A/N: IMPORTANT: So, I accidentally forgot Choji existed in the last chapter, and miscounted Shikamaru's team, so I went back and edited it to fix that mistake. So, Choji will be part of the team moving forward. Feel free to go back and reread the retrieval team's departure.

So, the beginning of this chapter will be Gaara's last scene for a little while, until he shows up to do what Gaara does again.

Time for Chapter 67

Enjoy!

Gaara rolled his shoulders as he adjusted the sleeveless tunic he had changed himself into. Over two days in the desert had rendered him entirely sick of the thick cotton he had adorned throughout the trip. Personal preference aside, it was a more combat-practical outfit, and he would likely be facing plenty of such within hours. Time was short, and the Jinchuuriki had considered setting off without bothering to return to his motel room, but his disdain for the sleeves on his arms had won out.

"You seem awfully calm about this."

Gaara looked over to the leftmost corner of the room, where Akane stood with her hands neatly folded at her waist. The redhead shrugged and snatched a fly out of the air.

"No reason not to be. I figured things would get messy." he said dismissively, flicking the crushed bug aside. Akane's expression remained unconvinced. Gaara contained his urge to hustle out of the room. He knew the look on her face all too well. An argument was on its way.

"There's a difference between foresight and preparedness, Gaara-sama." she said with the slightest hint of reticence. Gaara rolled his eyes. As per usual, the woman was nothing if not a mother hen.

"I lose one fight, and you treat me like I'm made of glass." he grumbled. Akane stepped away from the wall, maneuvering around her own travel pack on the floor.

"You were carried in on a stretcher with a hole in your chest. I'm within my rights to worry." she countered. Gaara ignored her for a few moments, as he rather disliked the topic, but he knew better than to withhold a response for too long.

"But not your job description." he pointed out. In one form or another, the conversation they were presently having tended to happen quite often. The contrast in their mentalities regarding risk had always bred conflict, but much unlike before, the attendant now had firm ground to stand on.

"We've been over this. My job is to ensure your well-being, and you're treating the same group that nearly killed you last time like a walk in the park." Akane said. Gaara fiddled with the strap of his gourd, which was refusing to latch itself properly.

"They aren't our enemies this time." he pointed out, quickly growing tired of the back and forth. His mind was well-occupied already. The task before him was bound to be difficult, and was made only more complicated by his own agenda. Yet, of course, Akane did not allow him to think in silence.

"You make enemies." she said flatly. Gaara finally let out a tired sigh and gave up on fastening his gourd for the moment.

"I'd appreciate it if you trusted me a bit more." he said. He then took a look up at the clock. Time to talk was growing scarcer by the second. Akane gave him a long look.

"You don't make that easy." she replied. Gaara turned and faced her fully for the first time since the conversation's start.

"What do you want me to say?" he asked. The response he received was quick and strongly-worded.

"That you won't get yourself killed." the attendant said seriously. For a time, Gaara said nothing. He had always dealt poorly with such sentiments. He seldom understood them, and even what little he could comprehend hardly felt appropriate when applied to who he knew himself to be.

"If you're going to get emotional, find a different line of work. Your feelings are out of place." he said coldly. Akane shook her head.

"I'm only human, Gaara-sama. People are biased." she said a touch more softly. The Jinchuuriki finally managed to latch the shoulder strap of his gourd, at last completing his dressing.

"I wouldn't know." he said. Akane Morisaki was a patient woman, almost to a superhuman degree, but certain things burned through that tolerance like a wildfire through dry brush.

"Don't even start." she shot back, her voice now thickly laced with annoyance. Choosing not to stoke the flames of her rising concern any further, Gaara turned his back to her and trudged toward the door, muttering a retort under his breath as he did so. Turning the handle, he pushed the door open.

"Gaara."

The Jinchuuriki glanced back over his shoulder at Akane, who had addressed him. She had dropped the formal honorific from his name. A departure from her usual etiquette.

"Yes?" Gaara asked, his tone slightly hasty. For all that he was confident in his ability to travel quickly, allowing too much extra time to pass would be bothersome.

"Please come back." Akane requested quietly. Gaara stared at her for a moment, but soon turned to leave again.

"I always do."

