A/N: After WEEKS of writers block, here's chapter nine! I'm at a loss as to how to continue. You guys probably know by now that I suck at action, and you KNOW there' s gonna have to be an action sequence when they get into the Forest of Death. But this chapter has some OOC warnings, but not just for Sasuke and Itachi. Hinata's OOC, too. You know everyone has their breaking point, right? Well, you see hers. Anyhow, other than that, There aren't any other real warnings. However, I've got major papers and presentations to work. I've gotta put this thing on hold for a couple of weeks.

Legal Stuffiness: I don't own Naruto or any of the characters therein. Morimoto Risa, and the s-class felon Takuda are both mine, though.

Last time…

"No, Gaara! Stop!" Tsunade's shout was too late. Two hands had come up from the ground and pulled him into the earth up to his neck. His eyes began to glaze over. Tsunade ran forward and hit the ground near Gaara hard, causing the area where he was to rise. She yanked him up from the ground, and examined him. "He's only lost his chakra, but he can't stay here. Kurenai, take him and bring him to the tunnels."

The leader of the rogue nins had disappeared, and none of them could find out where he had gone. "Spread out. Take care of any of those crappy ninjas that you find." Naruto spoke, his command absolute. He looked at Sasuke. "Come on, teme. Let's go find that blue-haired guy." Sasuke smiled, and the group dispersed.

Chapter 9: Changes

Hinata and Kiba came around the corner of a building, and were nearly decapitated by a large axe. Kiba's eyes grew wide, but suddenly he was on the ground, Hinata having pulled him there. "Kiba, you have to be—" she dodged another swipe of the axe. "—more careful. She darted forward, grabbing hold of the man who held the axe. She started to work him over with the Gentle Fist technique, and when she was satisfied with her work, nodded to Kiba, who took the axe from the pained man.

"Who is your master?" Kiba held the blade over him, a threatening look on his face.

The man glared at them through his pain. "You will only know him in death, Konoha scum!" He spat in Kiba's face, and received Hinata's foot in his face. Kiba marveled at her as she ground her heel into his nose.

Her voice came quietly, but had steel behind it. Leaning down, she said, "If you will not tell us, then I will kill you. Do you want to die?" For a moment, she lifted her foot from his face, staring down at him with eyes that reminded Kiba very much of Neji.

"N-No." The man stammered, staring up at Hinata in fear.

She kicked him in the stomach. Her voice rose, cracking in rage. "Then tell us who that man is before I really get angry!" Kiba pulled her away from the man, still surprised by her behavior. He looked her in the eyes. "Hinata? Are you alright?"

She was quiet again, and said, "It was the Sound Village that made Sasuke do what he did…to me. He was the way he was because of them. I just wanted to—" Her voice choked in anger, and she said nothing more.

Kiba understood. "Just don't kill him before we get the information out of him, ok?" He turned back to the prone man, looming over him. "Now, if you don't want me to let her kill you, then you'd better tell me who that blue-haired freak is."

His eyes widened, and then he began to speak, telling them everything. Apparently, the man was called Takuda. He was a missing nin from the Rock, and an s-class felon. He had gone missing since he slaughtered his own team of genin. Apparently, he was completely mad. Hinata narrowed her eyes. She kicked the man again, and they walked away from him, Kiba still carrying his axe.

"Baka! What the hell did you do that for?" Shikamaru's forehead was bleeding. Temari folded her fan again, and smirked.

"Try to stay out of my way, you lazy bum." She was calling him names again…he hated that. Then she reached down and ripped off a piece of her skirt. Walking over to him, she stepped over the bodies of the three men she'd just killed. Temari used the piece of cloth to bandage his head. "Better, is it?" She asked sweetly. He narrowed his eyes at her. He watched her closely, wondering for what had to be the millionth time why she ran hot and cold like she did.

"I'll stay out of the way if you warn me." He grumbled, looking down at the place where she'd ripped the cloth from her skirt. There was a bit of skin showing through the gap, up to her hip. Any other time, he'd have taken a moment to look at it carefully, and then tease her. At the moment, there were more important things on his mind.

They began moving closer to the center of town. His plan had been to move in a spiral pattern toward the middle of Konoha, taking out as many of the enemy as possible with the combination of his Kagemane no jutsu and her techniques with her fan. It had worked pretty well so far, but if Temari kept up her lack of care for his position, he would be dead soon too. Her fan packed a mean punch, and he had been on the receiving end of it one too many times.

