Chapter 34


"Few people have ever seen true chaos considering how much we throw that word around. Once you glimpse it with your own eyes, you realize just how overrated that word is."


"What the...?"

Konan frowned as she sensed a subtle shift in the air, her eyes flitting upwards. White feathers drifted gently from the sky, twirling and fluttering through the air with an almost ethereal glow. the stadium growing quieter as the cheering crowd began to hush. Her chakra flared on instinct, causing the feathers to disappear, and her eyes narrowed sharply. Genjutsu.

Instinct prompted her to leap out of her seat and spin around with a kunai in hand just in time to block a blow from a Sand ninja who body-flickered behind her. She sensed another appear behind her and ducked under his punch, swinging a legs at his feet. Next to her Arata leapt on the opening and grabbed the first man's head, smashing his skull into the floor with a concrete-shattering crack.

Seeing the jounin had a handle on the situation, Konan allowed her attention to stray to the rest of the stadium for a moment to assess the situation. A strange hush had fallen over the previously loud stands as the genjutsu blanketed the audience, their cheers silenced as the civilians and weaker-minded or unprepared shinobi fell into a quiet slumber. Already she could hear the distant clashing of metal and startled yells as fighting erupted in the stands.

In the arena itself, the Nara boy paused his own battle to look around in shock and confusion. He'd snagged his opponent into his shadow's hold just moments before the chaos began, and Temari looked eager to break free. Apparently her comrades shared that sentiment, as a man with a turban appeared on the field behind the boy with his hands raised above his head as if holding a sword. Fortunately for him, the proctor quickly intervened, delivering a flurry of senbon to the newcomer's side and forcing him to abort the attack to dodge.

While they fought another Leaf ninja descended upon the field and dropped something towards the edge of the arena before shouting something and disappearing. The others winced and jumped away just before the object exploded, the large blast rocking the stadium. Anyone who had been struggling to fight the genjutsu would certainly be fully alert now, and Konan decided she'd seen enough and quickly turned her attention back to the rest of the box.

The sight that greeted her made her blood run cold.

The "Kazekage" stood with a kunai pressed to the Hokage's throat, his head turned to glare at her. Yellow eyes gleamed darkly beneath the shade of his hat, and Konan instantly realized with a sickening surety that this man was not the Kazekage. "Well, Masuyo-chan, it's been fun but I believe this is where we say goodbye."

Even as he spoke he dragged the Hokage onto the roof, and Konan moved to follow suit only to be stopped by a yell from Arata. "Masuyo-sama, watch out!" She ducked under a wave of kunai as even more Sand and Sound ninja appeared in the box, the newcomers descending upon her with an intense fervor. Konan cursed as she regrouped with her fellow Ame ninja to defend themselves, gritting her teeth.

"I need to get up there," she hissed, and Arata nodded.

"Understood. I'll create an opening." As he spoke he flashed through a series of hand signs and four water clones appeared, each one surging towards their opponents. Konan and Nagato had chosen Arata as her guard for good reason, his skill didn't match up to the Akatsuki by any means but he still had an exceptional record. She felt no qualms in leaving him to fend off the newest wave of enemies, catapulting herself onto the roof without a second thought.

A few managed to break away from Arata and followed her, and as she began fending them away she noted the Kazekage's original "guards" landing on each corner of the roof, flashing through unfamiliar seals. Purple walls emerged around them, enclosing the rooftop in a giant square barrier. Black blurs zoomed towards them in the distance as ANBU agents desperately raced, but the barrier sprouted faster than expected. A pained screamed sounded as one of the ANBU agents collided into the newly formed wall, his body catching fire and falling limply.

One agent managed to make it through before the barrier could fully form though, rolling across the tiles to a halt near Konan's side. Though the white hawk mask was unfamiliar he sent a brief nod her way, and a flash of red flickered through the eye holes. Relief washed over her as she recognized Itachi, pleased to know she wouldn't be alone here. Disguising himself as an ANBU had been a bold choice on his part.

