Chapter 18.

It was the day.

The group had long since fleshed out every part of their plan to rescue Naruto and were on stand-by at their designated location. Everyone understood what was at stake. Not only Naruto's freedom but everyone else's too. Naruto is the Hero of the Hidden Leaf; people will rally to his call. His mere presence on the battlefield could be enough to tip the scales in their favor, and that not including his power as a ninja. Notwithstanding, their reason for saving Naruto was a much more personal one. Naruto was their friend, and him spending even a day in prison was unacceptable, much less a year.

They couldn't prevent it, though. Naruto and Sasuke could barely stand when they arrived to Danzou's Konoha a year ago. The only reason Sasuke didn't end up behind the bars was that Kakashi suggested him to wait a safe distance away from the village before they entered – the Uchiha avenger was still considered a criminal there, so his friends wanted to clear things up with authorities before letting him in. It was when the subsequent attempt to rescue Naruto during his transportation failed did Kakashi understand the direness of their situation. Once he was delivered to prison, there was no way of getting him out unless they wanted to storm it with an army.

Kakashi glanced at his group. Everyone was excited. Understandable. Considering the fact that as soon as Naruto gets out Danzou will be forced to act. They will be under heavy scrutiny from Root and some of them will probably get arrested and interrogated, but they were willing to pay the price. It was likely that the next few days will be the hardest for their Resistance. They still lacked manpower, as even the biggest and most powerful clans in Konoha combined still provided less numbers than all the minor clans and non-clan ninjas. Add to that hundreds of highly skilled Root and you'll pretty much get the picture.

They absolutely needed to get Naruto out of there. If not for themselves then for their loyal friend who deserved none of what happened to him for the past year. Once their jinchuuriki comrade is back to his prime condition, he singlehandedly can stop this whole mess Kakashi started. Such were the thoughts of everyone present.

Hinata looked around at their small group hidden in the forest near the volcano, their faces concealed by identical masks, before turning back towards the direction of the prison they were about to bust in. Unlike the high security section, the Warden's office was not shielded from her Byakugan, giving them a perfect opportunity to know exactly when to proceed.

"He is reading the letter now," she said, focusing on the warden through the wide window of his office. It wasn't that hard to see through the volcano and the prison walls, and Hinata thanked her training for that.

"Roger that, keep watching."

Sukea, or rather, Kakashi, was assigned as their team leader. Despite him being virtually a stranger to everyone except Hinata and Sai, he had seamlessly integrated himself in their group. It didn't seem to require much persuasion for most of them, such was their trust in Sai and Shikamaru's judgement. The fact that they were pretty desperate in their intention to rescue Naruto also helped.

"He stood up, I think he took the bait," Hinata followed the warden's movements. The man seemed to be giving orders. "He took two ninjas with him, Root operatives."

"Looks like it's time," they heard Sai's determined voice. The ex-Root had already removed all his drawing equipment. One of the downsides to having unique skills was that they easily gave away one's identity. They were committing treason, and therefore had to remain unrecognized.

Their commander nodded, and the five of them immediately leapt into action.

"You guys copy?" Hinata heard Ino's voice inside her head, along with everyone else's affirmative responses.

The forest and the mountain landscape before them changed into complete darkness once they entered the secret tunnel Sukea told them about. Well hidden, it had the same protective seals as those placed on the high-security block. With everyone else inside, Hinata had lingered at the entrance, to monitor the warden's movements.

"Our medic has entered the office."

"So far so good," they heard Sukea's comment as their group sans Hinata advanced along the dark corridor. "You sure you can maintain the connection?"

"Please," Ino scoffed, or rather, mentally scoffed. "I sent a telepathic message to the entire freaking Shinobi Alliance. This is nothing in comparison."

Kakashi-slash-Sukea smiled, Shikamaru had chosen the team composition well.

"They are about to enter Naruto's block," Hinata reported once again, updating them on the situation once they made it to their destination.

Because she couldn't see through the tunnel she had to go in the last, right after she is sure that their warden is headed to Naruto's block.