A man walked out from the shadows of an alleyway. Temari unfolded her fan, and was about to swing it when Shikamaru stopped her. "Wait." She eyed him curiously. The man who had stepped out of the shadows was dressed in simple black. His long unbound hair blew in the wind, and he regarded them with red eyes. "Itachi." The Uchiha nodded. "Friend or foe?" Shikamaru asked, still wary of him.

"Friend." He drew his katana. "Behind you." Three men had come from behind them, and Temari did not have time to swing her fan. Shikamaru drew a kunai, and met one head on, while Itachi easily overpowered the others. After a short struggle, Shikamaru's attacker lay dead on the ground, and he snorted as he pulled his kunai from the man's throat.

"Thanks, Itachi. Why are you here?"

The Uchiha blinked. "I came to observe the trial."

Shikamaru crossed his arms over his chest. "Have you seen Ino?" Itachi shook his head. Shikamaru frowned. "You should."

The three of them moved quickly through the streets, and soon were at the center of town. They met Tsunade and the rest before the ruins of the Hokage's tower, except for Naruto and Sasuke. The Godaime was panting, and she walked over to them. "The threat has been contained for now."

Kiba and Hinata were the last to arrive other than the new Hokage and his friend, and Shikamaru snorted at the huge axe that Kiba was carrying. "We got some interesting information from one of the enemy, Hokage-sama. Of course, we almost got nothing. Hinata nearly killed the guy." The group stared at her. She looked at the ground, mumbling to herself. Kiba hefted the axe. "I forgot to give him back his weapon." A small round of laughter came at that.

Sasuke and Naruto could not find the man they searched for. He was simply not to be found. When they came to where the others were, they told them that they'd had no luck. They all shrugged. Shino was sent to survey the damage to the village, along with the rest of the Aburame, and Kiba took Akamaru, going to see if they would have better luck tracking down the man, Takuda.

The people were led down from the tunnels, and they all went home. Now, a small group sat in the dusty living room of Sasuke's house. Naruto stared out of the window. He had not heard from Risa, and was obviously worried. Itachi stood in the corner. He had still not seen Ino, since she was busy with taking people back to their homes. Sasuke watched as Shizune put salve on Shikamaru's forehead.

Temari watched the medic-nin from the corner of her eye. Her gaze was full of something that Sasuke recognized. Jealousy? Now there's something new. He sighed. He knew full well that Shizune was far from making a move on Shikamaru, but it was still amusing.

Hinata had gone home, as had Neji. Kurenai and Kakashi sat on a sofa, flopped against one another, not caring that it was dusty. Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. Sasuke didn't have time to go and answer it. Ino ran in, and her eyes scanned the room. After making sure that all of her friends were safe, she ran over to Itachi, flinging her arms around his neck.

Everyone suddenly found that it would be a very good idea to have tea. They went into the kitchen. Sasuke got the kettle, and after filling it, put it on the stove. He searched the cupboards. "I can't vouch for the freshness of the tea, guys."

"I don't care. I just wanted to get outta there." Naruto swallowed and hooked a thumb toward the door. Sasuke laughed at his friend. Naruto sat at the kitchen table, and as Sasuke turned on the stove, he looked at the blonde man. His dazed expression was almost comical, but not quite. "I—I'm…" He looked Sasuke in the eyes. "I'm Hokage?"

The kitchen filled with laughter. Shikamaru snorted near the refrigerator. Shizune, who stood near the stove, covered her mouth and tried not to make it too obvious that she was desperately fighting back her laugh. Temari, sitting on the counter, and had thrown her head back and was laughing at full volume. Kakashi nearly fell off of his chair, and Sasuke chuckled, leaning on the stove, arms crossed in a classic Sasuke-pose. Kurenai patted Naruto's hand, laughing as well. "I thought you wanted to be Hokage?" Kurenai asked him when she could control her laughter.

Itachi held Ino in his arms. She was trembling. "What is it? Is something wrong?" He asked softly, not wanting to upset her any more than she already was.

"No. Nothing's wrong. I'm just glad you're safe." Ino's voice was choked with emotion and muffled by his shirt. He took hold of her face and tilted it upward. No, something is definitely bothering her. When he persisted, she said, "Let's sit down, ok?" They moved to the couch, and he held her against him again.

"What's the matter, Ino?"

Suddenly, her tears stopped, and she sat bolt upright. Her eyes were blazing, and she seemed very angry. "What's wrong? I'll tell you what's wrong, Itachi. I love you, that's what's wrong. I love you, and you can't stay. You'll never really be able to be here for us." She started to cry again. Itachi blinked. Us? Huh?

