Well its been slow, but steady progress. Rewrote this thing three times before posting it in its current state. But hey, its finally here.

"The last Uchiha has been compromised."

"I think that's a bit of an exaggeration."

"Orochimaru has marked him, either he's dead in a few days, or he seeks him out and joins him."

"That's not true, and you should know that better than anyone."

"Would you really want to take that chance? Let's just put him out of his misery right now. A quick kunai just beneath the brainstem. He won't feel a thing."

"Seeing as I have been given his responsibility, I'm going to hold off on that."

"You're not objective about this, and you know it."

"And you are?"

"..."

"Doesn't matter either way. The decision has already been made."

"And how many favours have you had to call for this to happen?"

"..."

"That's what I thought. At least when this does inevitably blow up in your face I'll be there to say 'I told you so'."

XxX

The first thing Sasuke felt on waking up was a splitting headache. It felt as if someone had taken a chidori to his brain. The next was his extremely parched throat. As he regained more of his consciousness, he realized he was completely immobile.

His first thought was that he had been captured. His memory was a little hazy. He remembered a fight. Cornering Kabuto, a lot of pain and then... nothing.

Had they been defeated?

They must have been.

He had been captured alive though, and he would make his captors regret that decision. As he slowly regained his bearings he realized that this was unlike any other Oto base he had ever been in. For one he wasn't strapped to a gurney.

In fact he wasn't strapped at all. He was lying on the floor stripped to his undergarments, with seals all over his body. They weren't limited to his body however. They extended around him in a three-meter radius.

"Its a class-2 Gaia seal."

Sasuke glared at the source of the voice. His bastard of an ex-sensei and current team leader was leafing through one of his porn books.

"It will channel the excess chakra you produce into the earth," he continued, "while its on you, you'll have just enough chakra to stay alive."

"Why is it on me?"

Kakashi snapped his book shut and scrutinized him with his lone eye like a particularly interesting puzzle, "What's the last thing you remember?"

Despite himself Sasuke decided to humour him, "We were fighting Kabuto weren't we?"

"No, Sasuke," Kakashi said, "'we' didn't fight Kabuto."

"What the hell are you talking about?"

Kakashi was being more cryptic than usual and that did not bode well.

"Your cursed seal had been dealt with," Kakashi countered, "Imagine my surprise to see that not only has it been reactivated but you seemed to have gotten it upgraded. Would you want to explain that?"

"What?" Sasuke asked completely nonplussed.

"Why do you have something which Orochimaru gives to only his most prized and loyal followers?"

Sasuke knew he was fucked. The man before him no longer was his indulgent ex-sensei.

This was Sharingan Kakashi. One of Konoha's living legends and its most loyal soldier. He would not be pleased after watching the designs of Konoha's most hated traitor on his student.

Despite being on the same side, Kakashi had to be treated as a hostile with himself as his captor.

"Don't try that ANBU anti-interrogation crap on me boy," Kakashi said, "I wrote that manual."

"Are you going to kill me?" Sasuke asked defiantly.

"What did you do Sasuke?" For the first time Sasuke detected a hint of worry and sadness in Kakashi's voice.

"Am I a dead man?"

Kakashi stared at him silently, seemingly contemplating the question. Wordlessly, he reached for the kunai strapped to his thigh. Sasuke closed his eyes, resigned to his fate.

He was surprised by the absence of pain. Maybe he had just ended it quickly enough for it to not register at all. When he opened his eyes he saw the kunai embedded a couple of feet from him.

"I have loosened the seal enough for you to move about," Kakashi said, "Don't leave the circle till I get back with Sakura and Naruto."

Something snapped in him when he saw Kakashi's nonchalant response.

"YOU ABANDONED ME!" Sasuke screamed at Kakashi's retreating back.

"Is that what this is about?"

"What did you do, Sasuke?"

Sasuke hated this man. Probably as much as... him. But even he did not generate the kind of self-hate and guilt that Kakashi could trigger with a single sentence. The worst part was the pity and disappointment that laced his words.

Then it occurred to him, that he should not be the one who should be ashamed. Kakashi was the one who gave up on him.

Sasuke annoyance at the untimely summons had been somewhat tempered by the fact that soon he would have taken one step closer to his goals.