"And we should already be in our position, right?" Tenten clarified in the meantime.

It was clear that the girl was nervous about their operation. She'd asked a dozen questions during their trek to the prison, and now that they had nothing to do but wait, the worry seemed to gnaw at her again.

Kakashi nodded. "And now we wait."

Everything was up to their medic and Naruto now.

The oppressive aura around Naruto's cell struck Shizune's whole being as soon as she came near. The seals, both on the cell and its prisoner were powerful, and they did their job well. Perhaps too well, the woman thought, as the weakening spell once again took hold of her chakra, blocking any connection she had with her inner power.

"Oh, hello, miss medic," the prisoner's voice, uncharacteristically lively for someone who'd spent a whole last year migrating between identical boring cells in the most hopeless prison in the Land of Fire. Then again, it was Naruto they were talking about, so she should have gotten used to his seemingly unending optimism by now.

It wasn't like he didn't have any entertainment in here, the woman thought, noticing him put a bright orange book away inside of his pocket. She was going to kill Kakashi after this all was over. She couldn't deny though, that using the code was much safer and easier than trying to convey messages verbally. Every time she needed to pass Kakashi's message she only had to sneakily show numbers with her fingers and Naruto would be able to translate them. This was how he was able to learn that they were going to bail him out today.

With two Root operatives at either side, Shizune began administering the false tranquilizer. She doubted they understood the difference between the regular IV injection and a subcutaneous one she was about to administer now, but still tried to conceal the process with her body. Who knew if these Root had any medical background? She wasn't taking any chances.

As soon as she was done, they took Naruto by the armpits and dragged his prone body to a wheelchair. At least he could fake unconsciousness, the medic noted, relieved.

The group of four plus their prisoner silently strode towards his new cell.

"Once the prisoner is secured, I want all available agents to guard this block," they heard the warden. "I told you I needed more people, Danzou," he cursed under his nose, eyes set on the way through the dark corridor.

"What of the other guards," asked the Root to Shizune's left.

"Don't tell them a word. If the enemy is so bold as to send us warning letters, then the fewer people know the better," the warden explained. "They are useless anyway."

As disconcerting as the warden's faith in his staff was, the booster drug should have taken its effect by now. Shizune was about to check their prisoner's state herself, when she sensed a large burst of chakra from Naruto. The drug had finally taken its effect.

A flash of red and his binds were no more, the jinchuuriki of the Nine-Tails standing up from the wheelchair. Apparently, even after a year of inactivity Naruto's power was overwhelming, as Shizune felt the heat of the Kyubi chakra roll off of him in waves.

"What's up," Naruto said, face as smug as any other man who was about to escape from prison.

Immediately the two Root shinobi went after him. Shizune could see from their moves that their coordination was perfect. However, when fighting one of the most powerful shinobi in history, teamwork alone won't cut it. Their synchronized attacks were easily repelled with a swift motion of dense chakra, taking a form of a beastly paw. With his next attack, the blond ended their short battle. When your opponent could send people crashing to the wall without lifting a single finger, it was bound to be unfair.

"Medic!" they heard the warden's bark. "Why is he not unconscious?"

"You sure you wanna fight, gramps?" Naruto asked instead, looking at the unsheathed sword in the warden's hands. "I mean, I just beat your bodyguards…"

"They were not my bodyguards," the warden said before lunging towards his enemy. Surprising the jinchuuriki, old man dodged Naruto's attack and managed to land a blow of his own.

"Not bad, gramps," Naruto admitted, the cut on his injured arm already starting to heal itself.

Shizune noted with frustration that despite his age and idlesness, warden of Konoha Strict Correctional Facility still possessed much of his shinobi instincts. He positioned himself so that Naruto was between him and her. Of course, he thought that Shizune was his ally, but his mistake did them no good – were she by his side she could sneak attack and end the fight. Now, however, she would have to rely on Naruto.