Across from them the "Kazekage" shot the pair a disdainful look, lips pulling into a sneer. "My, my, I was hoping for some one on one time with the great Hokage," he drawled, serpentine eyes regarding her with a look of utter disdain. "But I suppose having some guests won't be too bad."

Rather than respond Itachi moved to launch kunai at one of the four guards but got intercepted by one of the ninja who'd followed Konan, forcing him to turn his attention away. Frustration visibly rolled off him as he dodged a slash from the man's sword and then blocked a follow-up blow from another one, unable to use his normal fighting style without exposing his identity. As it stood, they happened to be at the center of everyone's attention, the roof far too visible for either Akatsuki to fight to their full abilities without risking exposure.

Konan's eyes narrowed, her mind racing as she turned to survey their primary opponent. The imposter released the Hokage and peeled off his hat and veil with a low chuckle, revealing all-too familiar sickly white skin and long black hair. "Long time no see, sensei," Orochimaru hissed, smirking at his former teacher, and while Hiruzen regarded him in muted alarm and wariness Konan just mentally cursed at seeing full confirmation.

Externally she remained cool and calm, her expression bland yet appraising as she stared down the Sannin. "Seeing as you are not the Kazekage, should we expect him to appear out of the woodwork in a surprise attack?" she asked dryly, and the traitorous man chuckled lowly, his eyes gleaming with dark amusement.

"Now, now, I can't give away all the surprises, can I, Masuyo-chan?" he teased. Masuyo-chan, not Konan. His emphasis on the honorific implied more of a jab at his opinion of her ability rather than hinting at knowledge of her true name. So he doesn't recognize me.

Before Orochimaru defected from the Akatsuki Konan had been careful to avoid him, never forgetting how he'd suggested the Sannin just kill her and her brothers before Jiraiya took them under his wing. That meant that he had minimal knowledge of her abilities, but with his spy ring he may have acquired the necessary information to determine her identity if she used any of her usual paper jutsu. Like Itachi, she, too would have to fight on a controlled basis and avoid showing her full power.

Coincidentally, he'd just taken down his opponents and lurched for the guards maintaining the barrier once more.

"Don't!" the Hokage suddenly barked, and he skidded to a halt, both he and Konan turning to look at him in surprise. The elderly Leaf ninja had already discarded his robes to reveal an armored black bodysuit, his gaze never leaving Orochimaru as he spoke. "Don't break the barrier."

"Lord Hokage?" Konan ventured, frowning. "Why would you say that? As long as the barrier stands, we're trapped!"

"And as long as it stands, this battle will not harm Konoha!" he countered calmly. "I know this is selfish since you will be trapped as well, but as Hokage I have a duty to protect my village. I beg you to leave it intact."

Konan and Itachi quickly glanced to each other, their gazes calculating before they slowly nodded. They moved to flank the Hokage on either side, assuming defensive stances against their mutual opponent. While they had no loyalty to Konoha, the defeat of the traitorous Orochimaru provided more than enough incentive to join the battle.


The genin rolled out of the aisle and sought cover in the rows of seats with startled yells, narrowly avoiding the crushing wall of sand. Gritting his teeth, Sasuke glanced at his fellow genin, trying to get a sense of the situation. As it stood he could only see into the row across the aisle where Masaru and Naruto had ended up. Mind racing, he decided to risk a brief glance over the top of the seat in front of him.

Gaara steadily mounted the steps in their direction, a crazed gleam in his eye as bloodlust steadily rolled off him. Sasuke swiftly ducked down before the redhead could spot him, glancing at the others wide-eyed. Kakashi had started teaching them hand signs for silent communication, but Naruto had been struggling with them and he didn't know if Masaru had learned any. After some consideration he settled for mouthing, 'Bad,' and fortunately even Naruto seemed to get the message as he quickly paled.

Gaku—no, Tenzo, appeared in the aisle between them flashing through hand seals and wooden pillars abruptly spiraled from his outstretched arm, ensnaring Gaara. While the Sand genin struggled to break free Kakashi quickly appeared next to Sasuke, grabbing him and flickering into the hallway. Shibuki, Shintoki and the medical ANBU had already arrived to form a small cluster, the other genin standing next to them with startled expressions.