"Uchiha Sasuke," the one-armed one-eyed man said, "I wonder if you remember me."

"You're Danzo," Sasuke shifted uncomfortably, "You used to come to the clan compound before..."

"... before your brother massacred your entire clan," Danzo finished, "with one exception, of course."

"Why am I here?"

"You should drop-out from the program."

"I don't understand," he said completely nonplussed.

"Why do you want to join ANBU?"

Sasuke wanted to lie. But he had a feeling that wouldn't help his case.

"You believe joining ANBU will help you in your goal of chasing and killing Itachi, don't you?"

"I can still serve," Sasuke bit out, "I'll be a great shinobi..."

"Emotional, reckless, imbalanced. In your condition, all you'll ever be is a liability,"

"You're wrong."

Danzo raised his hand and the kunai that was inches away from Sasuke's jugular retreated back into the darkness.

"Am I?" Danzo pressed

It took him a moment to realize that he was on his feet, his breathing heavier than usual. His hands on the metallic table leaving indents on it. Dark spots chased each other down his arm, showing he had lost control of the cursed seal.

Gritting his teeth, he forced the influence back. It took his considerable will power to achieve it. Kakashi's seal did the rest. When he came to, he saw a file in front of him.

"Take a look."

Sasuke opened the file and perused the contents. It had everything Danzo said about him and more. Then his eyes scanned the signature at the bottom.

Kakashi Hatake.

"Lies," he hissed.

"Hatake Kakashi, for all his faults is a loyal Konoha shinobi," Danzo said, "he won't compromise his judgment... not even for his pet project.

"You're done boy."

Sasuke raised his head and met Danzo's impassive one-eyed gaze.

"No," he said, "I'm not."

"Really?"

It was a gamble, but Sasuke knew he had to take it.

There was nothing to lose here.

"You want something from me," he said, "you wouldn't be here otherwise."

"You presume much," Danzo said impassively, "you have nothing, much less anything that I'd want."

Sasuke's brain was working overtime.

"Orochimaru," he said, "I can give you Orochimaru."

XxX

"That was your mission?" It took some effort for Kakashi to keep the incredulity out of his voice, "of all the crazy..."

"It worked, didn't it?" Sasuke scoffed, "You always underestimated me. You never thought I was good enough."

"You stupid, stupid... CHILD!"

Kakashi was trying very hard to control his temper, but Sasuke wasn't making it easy.

"How the hell did Danzo convince you to... this?"

Sasuke glared at him with all the petulance expected of a child who knew he was being blamed for something he hadn't done.

Kakashi paused and took a deep calming breath. He needed time to process this and he needed to find the rest of his team.

Sasuke will have to wait... for now.

XxX

The honey coloured liquid had just the right consistency. It was neither too translucent, nor overtly opaque. When the light hit it at the right angle the honey turned to liquid gold.

Then came the fragrance.

Strong and heady like a Suna desert storm.

The taste was the perfect combination of sweetness, and bitterness with just a hint of spiciness to balance it all.

And when it went down her...

"... Hokage-sama."

Tsunade was broken out of her reverie and greeted by the thoroughly annoyed visage of her student/assistant, Shizune.

"Huh?"

She pointedly looked at the client who was droning on and on about sub-par service by her genin.

"... and the last batch completely ruined my cabbage patches."

"Not that I don't... empathize with you Tanuki.."

"Tanaka," Shizune corrected.

"-san," Tsunade glared at her assistance who glared right back before patiently turning to the client, "I really don't know what is it that you want me to do?"

"I want value for my money," the woman exclaimed.

"D-ranked missions are cheap," Tsunade was beginning to lose her patience now, "if they weren't you'd be going to the professionals wouldn't you, you penny pinching ol'..."

Shizune coughed loudly at this point cutting off her rant, and once again she found herself under the unrelenting glare of her apprentice/assistant.

"What can we do to help you out, Natsume..."

"Tanaka."

"...san."

"You can get me..."

"No," Tsunade interrupted before she could finish.

"Why not?"

"Because Uzumaki Naruto is not available and won't be for the foreseeable future."

"Why not?"

Was this woman serious? She was actually doing this.

Shizune must have detected her change in mood, because she decided to usher that woman out of the office, promising better replacements.

By the time she returned Tsunade was on her third drink.