He held her to him protectively, as if the contact could save her from the hurt she was feeling. "What are you talking about?" He looked down at her. She seemed very distraught, and he did not know what to say to make her feel better.

"Itachi…" She breathed, touching his face, tracing his lips. "I'm pregnant." Again, he blinked. Several times. Did she just say that she's pregnant?

"Are…are you sure?"

Ino laughed. "What do you mean, am I sure? Of course I am. I've been examined and everything." Itachi's head began to swim. His vision began to blur, and then darkness came.

They all stopped laughing when they heard Ino scream. Everyone jumped from their chairs and jerked off of countertops, running for the living room. When they entered, they found Ino staring at Itachi, who was passed out. The room filled with laughter, just as before. Naruto just shook his head. Sasuke couldn't help himself. He laughed so hard that his sides began to hurt, and his knees to buckle. He felt himself hit the floor, and then he began rolling on the hard wood. The others simply stared. When he finally gained control of himself, he looked around from his place on the floor. They were still staring. "What?"

Shizune reached down and pulled him up off of the floor, letting her hand stay in his for a moment before pulling away, and saying, "I don't think we've ever seen you laugh like that, Sasuke." She leaned closer to him, and whispered in his ear, "It's kind of cute." He had to try very hard not to blush. They all then turned to Ino, who was gently slapping Itachi's face, calling his name. Shizune pushed past Naruto, and marched over to the couch. She tapped Ino on the shoulder, and jerked her head to one side, indicating that this was her job.

The medic nin then applied a technique that Tsunade had showed her. She raised her hand and smacked him firmly on the top of his head, and yelled, "Baka! Wake up!" and smacked him again. Itachi woke up, alright, sputtering and confused. Shizune turned to the rest of them, "Works every time!"

Naruto muttered something about scary women, and Sasuke glared at him. He didn't want to be mad at Naruto right now, but he didn't want anyone speaking badly of Shizune, either. He'd grown attached to her fairly quickly. Suddenly, Naruto seemed to remember Risa.

"InohaveyouseenRisa-chan?" The words spilled out of his mouth, falling over themselves. Sasuke was amazed that he was able to understand what his friend had just said.

Ino turned from the newly conscious Itachi and nodded. "She's fine. She said she was going to her apartment for now." Naruto excused himself very quickly, and ran out of Sasuke's house. Ino smiled, looking at Sasuke. "He's got it bad." They all nodded.

Naruto banged on Risa's door. After a couple of moments, she opened the door, and they instantly embraced each other with equal force. He pushed into the apartment, slamming the door closed with his foot, all the while holding her as close to him as he could get her. Her hands tangled themselves in his hair, and she leaned over to kiss him. After a moment, she pulled away from him. "You're ok, really?" he breathed, wanting her to tell him so that he would be sure that what he'd heard from Ino was correct. She nodded. He smiled, his usual grin changing from enthusiasm to something much more…adult.

Risa's eyes widened as Nartuto began to push her backward, against the door. After the time it takes to blink an eye, she grinned. In a tone of mock innocence, she said, "What are you doing, Hokage-sama?"

He pressed himself against her, and said, "Don't call me that." His voice was husky, and his thoughts had begun to cloud over. He kissed her, and as he did so, his hands moved over her body. His fingers found their way under her blouse, and he felt her hands on him, fumbling with the zipper on his vest, then tugging it off.

Hours later, they woke to a knock at the door of Risa's apartment. She grumbled as she crawled out of bed and into her bathrobe. He put on his pants, and they went to the door. Naruto looked through the peephole. He rolled his eyes. Opening the door, he said in an annoyed voice, "What the hell is it, Genma?"

The jounin removed the senbon from his mouth and sucked on a tooth. "Hokage-sama, you're needed. Please come with me." Naruto sighed. Being Hokage was going to be less than fun, he could tell. He ran to grab his things, and kissed Risa on his way out of the door. She smiled sleepily after him.

"He's been sighted, near the Forest of Death." They all sat in Sasuke's living room. Tsunade was staying in one of the other houses, since the Hokage's tower was no longer standing, but for now, Sasuke's house was headquarters. Shizune looked at the map on the table. "From what Tsunade has told us, he will be difficult to approach. It will most likely be a suicide mission."

Ino looked worried. Itachi had volunteered to do anything he could, and she didn't want him to go, but there was nothing that she could do to stop him. He was intent on proving that he was a different man. Kakashi put a hand on her shoulder. He said, "I'll go."

Naruto volunteered, as well.