The vastness of the Land of Fire's forest never ceased to amaze Satsuki. She had never traversed especially far into it, only a few scattered miles alongside Itachi and her father during her childhood, but even back then, she could sense its enormity. Now, having been running in what more or less amounted to a straight line for the better part of six and a half hours, they had still yet to exit the foliage. Though it was an inconvenience in some ways, navigating branches was never the simplest task over long stretches, it was helpful in the sense that the route was well-insulated. It was well under forty degrees, and the thick canopy overhead kept what little heat there was firmly trapped in the forest.

Satsuki made short glances to either side of herself. The very same quartet of ninja whom she had pointlessly fought against earlier that week, alongside one new addition, were acting as her escorts, so to speak. They had intercepted her a stone's throw from the village border, and had taken off from there. No rest had been afforded, and the fact that she had not slept in well over a day was beginning to take its toll. She was tired, and only growing more so. Despite it, she had not allowed her pace to slow. Inconvenient or not, the journey would bear fruit.

Despite her departure being a willing one, she was certainly not being treated like it was. She was being flanked on all sides, with occasional rotations. She was both being guarded and boxed in simultaneously. If any second thoughts were to arise, they were ensuring that she hadn't the chance to act on them. Little had been said among the group since the beginning of their lengthy journey to the Land of Sound, but Satsuki had been able to extract a bit of information about each of her companions.

The balding man of broad build was named Jirobo. He was largely gruff, unwelcoming, and of few words. The grotesque, two-headed member of the group was an interesting case, to say the least. The forward facing of his two heads claimed to be named Sakon, while the backwards referred to itself as Ukon. Satsuki had made a conscious decision not to think too deeply about him unless she absolutely had to. Sakon and Ukon were not the only oddities of biology among the group either. Kidomaru, who had a dark complexion and a short ponytail, possessed six arms. Once again, Satsuki had largely opted to block him from her mind.

The least unusual of them physically was easily the redheaded woman who had infiltrated the Uchiha's home during the group's visit. Her name was Tayuya, and as far as Satsuki could tell, there was nothing out of the norm about her. She was very short, standing a good few inches shorter than the leaf genin, and her build was unnoteworthy. She was also the only of the escorts to attempt conversation, likely due to their shared status as the lone women among the group. It hadn't lasted long, as Satsuki was feeling far from talkative, but it had been the closest thing to respect she had received as of yet.

The final member of the group was the only one who had not been present at the Uchiha sector. He had white hair, pale skin, and two red dots on his forehead. Though she had not been told so by the man himself, Satsuki had managed to catch his name in passing conversation. It was Kimimaro. He was always in the leading position of the formation. While the others routinely shuffled around her, Kimimaro did not. Tellingly, it was never questioned. He was, as far as Satsuki could tell, the leader. He had also not spoken a single word since their trek had begun. One detail about him that stuck out, beyond his unnerving silence, was his breathing. It was choppy, uneven, and came in odd patterns. Almost as though he was struggling to take in air at all.

Returning her attention to the branches ahead, Satsuki resumed thinking about nothing in particular. A blank state of mind had provided her some modicum of peace, at least so far. For several minutes, the travel continued at the same level of monotony as before. After a short while, however, Kidomaru came to a stop at her left. The rest quickly followed suit.

"We're being followed." he said with narrowed eyes. Given the total lack of physical signs or indications of such a thing, it stood to reason that Kidomaru was the sensory type of the group.

"How many, and at what distance?" Kimimaro asked, letting his voice be heard for the very first time. Kidomaru stared off into the trees behind them for several moments, seeming to take careful note of whatever he could feel that the others could not.

"Six, as far as I can tell. They're a good distance behind us, but they're moving faster than we have been. We've been jogging. They're sprinting." he reported. Satsuki pursed her lips. She had been anticipating a chase, but it was still unpleasant news. Kimimaro then proceeded to state the obvious.

"Likely a recovery team from Konoha. We still have a lead, but they know this forest better than we do. As things stand, they're likely to catch us at some point before we reach the border." he said, jumping down from his branch to the forest floor below. The rest of the group quickly followed suit. Once they were all situated, the discussion reconvened.