"Oh, get over it," she said in response to another disapproving glare, "I deserve a drink after all that. That was the seventh this week alone, wasn't it?"

"Ninth actually,"Shizune moved towards her spot to take her seat while eyeing the growing pile of mission reports.

"That kid's a pain in my ass," Tsunade said pulling out another glass and offering it to Shizune.

"Even when he's being good?"

"Especially then," Tsunade said, "I mean what kind of shinobi gets requested for D-ranked missions of all things."

"He certainly doesn't make the rest of the group look good," Shizune admitted before knocking the offered drink to the back of her throat, "and in their defence they don't stay genin long enough to get good at D-ranked missions."

"I mean whose idea was it?"

"The D-ranked missions? It was Tobirama-sama's," Shizune said ever so helpfully.

"I mean it was funny watching sensei deal with unruly genin and clients," Tsunade continued, "... just never thought I'd have to be the one doing it."

"Woe to be you," Shizune said.

"My hedges were trimmed 2 inches shorter than I wanted Hokage-sama, they made my baby cry Hokage-sama," Tsunade mimicked obnoxiously, "do you have any idea how that feels listening to their whining all day long, on and on and on?"

"Can't even imagine."

"The post of Hokage is supposed to be one of respect, power and..." she paused to let lose a loud belch.

"Dignity?"

"Exactly."

This declaration was followed by period of companiable silence.

"I really hate Jiraiya for having talked me into this," memories of her late teammate came unbidden, none of them happy, "the old perv didn't even have the courtesy to stick around afterwards."

"I miss him," Shizune said quietly.

"Yeah," she snorted, blinking away the moisture built up in her eyes, "the asshole always had a habit of handing me his messes."

The sake had a strong flavor after all.

The door to her office opened to admit a chunin who immediately dropped to his knees holding up a scroll. Shizune opened the scroll and her face lost all colour. Tsunade took it from her and scanned the contents.

The hospital in Kusa had been blown up.

Was this a coincidence?

"Should I call the council?" Shizune enquired.

"Do that," she said.

Shizune rushed to do her master's bidding.

"Shizune."

Shizune stopped, her hand on the door handle as she awaited further instructions.

"Get me Shikamaru."

XxX

"What do you think?"

"Well, I hope you're not expecting us to throw a party," Kabuto remarked, "this base was gifted to you as a gesture of goodwill and to find it in its current state is, dare I say... disappointing."

"Mind your tongue boy," the village leader warned, "I've had it pulled out of people, I liked way more than I like you for less. Do not mistake me for one of your mindless underlings."

"My sincere apologies," Kabuto smirked, bowing to the man.

"Hmpf," the man grunted seemingly placated.

Kabuto inspected the various chambers. Most of them had been smashed apart and the subjects of the experiment themselves lay dead. The researchers and guards had not fared any better.

Pity.

That was a lot of work gone to waste.

Recently there had been attacks on some of the bases. The work of the renegade Uchiha no doubt. Probably still looking for Orochimaru. But this did not look like his handiwork. This was too desperate and out of control to be the usually meticulous methods employed by him, not to mention the distinct lack of fire.

Guess there was another piece on the board now.

The only question, whose is it?

"What now?"

"Now?" Kabuto got to his feet, "Now we go to work."

XxX

Kabuto liked the outlands. There was a simplicity to life here despite the despair and misery. No politics, no subordinates waiting to stab you in the back the moment you lost a step.

Who was he kidding? He would be bored out of mind. But still, at the very least it served as a reminder, of what life could be.

"Kabuto-sama," one of the volunteers greeted him, a girl not over fourteen, bowing low, "we weren't expecting you."

"Just had some free time," Kabuto replied, "Is Shigure here?"

"She is by the camps," she said, "would you like to meet her?"

"Lead the way."

He saw her before she saw him. She was in the middle of handing blankets to a poor soul who accepted the gift gratefully, before moving to one of the volunteers rattling off a few instructions before moving to another poor soul offering them whatever solace she could. The grace with which she carried out her tasks would not seem out of place in an imperial tea ceremony conducted by the emperor's favourite concubine with beauty to match.

Not that Kabuto cared about those things. He liked to believe he was above things like physical attraction, or sentiment.

And yet here he was, coming back for the sake of a memory.

