The night sky was clear, the moon, a large silver crescent; it's light shimmering on the lake below. The manor was above the city, a ways up the mountain, secluded from many of the other large houses in the area. The bike ride up was killer on Naruto's legs. Unfortunately, Kiba and himself were still too young to get their driver's license and Gaara had refused to come, meaning they didn't have access to his car and personal driver. They stopped in front of the wrought-iron gate that closed off the entrance through the stone wall that surrounded the 4,000-squared meter property.

The darkness of night made the abandoned mansion difficult to see through the trees, but in the distance, he could make out the outline of a building. Parking the bikes outside, he pushed open the gates that swung open without a sound.

As Kiba and Naruto made their way down the gravel path with their flashlights, Naruto couldn't help but feel something was off. He couldn't quite put his finger on it. The mansion itself was unusual. Many of the large estates on the island were large Japanese style mansions. There were a few western-style mansions, but they had been built within the past 30 years. This mansion however was built over a hundred years ago, with late 1800's architecture, before the city grew and appeared on any map, and no one in town ever talked about it or really acknowledged it other than to say stay away.

The nagging feeling in the back of his head grew with every step, still unable to figure out what was bothering him. The yard was well trimmed and weeded, the seasonal fall flowers in bloom, and as they got closer, the mansion came clearer into view. The stone exterior was clean, and the vines were well controlled, climbing only on the rack assisting their growth. There wasn't anything to be afraid of, yet he still hadn't shaken the feeling even when they approached Hyuuga, Sai, and surprisingly Nara, Shikamaru.

"What's he doing here?" Kiba gestured to the additional teen, slouched against a tree. Shikamaru was slightly shorter than the rest of them. With his constantly slouched posture, often rumpled clothes, and constant bored expression, he was often mistaken for a slob with little ambition. No one would believe he was the number one student in school with an IQ of 152. It was his laid-back attitude that made Naruto like him. He was the type that didn't judge until he had all the facts.

"We needed another person to ensure that you didn't chicken out," Hyuuga said offhandedly, texting on his phone. He sent the message then pocketed the device. "The rules are simple enough that even you two morons should be able to follow them." Hyuuga received a glare at the jab. "Search every room in the mansion and videotape as you make your way through with your phone for proof. You have to survive for an hour." His eyes landed on Kiba. "Only Uzumaki has to remain the entire time. You're allowed to chicken out." His eyes returned to Naruto and a small smirk graced his lips, "And if there is a murderer or evil spirit, you're on your own."

Naruto couldn't stop his eye roll, showing his disdain for Hyuuga's lame attempts to scare him. "We'll see who chicken's out," he muttered under his breath, meanwhile gesturing his friend to follow him to the front door as he pulled out his phone.

He took a few steps towards the door, stopping when he didn't hear Kiba following. "You coming—," he trailed off when he noticed the hesitation in his friend's face.

Kiba was the same height as him with dark brown hair that looked like Kiba had shaken his head like a dog to dry his hair rather than with a towel. He was often the one wearing a hoodie under his school blazer, the hood dangling out the back. He was as loud and mischievous as Naruto was and probably more energetic. It was when he was quiet that one had to worry, and Kiba had not taken a single step towards the mansion.

"You don't have to come, Kiba. It's alright."

His friend looked at the door then back at him. Even in the low light, Naruto could see him tremble. "No," his voice cracked then cleared his throat. "No, I'm fine. I, uh…. there aren't really ghosts here right?"

Sighing, Naruto tilted his head towards the door. "I'm going in. You can stay here. It's no big deal."

It wasn't even a second before Kiba joined him by his side which made it difficult to hide the smile creeping on Naruto's face. Kiba was the type who would face anything. Everything except ghosts. A byproduct from their childhood and long nights of watching horror movies.

He must not have been very successful because his friend punched his arm hard. Laughing, he tried the door handle, and surprisingly, the double doors opened without a fuss.

"That's not normal," Kiba whispered, staring at the dark inside.

"Someone broke in earlier, right. It's probably because of them," he offered, though his voice held some uncertainty. Renewing his smile, he slapped his friend's back. "Come on. Worst case, it's just Hyuuga trying to scare us."

"R-right."

Naruto entered first, intending to lead by example, while Kiba followed sticking close to him. The inside wasn't as dark as he thought. There were several candles lit, illuminating the interior in a faint light. They had entered into the foyer. The floor was made of black and white marble in a checkered pattern. A curving staircase, leading up to the second floor, had a suit of armor beside it, and a crystal chandelier hung from the ceiling. The large foyer was circular, with two French doors to the right and left, and a long hallway at the other end, stretching into the darkness.