"Can you pick up their signatures well enough to gauge their strength?" Kimimaro asked. Kidomaru closed his eyes in focus for a time. When they opened again, his expression was slightly uneasy.

"Only two of them are threatening, but one of them…I don't like how they feel." he said vaguely. Kimimaro frowned.

"Explain. We're on a tight schedule." he pressed impatiently. Kidomaru took an extended look back, once again seeming strangely reticent.

"Their chakra doesn't feel normal. It's erratic, huge, and it's the wrong color. It's almost red." he explained. The description immediately rang a familiar bell in Satsuki's mind. Blonde hair, blue eyes, and whiskered cheeks. Her stomach dropped as she quickly connected the dots.

'They sent Naruto? Why him?' she thought to herself, a mild panic building up within her. Though she was hardly surprised by the broader development of pursuit, she had expected hardened Jonin, or experienced Chunin. Why Hiruzen had thought it wise to dispatch a Genin was beyond her. For better or worse, the rest of the group did not share her personal turmoil on the matter.

"Well, in that case, I say this is where we split off into sections. If this turns into a large-scale brawl, things will be more chaotic than we can afford." Kimimaro began, drawing a collective nod of agreement from his comrades.

"Take up staggered positions along the path we've already traveled. They're bound to follow the tracks we've left. Do all that you can to slow them down. Kill them if you can manage it." he continued. He then turned his attention to Satsuki.

"As for you, I'll be your only guard from here on out. Though, 'convoy' might be a bit more accurate." he said. He then produced a scroll from the sash around his waist and unfurled it before setting it on the forest floor. A beat later, it went up in a puff of smoke. When the obstruction cleared away, a large, circular barrel of sorts sat where the scroll had once been. Satsuki furrowed her brow.

"And this is for what, exactly?" she asked. She had several wagers as to the barrel's function, but all of them were mere assumptions. As it turned out, however, her blind guessing had led her rather close to the truth.

"Carrying you." Kimimaro replied vaguely. When Satsuki failed to hide the skepticism on her face, he spoke further.

"I suppose we've left you in the dark a bit as of yet. Our first priority, aside from delivering you, is to push your curse mark to its second level. Training alone won't allow it to grow. Your body and chakra will continue to reject it." he explained. The Uchiha glanced at the seal on her neck. It had been pulsating uncomfortably since her departure from the border. Almost certainly a result of the many tumultuous emotions brewing within her. To advance it further was a dangerous proposition, and she knew as much. As she pondered it all, Kimimaro pulled a small bottle of black pills from his sash.

"Thankfully, Lord Orochimaru has a convenient wordaround for that issue." he said, handing the bottle to Satsuki as he spoke. The casing was featureless and clear, with the pills being no less dull to the eye.

"Down as many as you can manage. Make it through, and you'll like the results. I certainly did." Kimimaro said. Satsuki sent a sweeping look of distrust to each member of the group.

"Make it through? What's that supposed to mean?" she asked. Rather than Kimimaro, Tayuya took charge in answering her inquiry.

"That drug does nasty things to your body. You'll come about as close to dying as you can without actually kicking the bucket. It's on you to survive that part. All of us managed it, but plenty of others died trying. But, if you're as special as Lord Orochimaru says you are, it shouldn't be a problem for you." she revealed. It was on-brand to an almost comical degree for the Snake Sanin. Underhanded, experimental, and potentially fatal. Satsuki eyed the bottle silently. It was the polar opposite of a guarantee. A dice roll of the highest order, from what she had been told.

Yet, despite the obvious peril, there was no question in her mind as to whether or not she would follow through. She was well past the point of no return, and her resolve to run Itachi down had not wavered in the slightest. Power was power, no matter where it came from. As had been her justification for leaving Konoha in the first place. There was no point in hesitating, especially not in the face of such a potentially worthwhile opportunity. With her mind made up, Satsuki twisted the cap off the bottle and dumped roughly a fourth of the bottle into her palm. She then leaned her head back and dumped the pills into her mouth. It took her a moment to swallow them all dry, but she did so without a hitch.

"Alright. What now?" she asked. Kimimaro cracked a barely-visible smile and held up three fingers. Then two, then one, and finally, none at all. Satsuki was unable to say a single word in response, as she melted down to the ground before even forming a sentence. She was unconscious within seconds. The final line had been crossed.