He shook his head before moving to the sick bay. It won't do to interfere with her work, might as well help out while he could. There weren't many beds here to speak of. Most of the patients had to make do with lying on the ground. It did not look like he would be needed today. Most suffered from malnutrition and whatever complications that arose with it.

Nothing a few days of healthy eating wouldn't fix.

Still, he made the usual customary enquiries before and examined a few of the elderly and the children.

"Two teaspoonfuls after meals," Kabuto said as he handed a vial of deworming medicine to the grateful looking mother as she cradled a toddler to her waist, "he should be right as rain in a couple of days."

"Is that the last of them?" He enquired.

"Yes, Kabuto-sama," said the volunteer he had chosen to be his assistant for the day. Her eyes shining with reverence, "Shigure-sama is waiting for you."

"Thank you, Riku", he said, "that will be all."

He saw her face turn red, as she bowed to him before rushing off to complete whatever task she had been assigned next.

Kabuto couldn't help but chuckle at her antics. Wretched as these people tend to be, they were rather easily pleased. Her exit was immediately followed by the entry of the person he was there to see, with a pot of freshly brewed tea in her hands no less.

"Kabuto-san," Shigure said as she poured him a cup, "we weren't expecting you for another two days."

It was a refreshing change of pace to be able to be cordial with someone, without having to worry about their agenda. Amusing as it was to trade snipes and insults with Guren or massaging the ego of Kage with ambitions grander than their meager abilities. It could get exhausting.

"I had some free time," he replied enjoying the aroma of the beverage before taking a sip, "I hope that's not a problem."

"You misunderstand, Kabuto-san," she said, "we remain as ever extremely grateful for your patronage."

"Just my idea of a joke Shigure-san," Kabuto chuckled.

"Of course, Kabuto-san," she said, her eyes dancing with mirth at having baited him into defending himself.

"Is there anything else you need?" Kabuto enquired, "I noticed you have run out of beds and blankets in the sick bay."

"That and more," Shigure sighed, "and things are only going to get worse I'm afraid."

"Let me know what you need," Kabuto said, "and I'll see what I can do."

"I'll have Kenji draw up a list."

The two of them sat in companiable silence, before Shigure broke it.

"Why do you help us?" she asked.

"Would you rather I didn't?"

"I know what you do Kabuto-san," she said, "I've seen people suffering horribly because of you, and yet here... here you bring healing and relief to people who can't possibly benefit you or your cause."

All the time she spoke there was no judgment in her tone or voice. Just mild curiosity. As if she was not really expecting to be answered, or even if she did, she was not expecting to be surprised by it.

"You believe you know what my cause is?" Kabuto countered.

"You are a powerful man, Kabuto-san," she replied, "and all powerful men only want one thing."

"Enlighten me."

"More power."

After a moment of silence, Kabuto chuckled humorlessly.

"I like to believe that I am a little less predictable than that," he said, "power to me is just the means to an end, not the end itself."

"I'm sure that's what all men tell themselves," she sighed as she put her now empty cup on the table, "and now I see you have done an admirable job of avoiding my first question."

"Maybe I'm hoping to balance out the suffering I cause by doing some good here," Kabuto said.

"You could have just said you don't want to answer instead of lying you know," Shigure's lips curled upwards in amusement.

"And yet you have not once declined help from so horrible a man as myself."

"The day I see sages and saints line up to help," she said as she refilled both their cups, "will be the day I'll have the luxury to refuse yours."

"Till that day," Kabuto raised his cup.

"Till that day," Shigure raised hers in response.

"Now that that's out of the way," he said changing the subject, "there was another rather pressing concern which brought me here."

"The shinobi incident?"

Another thing he liked about her. She did not waste time.

"Yes," Kabuto said, "as I understand, it happened here."

"Not much I know really," she admitted, "they came here looking for someone or something and ended up chasing two women... girls really, out of here."

"You wouldn't happen to know which way they went do you?"

"Towards the Iwa border as far as I could tell."

"Could these 'girls' have been ninja themselves?"

"Maybe," she said noncommittally, "but I really wouldn't know to be honest, I'm sorry I couldn't be more help."

"On the contrary," Kabuto reassured her, "you have been extremely helpful. Thanks for the tea... and the conversation."

