Here we go. The final main story chapter before shippuden, only 2 more posts away. I will explain what the next 2 will be like in the AN at the bottom.

Thank you all for the fave, follows and reviews!

LeWeeaboo: That was actually the point of the side story. Usually if I have a serious chapter, I don't include them… but remember I felt like being evil. Nothing screams evil like a cliffhanger with an omake shoehorned at the end in my book! XD

himekuroyuki853: Everyone is pissed at Orochimaru, let's be real here. The only person not pissed at him is Kabuto lol. I'm happy I am able to make you smile!

Notsae: Have you ever had your parent appear out of nowhere and proceed to say really embarrassing things in front of people? That is what Deidara felt at that moment. XD Also considering I have some more people in the Akatsuki I want to save, not a good idea to let Madara loose on them JUST yet.

crazby: I have no idea what I will do with the Kage Summit yet, but I can promise that Deidara will stick his nose in everyone's business. Also I don't get why people make OC/SI in the Naruto world, and not only do nothing… but also whine when things stay the same. Are they afraid of people calling them a Mary-sue? I just do what I want within reason. I am excited to see what story you will make! I'm sure you will do fantastic, just keep practicing! :D

707cloud: Mama bear is hungry for some snake kabobs tonight! They never truly go into detail about the curse mark, but it does corrupt the user… but only on the strength of their will. Sasuke was at a delicate point in his life, so he was easily corruptible. Dei having the mark… he is more stubborn than a barn of mules, snakey won't try anything.

setokayba2n: I… am very confused as to what you are asking. Tayuya is a member of the Sound Ninja Four, I already explained this to you. Because of this, with how rage induced Deidara is, she will die like in the anime. Sorry if you were hoping she would live, but I cannot see any justification as to why Temari would let an enemy shinobi live.

VenaHope: Orochimaru is VERY prepared for Dei this time around. Oro is indeed, way stronger than Deidara, he just has the element of knowledge-no-jutsu. He won't die (at least not yet), but in this chapter, he is definitely set to kill Deidara. I won't go into details though, you'll see for yourself hun. :3

cassianaswindell123: Naaaaahhh they just think Hidan is an idiot. We don't even know if Sasori kept those parts lol. (Well, the fanfiction community is half and half on the subject based on the lemons I find)

Yurei Hanatsuki: Madara will most definitely be doing stuff like that in the future. Especially when he learns about what happens in this chapter.

PheonixMaster: Not gonna say anything about Fuu, but Yagura is as good as dead. He created the civil war and the Bloody Mist WAY before Obito took control of him, so he is going to be facing Mei's wrath.

The Confused Reader: I'd put C2 at being more dangerous, but that is a good summary of the powers of Original Deidara… SI!Dei though… well, he's too caring to even test it. His Chocobo is rather deadly though! Kills bandits with a single stomp. XD

triazatriborinane: Personally I don't really see it as Hidan bashing, and more like two immature individuals having a verbal quarrel. Let's be honest, the guy is easily provoked even in the canon story. I will most likely have Deidara ask Itachi to make his Tsukuyomi's to be more on the wacko side, it sounds like fun. However, I can't do anything with the jutsu formatting, I kept them as simple as possible so my readers can do a quick google search on them and the Japanese names are too long. In reality, all of these characters are speaking Japanese, we're just seeing the subtitles. Also I just like making sure that things have a reason or linked in some way. :)

Saurito: I'm glad you are liking it! Deidara is used a lot from what I can tell, but it's mostly one shots or AUs. Either way, I'm happy that I was able to write this fic.

silverwolf310: The twins actually do not play a major role in this at all. But that is mostly because so much happened in this chapter and I REALLY did not want to type out every fight. X_x nope. You think similar to my beta, Tsunade would so do something as mean as make Daiki be the sensei to Dei's kids.

MelonLordOfMelons: Deidei cannot meme to save her life. XD

Drakosis7734: I hate waiting myself, but I'm just gonna keep trucking on one chapter at a time. I think you may have missed a word there, but I am guessing you meant Dei hasn't been in any real dangerous situations. You are right, it's not my aim, but this chapter may have some nice bit of danger sprinkled into it. Thank you for the feedback, I really appreciate it! :D

Pr1nc3ss K3nny: Let's be honest here, if someone with an uber happy sunshine face suddenly make two sun like objects, I'd be scared too. XD

Guest: Glad you like my take on Madara! I can imagine him acting like this if he actually had children instead of becoming a peace crazed psycho.

