but the mere sound of it made him want to turn tail and run. It definitely wasn't as bad a being drilled into a shoulder, he hoped. Really. But 'flaying' didn't sound like good news.

"See," Sorocho reappeared beside the Uzumaki, slinging an arm around his shoulders. "You should watch how it happens. I'll show you on Okawa, it is punishment after all." He cackled loudly. "An amazing appetiser, if I say so myself. Now come on, watch carefully."

The man kneeled before Okawa, who was large, wide and muscular, but was held by the same bracelets and cuffs as Kakashi was. He was probably wider than the nukenin, but weirdly, Naruto didn't sense the level of 'dangerous' he first felt from Kakashi as he was feeling from Okawa now. Okawa just didn't give off...elite shinobi vibes like the other man had.

"This is going to be painful," Sorocho said brightly, "but it's going to be worth it. You're going to look fabulous."

Naruto saw the man pull a kunai out of nowhere, and he flinched at the familiar sight. The blade was pressed up against Okawa's bare chest, where hundreds of scars were decorating his torso. Naruto forced a swallow down his throat, ignoring the painful throbs, hoping that this would be over soon.

"Don't worry," Sorocho cooed into Okawa's ear, "this is going to hurt!"

The man doesn't let anything show on his face, not even when Sorocho cuts him with the tip of the kunai. The cut wasn't deep, but it wasn't shallow either. Without mercy, he flicked the kunai up and a flap of skin let loose from his chest. Sorocho beckons Naruto over, who was partially in awe of the man's skilful use of the weapon and partially in horror because he knew what was going to happen next.

"Watch closely," Sorocho breathed, pulling Naruto even closer. The boy could feel Owaka's heavy breathing on his face, and the hint of coppery-blood made him suddenly feel lightheaded.

And with one slow and steady movement, Sorocho peeled the skin off inch by inch.

Okawa twitched, pulling at his restraints, but he didn't make a sound. Sorocho shook his head disapprovingly, "he's always been a tough one. Don't worry, it won't take long before he starts to shriek."

Naruto was too fixated on the awful awful sight of the skin being peeled off to reveal more tender pink skin underneath, and he couldn't swallow the bile that rose up into his mouth. He coughed, looking away, but Sorocho's fast hand grabbed his chin and forced him to watch.

He giggled. "You're next."

He suddenly tore off the skin, ripping off the shred that stuck to the body. Okawa let out a guttural scream, spit flying into Naruto's face. The boy watched in terror when Sorocho didn't stop, stabbing the other side of his chest and proceeding to do the exact same thing. Okawa's body was still twitching like he was continuously struck by lightning.

Naruto watched it again, this time it was a far larger piece of skin.

And again.

And again.

By the fifth time, Naruto's mind felt like it had ascended into space and his body was just a vessel. He couldn't react, his hands were trembling and his knees were going to fail him soon. But his eyes, they just couldn't look away. They couldn't just move away, because he had no control over his body. And this utterly horrifying moment would forever be in his memory.

"Okubo-chan," even Sorocho's voice sounded far away, despite him standing right next to the Uzumaki, "prepare blondie. It seems he's had enough of fun with Okawa."

The girl's response was lost in the sea of ringing and echoing in the boy's head, as if the sounds were bouncing from the walls of his skull. He distantly felt Okawa touch his arm, and he wondered as the girl guided to the metal table in the centre, how on earth this blind person could navigate the place so well. She must've been here for a while now.

"Wait—" Naruto's voice acted on its own, but his body could only tilt his head to hazily glance at the girl who was laying him down on the cool metal table.

"Please stay still," Okubo said politely, arranging his limbs into position, "it won't take long."

She glided away only for the metal bracelets to slam on top of his wrists and ankles. One slipped around the boy's neck, and startled him from the chilly touch. His mind seemed to fly back into his body, because at that moment, his eyes widened and his mouth opened to yell.

"Stop!" Naruto's head frantically whipped left and right, looking for an escape. "Don't do it! I — I'd rather do the drill — the drill—"

Sorocho appeared in his line of vision, and that was when Naruto realised he was close to crying. Tears blurred the man's face, but even then, the Uzumaki could tell he was smiling. "I'm very sorry," he said, not sounding apologetic, "I've reserved that for doll. But, look at this, I think flaying suits you."

"Please don't do it," the boy whimpered, seeing the kunai in the edge of his vision. "Please don't..."

"I've even warmed up the tip for you!" Sorocho's smile widened holding up a glowing orange kunai. "Don't you worry, it's going to be a very fun first session."

And when the warm metal of the kunai touched Naruto's right elbow, he couldn't help but let the tears fall. It felt like a hot white trail of pain just crawling up his bicep, just like a spider slowly creeping up, but it wasn't just tingling, it hurt. Naruto could barely see properly — all he saw white, orange, grey, white, orange flames licking the ceiling, the flickering light of the fireplace — oh did he see the remains of the rope from when he was tied up there — and then pain pain pain because he ripped the skin—

A scream followed after.

.

The moon was already shining even though it wasn't exactly nighttime, clouds nowhere to be seen. The serene nature of the sky did not reflect what the current Hokage was feeling. A turmoil of emotions with a bit of anger, frustration and fear all mixed into one was churning around in the man's chest.

He sighed. "Team Seven still haven't returned?"

Shikaku, standing before the Hokage for his daily evening report, yawned. "No."

"No word from Sojitz?"

"None."

"It's been two weeks," the Sandaime inhaled through his pipe. "No word, hmm?"

"No word," the jounin commander repeated, slouched against the office wall as if he wasn't speaking to the man who ran an entire military village.

"One week would be reasonable," the older man sighed, "but I'd expect a report if he was going to extend the mission length. I didn't hear anything from the ANBU who went to the Land of Rivers recently either."

The Nara doesn't answer, but he keeps his eyes trained on the Hokage.

"What are you thinking, Shikaku-kun?"

The man paused for a second, evaluating the situation carefully. He didn't waste any words, but only spoke after an inviting nod from his superior. "Put together a rescue team. They'll leave in a week's time."

"It's only been two weeks."

"Three weeks when they leave — over the sufficient time needed for a C-rank."

"They could have run into complications." The Sandaime sits back in his seat, not breaking eye contact with his jounin commander. He spoke slowly, thinking of all possibilities. "Team Seven does have our last Uchiha and the Jinchuriki. They may just be recovering from an unanticipated third party."

"It's because Team Seven has the last Uchiha and Jinchuriki that we should put together a rescue team," the Nara replied. The two spoke like this almost all the time, usually scaring the non-regular shinobi by making them think they were arguing. In reality, the Sandaime was simply trying to understand all angles of what his master strategist was thinking.

"It could just be complications."

"Or it could be a kidnapping, or murder. I heard that Itachi Uchiha was sighted around the Land of Fire."

The Hokage looked at the man carefully. The Nara holds up strongly, but he still remained in his casual stance. Both looked as if they were discussing what they were going to eat for dinner rather than the possible death of a genin team.

The Sandaime smiled, twisting his lips upwards, and nodded. "Prepare a team. I'm sure you already have some people in mind."

"I'll ask around," the Nara pushed himself off the wall, "then I'll draft a list. You'll get a list by tomorrow evening."

Hiruzen smiled, his chest lightening ever so slightly. "Alright." Before the commander could leave the office, the Sandaime called after him like he always did, "Don't overwork yourself, Shikaku-kun. And tell Shikamaru-kun I said hi."

The man simply waved without turning around, before disappearing out the door.

Thank you for reading. Reviews are very much appreciated! I do like reading about your thoughts on the story.