Standard Disclaimer: I don't own Glee or Naruto. Also, please forgive any spelling or grammar errors, I try to catch them all but I know I'm not always successful.

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xXx-Chapter 32-xXx

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"Damn fool, that castle is wicked cool, ya fool, ya fool." Killer B says in awe as East Castle comes into view.

A however growls, he'd known that Eiji had acted too aggressively and botched this all up but to see their forces surrounding the castle like this drove home the scale of just how difficult this situation was. In addition to his ninja forces, local warriors and samurai had been called to arms. Of course, other than those from the Land of Iron, most Samurai were of no concern to a well-trained ninja.

Still the numbers were impressive and he had to assume that in addition to the Konoha shinobi stationed at the castle, that it had to be manned by various Samurai and fire nation soldiers as well. A lot of lives depended on how these negotiations went. For Eiji's sake, the spy had better have been captured, and the negotiations with the Konoha delegates had better be on track.

"Samui." A barks out, calling her to him.

"Yes, Lord Raikage." She says with a bow as she appears beside him.

"Run ahead and let Eiji and the rest of the jōnin commanders know that I have arrived and I want to be briefed immediately. Then locate Yugito and bring her to me."

"As you command. Karui, Omoi, let's go."

"Oh man, what if we can't find Yugito?" Omoi asks, his voice trailing off as he and Karui follow Samui on her mission.

"Stay close to me." A orders as he walks towards the main Lightning encampment.

"Awe, come on bro, just leave it to B, yo, I'll steal this show, and make the Leaf go, go."

"Enough!" A snaps, "This situation is bad enough already, I need you take this seriously and not act like a fool."

B's shoulder's slump, "Hey, come on bro, I'm taking this serious, alright? I won't mess up and I won't screw around… yo."

A closes his eyes for a moment, regretting his harsh words, "I know. I know I can count on you, now come on, we've got a long day ahead of us."

"Hey just leave it to me and my sick rhyme, and I'll have that time pass in no time." B says with a laugh, accepting his brother's words as the olive branch they were, it was as close to an apology as his bro was capable of.

A face palms at his brother's horrible rhyming of the words 'rhyme' and 'time'. He loved his brother more than anyone, but… damn. This really was going to be a long day.

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"Lord Raikage, the command tent is this way and your jōnin await your arrival." Samui says, reappearing by her Lord's side.

"And where is Yugito?" A asks, glancing around and not seeing her.

"Yeah, where is the Killer Queen to my Killer King? Yugito Nii is the best there be, fo sho." B raps as he looks around. Yugito was the coolest and he greatly enjoyed spending time with her and her little sis.

Samui gets a hard look in her eyes, "Unfortunately Lord Raikage, Lord Eiji sent her out on some kind of secret mission. She hasn't been seen since last night."

The Raikage growls when he hears that. He had allowed Yugito to assist in this mission at Eiji's request because he needed someone here who he trusted implicitly to do what was right and do so competently. She wasn't sent here to be Eiji's personal errand girl. "Lead the way." A orders, it was time he took command.

As Samui leads them to the command tents B leans over and whispers to Omoi, "Damn, big bro is pissed, I'd feel sorry for Eiji but that damn fool ain't gonna be missed. Ya hear?"

Omoi nods his head, he was only a chūnin but because he was on the same team as Samui, who worked with the Raikage a lot, he was used to being around exceptionally powerful ninja like the Raikage and B. "I hear you. Unfortunately, because Yugito is missing I'm worried that this is the end of the Cloud Village as we know it."

"What!? Fool, how could you say something like that ya fool!?"

"Well… think about it, because we couldn't find Yugito, Lord Raikage will be in a foul mood, and because he's in foul mood, when he talks to those Konoha delegates he'll-"

"Shut up! I'm not listening to all of that again!" Karui snaps, "Lord B, don't listen to him, he's an idiot and he overthinks everything… well what qualifies for thinking for him anyway."