Bcp2005: Sometime in shippuden. Not specifically sure when, but I can promise you that things won't be pretty.

Warning: Usual language, way more violence this time, character deaths (both on screen and offscreen), some OCs, underage drinking (What? Think I was gonna do a Sasuke rescue arc without the you-know-what?), friendly reminder that this is a yaoi!

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, why do we have to post this dumb thing every chapter? Are people that bored to copyright claim everything? -.-


It didn't take Tsunade much time to have Shikamaru collect a team and assemble them at the gates. It was the original five: Him, Naruto, Choji, Neji and Kiba. However, at my request, Kimimaro and Sakura were added into the mix. I chose to not get anyone else involved as it would become too chaotic. For some unexplained reason, Itachi and I are conveniently the only jounin in Konoha at this moment.

Gee, who would have thought having all of your strongest shinobi out on missions would result in the youngest of a dying clan getting KIDNAPPED! I should have had Sasuke spent the night at my place. I get the village needs the money, but send some chunin out at least.

As we all leapt through the trees, Shikamaru looks towards me, "Alright, you are the one that seems to know most about those that kidnapped Sasuke. Tell us what to do."

"I know of three of them. The first one is a boy with multiple arms… he can summon…" I gag, "spiders and shoot out webs, both silk and hard mineral like substance. Then there's a fat boy I don't remember his abilities, and a girl, she uses genjutsu with her flute. I'm clueless about the rest, if there are any, un."

Shikamaru nods, "Troublesome… a sound based genjutsu user… and a girl to boot." He blinks with confusion when I toss him a set of earplugs.

"Neji and Kimimaro will take on the multi-armed one, Choji takes on the fat one, and you, Shikamaru, will handle the girl, un." I smirk at Shikamaru's obvious displeasure at the prospect of fighting a woman, "Sakura will leave the village in 2 hours and keep her distance to heal injuries. Naruto and Kiba will keep rushing head on unless more show up. Itachi and I will fly ahead to try and cross paths with these bastards, un."

"Get Sasuke back Deidara-nii, dattebayo!" Naruto flashes me a thumbs up before high-fiving Kiba. The two are going to make a fun duo it appears.

"Don't worry, I'll get the duck back. I have a few cards up my sleeves, un." I smirk at Itachi. Orochimaru has no idea that he left the Akatsuki, otherwise the snake wouldn't have had the guts to even go near Sasuke. And if push comes to shove, Madara is just a few hand signs away.

I make a hawk for Itachi and me to ride. With the twins being removed from the formula, the Sound Ninja Four is missing its star players… that being said, I have no idea what their final member is like.

What scares me most is who took Kimimaro's role.

"Dei… you need to take back control of your emotions. I can feel your chakra going haywire." Itachi gently squeeze my shoulder, I didn't realize I was tensing my muscles until I relaxed them.

I run a hand through my hair, "Sorry… I just… Sasuke is… you know I use to hate his guts? Absolutely hated him in my past life, un."

Itachi nods, "Yes, a lot of your memories that have him was either you cursing his existence, or laughing with uncontrollable glee everytime he was in a near-death experience." I didn't even try to deny that.

"Yeah but… this Sasuke… he's the child I took under my care, the boy I hold when he cries and that I protect even at the cost of my own life… I love that kid, ya know? I've done… all I could to protect him from Orochimaru… yet this happened, un…" My entire body begins to shake, "I'm angry…"

I punch the surface of the clay bird, "Every ounce of my body wants to kill them all! And this mark!" I open my coat to show the curse mark to Itachi, his eyes widen seeing that it keeps turning red, "The damn thing is feeding off my anger and is trying to activate! And the thought that Orochimaru can probably feel my rage is making me even more pissed! My body is a never ending loop of hatred that is demanding blood, un!"

Itachi quickly cups my face so I stare into his black eyes, "Breath… you won't think straight at this rate. Just look at me…" My heart rate begins to settle, barely, "We won't land until I am satisfied with your emotional state. We will stay above Orochimaru's hideout until we sense Sasuke's chakra." All I could do was nod and rest my head on his shoulder, breathing.

I lost track of time. I would occasionally hear explosions from everyone fighting in the distance, but I had no sense of their status due to being in the air. Sakura should be helping everyone out by now, so those like Choji are going to be in better shape than last time.

"Dei… someone is approaching Orochimaru's hideout." That was all I needed to hear to roll off the bird and land in a clearing by the entrance.