Normally, the jinchuuriki would have no trouble dealing with most enemies, even short on one hand. But this time he was running against a clock, and he must keep that in mind. Having rested well, Naruto was in a much better shape than he was right after the War, but his condition was quickly deteriorating under the effects of that drug. Shizune didn't know if the warden realized it, but so far, he's been making things most difficult for them.

"If you are able to use your chakra then that means…" the warden's eyes widened in realization. "You!" he yelled, turning a hateful gaze towards the medic, "What did you do?"

"Nothing wrong," Shizune answered, resolute. "Naruto, stop playing around and finish this!"

"I knew something about you was fishy," the jailer heaved his sword, taking a defensive stance.

The murky underground network of the Konoha Strict Correctional Facility was underwhelmingly small. Whatever few tunnels there were to confuse them had been successfully ignored by Kakashi. Leading their group of five right under the prison's courtyard was easy enough. Until they heard Hinata's warning, that is.

"Enemy ahead! Root, two."

"Know about us?" he questioned, glad that Hinata had caught up to them in the tunnel. She couldn't see anything outside, but she was at least able to warn them of any upcoming enemies inside the passage.

"Not sure. Doesn't seem like it."

Nodding in affirmative even though everyone could hear his mental response in their heads, Kakashi signaled to prepare for confrontation.

It wasn't hard to dispose of the patrol. However, they were about to be discovered anyway. In about a minute the other guards will notice that no one was coming out of the tunnel and will go to investigate. If they didn't act now, they were going to lose advantage.

"Where is the next patrol right now?" he asked.

"No one's inside." Hinata reported. "The tunnel ends in about sixty meters."

If anyone was waiting outside, Kakashi was relying on his sense of smell to detect them. If not, then they had to take a risk exiting the passage.

"Proceed carefully. We don't know if anyone's waiting at the entrance."

With every cautious step they took, Kakashi took a deep inhale, sniffing the stale air for any foreign scents. When they were nearing the end, his nose caught two new signatures.

"Two enemies ahead, right at the entrance." Confirming his suspicions, Kakashi urged the group ahead. "We must attack before they realize something is wrong."

When they were where Kakashi approximated as right below their enemies, Copy Nin used his Earth release jutsu to ambush them. The two Root ninja from the second patrol had no time to react as the Copy Nin appeared from underneath and slit one's throat in a single swift movement. The second enemy stood further than Kakashi expected, and that mistake would've cost him his life had Hinata not interfered. Almost immediately after Kakashi's initial attack the woman followed out to cover his back. Gentle Fist repelling what would have been a fatal attack, Hinata took out the second opponent as her other teammates appeared from below.

"What now?" Tenten's question was expected by this point.

"We wait."

From the corner of his eye Kakashi saw Sai and Ino already begin disposing of the bodies. He doubted that more than two patrols were assigned to monitor the secret passage, considering the prison's shortage on elite guards. They were safe to wait there; regular guards won't notice them even if they tried.

Hinata was about to update them on their perimeter situation when a loud rumble disrupted the quiet of the prison. They all turned towards the high security block and were surprized to notice that a chunk of its wall was missing. Surprised and very much glad, for that meant one thing…

"Naruto," the Hyuga muttered, the name slipping from their telepathic communication.

As she said that, the sirens went off.

Sure enough, a Kyubi-chakra coated figure jumped down into the courtyard from the hole, followed by a blonde woman. The pair immediately started running towards the secret passage. Hinata informed them that they had the warden as well.

All was going smoothly so far. The fact that grated on Kakashi's instincts. When the two groups had finally reunited, Naruto opened his mouth in a characteristic for himself manner.

"Hey guys, long time no see," he said, dumping the warden unceremoniously on the ground beside Ino. Meeting his saviors, Naruto wondered who could be behind the masks. One thing he knew, though, sensei was among them. "Hi, Ka–"

"Quiet!" Kakashi hissed. "You want them to know who we are?" After Ino included Naruto and Shizune in their telepathic conversation, Kakashi allowed himself to smile, "Good to see you too. Sorry we couldn't come earlier. Shizune-san, hope you aren't going to kill me."