Shizune said, "I'll go, as the medic."

Sasuke, who stood behind her, put his hands on her shoulders. "I'm going too."

Kiba sat in the corner, fingering the blade of his new axe. Frowning, he said, "I'll go. If for no other reason than I might be able to try this thing out."

Neji raised his hand, silently volunteering. Hinata lowered her eyes. She was worried, as well.

Shikamaru and Temari stood in the same instant, eyeing each other as they did.

"Got room for one more?" A familiar voice said from the doorway. They all turned to see Gaara.

"Kazekage-sama, you should be resting!" Shizune rose, putting a hand on his arm. He tensed visibly at the contact. "Please, let us deal with this." He relented.

"I'll go in my brother's place." Kankarou piped up from the corner.

Tsunade laughed. "Alright. I think that's enough people, you guys. I don't want to waste too much of our resources on this."

"It's not really a waste if we get rid of the bastard." Sasuke growled.

"Wait a minute." Naruto blinked. "Has anyone questioned Kabuto yet?" When the answer was in the negative, he turned to Itachi. "Care to give it a try, Uchiha?" Itachi's eyes flicked to Ino. She was biting her lower lip. He held up a hand, asking them to wait. Taking Ino by the hand, he led her from the room for a moment. When they came back in, Ino seemed calmer. Itachi nodded to Naruto. "Let's go then."

The entire group, including Ino and Gaara, trooped down to Konoha Prison. Sasuke's eyes were haunted as they passed by his former cell. Kabuto was in the very last cell. Itachi entered first, and hauled Kabuto to his feet. "Do you know who I am, Kabuto?"

The young man nodded weakly.

"Then you understand what I'm capable of. Tell us everything you know about Takuda."

"Can you take these things off?" He nodded to the beads around his neck.

Naruto stepped forward, agitated. "You're in no position to negotiate, yaro. Tell us what we want to know, and I'll think about it." He flinched away from Naruto, as if his voice scared him. Sasuke knew how he felt. Every sound was amplified when you were wearing those things. It was like having a really bad hangover. Constantly.

"Alright." Kabuto leaned his head against the wall of the cell, staring blankly up at the ceiling. "What do you want to know?"

Nartuto leaned closer to Kabuto. "I want to know how he came to be in control of so many men, what his intentions are, and his abilities. Critical analysis is your specialty, other than your medical skills, I know that." He pursed his lips momentarily. Sasuke knew that look. He was seriously thinking about hitting Kabuto, and it was Sasuke's sincere hope that he did not. Kabuto would talk, as long as he didn't do anything to hurt him. The moment you hit him, he clams up. After living around him for as long as he had, Sasuke was sure that was exactly what would happen.

They stood on the edge of the forest, exactly where they had for the start of the second phase of the Chuunin exams. "You ready for this, Hokage-sama?" Naruto looked over to see Shikamaru. For once, the man didn't look lazy. He looked determined. Naruto shrugged. Only a fool said he was ready for something if he was unsure as to exactly what he was getting himself into.

"Ok, Shikamaru, just for today, could you call me Naruto? I mean, this is my first day. I'm not used to it yet, and it still sounds like you're talking to Tsunade-baba. Just for today, ok?"

"Whatever you say, Naruto. You remember the plan?"

"Hai." He was now peering into the forest, as if trying to see the man. That wasn't going to happen. The guy was probably deep within the forest, and they'd have to find him. The problem was, Takuda's techniques for concealment were very good. Pakkun had been of some use, but Kakashi hadn't heard from him yet, since he sent him back in to make sure the guy was still where he had been. "Where is that damned dog?" The hair on the back of Naruto's neck was starting to rise, and he wasn't sure how much he liked it.

"Naruto?" Shizune reached out a hand and placed it on his arm.

"Yes?"

"It will all work out. You'll see." When he turned to her, he saw that she seemed more concerned for him than she was for anyone else.

"Thanks, Shizune-neechan." He was glad that she still had faith in him. She really was like a big sister. A slight rustle caught his attention, and from the forest emerged a harassed-looking Pakkun. The dog's usual laid-back expression was no present. He jumped over the fence, and came to a skittering halt at Kakashi's feet. The jounin crouched low, conversing with the dog in hushed tones. Once they'd finished, the dog disappeared in his usual puff of smoke, and Kakashi stood.

"Well, I guess I'll take the lead? He's pooped." For some reason, Naruto could tell the man was smiling, even with the mask he wore.

A/N: You know, if you guys review and be real helpful, I might be able to come up with something quick-like. Hint-hint.