Author's Note: Welcome back, once again!

300K view! Woooo!

The response to the last chapter was fantastic—a lot of insight and people's thoughts on what happened to Sasori. Most had expected Kankuro to be revived and were surprised it didn't happen. I love to see it; I wanna keep you all guessing. All the feedback made me want to get this out as quick as possible.

You guys don't realize it, but reviews are what keeps a writer going. If there is a story you really love, and I'm not just talking about mine, drop the person who writes it a review about what you think. Especially if you want to see it continue. That goes double for the stories you like that don't have many reviews. Trust me, it could be the difference between them writing more, or not.

Anyway, I'll get off my soapbox. Review generously! On to the chapter!

Oh! Lastly, would any of you be interested in data book stats, character profiles, and things like that? Let me know and I can include some at the end of upcoming chapters! Thanks!

Chapter 31: Aftermath: Reset and Reload

Today had been a frantic one, to say the least. According to field reports by Naruto and in-person debriefs by both Shikamaru and Kurenai, their S-Rank mission had taken a turn for the worse. While it was a relief that her Shinobi had made it out relatively unharmed, the information that they relayed to Tsunade was grave in nature. The accounts of the orange-masked man who intercepted Shikamaru's unit appeared to be connected to the organization made her skin crawl in particular. If his known abilities, courtesy of Shikamaru, were anything to go by, he was an extremely dangerous opponent. So dangerous, in fact, that the mysterious threat was to be immediately placed in the Bingo Book with the designation of S-Rank under the name 'Tobi.'

Then, there was information she received along with the confirmation of the mission's success. 'Chiyo of the Sand traded her life for that of her grandson, who was in the Akatsuki. The old harpy didn't seem like the type.' The Hokage bit the tip of her thumb as she reviewed the relevant records one last time. 'Sasori of the Red Sand… that name certainly takes me back… Naruto handled the situation very well; their council has a reputation for difficult and tiresome deliberation.'

She let out a long sigh that showed her age when appearances did not. "I know that this is sudden, but, for the sake of our alliance, we have to ensure the safety of the Kazekage." Tsunade brought her ink-dipped stamp down on a few reports, along with a mission proposal. "Considering the circumstances, I'd like you to be at the village gates by the end of the day. Is that enough time for you to get everything in order?"

"Of course, Lady Tsunade!" Might Guy saluted his agreeance. He had opted to stand during his entire audience with the Hokage, against Tsunade's wishes that he sit. She warned him that their meeting would be a long one, only for him to proclaim that it would be 'most un-youthful' if he were to relax and stay seated while his best friend, Kakashi, was out on a dangerous mission. "I know how important this mission is; my team will understand!"

"Remember that this is a long-term mission with an unknown completion date; prepare accordingly." Lady Fifth found herself flipping through the files of Guy's students. She adopted a pensive expression at the new dilemma that had just formed in front of her. "I know the four of you were preparing to leave for a different mission, but I think I can arrange a fourth member for them. That would probably leave Neji as Team Guy's leader in the meantime."

"Believe me, Neji is more than ready for this opportunity." The Green Beast gave his famous eye-blindingly bright smile, coupled with an empowering thumbs-up. "He's my amazing student, after all!"

"I'm sure that he is." Tsunade agreed. "Otherwise, I would just find a replacement for you. No, I think Neji Hyuga is ready for the next step in his Jonin duties. Glowing praise from everyone he has worked with, you included, and a Shinobi of enviable capabilities. I have to continue to push his limits and see how high he can go. That kid has a bright future."

"Thank you, Lady Tsunade." The Taijutsu Master was practically sobbing over the kind words for his beloved protégé. "You won't regret this. He won't let you down, I swear that on my very own life!"

The Gambler rolled her eyes but couldn't help but smile at the man's bond with his team. "Shouldn't you be getting ready for your mission now, Guy?" Her innocent smile was betrayed by her passive-aggressive undertones. "Make sure you still leave by the end of the day, okay?"

Guy's eyes went wide at his egregious oversight. "Oh, of course! How could I forget!?" He was already jogging in place. "Don't you worry, Lady Hokage! Just for that, I'll be out of the village in under five hours! No, three hours!" With the proclamation, Green Beast bolted out of her office and down the hall. Despite the distance between them, his booming voice could still be heard as clear as day. "You can bet your life on it! Hahaha!"

The Senju let out another sigh as she continued to rummage through the scattered paperwork on her desk. "I'm getting too old for this. How did you manage this for so many years, Sarutobi-sensei.' She paused for a moment, then shook her head with a grin. "That was a dumb question; he had to deal with Jiraiya as his student. Compared to that, this is only a minor inconvenience."

There was a knock at the door and, a moment later, Shizune's head peeked out the side. "M' Lady?"

"What is it, Shizune? Can't you see that I'm busy?" The Sannin asked, eyes still glued to her messy desk.

Dan's niece took that as an invitation to enter the room. She was quickly standing at Tsunade's side with her arms clutching a clipboard at her chest. "I couldn't help but notice Guy racing through the halls. What was that about?"