"What the hell is going on?" Kiba hissed, peeking through the door at the chaos unfolding in the stands.

"Something's wrong with him," Sakura whispered, sweat dripping down her face as she joined him in peeking. "That chakra... It feels... wrong."

"Of course it does," Shintoki groaned, massaging his forehead. "He's a jinchuuriki." Three sets of confused eyes settled on him, only Masaru and Naruto exempt from the confusion, though Naruto still looked rather stunned.

"Are you kidding me!?" he sputtered. "There's more!?"

"What the hell do you mean more?" Sasuke asked, squinting at his teammate suspiciously. The blond froze and audibly gulped before falling silent, pointedly looking away from him.

"Now is not the time," Kakashi interrupted, flashing through hand seals and slamming his palm onto the ground. A large puff of smoke appeared, clearing to reveal a small pack of dogs all wearing Konoha hitai-ate. Kiba almost stumbled in surprise, his heart leaping into his throat at the sight of the ninken while Akamaru barked a greeting at his fellow ninken.

For his part, Sasuke just eyed them warily, not forgetting the hell they'd put him and Masaru through during training.

"What's up, boss?" asked a pug sitting on top of a bulldog.

"Konoha is under attack by Oto and Suna. We have a foreign jinchuuriki that can blow any minute and we're going to execute Nine-Ro." The ninken stiffened at the news, their faces swiftly growing serious if a bit pensive as Kakashi continued, "Bisuke, Akino, I need you to go back in the stadium and tell Tenzo. Pakkun, I need you and everyone else to get to the site and prep it."

The five genin behind him looked at the jounin with varying levels of confusion, but the ninken all grew instantly serious and bobbed their heads. "Got it, boss!" Pakkun barked, and the rest of the pack woofed in affirmation before dispersing, two breaking away to head back to the stadium while the rest ran ahead. At this point Kakashi motioned for the frazzled-looking genin to follow him and began running, the group obeying with only minor hesitation.

"Seriously, what the hell is going on?" Kiba growled, shooting the jounin an impatient glare. "The hell's a jinchuuriki!? And what's that Nine-Ro thing you mentioned!?"

"The details of the formation is classified, so I can't explain it here," Kakashi answered, casting a pointed glance at the two Waterfall ninja who had tagged along. "As for your other question, the basic gist is that Gaara has a Tailed Beast sealed inside him."

Nearly half the genin stumbled at the news, their jaws falling open in shock and disbelief. A Tailed Beast? Like the Nine Tails? Sasuke just stared at him in shock, wondering how that was even possible. Kakashi ignored their surprise, continuing in a brisk tone, "It's too complicated to go into full detail right now, but as far as jinchuuriki go, Gaara's definitely unstable. There's a very good chance that he will lose control and allow the Ichibi to break free."

The genin instantly tensed at his words, their faces darkening as they registered the full severity of the situation. Though all of them had been infants at the time of the Kyuubi's attack, they knew it had caused major damage to the village's infrastructure and that Konoha had spent years recovering from it. Combined with a full-blown invasion by two villages, it may not be able to recover from yet another attack.

"What do we do?" Sakura hissed, speeding up her pace to fall in line with her teacher. "We can't fight a Tailed Beast! We're only genin!" Before Kakashi could respond they heard a loud blast and an inhuman screech followed by Tenzo yelling in alarm. A collective shudder went down their spines and the group unconsciously sped up, all too eager to put some distance between them and Gaara.

"Listen to me carefully," Kakashi told them as they ran. "If Gaara releases the Ichibi here in the middle of Konoha, the amount of damage will be unspeakable. Most likely, he was supposed to let it loose during the match to cause maximum damage as part of the invasion plan, but it appears his desire to fight Sasuke is stronger than that."