"Oh, you bet I am," the woman replied. Everyone looked quizzically at the blonde medic.

"That's Shizune-san!?"

"You didn't even tell them that your medic is me?" Shizune asked, fixing her wig. Blonde hair rather suited her if she were being honest.

She couldn't finish her thought when they heard the tunnel collapse. Once again, the group ascertained that they were in good hands. Sukea predicted that the secret passage was a one-way ticket, stating it was a common practice to block exits during prison breaks.

"We have company, guys."

Not even a second after those words left Hinata's mind, Root operatives landed from the prison roof, surrounding their group in a wide circle. As if it wasn't bad enough, the rest of the regular guards began swarming to their location from all sides.

"We have your boss!" Naruto yelled, gesturing towards the prone body in Ino's arms.

Their enemy's response was to bombard them with fire jutsu. For a few moments the sound of prison siren was shrouded by the booming of explosions. Everyone ducked to different places.

"Guess they don't care about the hostage," Kakashi admitted his miscalculation. He was sure they'd be at a loss and won't pose much of a threat, but these Root agents didn't hesitate at all. "Is everyone alright?" he made sure, dodging a particularly nasty looking projectile and sending a kunai of his own at the closest Root shinobi.

Their enemy's attack did not harm anyone, but it achieved its purpose – his team's positioning was ruined.

"Oh, shit," they heard Ino's voice. "Our hostage is dead."

Kakashi's gaze flickered to the warden's charred and undoubtedly dead body before returning back to the battle. "It's fine, we can proceed–"

"Oh, shit," Ino repeated, her tone bordering on hysterical. "I lost Naruto's antidote!"

"What! How?!" Tenten's screech echoed in their heads.

"Don't panic, Tenten-san," Kakashi called, taking another quick look at the Yamanaka. "That attack burst the injection vials." If broken glass and spilt liquid scattering all over her clothes from Ino's torn pouch was any indication. "We still should have Hinata's vials," he reminded, ducking under enemy's swipe and landing a powerful reverse kick at their head, sending them flying.

The fact that their fight continued and there was no sign of it ending any time soon worried everyone.

After the Root's initial attack, Hinata and Naruto ended up separated from the rest. Together, they were fighting through what felt like an army. Somehow, she didn't feel like they were struggling as much as the main group, whom the Root squad was putting all their focus on. Then again, they didn't have Naruto.

The Nine-Tails jinchuuriki was waving the guards away like mere flies, each oncoming enemy facing the opposite side of the beastly chakra. Only one hand or not, Naruto could make up for it with his Kyubi's.

"Hinata-chan, is that you?" suddenly rang in her head. Kakashi had been giving out orders when Naruto decided it was time to start conversation. She almost missed Ino informing that she lost the medication.

"Yes," was her curt reply. Hinata had better things to do than talk right now. Like fighting for her life.

Deflecting enemy's sloppy attack, she sent them flying with a direct hit to the chest. Fully prepared to fight whoever was sure to come at her next, she turned around, only to see the majority of the prison guard backing away in fear. Accepting defeat was easy when you faced someone like Naruto. The shock on their enemies' faces was all the proof she needed to ignore them in favor of helping others.

"Naruto," she heard Kakashi say, "stop playing around and help us get you out of here."

As if on que, the blond jinchuuriki turned away from the cowering guards and joined Hinata to aid his saviors in their battle with Root. He tried to ignore that his body was becoming weaker by the minute – he wasn't about to spend a day more in a stupid prison.

Meanwhile, Hinata could see that both sides were fighting at their limits, even Kakashi's chakra seemed drained. The ravaged battlefield around them was a testament to their opponents' strength. The fact that there were only two dead Root shinobi ascertained that impression.

Naruto jumped into the heat of the battle head on, but unlike their fight with prison guards, the Root agents managed to keep up somewhat. A dozen of them left against the six of intruders, they could delegate their reserves to deal with the Kyubi.