"Oh, I just assigned him a new mission." The blond said offhandedly. "That reminds me, do you know where I put the Chunin and Jonin rosters? I need to assign their team a temporary replacement."

"Why?" Shizune tried to peer over her master's shoulder to catch a glimpse of the documents she was reviewing, only to scowl when a stack of papers was dropped on top of them. "Is his mission going to be long-term?"

"Yes, he should be leaving by the end of the day. But knowing him, he'll be ahead of schedule."

"Oh. What is the mission?"

Tsunade shot her a side-eyed glance but shook her head. "Sorry, can we talk about this later? I really do need to find those rosters. Did you see them?"

The black-haired girl nodded with a sincere smile. "Of course. And last time I saw them, they were in the middle drawer on the left side of your desk."

"Ah, there they are. Thanks, Shizune, this is just what I needed." Deciding it to be a good start, she began to flip through the listing of Chunin first.

The Kage stole another glance once she noticed that she still had company. "Was there something else that you needed?"

The young medic's eyes opened slightly. "Oh! Yes, there was." She handed over the clipboard she'd been holding, which Tsunade quickly grabbed. "Hiashi Hyuga has requested an audience with you. He'll be here shortly."

"Great." For the hundredth time today, the Fifth Hokage let out another tired sigh. "And here I thought I would be able to get a bit of work done today. How foolish of me."

"Would you like me to clear the documents off of your desk for the meeting?" Shizune asked. "You know how those stuffy Hyuga's are; right, M' Lady?

"No, that's alright, this shouldn't take too long. I'd prefer to be able to right jump back into my work when this is over. Go retrieve him, please."

The Sannin's student nodded and swiftly left the room, which left her mentor alone with her thoughts. A grimace tugged at her lips as she felt a pit form at the bottom of her stomach. Was it the meeting with the Clan head that she was dreading; perhaps, it was the sake she had a little too early in the morning. Or…

Was it something else entirely?

Their fists collided, and Gaara watched in amazement as the world swirled and changed around them. This same sensation had happened before, but he was always alone, and it wasn't as seamless as this. Usually, he found himself being ripped from his consciousness and thrown into his own mind by the One-Tail. Never in his wildest dreams did he think someone would be able to join him.

Though, as reality slowly started to settle, the Kazekage was in a different scape than memory served. The air was dank and cold, the floor wet and uninviting; just at the edges of his peripherals, he could see piping and metal bars along the ceiling.

"From the look on your face, I'd say your mind space doesn't look like this."

Gaara blinked to focus his eyes and locked eyes with a pair of blue ones. The redhead shook his head to clear to cobwebs even further. "No, not at all. However, it does feel… familiar." The Kage felt his gaze drift just past his friend to a massive cage. Behind it, he could make out a silhouette of an enormous, caged beast. 'Is that… the Nine-Tails?'

Naruto noticed where his fellow Jinchuriki was looking and gave his best attempt at a calming smile. "Don't worry about him. He's not so bad once ya get to know him. Isn't that right, Nine-Tails?!" He finished much louder so his tenant could hear him.

"Hmph!" The Fox's was laying down with both eyes closed, and his chin resting comfortably on his paws. "Is there a reason you had to bring that damned Tanuki into my space? I can't stand being around weaklings!"

A growl behind the Sand Sibling alerted him to another the presence of another.

"Why the hell am I here?!" Shukaku practically roared. "You stupid fox! We haven't seen each other in centuries, and that's the first thing that you say?! The raccoon dog grumbled. "I think I'd rather take my chances with the Gedo Statue if that means I didn't have to see your ugly mug again!"

"Are you sure about that? The statue seems to have taken a decent bite out of you. You're looking a bit smaller than usual, Shukaku, and I thought you were pathetic before. Hahaha!"

Shukaku was practically fuming at this point. The Nine-Tails hid his slight smirk behind his paw but didn't say anymore.

From what Naruto could see, this appeared to be normal behavior between the two Tailed-Beasts. 'They're acting like siblings.'

Naruto walked up to the unfamiliar cage. "You do look smaller than the last time I saw you." The boy began. "Is it because they sealed away a portion of your chakra?"

The Tanuki snarled. "Why would I answer to a hum-" Shukaku leaned down and squinted at the Jinchuriki. "Wait… I know you." Now, his eyes narrowed dangerously. "You're that kid who stopped me from rampaging back then! You're lucky that I'm confined behind these bars; otherwise, you'd make for a delicious meal! In fact, why don't you come a little closer?"

Naruto gave the 'monster' a genuine smile. "Heh, sorry about that." The Genin sheepishly rubbed the back of his head. "But, you can't really blame me. If I hadn't, my home and friends would have probably been killed. If there had been another way, I'd have tried it."

"You humans are the ones who locked me away in the first place; it's only fair that I should be able to kill a few thousand of you every once in a while!" The beast let out a loud cackle. "But you have piqued my interest. What the hell do you want coming all of this way to see me?"