"I was told by Orochimaru-sama that you would show up… though, not the guy with the dark hair. Pleasure to meet you!"

I look at the tall man standing a few feet away from me. Muscular body with dark skin and a cocky face… must be from Kumo. He was carrying a large barrel covered in scrolls, a weak pounding sound inside it caught my attention. My body tenses up as I got in a fighting stance, I don't know this person.

I'm fighting someone blind.

The man slams down the barrel which didn't take a genius to realize Sasuke was in it, "The name's Taro, remember that." Hearing the familiar crinkle of lighting erupt from his body, "Cause it's the last name you're gonna know before you die!"

I'm fighting someone blind who sounds like a typical shounen villain… I'm going to die fighting him, huh?

Meanwhile with Naruto

3rd person POV

Kiba had to stay behind to fight someone with a poison touch type jutsu. (AN: Think Soi Fon from Bleach. Same concept.) Forcing Naruto to go on ahead to get Sasuke.

Naruto just spent the last 5 minutes chasing a guy around his age into a clearing in the forest. The fellow teen slams down a barrel out of breath.

"Man… what do you Konoha genin eat? I thought Sasuke was a skinny kid." Without much of a care, the teen ripped open the lid of the barrel and looked inside, "Are you kidding me?! The thing is full of rocks!"

"Eh?" Naruto tilts his head in confusion as the other teen starts pulling out rocks, "Wait… we've been following a decoy?"

The other teen slams a hand over an eye and his forehead, "Great… Orochimaru-sama just wanted to use us to buy time. Hope you guys had extra members to help." He pulls out a massive sword, leaning against it with a cocky smirk, "Well, might as well fight. You got a name?"

Naruto's eye twitched, "Uzumaki Naruto. And yeah, we have my brother and Sasuke's brother probably kicking Orochimaru's butt, dattebayo!"

The teen smirks, "Oh? Interesting. The name's Suigetsu. Let's keep this fun." He winks, "Kay, shrimp?" (AN: Orochimaru has no intention of using Suigetsu as a vessel, but it was either him or Jugo. I personally found Suigetsu to be more fun considering who he has to fight.)

"SHRIMP?!" Without thinking, Naruto charged towards Suigetsu, only to be stopped by a blur of green landing a hit on the other teen.

"LEAF HURRICANE!"

"Gah!" Suigetsu's head splashes into water as Lee's leg connected with it, "What the…? The hell is with you Konoha genin…"

"Eh? Bushy-brow?" Naruto looks at Lee in confusion, "What are you doing here?"

Lee gives the blond a thumbs up before producing a clay bird, "Little youthful birdie told me that you guys would need help! So I came as quickly as I could!" He gets into his iconic stance, "Go catch up with Deidara-san. I got this!"

Naruto stood there for a moment, before nodding, "Right, dattebayo! Thanks Bushy-brow!" Running past Suigetsu… who in all honesty couldn't give a shit, Naruto leaps into the trees to catch up with his brother.

Deidara's POV

"Mother fuck- GAH!" I collapsed on the ground the moment my body collided with the barrier this Taro guy made for the third time in the last five minutes. He had thrown Sasuke's barrel to the side, and when Itachi retrieved it, the guy had activated an electrical barrier to keep the Uchiha out… and me in.

"Come on! Orochimaru-sama practically sang with how strong you are! But all I see is a weak kid!" Not my fault you make Minato look like a snail! From what I can get, Taro is a full on lightning user, experimentations basically made him a human electric eel. I can't use bombs, and taijutsu is a no no, any contact with this barrier feels as though lightning strikes.

I'm a sitting duck.

"Dei, I'm going to break the barrier." My ear twitches hearing the familiar shing of Itachi's sharingan, followed by the lower pitch shing of his mangekyo.

Quickly moving away from the barrier, black flames slowly began to eat it away. It's taking too long though and if I come in contact with the flames, I'm dead. I need Madara in this fight, "Summoning jutsu: Edo ten-"

Taro's fist connecting with my gut, followed by the electrical shock which left me on the ground. My eyes flickering in and out of consciousness, "Ah ah ah. Can't have you summoning reinforcements! By the time the Uchiha gets in here, you'll be dead!"

I could barely hear anything with my nerves ringing out like a fire alarm, I think Itachi is yelling something. I just need to perform the hand signs and I can win...