It seemed the seriousness of the situation had finally dawned on Naruto when he started to feel his chakra rapidly and quite painfully leave his body. "Ehm, guys, I think the drug is starting to take its effect," he said, releasing a burst of volatile chakra at the closest enemy.

"Don't do that!" Kakashi screamed in their heads.

"I can't help it," Naruto replied back, "it… it's literally leaking out!" Another burst of uncontrolled chakra sent two Root agents around him flying. Imperceptibly, the rest of the enemy shifted their positions a bit further away from the jinchuuriki.

"We need to get out of here asap!"

This wasn't good. This wasn't good at all. Kakashi could see the chakra manifest as steam of angry red around his student. 'If only Sakura was here,' he left that thought for himself, fully aware that the head medic of Konoha could not disappear the day her best friend was bailed from prison and return on the next as if nothing happened. Same goes for him but he was willing to face the consequences of his actions. Besides, he took a day off so his absence wouldn't be noticed.

Kakashi needed a plan, and he needed it fast. The enemy outnumbered them almost two to one. Naruto, their trump card, couldn't fight in his current condition. Summoning his infamous genius, the Copy Nin turned on to the defensive.

"If we are not leaving now, I'm afraid we are not leaving at all," they heard Tenten's words as Naruto's condition was rapidly becoming worse. He could barely stand – his fight with the warden had taken more time than expected, and now they were suffering the consequences. The brunette leaped to his defense, deflecting enemy kunai with a weapon of her own. "Hurry up!"

As if things weren't dire enough, the remaining prison guards seemed to understand that Naruto was becoming no longer a threat. Empowered by jinchuuriki's weakness, they started to circle the enemy, once again ready to strike. Dancing around this new wave of onslaught, Kakashi cursed the old warden. He trained his staff well. Despite being mediocre ninja, prison guards knew exactly how to fight in concordance with elite Root shinobi. There even seemed to be a pattern to their attacks…

"That's it!" the Copy Nin exclaimed, getting a moment to regain his breath from all the frantic dodging and ducking. "Group together!" he would've barked the order if he weren't communicating in their minds. "There is a pattern to their attacks, look closely."

Everyone, desperate for any solution, immediately surrounded Naruto. It wasn't ideal, but Naruto must be protected.

Analyzing the enemy's movements, Sai was the first to notice the pattern. "They let the guards attack first before going in for the kill."

Indeed, it was clear after the artist's words that Root preferred to use regular shinobi as canon fodder to distract the enemy.

"Hinata, everything is on you now," their leader said. "Just like we practiced. You need to catch them during their attack. Everyone, stand close to Hinata!" He then addressed the rest of the team, "Tenten-san, Sai, as soon as Hinata's attack is started, I want you to join in. Extend the onslaught. Ino-san, help Naruto. Cover each other's backs."

Despite Kakashi's calm instructions in her head, Hinata knew he would be shouting them if he could. He explained everything telepathically, so everyone knew their parts. She audibly exhaled, mentally preparing herself for what she was sure was their final trick. Everyone here was counting on each other, and she couldn't afford to doubt herself, much less anyone else. They will do this, and they will win.

Their tight formation had made quite a target for the enemy. It was no surprise that several fire bolts were launched their way, all dissolved upon Kakashi's wall of mud. Not even waiting for the smoke to dissipate, the guards went in to follow up the attack. This time Kakashi and Shizune had deliberately left an opening in hopes to lure the enemy into the trap. As predicted, two of the Root agents detached themselves from the rest and lunged themselves forward, anticipating an easy kill.

The trap was sprung. It was all Kakashi and the team needed to tip the balance to their side.

Up untill the moment it was done, Hinata wasn't completely sure how Kakashi's plan was supposed to work. Now that four of their most dangerous opponents were dead, she couldn't help but feel exhilarating relief over their daring attempt. It no longer felt like a reasonable gamble, but a brilliant tactical move. Her teammates seemed to share her opinion, as she heard a few grunts of approval.