"What?" Masaru squeaked, his face draining of color. Sasuke felt similarly sickened by Kakashi's words, even if he didn't show it. He glanced over his shoulder with a frown, almost shuddering as he recalled the inhuman screech they'd heard just seconds ago. Before, he'd thought that he might stand a chance with the Chidori, but after seeing Gaara like that, and hearing all of this...

Could he really handle an opponent like that?

"Then we need to get Sasuke away from here!" Naruto declared hotly, but next to him Sakura abruptly faltered, nearly losing her footing as her eyes widened.

"That's the plan, isn't it?" she whispered, and the other genin slowed slightly to shoot her questioning looks. She ignored them, her hands balling into fists at her side as she glared at Kakashi. "Kakashi-sensei, are you crazy? That's—that's suicide!"

"Sakura? What are you talking about?" For once Sasuke decided to voice his confusion, seeing little point in trying to maintain his usual silence in such a chaotic situation. The pink-haired girl visibly swallowed before turning to look at him, her face scrunched in a mixture of anger and horror.

"He wants to use you as bait," she declared thickly, and at this point all of the other genin came to an abrupt halt as they spun to stare at her in shock. Kakashi stopped and turned to face them, leveling the group with an appraising look before nodding.

"She's correct," he confirmed. "Gaara wants to fight Sasuke, so if we do this right, he'll follow us right into a trap." Everyone stared at him in shock, even Sasuke left with his mouth hanging open in shock. Kakashi turned and resumed running after the two Waterfall ninja, and after a moment the genin moved to follow him. As they continued down the hallway Sasuke noted Naruto and Sakura ran closer to him now, forming a protective ring of sorts.

"Are you crazy!" Kiba snarled, baring his teeth at the jounin's back. "That's—that's freaking suicide!"

"Yeah!" Naruto agreed, bobbing his head. "Sasuke's strong but Gaara's way stronger! Even Gaku or whatever-his-name-is is having trouble with him, and he's a jounin!"

"He's also ANBU," Masaru offered weakly, and Sakura recoiled in horror.

"That's even worse," she croaked, looking nauseous.

Kakashi remained unmoved by their reactions, managing to radiate an unimpressed air without actually turning to look at them. "I know it's scary, but the fact of the matter is that Gaara will cause damage wherever the Ichibi is loosed. Even if we manage to defeat him, Konoha might not be able to recover. Konoha has certain countermeasures prepared for scenarios like this, but we can't perform them here."

"Hatake-san is right," Shibuki confirmed gravely. "At the very least, it's better to get him somewhere isolated before he loses control." All five genin looked sick at the prospect of luring Gaara away, but a loud rumble silenced their protests and prompted the group to skid to a halt. A demented cackle echoed through the halls, and their faces paled even further.

"Shit, that's him!" Kiba hissed, anxiety visible in his face as he stepped back.

"Tenzo has been accosted by enemy forces," Shintoki reported, grimacing as he pinched his eyes shut. "We have approximately three minutes before the jinchuuriki catches up." The others exchanged worried looks at the approximation, and a firm resolve filled Sasuke.

Turning to Kakashi, he stepped forward and asked, "Where do we take him?" The jounin nodded at him in satisfaction and gestured for the group to resume moving. They complied without hesitation, their pace even faster than before now that they knew Gaara would be in pursuit.

"Shibuki-sama, I apologize for being rude, but I need you and Shintoki-san to leave," Kakashi began, and the brown-haired man nodded at him.

"I understand. We'll assist in the evacuation efforts instead."

"Perfect. Thank you." With that the two Waterfall ninja broke off from the group, darting down a different hall.

"Can you tell us the Nine-Ro thing now?" Masaru asked anxiously once they left earshot, but Kakashi shook his head.

"That will have to wait, this location is too open. For now, all I can say is that we need to get to the woods in Sector 24." The location meant nothing to most of the genin, but towards the back of the pack recognition flashed in Naruto's eyes, his gaze swiftly casting to the floor as he frowned.

"Dammit, and here I thought today would be awesome," he grumbled. The others could only silently nod their heads in agreement, focused on the task at hand.