With bleak conviction, Satsuki Uchiha had taken her first steps down a long, cold path.

Kakashi pushed past the pair of guards stationed at either side of Hiruzen's door. He was a fairly genial man in most cases, but as of now, formalities could and would wait. Continuing to ignore the protests of the guards, the Copy Ninja turned the handle of the office door and threw it open. The sight he was met with was fitting for the crisis in swing. Hiruzen was seated behind his desk opposite Koharu Utatane, one of Konoha's most prominent councilors. His sudden entry drew only mild reactions from each of them. Judging by the looks on their faces, they had been in the midst of a heated debate.

"I've said my piece." Koharu said shortly, turning on her heel and briskly walking past Kakashi and out of the room without another word. Kakashi's eyes lingered on the door to his back for a moment, but he soon turned his attention back to his leader. The Hokage hardly seemed surprised by his arrival.

"A knock would have been nice." he said tiredly. The Jonin tempered his less-than-calm state of mind as best he could. No doubt, the situation had been immeasurably complicated for the old man on several levels.

"I'm being rude, I'm well aware, but I feel like I have the right to know why I wasn't notified immediately." he opened. It was still in its infancy, but the conversation shared a similar groundwork to the on the two men had shared during the Chunin exams, following Orochimaru's interference in the second phase. As with then, Satsuki was the primary topic, but at a far more dire level.

"This was sprung on me out of absolutely nowhere. I had to act quickly, and sending for you would have taken precious time. I did what I could with what I had." Hiruzen said calmly. Kakashi glanced over at the chair Koharu had left vacant, but ruled against seating himself.

"I only found out because Genma came running to me off the record. I want to brush this off, but I feel like I'm being pushed out of the loop here." he shot back. The elderly leader shook his head firmly.

"Not the case in the slightest. I've no reason to do such a thing. My hands have been more than full for the past few hours." he said. True as the explanation may be, Kakashi's frustration persisted.

"Well, then let's not waste anymore time. Send me after them. They'll need reinforcements. There's no chance a group of genin can handle this alone." he reasoned. Hiruzen exhaled through his nose.

"The conversation I was having just before you came barging in was on that very topic, as a matter of fact. The council feels that we can't afford to thin our number of in-village Jonin more than we absolutely have to. And to be frank, I think their concerns are just for once." he said. Kakashi scowled beneath his mask.

"Then send me alone. I can handle myself just fine. Losing one Jonin for a day or two won't cripple the village." he argued. The answer he received was entirely predictable, but no less infuriating for that fact.

"You're a special case. First and foremost, you're far and away our most powerful asset outside of myself or Danzo. Jaded as it may sound, your life is more valuable than most. Secondly, and more importantly, there's the matter of your left eye. In this case specifically, your Sharingan is less a weapon and more a target for abuse." the Hokage said. The Copy Ninja's impatience shifted to skepticism.

"What are you getting at?" he asked. Hiruzen stood up from his chair and began a slow pace back and forth across the room.

"You know as well as I do that Orochimaru's fascination with Satsuki is entirely rooted in her bloodline. More specifically, her kekkei genkai. A dojutsu you happen to possess as well. Now, I'm quite sure that it wouldn't be his first priority, but I think it's likely that Orochimaru would take an interest in your Sharingan should you encounter him out in the open." he said. It was a train of thought Kakashi had not yet considered.

"Even if you succeed in keeping Satsuki from his grasp, there's a far from insignificant chance it will cost you your left eye, and if it does, Orochimaru will only become more dangerous." the Hokage continued. The Jonin's response came slowly, as he had no choice but to acknowledge the logical explanation he had been afforded.

"And you're sure he'll be present at all?" he inquired. Hiruzen nodded, ceasing pacing and returning to his desk again.

"I know him well. When he wants something done a certain way, he tends to do it himself." he said grimly. Kakashi calmed somewhat, but he was far from satisfied.

"What about Shikamaru, Naruto, and all the rest, then? Did you send them to die?" he questioned. Hiruzen remained unmoved.