"The pleasure was mine, Kabuto-san," she replied, "the pleasure was mine."

XxX

There had been a battle here, Kabuto realized. He had tracked the chase to the Kannabi Bridge or what used to be Kannabi Bridge anyway. Whoever had cleaned up afterwards had done a particularly good job. Unfortunately, no one was good enough to remove the faint scent of blood that permeated the air.

Calling it a battle would be an exaggeration. It was a massacre. Poor bastards did not know what hit them. But there definitely had been survivors. He had gleaned as much as he could through his limited conventional means. He was no specialist tracker like the Inuzuka.

Thankfully he had his own ways. Closing his eyes he focused on the ambient nature energy surrounding him and allowed it to flow through his chakra coils, nourishing them.

The feeling was intoxicating and euphoric to say the least. His senses opened up. But like everything, the slightest of imbalance and there will be a new landmark to replace the Kannabi Bridge. This time a life-size statue of a bespectacled man.

Like everything, balance was the key.

He had tried to put words to describe what he felt while in Sage mode and every time it felt like trying to explain colour to a blind man.

He opened his eyes, which he knew resembled the yellow slits of the Hebi-clan's from whom he had learned the technique.

He allowed himself a smile of satisfaction.

"There you are."

XxX

The bed was not comfortable, but the arms around her were, which if she was honest was unusual. He was usually up making breakfast by now.

"What time's it?" she asked.

"Mmmmfff."

Sounded about right. When her eyes regained their focus, she was greeted by the sight of a whiskered face and blonde hair.

Panicking she pushed him off herself, getting his head to hit the floor

"Ow..." Naruto said gingerly.

Before she could react to the current situation, she noticed movement out of the corner of her eye. The girl Naruto had 'kidnapped' was staring at her with a deer in the headlights look.

That lasted a second, before she decided to leg it. Sakura had to admit, the girl was fast... way faster than a civilian child had any right to be. Still, it took her less than a second to overtake her.

"Relax girl," Sakura said raising her hands, trying to be as non-threatening as she could be. The girl did not relax and attacked her, screaming. The next second Sakura had her on the floor facedown, with her hand behind her back.

"Calm down," Sakura breathed into her ear, "I'm going to let you up, but you have to promise to not try to attack me alright."

The girl nodded, Sakura let her up.

It was a mistake.

She immediately went for the kunai strapped to Sakura's thigh and started attacking with wide swipes. Sakura backpedaled fast enough to avoid the first two, then she lunged, fully intent on stabbing her through the heart, but before she could succeed, she was yanked backwards.

It did not take long for Naruto to have her trussed up like an animal for slaughter, with her hands and feet tied together behind her back. Despite her precarious situation, the girl was glaring them with enough venom to put Orochimaru's summons to shame.

"Here's the thing kid," Naruto said waving a kunai in front of her face, "we risked our lives because of you. You attacking my partner the way you did, is making me rethink my choices. Do we understand each other?"

The girl continued to glare at him, but with a hint of apprehension and fear in her eyes, but she nodded nevertheless.

"Good," Naruto said, "now I'm going to ask you some questions, answer to my satisfaction and we can make you more comfortable."

Another nod was the only response they got. Sakura was beginning to wonder if the girl could speak at all, and while her current condition was pitiable, her attempts at killing her had left her feeling considerably less charitable.

"What's your name?" Naruto asked.

His question was met with a look of confusion. As if she did not quite understand the question.

"What are you called?" Naruto asked, changing his question.

"Six," came the surprisingly soft reply.

"Do you know why those men were after you?"

"I... escaped."

Naruto stared at her and Sakura found herself doing the same.

"Who taught you how to fight?"

"In the pit."

"I'm gonna let you free," Naruto said his voice softer now almost soothing, "but you have to promise not to attack us, okay?"

Following another nod, Naruto removed her bonds. No sooner had he done so, she attacked screaming. Without missing a beat Naruto struck her in the side of the temple, knocking her out.

"You learnt something," Sakura deduced.

"Speculations for now," Naruto sighed heavily, "but it does seem kinda obvious, doesn't it?"

"You can't possibly be implying..."

"That she's a Heaven-sent?" Naruto said, "why not?"