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xXx-Scene Break-xXx

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"Lord Nara! Sister!"

"Yuko, what is it?" Takeko asks, as her sister come barging into the planning room.

"This is huge, I've just received word, our watch has spotted the Raikage, he's here." Yuko Nakano says, slightly breathless. She had run all the way from the wall to the war room. "Lord Akimichi can confirm it."

Shikaku and Inoichi share a look, this was either really good news or really bad news. Lord Eiji wasn't going to negotiate with them, whereas the Raikage might. However, the Raikage didn't exactly have a reputation for being the most levelheaded or reasonable of men.

"Thoughts?" Shikaku asks.

"If the Raikage is here then war in inevitable." Takeko says, "He's here to take command personally."

"Yuko, how many came with him?" Inoichi asks.

Yuko shakes her head, "Not too many, a couple of teams but, the other jinchūriki is with him."

"That's certainly not a good sign, bringing both jinchūriki here." Inoichi says.

"I agree, however if he were planning for war wouldn't he have brought more troops?" Shikaku muses out loud. "By all accounts he's restricted the 8 tails to the village so his presence here is troubling but still..."

"Then war is the only explanation." Takeko says.

"You may be right." Shikaku says with a frown, but he can't help but feel that he was missing something.

"They still don't have the spy." Inoichi says. "Without Nami Yamata, they won't get the international support they need. Having both jinchūriki here could be an intimidation tactic, a show of force to manipulate us into acting prematurely."

Shikaku arches a brow as he considers that, "Could be, intimidate us, and force us into a preemptive strike. If we attack first then they don't need the spy, we'll be the aggressors…"

"With all due respect to Lord Yamanaka, I think he's overthinking things. Two jinchūriki is overkill. Why even bring one, let alone two, unless you plan to use them." Takeko disagrees.

"It's your call, but I don't think we should act hastily." Inoichi says.

"And to not act could be just as big a mistake, but Lord Yamanaka is correct in that it is your decision and we will follow your lead." Takeko says.

Shikaku is silent as he considers all of his options, finally with a sigh he speaks, "Send word to all of our forces, I want them in battle positions, but they are not to engage. I only want them ready just in case. We'll see if the Raikage is willing to continue negotiations. If he is, I don't want to do anything to provoke him further, if he's not I want us ready. Inoichi, change in plans, I want you there as well. With the Raikage here I want your insight into the matter, even if your presence is provocative to Lord Eiji. Takeko, you will join me as well."

Both Inoichi and Takeko nod in agreement.

"Yuko, send word to Chouza, let him know that he is to ready our defenses."

"Of course Lord Nara." And with that she turns and leaves.

"Things are coming to a head. These next few hours will decide everything." Shikaku says.

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"We need to find a place to stop!" Hana calls out as Nami Yamata begins to cough violently. "Nami can't keep up this pace."

"I'm fine…" Nami wheezes before breaking into another coughing fit, this time it's accompanied by her spitting up some blood.

"No she isn't, any first aid I've given her was superficial and rushed. I need time to go over her injuries properly or it won't matter if the enemy reaches us or not." Hana says.

"I'm sorry to be such a burden." Nami says weakly as she wipes her mouth.

Hana smiles at her, "You're only a burden if you act recklessly. Let's be smart about this, time is a factor I know, but we'll just have to make time for this."

Hizashi nods his agreement and then concentrates for a moment, using his Byakugan to try and locate a good place for them to hide that was nearby. "Follow me, there's a small cave nearby, I think we can safely hide in there for a moment."

"Hizashi, I'll go lay out some false trails, that should help throw them off and buy us some more time." Yugao says.

"Good idea."

"I'll go with you." Quinn says quickly.

"Sorry kid, it's too dangerous." Yugao says.

Quinn glares at her because the last thing in the world she wanted to hear right now was how dangerous it was. They should have thought of that before sending her on this godforsaken mission. Quinn takes a deep breath, calming herself down from just how pissed off her sensei saying that made her. Emotion wouldn't work here, only reason.