Naruto took a few steps further inside inspecting the armor, noting the deep gashes along the chest plate as if it had been used. "Hey Kiba, come look at this."

"Naruto, we should get out of here. Something's not right," he hissed.

Naruto was about to roll his eyes, but then he saw his friend's dimly lit form trembling uncontrollably. The words he had planned to say were swallowed and forgotten. Kiba had good instincts. He always seemed to know when trouble was lurking around the corner, like a dog sensing something coming, and Naruto had never seen him look so frightened.

"Alright," he said, deciding to listen to his friend's instincts. "Let's g−" a gust of wind blew right past them, extinguishing the lights and the front doors slamming shut, leaving the room in absolute darkness.

Kiba's heavy breathing and murmuring was the only sound filling the room, a constant chant of "This can't be happening. This can't be happening," coming from his terrified voice.

Naruto himself could almost laugh at the cliché if it were not for the fact it was happening to him like a bad horror movie. "It's probably Hyuuga," he tried to be reassuring, but his own bad feeling was making his hands shake. "Try the door."

A second later, Naruto could hear the sound of a doorknob being twisted and pulled followed by the sound of the doors jiggling in their door frame when it refused to open. "It's locked!" Kiba's voice rose in panic.

"How can it be locked? It was just open?" Naruto was pulled along with Kiba's rising panic, and then suddenly, like a splash of cold water he understood why. Why he had thought something was strange since he had first entered the property. The soundless gates opening. The trimmed grass. The nice and polished foyer and lit candles. Someone still lived here. For a house that was supposed to have been abandoned for over a 100 years, there wasn't a single trace of rot or decay, nothing broken or covered in dust. It all looked brand new, but Naruto knew for a fact no one lived here. Gossip would have flooded the entire island if there was so much as the gate opening or a car heading this direction.

But the candles had been lit, and someone had to light them, and while Hyuuga was a jerk, this type of prank wasn't his style. He fought with words and the occasional challenge. He would never cheat or use petty tricks no matter how much he had tried to convince himself otherwise.

"We have to get out of here," Naruto tried to keep his voice calm, but his voice wavered at the end. "I really don't want to be killed by evil spirits."

He meant for it to be joking, but the humor failed to be conveyed, panicking his friend even more. "I thought you didn't believe in spirits!"

"I wouldn't call myself a spirit."

Kiba and Naruto froze. Despite the darkness, they had been friends long enough to know that voice had not belonged to either of them. It was deep, smooth, and almost mocking. It was just a voice, and a person had to be on the other end, yet it made Naruto's heartbeat quicken and sweat form on the palms of his hands. "Who are you?" he demanded, refusing to be controlled by his fear. It was just another person. Just like him.

"Hn, you come into my house and demand my name? You are more of an idiot than I thought," the voice paused as if in thought then said, "But I will humor you." A single candle relit, casting a soft glow on the owner who held it. It was difficult to see with the shadows the candle cast upon the speaker's face, but Naruto could make out pale skin, dark hair, a youngish face, and dark eyes, eyes so dark they looked black. "My name is Uchiha, Sasuke, the owner of this mansion."

Seeing his face somehow didn't make the fear go away. Something about his eyes, made him feel predatory, dangerous. Naruto could hear Kiba behind him shifting constantly. His friend hadn't relaxed either, further cementing his belief that the sooner they left the better, bet be damned. "I'm so sorry for the misunderstanding, Uchiha-san," Naruto smiled, knowing there was no way it could be seen. "We thought this place was abandoned and was just messing around. We'll just go and leave a letter of apology in your mailbox by tomorrow morning." Naruto took a step back, nervous about turning his back on this Uchiha person.

"I am afraid I cannot allow you to do that. You see, any dinner that walks into my manor is fair game," the owner smiled, a fang peeking out from under his upper lip. "And I am quite famished." As Uchiha talked, his speech continually slipped into an older speech pattern until his young face felt ill-suited for his voice.

"Naruto," Kiba hissed, grabbing Naruto's right arm in a deathly grip. "He smells like blood."

The teen's heart was beating wildly, and for a moment, his body was paralyzed as the information sunk in. Kiba was never wrong. If he smelled blood….

He then recalled Hyuuga's story, about the murders, and Hyuuga's insistence that the story was real. This man killed them. He had no proof, but he could not bring himself to believe otherwise. There was no doubt. Uchiha may not have been a spirit, but maybe something worse, and he had dragged Kiba into it.