"My my, you really are struggling, huh Deidara? Guess lightning truly is your weakness." Weakly twisting my head, Kabuto and Orochimaru in his new body appear from the clearing. It didn't take a genius to figure out that these were clones, "Though I didn't expect Uchiha Itachi to be with you. Convenient that he prioritizes his brother over everything else, Taro here would be in trouble fighting an Uchiha." Even as a clone, Kabuto was still punchable.

Orochimaru takes one look at me and his single visible eye lit up with glee, "Seeing you in such a state brings me so much joy. I have been working on him since you took Ukon and Sakon, using various spies within Konoha to gather your fighting habits and jutsu. How interesting that you fell so easily, perhaps I cultivated Taro to be too strong." His tone was that mocking pity tone that he would give when he knew he was winning.

With a twitchy body, I force myself up, "Him…? Nah… I've had… peppers with a stronger kick, un." I barely had a chance to dodge Taro's kick, trying to prove me wrong.

Itachi looks at Orochimaru, "You have not changed since the last time I spoke with you. Using tricks and others to do your battles."

The snake laughs, "Itachi, it's been 7 years. Changing sides again? You really do have a soft heart to be out here." Even though he was a clone, I can see him tense up as Itachi's sharingan spin.

Without blinking, "My loyalties have always been with Konoha and my brother." Itachi wisely avoided mentioning me, as the last thing either of us wanted was for them to know of our relationship. As far as Orochimaru is concerned, we are here on the mutual desire to save Sasuke.

Kabuto pushes up his glasses, "The moment Taro goes anywhere near Deidara's vitals, it's over. While you may get away, we will retrieve Sasuke-kun again. And don't bother trying to find the real us, we moved bases the moment Orochimaru-sama changed bodies and your chakras were sensed."

'Are you kidding me?' I throw a C1 to create some distance between Taro and me, "Then why the fuck did you kidnap Sasuke?!" Based on the first connecting with my cheek and the electrical shock from the barrier, there wasn't much distance made.

"Orochimaru-sama wishes to give Sasuke-kun the curse mark, and then use him as his next vessel. Killing you is just an added bonus." Ohhh when I get my hands on you Kabuto…

"Hey blondie! Focus on me!" I barely avoid Taro's attack, only to get hit by another punch to the side because of my delayed nerves. I can't feel my left leg anymore, yet I'm still standing. I think blood is coming out of my mouth, but I can't taste anything, I can only guess by the fact my shirt is turning red, but looking down makes me think the ground is getting closer.

My mind goes into overdrive, my vision keeps fading then clearing like a child playing with binoculars, 'How the hell can I beat this guy?! I can't get any distance, he's faster than me, and all of my jutsu become duds. Damn Kishimoto and adding in that teeny tiny detail during the Deidara vs Sasuke fight! Unless Madara shows up on his own I can't summon him, this guy will send me face first into the barrier before the coffin even appears!' This seems impossible. I can't win at this rate, I need speed, a chance opening… I need...

I need power.

Like a thousand needles coursed through my body, I allow my pent up rage feed into the curse mark on my neck, 'Well Orochimaru, you gave me this stupid hickey… let's see it in action.' I can feel the power spreading, and let me say this…

It. Feels. Amazing.

This power felt like liquid honey all wrapped up in a punch of energy. Suddenly it was like I had tunnel vision, and my sights were on Taro. Examining my right hand, thick vein like lines coursed through my body, like Deidara's C0. However, the main difference is that these looked more like brush strokes. The only thing I did not enjoy was Orochimaru's whispers ringing in my head, I can't stay in this form for long… not if I want to keep my sanity.

"You must be desperate to use my power…" Orochimaru's body oozed amusement. No shit I'm desperate! I'm fighting someone you made specifically to kill me!

"Shut the fuck up and let me rip him apart!" I allowed my chakra to pour out in violent bursts as I head towards Taro. I am sick and tired of his taunting, his stupid face and his stupid jutsu! I don't even want to kill him by using my art, I want his death to be swift so he shuts his fat trap.

"Did you all know, it takes two to tango…" Using Orochimaru's chakra, I use the body flicker technique to stand behind Taro and wrap my arm around his neck. The newly awakened curse mark numbing the excruciating pain from the electricity, "But it takes only one to snap a neck."

CRACK

An anticlimactic ending for an annoying enemy. Taro falls to the ground lifeless, the moment his body met the ground the barrier vanishes. Itachi's Amaterasu falls to the ground and the Uchiha had to remove it using his eyes.

Honestly if it wasn't for the curse mark and the sudden spike of energy I would have been dead. If this asshole could beat me down that easily, then facing A would be the same as nose diving off a canyon and expecting to live.