"Sensei, the fact of the matter is we're all in danger here, but more dangerous than me coming with you is anyone going out alone. I'm going with you. Besides, with us hiding, even with your sensor abilities you may have trouble finding the group again, I won't."

"Fair enough." Yugao says, "How about it Hizashi, you're the squad leader?"

Hizashi takes a moment to think, he was hesitant to send Rin out, her mind wasn't in a clear place right now and separating her from the larger group was dangerous. She was doing better today it seemed, but he was still worried about her. Also, Yugao had years of experience under her belt and was an expert at infiltration and hiding from the enemy, Rin was a new genin barely out of the academy and on her very first mission. But she had a point, going out alone was extremely dangerous and in any other circumstance he wouldn't have allowed Yugao to go either.

"Very well, don't stray too far and do not engage them no matter what. Get back here as quickly and as safely as you can." Hizashi orders.

"Will do." Yugao says with a nod before turning to her student. "You ready kid?"

"Yes sensei."

"Alright, we'll catch up to you guys soon." Yugao says and she and Rin take off.

"So what's the plan?" Quinn asks as they move farther from Hizashi and the others and closer to the enemy.

"Laying a false trail is tricky. If you're too obvious with it they'll know it's a trap, but if you make it too hard to find then you're just wasting your time. The key is to make the enemy work for it, that's true of anything by the way. Your enemy is more likely to believe a lie, follow a false trail, accept bad Intel if they have to work to obtain it. As for laying a false trail, the best way to start is to move along like you don't want to be found and then make a mistake. Disturb a branch, leave a single foot print, something like that, something that will catch their attention. Then it's just a lather rinse repeat thing to see how many trails you can leave before the enemy gets too close to you for you to escape."

"Okay, what do you need me to do?" Quinn asks, glad to be out here working rather than resting and hiding. Resting meant she had time to think and that wasn't something she was eager to do right now.

"For now just stick close and follow my lead. Keep an eye on Hizashi and the others and let me know if anyone gets too close to them, and keep watch on the enemy as best you can as well. Also, from here on out communication is silent, so sign language only."

"Yes sensei." Quinn signs.

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xXx-Scene Break-xXx

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"I never expected the Raikage to bring him." Gi says quietly.

"It changes nothing." Eiji says just as quietly, the two of them waiting outside the command tent with the other jōnin commanders, awaiting the arrival of the Raikage.

Gi glares out of the corner of his eye at Eiji, "It changes everything, Yugito is the stronger ninja but B is the more powerful jinchūriki-"

"Exactly," Eiji interrupts, "Destruction is what matters most, it was why I request Yugito in the first place. I wanted a jinchūriki here and I knew that A would never send his brother."

"Yet you sent her off on some errand of yours, if the power of her beast was so vital then why did you send her away?"

"I had my reasons," Eiji says stiffly, taking a moment to imagine the torment he was going to put the Yamanaka girl through once Yugito recovered her. "But it doesn't matter, fate has smiled upon us and sent us a replacement monster. So wipe that scowl off of your face, we proceed as planned. Assuming you prepared everything correctly that is?"

"I've done my job." Gi snarls, "You just make sure that you don't fail, otherwise our lives won't be worth a single ryo."

"Fail?" Eiji asks, sounding amused, "I've been waiting for this moment for over a decade. Now silence, the Raikage approaches." Eiji then steps forward and bows, "Lord Raikage, we are honored to receive you."

The Raikage is striding towards them purposefully, followed closely by the jōnin Samui and her team as well as the jinchūriki, Killer B. Fate had smiled on Eiji indeed, with the other jinchūriki here he didn't have to adjust his plans for Yugito's absence. In just a few more hours his vengeance would be complete.

"You and I will have words later, particularly concerning your future as a shinobi, for now that must wait." A says barely sparing Eiji a glance before addressing the assembled jōnin. "I want an update on the situation immediately."

