Faster, faster… I have to get away.

This ninja was holding Sakura with one arm, balancing her over their shoulder. The ninja was leaping in the tall trees, jumping from tree limb to tree limb.

The ninja's outfit was quite bulky. They were wearing thick canvas-like pants that were navy blue and a long sleeved black shirt made from the same material. A thick sand colored vest, which had a tall collar that went high enough to cover everything below the nose, went over the shirt. Their feet were bare except heavily applied white tape, as were the forearms and hands. Their face, except one pale blue eye, was covered completely with the same white tape. Their loose auburn hair that wasn't in the tight pony was flowing freely in the air behind their body.

After sprinting for several miles, the mystery nin stopped at the foot of a large tree. Because the thicket was so lush with trees and shrubs, the moon light hardly came through the canopy. It was very early morning, still too early for the sun to rise. The ninja's arm was aching from carrying the unconscious girl.

You shouldn't be waking up anytime soon. You'll give me a chance to rest.

The ninja put Sakura down seated next to the tree trunk and tied her feet and wrists together behind her back. Their breathing was harsh and coarse from the running and jumping.

They jumped once more into the tree landing into a nearby limb. The nin sat down, also resting against the tree trunk. Their tired eye slowly closed.

(Meanwhile at Iruka's Place)

"Sakura's been captured?" Kakashi was concerned. His playful eyes turned to a cold and blank stare.

"That's what I've been trying to tell you the whole time! If you were listening instead of making out, maybe you would have heard me!" Naruto was yelling louder and louder with each word he said.

"How could you have let this happen? Between you and Sasuke, you both could have figured something out. I've seen all three of you in action, and you're a great team! You could have taken whoever it was down!" Iruka was frustrated.

"It's not my fault! Sasuke was trying to act like Mr. Cool, saving Sakura and all. Well, I'm the real hero, everyone knows that! I told him to stop and let me handle it, and guess what he said, just take a guess!" Naruto asked his teachers.

"Get on with it. Just explain everything about the whole fight, Naruto. Everything you can remember." Kakashi was trying to stay calm but Naruto was really aggravating him.

Let me guess, something like you'll screw up the whole fight and you'll get someone hurt, kidnapped, or killed. "Naruto, just tell us!" Iruka wasn't sure what else to say to the boy, he didn't want to tell him what he was really thinking.

"He said, 'Let me handle this'. Can you believe it? Well, even if you don't, believe it!" Naruto was starting to mock Sasuke. "Blah, blah, blah, I'm so cool! I can save a girl and Naruto can't! He can't do anything because he's too stupid!"

Both of the men just stood there, listening to the boy. Both were also about to hit him upside the head.

"You got mad at Sasuke because he just said 'let me handle this'?" Iruka asked through his gritting teeth.

"Yeah, and then I said, 'No way! This guy is mine!'… So I ran as fast as I could and pushed Sasuke out of the way. But when I went to fight the ninja, he was already gone. I guess he went while I was trying to show Sasuke up…"

"You did what!" said both of the men in unison.

"What did this man look like?" The gunin was curious. Maybe he had fought him before.

"Umm… short but very fast. Red-ish brown-ish hair that was long, and in a pony tail, I think. Their whole head except for an eye was covered with the same kind of white tape you use, so it was hard to tell. I don't remember anything else."

Kakashi couldn't remember anyone fitting this description and he had a great memory.

"Where is Sasuke?" Iruka asked.

"He's back home. I told him to wait there until I could find you in case Sakura came and she needed help."

Kakashi thought for a second. "We have to go now. Naruto, come on. Iruka, you're coming also. We're going to the Hokage." He wasn't going to except anyone fooling around.

"But-" Naruto began to say, but Kakashi interrupted him.

"Now!"

(Six Minutes Later at the Hokage's Door)

"Please come in, Kakashi and Iruka. But please hurry. I am half asleep." The tired Hokage was sitting on a red cushion on the floor. His eyes were only half open and a snot bubble was at the end of his nostril. Apparently he had just woke up.

Iruka cleared his throat and rubbed his nose, trying to tell the Hokage without actually telling him. But he didn't even seem to notice what the chunin was doing. Naruto was trying so hard not to laugh that his face was turning red.

"One of my team members, Sakura, has been taken by an unknown ninja. I need your 'okay' to go on the mission, sir." Kakashi sounded a little nervous, because he knew what the Hokage was going to ask next.