Now, I have some issues… I don't know how to deactivate the curse mark. I can feel my mind delving into more dangerous thoughts as I stalked towards the Kabuto and Orochimaru clones. I just wanted to rip those two apart… make them beg for forgiveness… I wanted to kill-

"Dei…. Deidara, the battle is over. Calm down." A hand places itself over my eyes… I didn't even realize I had opened the other one until I felt its lid close, "You brother saw everything."

The energy saps out of me as I hear a quiet gasp from nearby trees, followed by two poofs, indicating that the clones vanished. I lean against Itachi, my nerves suddenly remembering that I've had enough volts to kill someone 10 times over. The only reason I'm alive is because shinobi bodies for some reason take something with the force of an atomic bomb to the face, and still walk away like it was a flick on the cheek.

"We will reseal that mark when we get back to Konoha… here." Itachi hooks his arm under my legs and scoops me up, I was too much of a twitchy mess to protest. If I had the energy, I would be laughing at how the static on my clothes and hair was clinging to Itachi's shirt. There really was a lot of blood on me too...

Naruto pulls the also weakened Sasuke from the barrel, putting the boy's arm over his shoulder, "Deidara-nii… you killed that guy… was it worth it, dattebayo?" He didn't sound angry… just confused.

I sigh, "Naruto… protecting you guys… is worth my hands being stained red with blood…"

He pauses, then nods, "I'm glad you're alive… you should sleep. Don't worry. Itachi and I will keep you two safe, dattebayo!"

Darkness took over both Sasuke and me as our bodies gave out from the lack of energy and pain.

One week later

Beep... beep… beep...

If I hear another Kami forsaken beep while I'm asleep…

BEEPBEEPBEEPBEEPBEEP!

"His heart is speeding up! Get Hokage-sama!" The sound of feet clamoring into the room was agonizing to my head.

'What the fuck?' I snap my eye open and shoot my right arm out, causing several nurses to scream at my sudden movements. Turning my wrist, I cringe seeing an IV needles sticking out. Okay, ew ew ew, arm goes down now. The oxygen tube down my throat and all the machinery indicated that I was in the hospital, if not the screaming nurses. How long was I out…? I don't even remember sleeping.

"Deidara! Do not move so much!" My head felt like a jackhammer decided to dance on top of my skull as Tsunade barged into the room. Every sound brought a wave of pain to my head, "You have been unconscious for a week, it took forever to heal the damage all those electrical attacks did to your nerves and brain… thankfully there was nothing permanent. But I'll need to keep you here longer to treat damages on your vitals."

I blink a few times before trying to speak, sady this only made me sound like I was choking because of the tube being shoved down my esophagus. Tsunade gently removes the tubes once she was satisfied that my lungs wouldn't collapse, "Wha…" My voice was scratchy and thick from disuse. I must have really been out of it.

"Wha... Ha…" Talking hurts.

Tsunade gives a calm smile and places a hand on my forehead, "The mission was a success… no casualties from our side, the Sound Ninja Four are all dead… I had Gaara and his siblings come to assist. Sasuke was discharged from the hospital only a couple days after you all returned. Everyone has been waiting for you to wake up."

She places a hand on the spot where the curse mark is, "I fixed the seal on your neck, now the chakra you channel when angry will instead feed into your hair…" She laughs when I give her my "are you stupid?" face, "It was Naruto's idea. He said to have it go there because whenever you are mad, the wind conveniently blows in a way that makes it look as though your hair floats."

I relax back into the pillow, lovely I'm now part ghibli, "Al...right..." Tsunade took another check on my vitals while I drank water and tested my nerve system before leaving so people could visit. I didn't expect who would show up first though.

"I had my siblings and I stay here until you woke up. I only thought it was appropriate that I spoke with you in person." Gaara sat in a chair while I stared at him completely baffled, "This… must be a shock to you. But I came to apologize for how I was during the exams… I never had the chance to express my guilt."

I wave my hand somewhat dismissively, only to hide it again seeing the needles, "It's…" I clear my throat, "It's fine Gaara-kun. I hold no ill feelings… how did… I mean, who did you…"

Gaara gives me a knowing look, "I fought this boy named Suigetsu…"

Flashback-no-jutsu

3rd person POV

Lee and Suigetsu fought for a few moments, before the taijutsu user paused the fight, "Please wait a moment, I must take my medicine!"