Shikamaru officially hated the Chuunin Exams.

He scowled as he retreated from the arena while Baki engaged with Genma. Temari made no move to follow, instead vaulting over the railing and into the stands to join her puppeteer brother in pursuing... something. Shikamaru recalled seeing a bunch of sand extending from the contender's booth towards the stands from the corner of his eye, and decided it would probably be less troublesome not to think too hard on that.

"No one else here?" he asked as he reached the top step to find only Neji and Shino present.

"No," Shino responded. "Hinata, Naruto, and Sasuke failed to return during your battle. Gaara grew increasing impatient about Sasuke's absence and ascended to the stands with the aid of his sand shortly after the genjutsu began. His brother followed immediately after."

"Well, that explains some stuff," Shikamaru grumbled, and turned to Neji. Veins bulged around the Hyuuga's eyes as he stared at a wall, surveying the proceedings with a heavy frown. "Can you tell what's happening out there?"

"My range is limited, but currently I can see Uzumaki, both Uchiha, the Inuzuka and Haruno running down the halls behind Hatake-san. From what I can tell Gaara appears to be in pursuit." Eyes narrowing, he murmured, "Something is wrong with his chakra, it almost... no, not almost. It looks as if he has two chakra systems instead of one, trying to fight for control."

Shikamaru scoffed and massaged his forehead, grumbling under his breath, "Troublesome. This whole thing is so troublesome."

"I believe we are in agreement," Shino concurred flatly. "Do you see Hinata?" Neji scoffed at the question, letting the Byakugan deactivate as he turned to face him.

"No, she is not in the stadium. She most likely fled, which is just as well as she would only be a liability. There is definitely an invasion occurring. There are enemy ninja fighting in the stands, and from what I can see there are battles on the street just outside the arena. We need to move out and help quell the enemy as soon as possible."

"Dammit," Shikamaru muttered, scowling. He'd reached the final stages of his strategy before the interruption so he felt a bit more sore than usual. He really didn't want to spend a ton of chakra fighting against an invasion of all things, but he didn't really have a choice. Duty called and all that. Squeezing his eyes shut, he muttered under his breath, "I should've just let that genjutsu catch me. Then I could just pretend to be asleep and sit out the whole mess."

"You would also be caught up in the fight down there," Neji pointed out coolly, unimpressed by his lack of work ethic. "Do you not recall how one of the ANBU detonated a large number of explosive tags in the arena to try to alert the shinobi audience members of the genjutsu?"

"The chances of you surviving that explosion would be next to none," Shino agreed dully, making Shikamaru sigh.

"Point taken. Neji, can you see my teammates? Hey, don't give me that look," he added when the Hyuuga shot him an annoyed glare. "I'm not trying to boss you around or anything. I know Ino and Chouji were in the stands and I doubt they came here with any equipment, so I should probably go provide support."

Neji's glare lingered on him a few moments more, but then he turned and activated his Byakugan to search for them. "Yamanaka is in the second level of the stands waking people up from the genjutsu. Your other teammate is in the hallway on the first floor trying to guide civilians. I can also see your sensei assisting in the stands, though he seems to be moving towards the halls, most likely to help evacuate."

Shikamaru sighed at the report. Figures they wouldn't be together, that would be too easy. "In that case, I guess I should probably help Chouji first," he reasoned aloud. "Civilians take priority and all that." The stands would probably be messier anyway, so it would make sense to retrieve Chouji first so they could go support Ino together. He nodded to Neji and muttered a quick thanks before heading off, uncaring if either followed.

"We should assist in the evacuations as well," Shino said once he'd left. "My kikaichu indicate a large amount of skilled fighters in the stands, and I believe both of our chakra stores have fallen below optimal levels to engage in large-scale combat." Neji scowled at the younger boy for implying he might be weak, but even with his pride he knew Shino had a point. His own stamina had yet to fully recover from his match, and he would rather not get caught up in an ambush.