Uchiha started walking towards them slowly, his heels clicking on the marble floor, each step ringing, echoing, in the large hall.

He needed to get Kiba out of here. "When I make a move, run," Naruto whispered.

Kiba grabbed his arm, grasping it tightly. "Are you crazy? I'm not leaving you with him," he replied panicked.

"And if you don't, we're both dead, so run fast and come back for me."

Naruto couldn't wait for Kiba's response. He ripped out of Kiba's hold, charging towards the man, fist raised.

Kiba wasted no time trying to kick down the door. If he worked fast enough, if they had more light to see or found Hyuuga or Nara, maybe they could team up on the psychopath. Each kick was filled with desperation, aiming each one at the lock that kept it closed. The wood was splintering, and hope surged through his chest. They could make it. Just a little more.

With one more kick, the wood gave way and the doors slammed open. Kiba turned to tell Naruto then the blood drained from his face. Somehow Naruto had been turned around, his right arm held firmly to his chest and the left arm trapped behind his back, their attacker standing behind him keeping him in place with long slender arms, one arm forcing Naruto's head to the side while the other kept Naruto from moving.

Naruto's blue eyes were glazed over as blood trailed down his neck from the wound caused by Uchiha's teeth. Uchiha sucked at the wound, drawing blood into his mouth, causing a soft pained grunt to escape Naruto's lips.

Kiba was frozen in place, unsure what to do. Should he help him or try to find someone? His eyes accidentally met Naruto's. Naruto looked deathly pale in the moonlight. Even so, the teen managed to softly smile at him and mouthed, "Run."

Kiba felt his eyes sting with tears as he took a shaky step back, then another. The attacker was watching him but made no move after him as he drank Naruto's blood. The tears fell then Kiba was rushing down the gravel road.

"Hyuuga! Nara!" He screamed, almost tripping in his panic. "Get out here! Please! Help us!"

There was no answer. He kept running towards the gate calling out, praying for someone to answer only to receive silence in return. His hopes were dwindling quickly with each second, hearing no reply as he screamed at the inky blackness for someone to come to their aid.

As he neared the gate, he saw the flashing lights of a police car. He picked up the pace, yelling as loud as he could.

The car was pulling away, and he pushed himself harder to go faster. It didn't matter if he couldn't breathe, yelling was more important. It didn't' matter if his legs burned as the car went further and further out of reach. If it would stop for a moment and he could grab their attention, it would be enough.

In his haste, he didn't notice the large branch sticking out onto the road, tearing into his flesh and causing him to fall and tumble several meters down the slope of the mountain, his arm taking the brunt of the fall but still hitting his head against the concrete.

His vision drifted in and out. Had he failed? Was this really it? Naruto was going to get killed just because he hadn't spoken up sooner about his unease. The one time he should have just listened to Gaara and talked Naruto out of this entire thing to begin with. Was he going to live knowing that he was only alive because Naruto protected him yet again?

Just before he lost consciousness, he saw the car come to a stop.

"Sarutobi-kun."

Asuma looked up from his paperwork, cigarette dangling from his lips with a scowl. His paperwork had piled up due to his neglectful partner, but at the sight of who had called him, he forced himself to put on a strained smile for his visitor. "Tsunade-san. You came quicker than I expected."

"When you have my precious students under your wonderful care, of course, I'll be here." The principal was dressed in a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt, a clear bag carrying hospital scrubs in her hand. While she was always polite to him, he couldn't help but think who had called her. He had intentionally avoided calling her this time, hoping to wait a few hours before he was forced to. They had barely brought them in not 10 minutes ago.

Taking the plunge, he leaned forward, folding his hands on his desk, and using his most placating tone he could manage. "Tsunade-san, I know you're protective over your students, but two of them are already eighteen. I think it's time we started to process them as legal adults. This isn't their first offense."

The woman slammed down a document onto his desk which took biting his inner cheek to not let a rude comment slip, instead scanning the piece of paper. A frown pulled at his lips, deepening with each passing line. Sighing, he rubbed his tired eyes. "Another one? Their families won't be able to keep them out of trouble forever. They have to face consequences. The owner of that property wants to press charges."

"He won't," her eyes hardened. "Now, would you kindly release Shikamaru-kun, Sai-kun, and Neji-kun please."

Putting out his cigarette in his ashtray, he pressed the intercom button. "Usokawa-kun, release them."