It happened very fast. As soon as the two shinobi launched themselves at seemingly defenseless Kakashi and Shizune, Hinata started spinning a Kaiten, effectively separating their attackers from the rest of the Root squad. Immediately, Tenten and Sai sprung to action, kicking the two enemy ninjas towards the wall of the rapidly whirling sphere around them. Hitting the Kaiten, unfortunate victims bounced back, disoriented from the impact, allowing Tenten and Sai to finish them with a quick slash of their swords. Once they were dead and Hinata stopped spinning, Shizune and Kakashi launched attacks of their own. Not wasting a second of their element of surprise, the medic released a sizable cloud of poisonous smoke on the remaining Root. It caught one off guard, and despite him jumping away half a second later, the poison was quick to end his life, his dead body falling limp on the ground. At the same time Kakashi used the cloud of purple poison as cover and his experience to predict the enemy's movements, blindly flinged a couple kunai. Infused with chakra, they flew fast and accurate through the purple smoke, resulting in another kill – one of the opponents was able to deflect his attack.

Overall, the combination was extraordinarily beautiful and stupidly difficult to execute. Even remaining Root ninja faltered in their steps, it seemed, as if to appreciate their perfectly synchronized attack. Killing four exceptionally skilled shinobi in a span of three seconds was something that veterans used to brag about during the Third War.

Back to the present, Kakashi called out, "How is Naruto doing?"

"Losing conscience," Ino reported back. "Needs immediate attention."

Medical attention that they could not ensure, Kakashi thought, his curses clearly resounding in his comrades' heads. Not while eight of the remaining enemies were breathing at their necks. Eight against six, he noted to himself.

Time for recuperation seemed to be over, as the enemy began their attacks with renewed vigor. There was no apparent strategy to their attacks, however, except the most basic of patterns. They just lunged themselves one after the other, focusing mostly on Ino and Shizune. While some of them attacked, the others naturally covered their backs, but Kakashi noticed it was purely instinctual now. They no longer moved with that deliberate precision, too eager to attack, too indifferent to defend. No matter how much Danzou instilled fearlessness in his soldiers, morale is and always will be the most important factor in any battle. The outcome of the fight was as good as sealed.

In the next few minutes they were able to kill most of the Root and rout the rest of the guards. The remaining two Root operatives turned away and fled. No doubt to deliver a message to their Hokage. Ideally, Kakashi should've eliminated them but they couldn't waste any more time.

"Can't believe we did it!" was the first thought that left Ino's head after their battle was finished.

The battlefield was littered with slain enemies, those who were still standing wisely chose caution. Prison guards were regular people, afterall. Compared to Root they lacked in both ability and motivation. Their unenthusiastic ranged attacks were the only thing that prevented them from fully relaxing.

It didn't prevent them from leaving the prison, though.

"I can't believe we did it!" repeated Ino, for the first time voicing her thoughts after the prison was left behind the horizon.

"Believe it," was Naruto's weak response, initiating a moment of silence.

And then everyone burst into laughter. The elation of surviving impossible odds was the one thing common in all shinobi.

"Still alive to be joking, I see?"

"Can't shut up even now."

Kakashi shook his head, allowing friends their moment. He was about to order a stop so that they could administer the antidote, but the words stuck in his throat as soon as he saw a sour expression on Hinata's face.

"The antidote," she said, almost whispered, making everyone tense up. With shaking hands, she pulled out a broken vial. "I'm sorry."

Immediately, the mood reverted back to grim uncertainty, as if they were still back on the prison grounds, fighting a dozen Root agents. Nobody said a word, everyone directing their gaze at the team leader. There was a great deal of fear in those eyes, yes, but there also was determination. As if they would do anything should he just ask. The new generation never failed to surprise Kakashi. No matter what, these people didn't give up.

Kakashi only hoped their loyalty to each other will hold in the next few days. Because Naruto's condition could jeopardize all of their plans. It was by no means their friend's fault though, and if he could wait for one whole year then they could very well wait until he completely recovers.

"Change of plans," he said. "Sai, Shizune-san, you'd need to take Naruto to Tsunade-sama."