"I see. Please indulge me, Kakashi, and tell me how you managed to let this happen."

Oh, boy. "Well, you see sir, I had invited him over to my place for a dinner on me and do some… male bonding... and I-" Iruka was interrupted. His cheeks turned bright red.

"I've heard enough. Kakashi, you, Iruka, and Naruto will go after Kakashi. Let the Uchila boy rest tonight. You three can do it yourselves. I want all of you to gather as much information on this ninja as you can." The Hokage was calm but stern while he was talking to and eyeballing the two men. Each time he breathed in and out, the snot bubble got bigger then smaller again.

Naruto was about to bust a gut if they didn't get out of there soon.

"Yes, sir." Kakashi went out. Naruto and Iruka followed.

As soon as they were out of the Hokage's hearing range, Naruto laughed until his eyes were watering.

"Man, when I'm Hokage, no one will ever catch me with a snot bubble coming out of my nose!" Since he was laughing so hard and his eyes were starting to tear, his sinuses were relaxing. A snot bubble was made and was coming out of one of his nostrils. Just the irony of it made Iruka chuckle to himself.

(Back in the Forest with the Mystery Nin and Sakura)

Hmm…?

The tired nin woke up, senses sharp even though they weren't totally awake.

Something's moving… more than one… they're human.

Instantly the nin knew what it was.

They've found us, but how? Master told me Hatake Kakashi was good, much better than Umino Iruka, but I couldn't have been asleep any longer than 15 minutes.

There was more rustling behind bushes and trees. The ninja jumped down from their perch, grabbing the still unconscious girl. While the nin was sprinting, they were making hand signs.

But, they stopped abruptly, as if suddenly struck by a painful blow.

Kakashi seemed to appear out of nowhere in front of the wounded nin. Three kunai were sticking out of the caper's upper back.

"Drop the girl. If you do it willingly, you will not be harmed anymore than you are now. If we make you, you will not come out of this alive." Kakashi was trying to be understanding, obviously this nin was poorly trained.

Iruka appeared next to Kakashi right after he spoke to the nin. Naruto's shadow doppelgangers emerged all around the mystery ninja, at least thirty-five of them.

The nin smirked evilly and chuckled.

"You think you have me, yes? No. You don't. You see, the clan from which I come from have a special kind of jutsu. I can infuse myself to another when a certain amount of chalkra gathers to any part of my body I tell it to." They raised a brow.

Kakashi looked emotionless, as did Iruka but you could still see an uneasy look in his eyes.

Naruto was starting to get furious, though. "Don't you dare do anything with Sakura! She did nothing to you!"

"I am only obeying orders from my master. Now shut up, and let me explain what would happen to your precious Sakura if someone tried to attack me, you little runt!"

Naruto was getting madder with every second that passed. For Sakura's sake though, he kept quiet.

"Anything you do to me happens to Sakura. The kunai in my back, there are three of them, yes? Sakura has them in her back also. Even though there are no physical kunai there, she is still wounded and bleeds. Look."

The nin held Sakuara up. Sure as hell, three puncture wounds were in the same spots as the nin's were.

"I'd advise you to put her down, now." Kakashi was getting impatient.

"No. I cannot put her down now. I told you, she and I are connected now. My hands are fused to her body!" With that, the nin jumped up to the nearest tree branch.

One of the doppelgangers reached up and pulled on a loose ribbon of tape that covered the nin's face. It unraveled.

"You're… you're a woman!"

"Akaiyo, you brat! My name is Akaiyo!" She was getting faster and faster as she ran and jumped from branch to branch. She was really fast. One of the fastest both teachers had seen. What she lacked in actual endurance and knowledge, she made up for it with speed.

Naruto was unpleasantly surprised. He thought to himself, How could a girl beat me and Sasuke? She's not even that good of a ninja, but she can still use her jutsus against us… No wonder I didn't get her before, she's way faster than me and Sasuke! Why didn't she use her doppelgangers like last time?

In unison, Kakashi, Iruka, Naruto and all of his doppelgangers leaped up into the air, trying to keep up with Akaiyo.

This isn't over; you ruined my night with Iruka! You will be defeated along with your master! If you hurt Sakura, you will have to answer to me! Kakashi was very pissed off right now. He could feel his chalkra rising to his eye and his Sharingon activating.

(End)

(To be continued in chapter 4!)