"Fine," he bit out. "Let's go." Having reached an agreement, the pair turned to leave only to stop when they found a familiar man blocking the doorway. Neji's face instantly darkened, his mouth pulling into a vicious frown.

"Neji, Shino," Hyuuga Hiashi greeted with a nod. Surveying the empty balcony, he commented, "I see my daughter has not returned." Shino shook his head while Neji just regarded his uncle coolly. Relations between the two houses of the Hyuuga clan had never been particularly close, and Neji in particular held a strong grudge towards the Main House. After all, he'd seen first-hand just how disposable the Branch family seemed to be.

Noting his cold glare, Hiashi turned to face him more fully. "Neji, I need to speak to you later, but now is not the time. Right now, Konoha is facing a severe threat and we must defend it."

"Of course, Hiashi-sama," the younger Hyuuga hissed through gritted teeth, and Hiashi frowned slightly but chose not to comment on it.

"I overheard you, and I approve of your plan. I recommend you go help with evacuation efforts in the streets. There are large numbers of jounin-level fighters here in the stadium, and in the streets it will be easier for you to retreat and locate shelter if you run out of energy or become injured."

"That would be most efficient," Shino decided, inclining his head in agreement. "Thank you for your advice, Hyuuga-san."

"Both of you, be careful," he warned. "And if either of you see Hinata, tell her to give her equipment to a more experienced shinobi and go to the shelters. I have already spent enough time searching for her and ensuring Hanabi's safety, I must go assist in the efforts as well." He did not wait for them to respond before turning and striding away, leaving the two genin to make their way to the streets.


Tenzo grunted in frustration as he lunged at a Sound ninja, a wooden spike sprouting from his hand and impaling his enemy's stomach. Ripping it out, he then spun and then swung his arm in a wide arc, the spike slicing through the throat of the nearest enemy with a meaty rip and spewing blood all over. As he fell back Tenzo turned and lunged towards the exit, but cursed loudly when another Sound ninja intercepted his path, forcing him back on defense.

He'd done a pretty decent job of restraining the Suna jinchuuriki, but then the boy's siblings suddenly appeared and attacked him with a cutting blast of wind, forcing him to release his hold to defend himself. Handling two genin posed no trouble, but then naturally more enemy ninja descended upon him, and the three siblings took advantage of his distraction to flee. Since then he'd been unable to break away to pursue them, too busy defending himself from the seemingly endless onslaught.

"Dammit!" he roared, his anger rising as he began flashing through hand seals. He needed to go after them, only he could stop Gaara, but at this rate he'd never get out! Before he could finish the sequence a green blur suddenly appeared in his periphery, sending the nearest enemy flying into the nearest wall. A bright sparkle temporarily blinded Tenzo as Maito Gai landed and turned to flash him a brilliant grin, placing one hand on his hip while flashing a thumbs-up with the other.

"Gaku, my most wonderful ally! I saw you were in need of assistance so I have come to help!" Tenzo just stood in mild shock for a moment, even the enemy ninja temporarily paralyzed as they gawked at the new arrival.

"Ah, I think I'm, uh, going by Tenzo again," he muttered sheepishly, and Gai looked at him in slight surprise before beaming once more.

"I see! So you have finally told young Masaru your true name, eh? Glorious! Surely your bond shall only grow stronger with this new era of total honesty between you! We must celebrate later! But for now, please allow us to assist you in fending off these most dastardly foes!"

"Us?" Tenzo repeated, just in time for a wave of shuriken to embed into several of the enemies' sides. Another green blur appeared behind them and solidified into Rock Lee, releasing a vigorous shout as he kicked a man in the face with enough force to send him sailing through the air and into the arena. As his comrades watched him crashed into the ring with stunned faces, Tenten surged forward and slashed several of them in the back with a sickle on a chain, blood flicking off the sharp blade as she jumped back to regain some distance.

"Team Gai will always be ready to help protect Konoha with the power of Youth!" Lee declared with an earnest energy, flipping onto a man's back and slamming him into the steps in the aisle with a loud crack.