Heaven-sent was a term that was used for unclaimed children, they could be orphans or simply abandoned. The term was coined by the Second Tsuchikage and he used them extensively as canon fodder in the Second Shinobi War. He used the term to 'motivate' them to serve his cause. Claimed they were sent from the heaven to redeem humanity and once they died, they would take their place back in heaven.

Propaganda to justify heinous deeds, but it worked. Soon other nations adopted the same method and things got out of hand. If not for the interference of the Daimyo things would have gotten way worse.

"Because for one no one would be stupid enough to defy the daimyo on this," Sakura claimed, "and she seems more like a survivor trying to run than a fanatic trying to complete a mission."

"Maybe she hasn't been completely processed yet or something?" Naruto rambled.

"What?"

"You know what I mean," Naruto said, "maybe she escaped before they could turn her into a full-fledged heaven-sent."

"Is that why you grabbed her?" Sakura asked, "you suspected she was a Heaven-sent?"

"I thought she was something."

"You didn't think this through, did you?" Sakura accused.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Naruto said nonchalantly.

"As if we didn't have enough to worry about," Sakura said exasperated, "not only we have to dodge forces of two shinobi villages and someone capable of taking out an entire ANBU squad, and if we by some miracle survive them, what do you think Kakashi will do to you when he finds out."

"I think it might be too late to worry about that."

"What do you mean?"

"We have company."

XxX

Nature was a paradox.

Life and death.

Creation and destruction.

Beauty and bestiality.

Most understood that these concepts existed together not in conflict but in balance with each other. But few could feel it like Kabuto could while in Sage mode.

Most mistook it to be a cycle. Kabuto knew that was not strictly true. These concepts paradoxical as they might seem, did not exist on the opposite ends of the spectrum. They existed side by side. Like brothers, or lovers.

He felt the two sources of chakra move. One, was relatively unremarkable. Above average reserves but absolutely paled in contrast to the one next to it. There was a third one as well. The one who was the source of all the complications.

But it was time to drop break the connection. He had indulged himself long enough. Any longer... well the consequences could be irreversible. He sighed with regret as the world lost its colour again.

He perched himself on one of the broken walls as he waited. Fortunately, he did not have to wait long as two of the three came out, eyes wary.

"This place used to be an Iwa outpost," Kabuto said, "not overly important in the grand scheme of things to be honest. Not with the Kannabi Bridge just a few miles north... well what used to be the Kannabi bridge anyway. We all know what the Yondaime did to it. The years have not been kind to it, but there are still some dormant traps that can be triggered if one is not careful."

"You're Kabuto," the blonde boy said, "Sakura-chan says she participated in her first chunin exam with you."

"Guilty as charged," Kabuto replied, "unfortunately you have me at a disadvantage."

"Naruto," came the measured reply, "Uzumaki Naruto."

"Interesting," Kabuto observed, "that's a name from the history books."

"Naruto?" the boy said, "I bet it was the name of some awesome kickass hero who kicked some major ass."

"Actually," Kabuto said indulgently, "I was talking about the other one."

"Oh," the boy visibly deflated, but then perked up almost immediately, "that's even better. Years from now parents will be naming their kids after me. Believe it!"

"I'm sure they will," Kabuto chuckled observing the boy's antics. His amusement got another kick when he saw Sakura's face turn red at her partner's shenanigans.

"What now Kabuto-san?" Sakura asked, joining the conversation, "Are you here to kill or capture us?"

Oh, she was so precious. He could see her struggle to keep her voice from shaking. Tapping into her anger as she tried to reconcile the image of the kind bumbling boy who had helped her during her first exam with the man he was now.

"Neither actually," Kabuto replied, "you have something of mine. So, if you can just hand it over."

"Well, whatever it is that you're looking for," Naruto said, "we don't have it. So, if you can just go your way, we'll go ours."

"If you say so," Kabuto shrugged.

No one moved following this declaration.

"If you're hoping to get your clones to bail you out," Kabuto smirked, "It's not going to work."

"Fuck!" the boy swore.

"Patient as I've been," Kabuto said as he raised his hands and dozens of Oto shinobi materialized surrounding the duo, "I really believe it's time we ended this, don't you?"