Suigetsu stares at Lee in bewilderment before leaning against his sword with a smirk, "Wow… Konoha must be weak, they sent a sickly shinobi to fight me?" His eyebrow quirks after noticing the kanji on Lee's bottle, 'Wait… isn't that...'

"I've never been fond of medicine…" But without protest, Lee tilts his head back and guzzled down the contents of the bottle.

'No way… is this kid seriously drinking?!' Suigetsu waves his hand to get Lee's attention, "Hey! Caterpillar eyes! That ain't medi-"

Lee gags, "Whatever this medicine is, it has the worst flavor I have ever tasted… I…" He pauses for a moment before his cheeks flushed pink and he got into his drunken fist stance, "WHADDYA LOOKIN' AT YA JERK?!"

Now Suigetsu was sweating bullets, 'Is he serious? He got drunk that fast?!' He had to dodge lightning fast attacks from the now drunk boy, "Gah! What the hell? Why are you so fast now that you're drunk- OOF!" His torso turned to water after a nasty hit.

This only seemed to anger drunk Lee, "I'm not drunk! I'm not even of age! A person under 18 should not drink, they should be spending their SPRINGTIME OF YOUTH BEING FULL OF ENERGY!"

Screw killing him, Suigetsu just wanted to not get hit. Instantly getting on the defence, he used his sword to block most of the attacks… most of them. Lee was still getting some good hits and was only getting faster.

This went on for some time, until the water boy saw an opening. Taking out a kunai he slashes at Lee, only to cut his cheek. However, this seemed to break his drunken stupor.

"Ugh… my head… was… I drunk?" Lee looks around the field confused, "And why is the grass wet…?"

Suigetsu leans against his sword heaving heavily with each pause, "Because, you kept, hitting me! I cannot, believe, you mixed up, your medicine with, SAKE!" Gritting his sharp teeth, he lifts his sword and aims at Lee, "Just die already, okay?" As he brought down his sword, sand blocked his attack, "Awww, come on! Who the hell are you?" (AN:I got light headed reading Suigetsu's dialogue up there. x-x)

The sand gently scoops up Lee and sets him down next to Gaara, who stares at Suigetsu blankly, "Allies of Konoha, I am a shinobi of Sunagakure… Sabaku no Gaara."

Suigetsu stares at Gaara, before smirking, " 'Of the Desert'? Oh! Orochimaru-sama told us all about you. You use sand!" This should be a piece of cake for him, after all, if Gaara's sand gets wet, then he cannot fight back.

Lee tries to stand, only for Gaara's sand to grab his ankle and send him face first into more sand, "Would you please let me fight?! This guy uses water jutsu!"

Gaara looks down at Lee, "You are injured… let me do the fighting. Please, rest." The two had a staring contest for a while, before Lee complies.

The white haired boy grinned wildly, "This should be fun chopping you up!"

Flashback ends

Deidara's POV

"Did you… kill him?" I was hoping not, I already feel horrible not being able to get Suigetsu when he was a child.

Gaara shakes his head, "No… he fled when he realized how much sand I use. Orochimaru sent a coward." No honey, you're just really scary when there is a lot of sand.

I sigh, "Suigetsu… he… is special to say the least." At least I know that I can have Sasuke find him later on, now to locate Jugo, "Thank you for… coming here, un."

Gaara bows his head slightly and gets up to leave, only to pause at the doorway, "Oh… right." He shuffles back over to my bed and stares at me, a thousand emotions ran through his eyes before speaking again, "Naruto… told me that you complained about missing the chance for this. I don't understand it but…" He proceeds to wrap his arms gently around my shoulders.

Oh my Kami…

The panda is hugging me! I'm hugging Gaara!

Using the arm not covered in needles, I return the hug, "I'm… sorry Gaara-kun…" If Gaara had eyebrows, he would be raising them, "I knew… about you for a long time… If I had went to Suna… I would have…"

The redhead stares at me in shock, understanding what I was trying to say, "Do not blame yourself… thanks to your brother I… I see the things I have been doing were wrong… I have purpose now. You did a good job raising him." He slowly lets me go, before leaving the room.

Not long after Gaara left, the room began to flood with the kids. Kimimaro and Naruto sat closes to me, both hugging me protectively. Karin, Sakura and Hinata sat together on the floor while the twins, Neji and Haku stood in the outer part of the room. The only one actually standing and looking at me in the eye was Sasuke. I wonder how long it will take before the nurses have a cow with how many people are in this room.