"But Konoha is closer. Isn't it better to get him there? Sakura–"

"Sakura has no more antidotes and taking Naruto there is too risky. What if we are spotted and caught?"

A dark look passed everyone's faces. They absolutely couldn't allow Danzou to get his hands on Naruto. They would rather die.

Seeing reason in Kakashi's words Sai nodded, summoning a large bird with a few quick strokes of his newly retrieved brush.

"Shizune-san, how long do we have till the drug wears out?" Kakashi asked, gesturing for them to put the struggling blond on the ground.

"The half-life is around 8 hours."

"Meaning it'll last for a long time…" Kakashi muttered, thinking about any potential ways out of their predicament. Taking a glimpse at his teammates, he could see the worry in their eyes. Some of them even starting to lose their cool, with Hinata constantly mumbling apologies and Tenten unleashing her fury at herself by punching the nearest tree, making the trunk shake from impact.

"Shit," the weaponsmistress said, "shit shit shit!"

Compared to Shizune, these girls were still green, Kakashi thought, brushing off fallen leaves from his hair.

"Tenten-san, stop hitting that poor tree. Hinata, I need you to calm down! Ino-san, Sai, stop arguing and everyone come here!" he barked. Instantly, all the commotion ceased, only occasional grunts of pain from Naruto cutting through the silence like a knife.

"Go get 'em," the blond jinchuuriki said, his chuckle turning into a fit of breathlessness.

"Now that everyone is paying attention," Kakashi began, eyeing everyone critically, "I need your input, especially the ones who has any medical knowledge." Finally, he thought, when the expression on his teammates' faces turned back to determined. "I have these seals with me," he said, pulling out a piece of paper from his vest pocket. Immediately, recognition flickered in Shizune's eyes.

"Sealing tag," the brunette said, already knowing where their leader was going with this. "I'm afraid it's not going to work," she stopped him. "It is designed to seal jinchuuriki chakra, true, but in doing so it will do nothing to stop said chakra from imploding within Naruto's body."

"I was fearing it wouldn't work," Kakashi said, putting the tags back into his pocket. "If anyone has any ideas now would be the time."

Everyone raked their brains for anything that could help. Judging by their disappointed faces Kakashi could tell that they had as much luck with it as him. Until he heard Hinata's voice, that is.

"I have an idea," she told them, her expression grave. "But it's… really dangerous."

"What is it? Come on, we are not exactly in a position to be picky here," Tenten urged.

Everyone silently agreed. Hinata nodded, now wasn't the time for hesitation.

"There is a jutsu I know… Twin Lion Palms…" she spied a glance at her husband, waiting for recognition in his eyes.

"It can drain chakra…" Kakashi did not disappoint.

"That… can work," said Shizune, a thoughtful expression on her face. "If Hinata manages to drain Naruto of enough chakra…"

"The thing is," Kakashi added, "she'd have to hit him to do that."

Everyone stared at Hinata. The idea of harming Naruto did not appeal to anyone, but they understood that it had to be done if he were to survive.

Sensing Hinata's reluctance, Kakashi came up to her and put his palms on her cheeks.

"Hinata, you can do it. You have to do it. I believe in you."

His wife blinked the tears away and nodded, determination filling her. Kakashi was right, she had to do it.

Doesn't mean that she didn't hate doing it.

They put Naruto up against a tree, a perfect target for her Twin Lions. Hinata exhaled, performing her strongest technique. Kakashi's eyes widened when he saw her launch the lion heads at Naruto – he thought she couldn't send them flying. Both hits landed, literally pushing Naruto into the tree he was leaning against, splintering the wood. He didn't let a sound escape his lips, but they didn't need to hear that to know that it was painful.

"I think… it's working…" they heard him mutter, still standing despite the heavy beating. "But… need some more…"

After the second round Hinata couldn't hold her tears. She collapsed on the ground, mirroring Naruto, but for a totally different reason.

Shizune immediately ran up to the blond to check for his condition.