"Naruto, I mean no offense, but you do not know Shukaku." Gaara had strategically positioned himself between the blond and the source of his night terrors. "He is a bloodthirsty monster that tries to force his way out of me at every opportunity. Talking with it will only lead to bad things."

The blond turned to face his friend. "I know more than you think. I can handle this." The Fifth Wind Shadow gave his first friend a long look, but obliged and stepped to the side.

"I won't ask again." The Tanuki warned ominously.

Naruto turned back to face the giant raccoon dog. "Sorry that we couldn't rescue the two of you sooner, Shukaku." The Uzumaki started with a respectful nod. "We were a bit too late and weren't able to make it in time."

The Tailed Beast rose an eyebrow at the unusual display from the Jinchuriki, and he couldn't help but steal a glance at his brother. To his surprise, the Fox was watching the interaction intently with one eye open.

'Kurama's Jinchuriki is… apologizing to me?'

"I did everything that I could." The blond actually had the nerve to give him an authentic-looking, somber expression. As if a human could actually feel that way about a Tailed Beast. "Just know that I promise I will get the other half of your chakra back from the Akatsuki. They won't get away with doing this to the Tailed Beasts and their Jinchuriki!"

'Wait…' Those didn't sound like lies. Over the years, the Sand Spirit had developed a sort of 'human lie detector.' It wasn't that hard, considering all of the mortals he had ever met ended up lying to him. Well, everyone except the Old Man Sage of Six Paths and the Monk; and, yet. 'This boy doesn't sound like he's lying to me…'

This was the first time since those ancient days where he actually believed what a human was telling him.

"Why would you help out a Tailed Beast? What the hell is in it for you?!"

Naruto unconsciously gripped at his gut, and his eyes darkened slightly. "I know what it's like to be looked at like a monster. All of my years growing up, I felt like I was locked in a cage and put on display for everyone to hate. I never would have imagined that the beasts inside of us had it even worse. That's why I want to help you guys in any way that I can!

"I didn't ask for your sob story, ya big baby!"

"You-You kinda did..."

"How can I be expected to trust a mortal, of all things? I won't be fooled by false promises again."

"The Nine-Tails said something similar." The Genin chuckled lightly to himself at the memory of his first real conversation with his tenant. "I wouldn't want you to trust me based on my words. I'll show you who I am and what I'm about with my actions, instead."

Shukaku grumbled lightly to himself while he watched the blond Jinchuriki with a calm and critical eye. It was like he was surveying the boy's body language for any hints of deceit or ill-intent, and was frustrated that there was nothing to be found.

Naruto took this as a cue to continue speaking and did just that. "Just in case the Akatsuki wants the rest of your chakra, the Leaf Village sent you guys some protection, so it doesn't happen again." Despite the good news, Naruto's gaze lowered, his features downcast. "Still, I'm not sure it will be enough. I just wish there were a way we could stay in contact in case something happens."

A shift in the air made Naruto look back up. His eyes widened slightly. "What are you-"

The One-Tails massive fist was pressed up against the cage bars, and the beast had an expecting look on his face.

"Don't ask questions, boy, just hit your chakra with mine."

The Uzumaki brought his hand up towards the cage against the enormous, sandy paw of the Tanuki. It dwarfed the size of the same beast he fought during the Chunin Exams, but that size could still easily squash him like a bug.

'Tap'

It was immediate.

'Oh, I see.' Naruto felt their connection; it was nearly as strong as the one he shared with the Nine-Tails. With just a simple touch of fists, they could exchange information and feelings far more efficiently than through talking. 'You Tailed Beasts sure are bundling up a lot of hate, aren't ya? That can't be a healthy thing to do.' He thought to himself and, hopefully, only himself. After a moment, both parties pulled back and sized one another up.

One bit of knowledge, in particular, drew a cheeky smile from the Leaf Genin.

"So, I'll be able to contact you with this?" Naruto said cryptically while staring at his fist.

"Sure, whatever." Shukaku said irritably. "Because of this bothersome seal, I could only give you a tiny piece of my chakra; but, it's plenty to link us together. If those bastards come after us again, you'll be one of the first to know. Got it, kid?"

The boy in question bowed respectfully to the giant Tanuki. "I'll do my best. You have my words."

"Hmph. Take the dumb Fox's advice, and show us instead of telling us. Otherwise, I'll just have to kill you and everyone that you love."

Naruto grinned mischievously and shot a glance behind him. "Oh, do you mean… Kurama!" He said that last word much louder intentionally.

The Nine-Tail's ear pulled back, and his teeth bared as he let out a blood-lusted snarl. "SHUKAKU!" Kurama was up on his feet in a flash and slammed the top of his head against the cage. It rattled dangerously as he stood there with crazy eyes. His hot, vapor-like breath erupted out of his nostrils like an active volcano. "I'll kill you for that!" The Fox roared.