"You're an idiot." Was the first thing Sasuke said the entire visit.

"You're welcome, un." My head reels back when Sasuke suddenly began yelling.

"That wasn't a 'Thank you'! You could have died trying to get me back! Why would you do something so stupid for someone that isn't even your brother?!" He slams his hands on the rails of the bed, leaning over Kimimaro so he can get in my face.

"Well I'm alive, so I'd say the mission was a success. All I care about right now is that you are safe, un." I gave Sasuke a patient smile, but on the inside I was close to slapping him.

"You should have let Orochimaru take me instead of risking your own life. I can take care of myself!"

I roll my eye, straightening my back, "Yes, says the one that got kidnapped. You're still a kid, you need to understand that we adults exist to protect and watch over you, un."

His face twists in frustration, "You're not even an adult yet… you will someday be weaker than me. I DON'T NEED SOMEONE LIKE YOU TO PROTECT ME!"

SMACK

In that split second of Sasuke losing his cool, I had thrown myself onto my feet, ripping out all the needles in the process. Sasuke now lays on the ground with a bloody handprint painted on his cheek. Nobody moved, except for my brothers because I nearly collapsed the moment I registered that I moved.

"Do you understand what would have happened had Orochimaru gotten you?! You would have been experimented on, your body modified to his liking! He would have used you as his new vessel, willingly or not. Yes, I am a teenager, but I have been a parent since I was 11 to both you and my brothers, un!" The air was thick with tension as I struggled to catch my breath.

Sasuke touches his cheek and stares at the blood now rolling down his fingers, looking at the blood pooling from under my right arm, "That doesn't excuse the fact that I am not your family…"

"Not my family?! Sasuke, the moment you started coming to my house, you became my family! Everyone in this room, like it or not, is my family! It doesn't matter if it was you or Naruto, or Kimimaro! I would have risked my life for any one of you in this room! I've done it before, and I'll do it again if I have to!" I grab Sasuke by the collar with my left hand, "So yes, one day you will surpass me. But until then, you are someone I will protect at the cost of my own life. Don't like it? Tough. Become stronger than me then."

Sasuke stares at me in shock, silence rolled in the room once again, until I started to become dizzy and had to lay back down.

A nurse saw how many people were in my room and proceed to kick everyone out, Sasuke was the last to leave as he gave me the scariest look I have ever seen a child make, "I will become stronger, so that when the time comes… I will be the one doing the protecting, and not you."

I laid there baffled for a moment, before allowing my brotherly smile to cross my face, "I love you too Duck-kun. Train hard with Naruto, un."

3 days later

Tsunade still wanted me to be at the hospital, honestly if it wasn't for the girls always visiting I would be dying of boredom. It was cute listening to them talk about boys and other silly things, Ino would also show up with flowers. I noticed her and Karin would have a lot of one-on-one conversations, their personalities do match up, so the friendship was cute.

The one thing that bothered me was that Itachi never visited. I tried asking Sakura about it but she said that Itachi hasn't been talking to anyone but Sasuke, and Sasuke was tight-lipped about the subject.

I was only allowed out of the hospital long enough to see Naruto and Sasuke leave with Jiraiya. With help from Sakura, Hinata,and some crutches due to my legs being weak, I made it to the gate. Itachi was talking with Sasuke.

"Did you pack everything? Scrolls, clothes, money, kunai and personal items?" Itachi sounded like a mom sending their child to summer camp… for killing people.

Sasuke rolls his eyes, "Yes Nii-san. I made sure I packed everything."

"Ah! DEIDARA-NII!" Sakura had to hit Naruto so I wouldn't get tackled by my brother.

"Naruto! Deidara-sensei can barely stand on his own, don't tackle him!" Sakura chided Naruto, though I didn't appreciate her talking about my jelly legs.

"Sakura-san! Deidara-san is sensitive about his legs." Hinata jumped into the conversation as I resisted the urge to beat myself upside the head with my crutches. I love you Hinata, but stop talking about my legs!

I look over to the Uchiha brothers, Sasuke was giving me his usual smirk. Guess he was prepared for anything thrown at him. But… Itachi won't even look at me in the eyes, he kept his attention focused on the chatting trio. In fact, when I moved to wave at him, he looked away to Sasuke.

'Fine… if he wants to keep his distance I'll give him that.' I turn to Naruto, "All set baby?"

Naruto gives me a thumbs up, Kimimaro shows up out of nowhere to hug Naruto from behind, "Heehee, Kimi-nii helped me pack! I'm so excited to get stronger and kick ass, dattebayo!"