"I– I can't believe it. He is actually better!" the medic shouted, taking note of his heart rate and temperature gradually reducing closer to normal. There no longer was that horrible pressure from the Kyubi's chakra.

"I feel like… I've been ran over by a bull," Naruto's remark was meant to lighten the mood, but nobody couldn't even crack a smile. "… don't feel like a burning torch anymore, though." Despite his reassurances everyone could plainly see the pain etched on Naruto's face.

"Not for long. This is but an improvised measure," Shizune said, checking her handiwork for any errors. Satisfied with her patchwork, she turned back to her teammates, "Sai, we can take Naruto to Tsunade-sama now."

The two of them plus Naruto took off on Sai's bird. Everyone watched as the rapidly shrinking figure in the sky disappeared behind the clouds. Hinata felt like her hope was being carried away. She continued beating herself up until a hand landed on her shoulder.

"Don't worry," Kakashi said, a similar expression of guilt etched on his face despite his words. "They'll make it."

"They'll make it," affirmed Ino, walking up to the Hyuga. She raised her hand, stopping Hinata from apologizing. "I know what you want to say, and I don't want to hear it. I messed up too, remember?"

"We all messed up," joined Tenten. "In fact, I'd say the only one who didn't is Sukea-san."

"I am this team's leader. You fail – I fail."

He tried to sound reassuring, but in his head, he was ready to kill himself. Underestimating Root, compromising Naruto's safety, not being prepared enough – it was all his fault. All of these mistakes were on him. Strangely, nobody blamed him. It was ironic considering that Kakashi was usually blamed even for things that weren't his fault.

"See?" Ino said, hugging Hinata. "It's not your fault. As my dad used to say, 'If it's everyone's fault, then it's no one's fault'."

"Yeah," drawled Tenten, disbelief evident in her tone. "You just made that up on the spot."

"Did not!"

"Did too."

Hinata nodded, before turning around and slamming into her commander's chest. Kakashi reciprocated her hug, trying to ignore the befuddled stares of their teammates.

Ino and Tenten's faces immediately contorted in confused expressions.

"I thought you were madly in love with your Copy Nin?" the blonde teased, making Hinata blush.

Kakashi knew that it was stupid, but he somehow felt jealous of his alter-ego at that moment. Hinata, however, would have none of it.

"For your information, he is Kakashi!" she said, blowing her husband's cover in one fell swoop.

A pregnant pause hung over the group, before Ino burst with laughter.

"Yeah, that's my girl!" the blonde beamed. "Honestly, you should've seen the look on your husband's face!"

"Please no," Tenten groaned. "I'm not in the mood for this shit."

And thus, the bickering between two girls had begun anew. They continued fighting even during their trek back to Konoha. All talk stopped, however, when they saw their village.

"What the fuck?" they heard Tenten's mutter.

Even from that far they could clearly see smoke rising from multiple parts of Konoha. They heard sounds of explosions and saw people pour from the gates, fleeing their beloved village. Those few seconds were enough for them to start running.

When they were close enough, Kakashi stopped one of the fleeing civilians.

"What happened here?" he asked urgently, hoping against hope that it wasn't what he thought it was.

"Hokage's forces are battling the rebellion! Everything on their way is getting destroyed. I'm getting my kids out and maybe staying out myself," the man informed inbetween heavy pants. "I'd advise you to do the same."

With those words he urged the two children holding his hands to continue running.

The group then climbed up the wall to get a better look at what was going on. A devastating sight greeted them from their position on the wall. The center of Konoha looked more like a battlefield than a place to live in. Entire blocks were lying in shambles, destroyed by ongoing fight between their military and rebellion. Root, police and ninja soldiers were fighting rebel ninjas with varying success. Screams echoed from all around. It was utter chaos.

Kakashi watched citizens of Konoha flee from the devastated village, leaving whoever remained to fight for themselves. This was exactly what he feared when Danzou usurped the power a year ago. Except that last time, they were even weaker due to the War. He heard his teammates' gasps and mumbles of denial behind.

"Friends," he said, slowly turning around, "we are in a Civil War."