"They'll be relieved of their duties soon enough, if things run smoothly. The council can tamper with my Jonin, but the Anbu Black Ops take their orders directly from me. I've arranged for a platoon to back them up within the next hour or two, depending on how far Shikamaru's team has made it." he explained. A small wave of relief washed through Kakashi. It was nowhere near his ideal solution, but his own time in the Corps had taught him how clinically effective and consistent the Anbu were.

"I still don't like it." he said honestly. Hiruzen's hardness finally gave way to a hint of sympathy.

"If we were dealing with anybody else, in any other situation, I would send you regardless. But, as things stand, I can't bring myself to gamble." he said. Kakashi took a deep breath, held it in, and then released it. With slow steps, he made his way to the door. As he moved to leave, he looked back over his shoulder.

"If you change your mind, I'll be at the border." he said, earning a curt nod from Hiruzen before exiting the room entirely.

Rife with worry, Kakashi took up his post, and settled in to await his team's return.

Shikamaru wiped a drop of sweat from his brow as he and the rest of his team bounded from branch to branch. They had been moving at a breakneck pace for nearly ninety minutes straight with Neji in the lead, and while he was nowhere near out of energy, his body was beginning to feel the effects of the torrid travel. His legs were sore, his chest was burning, and his face was raw from the stray twigs and branches that had scraped across it countless times. The fighting had yet to even begin, and the mission was proving to be grueling. Much outside his usual norm, Shikamaru could not have cared less for the hardship. He had a job to do, and he would do it to the best of his ability.

A quick glance at each of his teammates revealed equal determination in each. Choji, Neji, and Lee all wore solemn faces, with scowls tugging at their features. Even Shino was animated, with a face full of quiet will. Before returning his attention to the path ahead, Shikamaru's eyes settled on Naruto, who was at his left side. The blonde had been almost entirely silent since the journey's beginning. Conversation had been scarce as a whole, but Naruto had hardly said more than a few stray words. It was obvious where his mind was. It was only logical. More than any other member of the retrieval team, even including Shikamaru himself, the Jinchuuriki had an enormous emotional stake in the success of the procedure.

Shikamaru considered Satsuki to be a friend. A fairly close one, and one he cared for, but a friend and nothing more. Naruto, on the other hand, had gone several large steps beyond that level. As far as the Chunin knew, the pair had been spending nights together for weeks prior to the debacle at hand, and while he had no outright confirmation, he was fairly sure that Satsuki had spent her final night in Konoha in Naruto's bed. The stress of the situation was hefty for all those involved, but by comparison, their pain and confusion almost certainly paled to the Jinchuuriki's.

Even with context in mind, however, Shikamaru couldn't help but shudder at the expression on Naruto's face. His eyes were sullen and narrow, his jaw was clenched, and stress lines marked his forehead and cheeks. He looked downright murderous. It was no wonder that his eyes were blood red. In a backwards sort of way, it was comforting. The Jinchuuriki was powerful to begin with, and Shikamaru had seen the incredible heights his strength could reach when angered. He was an incredibly potent asset. Yet, at the same time, his self-control had most probably vanished many miles ago. He would be nearly impossible to control once the inevitable chaos stirred itself up.

"Naruto–" the Nara began. Before he could finish, Naruto's eyes cut right to him. It was a tiny motion. Barely worth noting in most scenarios. But now, it was enough to send a chill down Shikamaru's spine and stop him mid-sentence.

"What's up?" the Jinchuuriki asked in a gravely tone. Shikamaru took a moment to consider his words. His gut told him that the wrong choice would only destabilize the blonde further.

"We're going to take her back. No matter what it takes." he said. It was a safe response. Honest, but lacking in any real substance. Naruto did not reply. Whether it was out of spite for the Chunin's platitude, or due to his one-track focus on the Uchiha just beyond their grasp, Shikamaru could not discern. Just as he finally devoted his full attention to the trees ahead, Neji stopped short on a branch and signaled for the rest of the group to follow his example.

"We've got company." he said. Initially, Shikamaru and the rest of the squadron failed to spot what exactly the Hyuga's far superior eyes had honed in on, but within moments, a figure came leaping in from the leaves in the distance. Within the same minute, the entity was close enough for specific characteristics to be identified. It was a male, appearing to be a tad older than the group of leaf Shinobi, with a heavy build and receding orange hair.