"Right away, Captain." The fact that he didn't even have to explain who "they" were was unsettling. It happened too frequently for his liking, but it wasn't like he could argue with the mayor's signature, not if he wanted to stay chief of police.

"Is that all you wanted, Tsunade-san?" he said, dropping the pretense that he was anything but annoyed to see her.

"For now. I need to get back." Despite saying this, the woman hesitated to leave.

Unable to bear her dawdling, he added, "Naruto-kun isn't here. He wasn't with Kiba-kun either."

"Of course." She bowed her head in a quick farewell, finally leaving his office.

Putting his hand through his greying hair, he noticed he needed a haircut as it was starting to get into his eyes, and slicking it back was becoming less effective.

He stepped out of his office to watch the three boys relieved of their handcuffs and set free without charges yet again. Shikamaru and Sai were released to Tsunade-san as usual. Both teens looked indifferent to their situation even when their principal/school chairman gave them a scathing look. Neither teen was ever expressive, but as long as he had known them, they weren't bad kids. They were smart, even knowing the law to the extent that they could put him in a bind, but none of their crimes were ever filled with malicious intent. In fact, they only ever seemed to be in trouble because of the Hyuuga kid.

Hyuuga, Neji sat in front of the station in the waiting room, waiting to be picked up by someone. Being in his line of work, Asuma could understand why the kid constantly found trouble. The first couple of times he had been arrested, he had been picked up immediately by his uncle. The kid had shrunk back at the man's presence, trying to become invisible. Soon after, his uncle didn't even bother to come, sending a servant to retrieve him. Gradually, not even that. There were times, he'd wait an entire day until the police department let him go out of pity. Being on an island where everyone knew everyone was handy in times like that. It allowed Asuma to bend the rules when situations such a Neji's popped up.

Preparing a cup of green tea, he handed it to the teen, who took it automatically, not even looking at him. The kid just looked empty, no trace of the smug attitude he had when he was questioned. He just drank from the steaming cup periodically, preparing himself for the long wait until the police took pity on him and let him go to school in the morning.

"Hyuuga."

Both Asuma's and Neji's heads shot up at who called him, surprised at how quickly someone came to claim him. Gaara, another one of the "untouchables" as Asuma liked to call the teen criminals who seemed immune to the law, waited just in front of the automated doors. He looked like he had rolled out of bed, his hair astray, his eyes red, and t-shirt and jeans wrinkled.

Neji broke eye contact with him, staring into the cup in his hands like a scolded child, unusually silent.

"Neji," Gaara said again. It lacked the sharp edge this time. "I'm losing sleep."

The odd statement seemed to gain the other teen's attention, guilt flashing across his features. "You have a spare room?" he asked, looking up.

"I don't answer stupid questions," came the reply.

Neji let slip a small smile. "Forgive my stupidity then."

Asuma let the kid go. It was better than letting him sit in the station all night or let him go wandering the streets until morning. He'd let Neji's guardian know of his whereabouts, not that the man seemed to care much of where his nephew was.

He left a message with a servant in the Hyuuga household and finished filing the complaint Uchiha had put in. Usokawa gave him another stack of paperwork that had to be completed by tomorrow afternoon when a stray thought entered his mind. If Gaara was with Neji and Kiba was in the hospital, where was Naruto?

Naruto woke with a start, his hand flying to his neck. Feeling no break in the skin or wetness, he exhaled in relief. It was all just a dream. He laughed nervously. Just a dream. It had felt so real, but he was home in his bed with no sign of injury. His breathing slowed until a loud bang on his door made him jump a mile high.

"Naruto! I know you're having a wonderful wet dream about my latest book but get dressed. It's time for breakfast."

Grinning, Naruto threw the blankets off, making his way to the door and flinging it wide open. "You wish, pervert. I was just dreaming of the last time you put me into the hospital from your cooking."

He smiled at his guardian who smiled at him affectionately. His guardian, Jiraiya, was a man in his late fifties. He was tall, well built, and always wearing a yukata even in public. His life as an author surprisingly involved a lot of travel, but he took him in when he had become an orphan. He wasn't the best guardian, but he did his best. Like try to make pancakes for his birthday.

"I didn't make it this time," the old man assured him. "Tsunade did. Now get dressed. You have to leave for school in 15 minutes."

Naruto didn't wait for Jiraiya to walk off. He searched his room for semi-clean clothes, throwing them on, then rushing down the stairs after his guardian. He was in such a rush; he didn't notice the blood-stained shirt lying on the floor in the corner.