The raccoon dog was much too serious right now to make fun of his sibling. No, that would come later. Instead, he chose to levy a sober gaze on the blond. "I mean it, Naruto Uzumaki. Do not mess with the Tailed Beasts."

However, it was definitely more difficult to hear with the orange giant verbally rampaging in the background.

Despite the heavy, and borderline sadistic, words, the Uzumaki decided to hit the One-Tail with a thumbs-up and a confident smile. "Like you said, words don't matter. You'll have a front-row seat now, so just watch me."

The Tanuki didn't say anything back at that, but his look showed that he acknowledged that statement. With their conversation done, Shukaku and his host slowly faded out of the blond's subconscious.

Gaara was startled by the sudden sensation but calmed down after he exchanged a look with the blond. Because he had much less chakra, he was the first to entirely disappear. The Sand Spirit was too busy shooting a smug look of victory at his more powerful sibling.

That seemed to remind Naruto of something. "Oh, and could you do something as a favor to me?" The beats looked at him intently, which urged him to continue. "Could you, you know, allow Gaara to sleep?"

"What is in it for me?" The monster's voice was even beginning to fade out. "How else am I supposed to get my kicks being locked up all of the time? Terror is the only way I can keep myself entertained these days!"

Naruto rolled his eyes. "If Gaara gets some sleep, he'll be better prepared to protect himself. It isn't just for his sake, ya know?" The raccoon-dog hybrid didn't look all that convinced. The boy sighed. "Just… think about it, okay?"

Shukaku closed his eyes. "Hmph!" He huffed in moderate annoyance.

And, with that, the Sand's greatest weapon faded into nothingness.

'Heh, thanks for understanding.' With their new connection, there was a good chance the One-Tail had heard that fading thought. At least, Naruto would like to believe that he did.

"Naruto…"

That tone made a drop of sweat roll down the Jinchuriki's cheek. 'Oops, I kinda forgot about him.' A sheepish smile tugged at his lips as he turned around to face the wrath of his roommate. "What is it?" He asked with a touch of innocence.

"How dare you!" The beast seethed. "Just because the pathetic Tanuki told you what my name is, does not mean that you have the right to address me as such. If you do it again… I'll rip you apart."

"How come you don't want me to use your name? You'd rather me just call you Nine-Tails forever?"

"I'd rather you not talk to me at all." The beast growled out. "Only one man has ever called me by that name, and he is long dead."

Naruto noted that last piece of information but decided not to comment on it. He scratched his cheek and let out a nervous laugh. "Yeah, I know. But since we're stuck with one another, I'd like to call you by your name instead of the number of tails ya got. It's more personal, ya know?"

Kurama huffed indignantly, then let out an exasperated sigh. "I'm forced to associate with you for my own benefit, do not mistake it for anything else. You're still a human, whom I would kill without a second thought if the circumstances were different."

"Okay, okay. You're always so damn angry." The boy put his hands up in mock defense of the Fox's bitterness. "I can see through that wall you put up in front of yourself. Maybe you'll come around eventually?" He asked rhetorically with a laugh as one of his hands raked through his blond locks. "I'm sure I'll wear ya down soon enough."

"Hn."

"You sure are talkative today." Naruto teased the giant chakra monster. "Ah, well, I should probably get going. Things to see, people to do; ya know?" He flashed the Fox a wave before he turned around to leave.

...

"Wait, no. Reverse that."

"Boy."

"Eh?" Naruto squinted at the unusual tone from his prisoner. "What is it?"

"You're on the way back to the Leaf Village, correct?"

"Yeah… why?"

"The Hermit. I need to speak with him."

Naruto's squint intensified. "Hermit? You mean Jiraiya-sensei? Why do you need to talk to him?"

"He seems to be the only one of you fools that has any semblance of intelligence." Kurama snarled at the abundance of questions. Though, that might have been the closest thing to a compliment he could manage towards a mortal. "Never mind that. I do not want to explain myself twice. You will know when you bring him to me. All you will have to do is bump fists with him like you did with Shukaku's brat. Understand?"

The blond blinked and frantically put his hands up in protest. "Wait, I'm still really confus-"

"Good, now get out of my sight."

Naruto's stomach churned, and he was struck with a sense of intense vertigo as Kurama forced him out of their shared mindscape. "Oh god…" He felt bile rise up in his throat and had to fight to keep it down. "I really hate it when he does that…"

'I'm convinced… he just enjoys kicking me out of my own head.'

"Uh… when who does what, Naruto?" Kakashi asked, his one eye giving his student a sideways glance.

The boy in question blinked again. He looked around and noticed that everyone, even Temari, was looking at him strangely. "Oh… did I say that out loud? Hehe, my bad."

"So, Shizune said that you wanted to speak with me?" Tsunade was trying her best to be polite, but she was already in a bad mood. The day had not gone how she had hoped it would from the very start. It didn't help that Hiashi was not someone to come all this way just to exchange formalities.