...Tenzo decided it would be best to just stop questioning this and roll with it.

As the new arrivals began attacking the invaders, Tenzo heard a loud woof and turned to see two of Kakashi's ninken—Bisuke and Akino, if he recalled right—rushing towards them. Naturally their barks drew attention from hostile forces, and the mokuton user swiftly weaved through a few seals to cause wooden columns to block some of the kunai aimed at Bisuke. The beagle barely needed the help, easily weaving through the onslaught of kunai and shuriken to reach Tenzo's side intact.

Akino meanwhile howled and launched at the nearest enemy, latching onto the man's crotch. Tenzo winced sympathetically as the man shrieked in a high falsetto, but quickly grew serious as he turned to Bisuke. "Bisuke, what's the plan?" he asked, getting straight to the point.

"Boss says we need to do Nine-Ro. He and a bunch of brats are leading the jinchuuriki to the site right now."

"Jinchuuriki?" Gai repeated, turning to them with a grave expression even as he bruised another man's kidney with a well-placed punch. "So that red-haired boy really is Suna's jjinchuuriki?"

"At this point, I'd honestly be surprised if he wasn't," Tenzo murmured grimly, his mind still stuck on the newest information. Nine-Ro depended on his presence, and by now a good three minutes had passed since Gaara left, meaning he'd need to hurry. "We can't waste any time. Can your team cover me so I can escape?"

"Of course, Tenzo! You can always count on us to assist you!" Gai turned to call his genin for assistance and Tenzo nodded to Bisuke before the pair took off, Akino finally releasing his poor victim's now-bleeding groin to join them. Several of the enemies attempted to follow but Team Gai quickly intercepted them, youthful shouts echoing in Tenzo's ears as he leaped onto the roof of the stadium and then into the streets.


Playing bait for a homicidal jinchuuriki had not been in his plans for today, and yet here Kiba was, racing across rooftops with Team Seven and a psychopath hot on their trail. Below them chaos filled the streets as enemy shinobi clashed with their fellow Leaf ninja, kunai clanking together and jutsu of grand proportions being flung with barely a second thought towards collateral damage. His ears rang with the screams of civilians as they fled for safety, his nostrils clogged with the thick scent of blood and smoke.

"Is that a giant toad fighting a snake?" Sakura squeaked, and they turned to see exactly what she just described.

"That's gotta be Pervy Sage!" Naruto declared, grinning with glee. "Hey! Kakashi-sensei, we should grab him to help! He's probably really strong too!"

"Probably?" Kiba repeated skeptically. "I think we need more than just 'probably'."

"Well, he is a Sannin," Sakura pointed out. "They're all pretty strong. He'd be a major asset if Gaara loses control." The title meant nothing to Kiba, but Sakura was a brainiac, so he decided to just take her word for it and focus instead on the "lose control" part. Holy shit, he might actually have to help fight a Tailed Beast. He was only thirteen, he was too young to die!

For all his stupid stick-up-the-ass scowling, he figured Sasuke agreed because he grunted and briskly said, "We should get him."

"There's no time," Kakashi refused gravely, crushing their hopes. "Jiraiya is better off helping in town anyway, we need all the help we can get there. He won't be as much help to our situation as Tenzo."

"Why him, though?" Masaru pressed. "Gak—uh, sensei's strong, but... Jiraiya is one of the Sannin, so he's probably stronger."

"We need him because of that wood stuff, right?" Naruto muttered darkly, and the other genin turned to look at him in surprise. Kiba frowned, wondering why Naruto sounded so... grim about it. He hadn't spend that much time around the blond, but usually he tended to be super-loud and annoying. This kind of behavior felt disturbingly out of character for him, and Kiba didn't like it.

"You mean the mokuton?" Sakura asked, looking thoughtful. "Come to think of it, I thought that only belonged to the First... Is he related to him?"

"Not exactly," Kakashi hedged. "It's... a long story. What matters is that the mokuton can be used to control Tailed Beasts. Tenzo's not as good with it as the First, but he's better than nothing."