I laugh, "Well expect some scrolls from me in the future. I want you to work on fuuinjutsu, it is in your blood after all, un." Naruto looked confused for a moment, but then his eyes lit up remembering that I told him about the Uzumaki clan specialized in fuuinjutsu.

"Oi! Come on you brats!" Jiraiya waved the boys over. Giving Naruto a kiss on the cheek and Sasuke a kiss on the head, the two caught up with Jiraiya and vanished with distance.

"Nii-sama, I will visit you at the hospital when I return from my mission." I nod towards Kimimaro as he leaves. Now it was just me, Sakura and Itachi.

"Itachi… Did I do something to make you mad at m-" Before I could finish my sentence, Itachi leaped to a rooftop and jumped away.

Sakura looks at me confused, "What's the matter with Itachi-san?"

I sigh, "I don't know Sakura… this is the first time I've seen him in 10 days…"

That night

3rd person POV

While Deidara slept in the hospital, he got a visitor in the middle of the night.

Itachi snuck in from the open window, years of training and being in the ANBU made him a master of sneaking around in darkness. He walked over to the sleeping blond and stared at him for the longest time.

' "Did I do something to make you mad" huh? No… not in the slightest…' Itachi moves the bangs from Deidara's face, "You worried me sick for a week… but you pulled through… you protected Sasuke, even when he wasn't your brother."

Itachi kneels by the bed so he was at eye level with the blond, "When you were fighting Taro… all I could think of was making sure you stayed alive… even with Sasuke returned… all I wanted was for you to get healed as your body kept twitching. I was afraid to lose you…"

He quickly hides in the shadow when a night nurse enters the room to change Deidara's IV. He would twitch a little in his sleep, but otherwise didn't stir.

When the nurse left, Itachi returned to his original position, "I didn't know what I was feeling… so I kept my distance. It was only when I saw you again… alive and standing, that I came to my conclusion…"

Praying to ever Kami out there that Deidara stayed asleep, Itachi leans down and gently places his lips over the other's. He remained like this for a moment, enjoying the peaceful look on Deidara's face before pulling away.

"I love you. And I will make sure you know this when you return home… so heal quickly."

The Uchiha left, unaware that the artist's eyes were wide open the moment his back was turned.


Well, the boys are gone for 2 ½ years. (I know they keep saying 3 but later in the show they kept saying 2 ½) Deidara will make a full recovery thanks to Tsunade, and Itachi finally understands himself! Yay!

I made up Taro with the idea that Orochimaru would do anything to get rid of someone like Deidara, who has been a thorn in his side since the guy was 11. The only way to ensure Dei lived was either to use the curse mark or deus ex Madara, and Madara felt like a cheap shot because so far Deidara has never killed anyone with his own hands. He's used his explosives, but never by brute force. So I thought it would be interesting to add in a bit where Dei HAD to use the one thing he never wanted to use in order to live.

I didn't feel like putting more details into the OC Kiba fought… Might do a side story on it, I might not. I needed a 4th member and it was a pain trying to make someone that Kankuro could kill. But holy shit Suigetsu is fun to write!

Okay! Now for the information bit! The next 2 chapters will follow formats similarly to my 5 year timeskip. Except with 1 catch: The first chapter will focus on Deidara's time in Konoha, and the second will be Naruto and Sasuke's time traveling; both ending with the boys about to take their first steps back into Konoha.

The boys left earlier than in the anime, as a result most of the fillers will be offscreen and done with different characters. (Don't worry, the chibi Ranmaru will be fine, it's called having Kimimaro involved and I do not want to type that filler out.) However, Deidara will be involved in a few of my favorite fillers because of how often I watched them. BUT, not everything that happens will be related to stuff from the anime, 90% of it will be Deidara interacting with various characters and setting up key plot points in shippuden. There will be no Akatsuki whatsoever.

Naruto and Sasuke's chapter will focus on their training, and random antics the boys get themselves stuck in. (Think the shinobi mailman episode) Along with reactions relating to events Deidara does in the next chapter. There was one filler that happened in shippuden that I sadly did not type out in the main story, and instead will be a side story somewhere near the beginning of shippuden.

Both chapters will be longer than usual, so please be aware that I may not update Wednesday as I am starting winter classes in college. So at the latest, expect an update next weekend. I may post earlier, but you will just have to wait and see.

As always, reviews are loved and I will see you all next time!

Bye!