The Clan Head of the Hyuga openly grimaced at the unsightly state of the Hokage's Office. No matter, he would push that aside and took a seat on the opposite side of her desk. "Yes, I wanted to address some concerns on behalf of the clan about some recent events."

'This should be good.' The Senju inwardly grumbled, despite her outward neutral body language. "And what would those be?" Although, she already had a feeling what he was referring to.

"We would like to know why the future heiress of the Hyuga, Hinata, was sent on an S-Rank mission outside of the village." For the first time, the stoic man's features cracked, and some anger poked its way through.

The Sannin's eyebrow raised slightly at that, but she would wait until the man's rant was over.

"Sending an unsealed member out on such a dangerous mission is unacceptable by itself, but then I catch wind of her getting admitted to the infirmary upon her return. As the Hokage, how could you make this decision without consulting me first?"

"Hinata is a Chunin who is up for consideration to become a Jonin; if she were a child, I might have considered you as council when making decisions. But, she is a full-fledged shinobi of this village and I will treat her as such. Besides, I thought she would have told you the details of her mission."

His eye twitched. "Well, she mentioned a mission but not any specif-"

"I think you'd also like to know that I did not assign that mission to her." The Slug Princess continued, not caring one bit that Hiashi was in the middle of speaking.

The Head of the Main Branch narrowed his eyes. "If you did not give her that mission, then who did?"

"Sakura Haruno, Shikamaru Nara, and your daughter came directly to me and practically demanded that they be put on any mission concerning the Akatsuki. I really had not put any thought into forming a squad solely tasked with opposing the organization, but they convinced me to put my faith in them." Tsunade rummaged through her desk drawers and took out a slip of paper. "This is the proposal that they used to help strengthen their case for why they were perfect for the job."

The pale-eye man grabbed the slip and scanned it over briefly with his touted eyes. "I don't understand…" Upon noticing it was his daughter's handwriting, he trailed off. "Why would Hinata put herself in such danger when we have to think about the future of the clan? She has already proven herself worthy of the title of heiress. Why go so far?"

The Sannin interlocked her fingers just below her nose, which made her expression challenging to discern. "That's probably something that you should go ask her, yourself. Now, if you don't mind, I have a lot of work that I need to get done."

The Clan Leader's grip tightened around the slip of paper, but he obliged and stood up. "I apologize for misunderstanding the situation." He gave the woman a curt nod. "I will be on my way now. You have my thanks."

Tsunade winced at the look on the man's face as he took his leave. 'Maybe I should have taken the heat for that one. I'm going to have to apologize to Hinata the next time I see her.'

"Well, after all of this damned paperwork." She grumbled. "Shizune!"

The woman in question swiftly entered the room. "Yes, M' Lady?"

"I need you to bring me someone from the cipher core. Immediately."

"And what should I tell them, Lady Tsunade?"

"I need to send out an encrypted message for Jiraiya to return to the village."

"Yes, ma'am, I'll do that right away."

"Wait."

The Hokage called out just as her student's hand grazed the nod. "Is there something else that you need?" The young woman asked, confusion written on her face.

"Where is Tonton? I haven't seen her all day."

"Oh…" Shizune seemed a bit surprised by that. "I'm not sure, I'm sure she's running around somewhere."

The Female Sannin's narrowed her eyes slightly. "Are you okay, Shizune? Are you feeling ill?"

"No, I feel fine. Why do you ask?"

"Well, just remember that if you're ever not feeling well to let me know. I can always get someone else to assist me while you take a day, or two, off. Okay?"

"I know, Lady Tsunade. Thank you." She let out a breath like she was relieved.

The blond kunoichi watched the slowly retreating form of her student and shook the cobwebs from her mind. Everything about today felt off, and she couldn't put a finger on what it was.

Oh well, she'd have more time to think about it later. There was far too much to do.

"There it is! Finally, I can take a shower in my own home. I can't wait!" Sakura sounded overjoyed at the sight of the imposing Leaf Village's gates coming into view. It meant that the trio was finally back home. "I'll finally be clean again!"

"I just wanna be able to drop Sasori off to Ibiki at T&I and take a long nap." Naruto let out a long yawn while he ruffled the side of his head. "My bed isn't the most comfortable, but it's still better than the ground!"

Sakura gave her teammate an incredulous look. "You want to sleep? It's midday!"

"That's why it's called a nap, Sakura. I thought I made that part pretty clear." Was his dry response.

"Oh, shut up." The kunoichi said with a roll of the eyes. "Wait, why don't you just buy a nice new bed if yours is uncomfortable? You're a best-selling author now, you got to have some money saved up from that."

The blond's eyes lit up. "Huh. Now that you mention it, you're totally right." He rubbed his chin as if to contemplate the thought. "I should probably upgrade some of the stuff in my apartment."

"Alright, kids." Kakashi, who had been trailing behind his two students, had now caught up and was wedged between the two. He plopped his hands on top of their heads and affectionately messed up their hair. "That's all good and well, but, first, we have to report back to Lady Tsunade."