Eiji along with the other jōnin bow in deference before following A inside the tent. A sinister smile creeps onto Eiji's face, 'Soon you arrogant bastard, soon you will pay dearly.'

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It didn't take them long to fill him in on what the situation was and it seemed that every second he was out here was determined to piss A off even more than the last. When the plan was first presented to him by Eiji on how to wipe out Konoha's entire spy ring in their village, after careful deliberation he found it to be a sound plan. Allow the spy to escape and use her to trace who the enemies within their village were as well as what the weakest points in their security were.

Despite reservations due to the actions of his older brother, he allowed Eiji to run this operation rather than another shinobi. Eiji himself had worked hard to build himself up after the disgraceful actions of his brother and had served loyally and competently for the past decade. He had discovered the spy so A felt that the man had a point when he argued that he should be the one to capture them. And initially it had worked, in escaping the spy had been forced to out three of her agents to escape. He was sure that there were more of course, but given time he was confident his shinobi could find them. And not only did they out the spy and part of her ring but they located some of the routes through their territory that the spy ring used. Everything had worked according to Eiji's plan until the fool had attempted to have the spy captured.

He wasn't sure where they had screwed up he only knew that it had been colossal. He was eager to hear from Yugito, who he had sent on Eiji's request, and what her thoughts on the situation were. Not wanting to be overheard he had decided to allow Eiji to fill her in on the details, instead only telling her that she was to report to Lord Eiji at the border for defense drills. But now she was missing as well, sent to help in the locating and capture of the spy, according to Eiji. Though from some of the grumblings of his jōnin this decision to send her was too little too late.

A knew that Eiji was up to something but he couldn't figure out what. The man had acted so boldly and efficiently all the way up until his bungling of this thoughtless invasion. They were now coming to the part where Lord Eiji was informing him of how the negotiations with the Leaf shinobi were going. To his massive headache the Ino-Shika-Chou trio seemed to be the ones taking the lead for Konoha. All three men were incredibly intelligent and clever strategists and you never quite knew what was going on in their minds and that was just them individually. When working together, then even he wouldn't dare to underestimate them. With those three involved he could almost forgive Eiji's incompetence… almost.

"What is Shikaku Nara's current stance?" A asks.

"What you imagine it would be in this situation. That we leave their lands immediately, that we are here illegally, that we have no proof of the existence of a spy." Eiji responds.

"And what demands and terms have you offered." A asks.

"That they secede East Castle to us as well as the surrounding territory, disarm their borders by a yet to be determined number of shinobi over the next few years, and finally that they pay us reparations for the damage caused by their spy."

"They'll never agree to all of that, and certainly not without us having recovered the spy." Samui says, looking to the Raikage. "East Castle is too valuable a fortification and they are no more likely to disarm their border than we are. Reparations are a possible concession but only if we recover the spy."

"Agreed." A says, nodding his head.

"Yo Bro, why don't we just take that castle fo sho! We can get the drop on them as we bring the thunder, and we can save our home from this massive blunder!" B suggests, ready for action.

"Lord B, that would be a mistake. A fight at this point would cost too many lives, the Leaf-nin are too entrenched. While we are likely to obtain victory the cost would be terrible." Samui responds, saving A the trouble of having to.

"Lord Raikage, I admit my actions here have… not been the wisest. I acted too boldly and then too cautiously, this is my mistake, allow me to make up for it and continue the negotiations with the Leaf shinobi. I am confident I can turn this situation around-"

"No." A interrupts, "You've had your chance, I will handle this myself."

Eiji bows his head in deference. "Of course Lord Raikage, by your command. I feel I should inform you, our delegation is expected within the next two hours. If you would please allow it, at least let me accompany you, I was able to observe the moods and personalities of Shikaku Nara, Inoichi Yamanaka, and Takeko Nakano for more than a few hours yesterday. I believe I can still offer valuable insight."