Landing with a thudding sound on a branch no more than fifty feet from the retrieval team, the man spread his arms wide. A clear indicator of his intentions.

"That's as far as you go." he said calmly. Shikamaru swallowed somewhat nervously as he spotted a seal of great similarity to Satsuki's on the new arrival's arm. Alongside his outfit, which featured a purple, rope-like sash and a white tunic, it was obvious with whom he associated. He was a henchman of Orochimaru, and most likely among those the Sanin had dispatched to escort Satsuki across the border.

"You're badly outnumbered. I'd say your chances are slim." Neji retorted. The balding man gave him no response, instead remaining static before them. The Hyuga's assessment was an apt one. Even with no information on the strength of their foe, a ratio of six-to-one in their favor provided an overwhelming advantage. Upon closer inspection, it was also clear that their foe's aim was not to drive them back so much as simply stall them. He had made no move to attack, and his posture was defensive. He was a blockade.

Shikamaru made brief eye contact with each of his squadmates. All of them appeared to understand the situation. All but Naruto, that was. With a rigid frame and bared teeth, Naruto hopped out between the two parties, landing on a thick branch in the middle.

"We don't need numbers." he growled in the henchman's direction. Shikamaru's hunch had proven correct. The Jinchuuriki was far from steady mentally. His judgment was taking a backseat to his emotions. A mistake the Chunin was all too familiar with. As Shikamaru took a step toward his friend, a burst of action interrupted him. Quite surprisingly, the source of it was not Naruto, or even Rock Lee, who stood eagerly at the ready just behind Neji. In an unexpected twist, Choji's enlarged fist slammed into the balding man's chest and sent him careening down toward the thicket below.

"Get going! I'll keep him busy!" the Akimichi heir called out to his teammates as he jumped off his branch to pursue the enemy. For a brief moment, the remaining five members of the cell stood still in shock, but quickly regained their wits.

"Let's move!" Shikamaru barked, sending the team back into motion. With even greater speed than before, the group sprinted through the trees. There was now concrete evidence that they would be meeting armed resistance. Haste was now even more paramount. They could be halted at any time. Ducking under a branch, Shikamaru looked back over his shoulder. He could still make out the sounds of fighting.

'Sharp call, Choji.' he silently projected to his teammate. In one fell swoop, Choji had managed to remove Naruto's instability from the equation, and open up a path forward. Whether or not he would be victorious was unknowable, but quite frankly, it mattered little in the grand scheme of things. With the topic in mind, Shikamaru turned to Naruto. The blonde's eyes were still crimson, and his nails appeared to have lengthened. No question, he had been ready to fight at a moment's notice. Slowly but surely, however, the rage faded from his eyes.

"Sorry about that." he muttered, uncurling his fists as his irises faded back into their usual blue shade. What precisely had snapped him out of his trance was unclear, but it was a welcome change regardless. Relaxing a touch, Shikamaru nodded.

"Just try to keep your head." he said. In a similar fashion to their first exchange, Naruto said nothing more. Electing to take the Jinchuuriki's renewed calm without complaint, Shikamaru devoted more focus to staying on pace. Things were proving difficult, both predictably and otherwise.

Unfortunately, the chaos of the cold morning had only just begun.

A/N: Just going to get a few things out of the way real quick:

First of all, I'm well aware that this is coming out late, and on a weird day. For once, it had nothing to do with sickness, scheduling, or any of that. To be honest with all of you, I'm starting to doubt my ability to execute well on this arc. A lot happens very quickly, all of which I need to at least sort of cover, and on top of that, there's a massive amount of emotional buildup I need to manage. It's not the longest arc, but it's absolutely the most difficult. The chapter you just read was the seventh draft of it.

Second, I'm well aware that the reasoning behind Kakashi not being dispatched is rather flimsy, but I did what I could. For the purposes of this fic, I need him to stay behind. I know that's cheap writing, but it couldn't exactly be helped in this case.

All of that aside, I hope that this chapter was still good in spite of how much I struggled with it. A lot went on, and the pace is quick. Tell me what you thought of it in a review :)

I love you all

Read and Review!