By this point the trees had finally entered their line of sight, just a few minutes away at their current pace. Once they entered, the thick forest would make it harder to check Gaara's position, and the thought made Kiba's stomach churn anxiously. None of them had sensory abilities, and they were moving against the wind so he couldn't pick up his scent, leaving only their eyes as an option to gauge his pursuit.

Ferocious barking drew Kiba's attention and he turned his head to spy his mother and sister fighting off a small wave of intruders in the distance. The Haimaru Brothers lunged at a hapless Sound ninja and clamped their jaws onto his limbs, savagely ripping him apart in a gory spray of ripping flesh and cracking bone. The sheer viciousness of the attack should probably disturb him, but he'd seen them tear apart plenty of animals like that. Humans weren't too big of a step up from rabbits and deer.

As he watched his sister charge to deliver the final blow, a flash of tan appeared in her periphery and Kiba twisted his head around. He grimaced instantly as he spied a red and tan blob in the distance, leaping across the roofs and heading their direction. Ahead of him he heard Masaru gasp. "Uh, guys, he's in sight," the Uchiha warned nervously, and Kiba could sense the others grow tenser at the news.

Cursing under his breath, Kakashi gestured for them to pick up their pace and the small pack of genin obediently sped up, careful not to go too fast so they could at least conserve some energy. "Kiba, Masaru," he said as they jumped across the rooftops, "I need you two and Akamaru to go to the streets and help with evacuation."

"What!?" Both boys almost lost their footing in their shock, staring at the jounin wide-eyed. Kakashi never lost pace even as the rest of Team Seven shot them worried looks, forcing them to quickly recover and run after him so they could hear him continue.

"We need to distribute our forces as efficiently as possible to minimize damage to Konoha as a whole. Kiba, you and Akamaru have strong noses, you'll be more useful in locating injured people and evacuating them than this mission."

"Then why do I have to go?" Masaru questioned. "I'm not a tracker!"

"No, but Kiba will likely require backup and defense while he searches. You have minimal combat experience, but I know from Tenzo that you're pretty skilled in your spars. You should be able to handle it." Masaru fell silent at this point, while Kiba continued to gawk at the jounin.

"B-but, that's—that's just—"

"Kiba," Sasuke interrupted, shooting him an utterly unimpressed look. "Are you saying you'd prefer to fight Gaara?" Kiba paused and glanced over his shoulder. The tan blob had gotten closer since his last peek, allowing him to glimpse the harsh of determination set on Gaara's face, and he shuddered in horror. From the top of his head Akamaru gave a small whine, clearly voicing his opinion on the matter.

Gulping, he turned to face the others and nodded. "Be careful," he told them, and quickly dropped to the streets and raced away. He heard Masaru offer a similar sentiment before following suit, soon matching pace with the Inuzuka. While they hadn't worked together much, Kiba had to admit having another human as backup provided some comfort in the invasion.

The sounds of fighting echoed around them and the air seemed to be clogged with smoke, but Kiba blocked it out and instead tried to sift through his senses to get a sense of their options. Fresh blood to the left, accompanied by the sound of clashing kunai. Ongoing battle, too dangerous to approach. Decaying flesh far ahead, charred wood and crackling flames. Building fire, no survivors worth saving. Dismissing those options, he sniffed the air once more and caught a familiar lilac and lavender aroma, accompanied by... citrus?

"Kiba?" Masaru asked as he abruptly halted but Kiba paid him no mind, too focused on the two newest scents. Something about the citrus one felt familiar, but... where? He glanced to Akamaru, wondering if he recognized it, but the puzzled look on the dog's face told him otherwise. Frowning, he turned towards the direction of the mysterious scents and gave another large sniff, locking in on their location.

"I smell Hinata," he reported, and Masaru immediately perked to attention while Akamaru yipped in confirmation.

"Lead the way," he said, and Kiba nodded at him before taking off.


Let's play a game: whoever can predict the outcome of all these plot bunnies most accurately will get to request an omake. Have fun!