"Oh… right." The teens look deflated as their hopes for peace and relaxation were quickly dashed.

"Let's report in with the guards first, and then we'll make our way to the Hokage Tower."

"Okay, Sensei…"

Team 7 walked through the Leaf's entrance, and on their left, just as usual, was the check-in station. There was a single person in the booth, and he did not look like he was having the best day. As the sound of footsteps approached, he looked up from the spot where he had been daydreaming. The melancholy look he had before was quickly replaced by a wide smile.

'Social activity!' The spiky-haired man inwardly yelled.

"Yo, Kotetsu." The Copy Ninja added in a nonchalant wave to increase the cool factor. "Team 7 is reporting back in from our mission. Is the Hokage ready to see us?"

"Of course." He did his best to play things cool, but the smile that he couldn't keep contained told the whole story, at least, to Naruto it did. "Lady Tsunade has been expecting the three of you back and would like you all to report to her immediately."

"That's what I thought." Kakashi acknowledged with a nod. "Well, if you don't mind, we'll be heading over there to see her right now. Thanks."

While his two teammates continued down the main path, Naruto lingered behind for a little. "Is everything alright, Kotetsu? You seem a little down."

"Oh, uh…" The man with the cloth running across his face reacted as if he didn't expect anyone to notice. "It's nothing, really. You should be heading over the tower with the rest of your team."

Naruto frowned. "Now that I think about it, where's Izumo? You guys are always stationed here together."

"Well, that's actually what I'm worried about. You see, I haven't seen Izumo in a few days."

"Is he missing?"

"No, nothing like that." Kotetsu waved his hands in front of himself in a dismissive motion. "Izumo had mentioned that he wasn't feeling well earlier this week, and that he might be coming down with something. We're assigned with gate duty for the entire week, and it's been really slow. I told him it would be no big deal, and that I'd cover for him if he were to miss a couple days."

"I'm assuming that's not all." The Chunin gave him a look of surprise, which prompted the teen to continue. "You wouldn't look so worried and sad if Izumo was just a bit sick. So, what else is going on?"

The Guardsmen bit his lip slightly. "I've known Izumo nearly my whole life, and things have been a little… strange lately? Yeah, that's probably the best way to describe it."

"He hasn't been acting like himself?"

"Yeah, these past couple of weeks." Kotetsu confirmed with a nod. "I can't really explain it, but things have been different around him. I'm just worried that it's something more than him being a little sick. Something that he just isn't telling him. I wanna give him space, but…"

"You care about him." The Uzumaki finished the thought. "I understand where you're coming from. It's only natural that you would be worried about a friend if you feel like they might be dealing with something." He gave the uneasy Chunin a genuine smile. "I think that you should go check on him and see how he's doing. Izumo may think that he needs some space, but he'll appreciate your friendship."

"You know what, Naruto? You're right! I'm gonna go check on him once my shift is over." For the first time these past few days, his spirits were trending upwards. "Thanks for the advice."

"Glad I can help! I gotta go before my team gets mad." The blond made a simple hand sign with one hand and waved goodbye with the other. "Good luck, let me know how it goes. See ya!"

'Poof!'

"Heh, what a guy."

…

It had only taken him seconds to make it from the check-in booth to the Hokage's Tower in the center of the village. Just as Naruto thought, his team was already waiting (not so) patiently outside the front doors."

Sakura had her hands on her hips, clearly irritated by the delay. "There you are, Naruto. You had me worried that you were going to skip out on the debrief and get a head start on your nap. What were you doing, anyway?"

The blond in question sheepishly rubbed the back of his head. "Sorry, I was just catching up with a friend. I didn't mean to keep the two of you waiting."

"With the way you disappear, we might have to put a collar on you." The pinkette said as the two teens walked through the door their Sensei was holding open for them.

"Sorry to break it to you, Sakura, but I'm not into that kind of stuff."

'Oh, no.' Kakashi was frozen in the doorway. 'Whatever made you think it was a good idea to say that, Naruto?' He wasn't about to get in between them to stop what was about to happen.

Sakura punched really hard.

The silence was making him nervous. "…Sakura?" Naruto, upon realizing his error, managed to squeak out.

…

…

The hopeless boy turned towards the third member of their group for answers. "Why isn't she saying anything, Sensei?"

All the Jonin could do was shrug his shoulders and rapidly shake his head.

The kunoichi's hand was clenched, and her eyes were shut tight. Unsurprisingly, her cheeks were dusted with a light-pink hue, probably from embarrassment. She took a deep, calming breath and loosened the grip she had on her fist. "You know what? I'm not mad at you, just disappointed."

"Wait, really?!" The relief in the boy's voice was palpable. "That's good! I can live with that!" Disappointment wasn't exactly a new phenomenon in his life. It was certainly a better alternative to getting hit into the stratosphere.

Despite her words, she stomped past the two guys and made her way up to the level that held the Hokage's Office.

"Master Jiraiya, on the other hand, is in a world of trouble when Lady Tsunade hears about the stuff he's been teaching you!"