XxX

Sakura and Naruto watched the entire conversation unfold from the cover of one of the barracks. Despite the dire situation, Sakura couldn't help being impressed by her doppelganger. It wasn't just her looks either. The clone seemed to have copied her mannerisms as well.

"Naruto."

"Yes, Sakura-chan."

"How fucked are we?"

"Very."

"Can't you use that kunai of yours?"

"Thought you hated that?"

"Desperate times."

"Well, they bring the user to my location."

"We're so fucked."

"How long do you think your clones can keep up the charade?"

It was then, that Oto ninja appeared, surrounding them.

"Guess we just found out," Naruto said grimly.

"Shit!" Sakura exclaimed, while her mind worked on an exit strategy, "if we use a couple of exploding tags, we just might be able to force our way out."

"Wait," Naruto said, "boss still has a few tricks up his sleeve."

That wasn't as reassuring a statement as it was meant to be.

For one, Sakura had learnt not to trust any of Naruto's tricks.

Secondly, he had just addressed the Naruto currently outside stalling Kabuto as 'boss'. That could only mean one thing.

"You're a clone," Sakura deadpanned.

"I really hope you won't punch me Sakura-chan," the clone said, "I break rather easily."

XxX

Naruto tugged on the wire he had pinned under his foot. A pair of rectangular contraptions, sprang up from the ground, and hundreds of needles shot out, catching the most aggressive of the lot off-guard. A few even struck Kabuto, who promptly melted in a pile of mud.

Naruto didn't expect it to be that easy.

But at least it stopped the rest in their tracks. Three were lying motionless on the ground, another five while not dead, had been taken out of the fight, as they cradled their limbs in various degrees of distress.

No one bothered to get them to cover.

"Guess you found the traps," Kabuto's voice came from below the treeline, before he reappeared. Credit where it was due, that was one of the most seamless substitutions he had ever seen.

"I did," Naruto admitted, "I also found a massive seal array just underneath, spanning half-a-mile at the very least, which between the two of us, is a bit much. These Iwa shinobi have all the subtlety of a Daimyo at his first wedding. But I really don't want to find out what it does."

"That's a very good bluff Naruto-kun," Kabuto said, his tone condescending, "I'm almost inclined to believe you, except even if you were telling the truth I doubt you know how to activate the seal."

"Do you really want to find out?" Naruto dared.

A few seconds of silence followed, as both of them stared at each other.

"Yes," Kabuto said and Naruto's heart sank, "I do."

Naruto prepared for the inevitable.

Naruto barely registered the look of surprise in Kabuto's eyes, as a trio of ninja wire appeared out of nowhere and snagged Kabuto. But that wasn't all, as lightning chakra was channeled thoroughly electrocuting the man.

It was at this moment Naruto resolved to take back every insult and curse he had thrown towards Kakashi. He would even get rid of the voodoo doll pinned to his bedroom wall with a trio of kunai. He would instead replace it with a shrine to the man and light incense for it every day.

Maybe not the ten ryo ones. But definitely the three ryo one.

As he saw the man walk towards them nonchalantly, a stark contrast to the carnage he had caused. He proceeded to turn Kabuto's body over with his foot, meeting a lower resistance than expected. A hole underneath where his face was.

Kakashi was the coolest man he knew.

"That's a nice sentiment, Naruto-kun," Kakashi said, "means a lot more considering the voodoo doll you have of me in your bedroom."

"Have you been spying on me?" Naruto accused, before another more horrifying realization hit him, "or have you been reading my mind?"

"No," Sakura said, joining the two of them, "you were just shouting about how you'd get rid of his voodoo doll and something about lighting three ryo incense to his shrine."

"I was kidding about the voodoo doll," Naruto said, chuckling nervously, "I don't make voodoo dolls."

"Right," Sakura said rolling her eyes, "what the hell took you so long?"

"You're welcome," Kakashi said dryly, "but as much as I'd like to catch-up, it's really time we got out of here. Don't you?"

A/N: I think I managed a decent balance of plot and character development in this chapter. Got to explore Sasuke and Kakashi's history and the reason for Sasuke's bitterness. Speaking of Sasuke, I sometimes feel I like making him suffer, but I swear because I like him, or the idea behind his character at the very least. Suffering builds character anyway. Anyway, hope you enjoyed this one. Drop a line if you did, drop one if you didn't.

Until next time.