By the time the words had sunken in, Sakura was out of sight. The Genin slumped over. "Oh, man. I'm going to have to apologize to Sensei big time the next time I see him."

Well... if there is a next time.

"You got off lucky. Master Jiraiya, however…" He trailed off, knowing the already grim imagery painted in their minds was perfectly suitable. "Speaking of, how did you even hear about… well, you know?"

"I accidentally read it in one of Sensei's pervy books. I'm such an idiot, now Sakura is gonna think I'm a giant pervert!"

"Ah!" The 'Make-Out' super fan bopped his fist on top of his open palm. "Make Out Violence, huh? Good choice, that is truly a classic!"

The blond's eye twitched slightly. "Ya know, I'm starting to think you're the one who should be punched. Should I go let Sakura know?" Without waiting for an actual answer, the former prankster bolted in the same direction the pinkette went.

Kakashi's eyes widened. "Wait, Naruto!" He ran after his student. "Let's talk about this like reasonable people! Don't do anything rash!"

"Haha! When have I ever been reasonable?!"

"Now would be a pretty good time to start!"

Naruto let out a mischievous cackle as he rounded the corner down one of the hallways. He thought he was home free, until something wrapped around his neck with the pressure of a vice grip.

They had apparently caught up to Sakura, and she decided it best to put the Genin in a headlock to shut the two of them down. "Why am I surrounded by morons!?" She used her free hand to grab her other wrist and pulled it tight against her body to sink in the hold even deeper.

"Wai… Saku… n't… brea…"

"If I let you go, do you promise you're going to behave yourself?"

Unable to respond with words coherently, the Uzumaki managed to nod his head up and down frantically.

Sakura, a woman of her word, let go of the stranglehold. Naruto's oxygen-deprived body required the precious gas, and he accommodated it with huge gulps of air. He stayed quiet and just nursed a sore spot on his neck just under the chin.

"Now, are the two of you ready?" There were right outside the doors to Tsunade's office, and there was some edge to the woman's voice.

The men's bodies went rigid, and they nodded sharply.

"Great!" The kunoichi said with a singsong voice and a bright smile. "Then let's go!"

Naruto and Kakashi shot one another a wary look before following the girl through the large wooden door.

Women were mysterious creatures.

"I see…" Tsunade flipped through all of the files she had on the matter. "No wonder this mission was so difficult. Things went off the rails pretty quickly for all of you."

"That might be an understatement." The only Genin of the group groaned out. "The whole thing was a mess pretty much from the very beginning."

"And what of Itachi? Did he really just disappear without a trace."

"That's right, M' Lady. Though, we're unsure of what his reasons for retreating were." The Fifth's student stepped in to answer the question. "Kurenai-sensei, Kakashi-sensei, and I were with the unconscious Kazekage. We thought he might have changed his target to Naruto, but that wasn't the case. He was just gone."

"That's actually been bothering me since it happened." Kakashi put his hand to his chin as he stared at the floor in front of him. "We had Itachi's supposed target, and he even pursued us for a while. It doesn't make sense that he would just randomly give up and retreat with nothing to show for it. Logic would dictate that he would at least try to go after Naruto, their second priority."

"What do you think that means?" The Slug Queen prodded gently, in hopes it would produce an adequate explanation.

"I'm not really sure, but it seemed like he was indecisive about something. We can only speculate at this point."

Naruto had only been partially paying attention to the conversation going on around him. Everything had been fine until Itachi's name was brought up. Just the mention of the rogue Uchiha was enough to make him feel a strange sensation in the back of his mind. It was like he felt compelled to add to the conversation, but he had no idea what it was. It felt important. How could he possibly have anything substantial to say? After all, he had only seen Itachi for a brief moment when they broke into the cave.

Right?

Tsunade frowned; she had figured as much. "Naruto, do you know what Itachi's plan could have been?" It was a longshot, but they didn't have anything to lose. "Did you notice, or hear, anything when you saw him briefly?"

"Well… now that you mention it, Itachi had a quick conversation with one of the shadows that were there when we broke through the boulder." The blond answered slowly after a moment of thought.

"You mean the projections of the other Akatsuki members that you mentioned earlier?"

"Yeah." Naruto shook his head to try and clear the fogginess. "There was this guy with weird eyes, the leader, I think. He ordered Itachi to go after Gaara and to let Sasori handle me. They still needed to seal the rest of the One-Tail." Much to his dismay, sharing the only piece of information he had did not get rid of the feeling that he had.

Something wasn't making sense. It was like a puzzle, but they were missing a few of the pieces; the full picture couldn't be seen without them.

"Hm, I supposed Kakashi is right. We should stop focusing on the things that we don't know and put our attention on the facts that we've gathered. Sasori of the Red Sand must be taken to Ibiki, immediately. If we can get any information out of him, this mission could prove to turn the tides in our favor against the Akatsuki. "

"Yes, ma'am!" The entirety of Team 7 saluted.

"Team Kakashi, you are dismissed for now. Go get some rest, I'll have someone summon you when we've learned anything else."

Sakura slumped over in relief, Kakashi shot a half-hearted wave over his shoulder as he began to walk away, and Naruto let out a tired yawn. The mission was complete, they could finally relax for a little.

"Actually, Naruto, could you stay for just a minute longer?" The Hokage asked just as the team began to file out of the room.

His teammates shot a look his way, but Naruto just shrugged. "I'll catch ya guys later."

Once the room was clear, Tsunade leaned forward slightly.

"What's up, Granny? What did I need to stay behind for?"

"I wanted to talk to you about one of the theories Jiraiya came up with when the two of you were out of the village together. I believe that it is particularly prevalent right now."

"Hm, and what's that?" He squinted slightly. "And why are you just talking to me about this, and not the others?"

"That's just it, this intelligence must be contained to the best of our ability. That's why I can only tell you; because you're already aware of the possibilities."

Naruto couldn't help but gulp. "Yeah, I understand. What's going on?"

The Slug Queen's eyes darkened. "Jiraiya believes that there is someone within the Akatsuki who has special abilities in espionage and tracking, very similar to his own skills. No, perhaps even greater."

"Yeah, he told me about that. It makes sense; it was like they knew what was going on around us. That was how they were able to get the drop on us in Wave."

"Exactly." The Hokage agreed with a stiff nod. "That's why, until Jiraiya gets back, I would like you to work alongside Ibiki in uncovering any information that we can get out of Sasori. We might be able to glean something on the abilities of other members within the organization. Just remember, this must all remain classified. You cannot tell a soul." There was a bit of eeriness in her voice.

Naruto gave her a look filled with unease. "I can understand being cautious, but I get the feeling that something else is going on here."

The Sannin grimaced and leaned forward. She spoke at a much more subdued volume. "I can't explain it, but, for a while, I have had this strange feeling that the village is being watched."

"You mean…"

"I've gotten word from the Hidden Sand that there were a few traitors amongst them. The two men that you fought disguised as Akatsuki were both high-ranking Jonin from the Land of Wind."

"What?!" The boy's eyes widened slightly in surprise.

The Hokage nodded gravely. "Kakashi gave the Sand Village the coordinates of your battle, and they went to inspect the battlegrounds. One of the men was even a councilman, a man named Yūra."

"Y-Yūra?" That name, he had definitely heard it somewhere before. Of course, the council had allowed him to sit in Yūra's seat while they deliberated.

"Yes, I have been told that he was a loyal member on their council for several years. You must know what that means about the potential security within our own village, and it's important that you keep all of this under wraps. If there is a traitor amongst us, we have to snuff them out before our nation's security is put at risk. I have recalled Jiraiya, he'll be able to assist T&I when he returns."

"I don't know, this seems like a lot to put on some Genin like me." Naruto wasn't one to put himself down anymore, but this mission wasn't exactly suited to his skills. Torture and interrogation weren't exactly Jiraiya's forte either, so it's not like he could have passed it along to his student.

"Who said I was entrusting this S-Rank mission to a Genin? No, that simply wouldn't do." Despite the circumstances, the blond Senju couldn't conceal her small smirk.

"Eh?"

"Naruto Uzumaki, for your exemplary efforts in the successful mission to retrieve the Kazekage, I hereby promote you to the rank of Chunin!"

Author's Note: Naruto: The Chunin. Man, it felt good to write that. If you didn't think he deserved it, you're wrong.

In all seriousness, there was a bit of everything in this chapter: Serious moments, levity, setups, hints…

There are a couple loose ends that need to be resolved so we can segue adequately into the next arc. This is Chapter 31, and the next arc will officially begin in Chapter 33. Don't worry, Chapter 32 isn't useless (as you'll be able to infer from the title). It's essential.

Don't forget to leave tons of reviews! They are my rocket fuel.

See you next time with Chapter 32: A Rat Hidden Amongst the Leaves!

Legend3881 – True, but that's just who the guy is. For better, or worse.

DragonshadowRyukage – I agree. Though, in my fic, Itachi was the one who actually killed Kankuro. It was at the end of 'Crimson-Eyed Resolve,' I believe.

AkashimaUchiha – It was a wild decision fueled by sentiment and nostalgia. Dumb? Yes. Bad? Don't know, we'll just have to see how it plays out.

TrenchcoatMan – Shukaku was more than willing to give that name up. Anything to get under Kurama's skin!

Passive Person – We still have to segue into the next arc, but, yes, this is the final chapter of the 'Kazekage Rescue' arc.

assassin1556 – Shhhhhhhhhhh. All I can say is no mistakes were made here…

ThelittleKing – As of right now, Sasori is essentially a prisoner of war. Will he even be an ally? Besides, there's a particular plot point that complicates him being in the village. Wonder what that is? Maybe an old loose end that most have probably forgotten about? Hmmm?

Also, did you like seeing Shukaku? Lemme know!

Namimaki – W-What?