A nods his head in agreement. While he honestly didn't want the other man involved anymore, he was correct in that his insight into the enemy leaders' minds would be valuable, too valuable to toss aside at this critical juncture. "Fine. You'll accompany me along with Samui and B. But I warn you to watch yourself while you are there."

"Of course Lord Raikage. Shall we make our way to East Castle?"

"Cousin, please, allow me to speak." Gi says, speaking up before anyone else could.

A looks to his cousin and nods his head, giving permission.

"While it is one thing to allow Lord Eiji and Yugito Nii to go into an enemy fortress, it is another thing entirely to allow the Raikage and his brother to go. It's foolish to trust that the Leaf vermin will keep their word and allow you safe passage. The Raikage and his brother, who is also the eight tails, that is an exceptionally valuable target for them to just pass up."

"I ain't afraid of those leaf chumps, they try anything with me and they'll walk away with lumps, fool, ya fool!" B shouts, standing up, ready for a fight.

"Sit down B." A orders. "What did you have in mind cousin?" Gi was smart, he and the other man had grown up together and he trusted his judgement. It was why he had allowed the other man to help train B and Yugito, the two jinchūriki.

"Just this, instead of meeting on their home turf, meet in a neutral location of our designation. In addition, allow me to accompany you instead of B, keep him here where he is safe and surrounded by fellow Kumo shinobi. It will just be you, myself, Eiji and a couple of body guards meeting with the Konoha delegates. We can forgo all the pomp and circumstance of a formal setting and get down to the brass tacks of it all and maybe get some real results."

"Oh hell no! I ain't gonna sit this one out!"

"Quiet B!" A snaps, before speaking to Gi. "I assume you have a location in mind?"

"Yes, there is a small valley, just a few miles out. Secluded and open. No chance for an ambush or any tricks from the Leaf Village. If the Leaf-nin are serious about negotiating they'll meet us there, make it a condition, otherwise we fight."

"I'm aware of the area Lord Gi is referring to. He is correct, it is an ideal place to do this if you agree to his plan." Eiji muses.

"Very well."

"Bro!"

"Enough! The plan is sound. B, you will stay here with Samui's team. Samui, I still wish for you to accompany me. Eiji, send word to the Leaf shinobi informing them of my presence and my demands. Inform Shikaku Nara that he is to be at the location in one hour, and that he may have two body guards accompany him if he wishes, anymore and I'll view it as an act of aggression. If he shows up at the location and meets those condition I will negotiate with him, otherwise its war. While I am away the rest of you are to prepare our forces. However, I am giving you strict orders to not initiate combat with the enemy. Should they attack then show them the might of the storm, otherwise leave them be."

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Nami lets out a sigh of relief as Hana helps her to lay down, placing a pack under her head to act as a pillow, the strain in her side finally lessening. She had put up a tough act because she didn't want to slow the rescue team down, but the truth was she was barely hanging on and every step she took was painful and exhausting.

"Here, have some water." Hana says, holding a canteen up to her lips.

Nami reaches up and tilts the container and allows the refreshing, cool liquid to pass her lips. "Thanks- ahh!" She winces as she shifts and a sharp pain shoots through her.

"Let me have another look at that." Hana says lifting Nami's shirt and exposing the injured area. The skin was restored but the entire area was one large, angry, black and purple welt that throbbed constantly. And any time she took anything more than a shallow breath it was like she was being stabbed all over again.

Hana reaches towards it and gently runs a finger along it, and Nami winces, clenching her teeth to keep from screaming. When Hana carefully presses against the wound it's too much for Nami and she cries out in pain.

"Hizashi, can I borrow your Byakugan for a moment?" Hana asks.

"Of course." Hizashi says, moving from the entrance of the cave they were hiding in, and kneeling down at their side.

"Alright, look at her ribs and the muscle there and tell me what you see."

Hizashi's Byakugan activates and he stares at her side for a moment, before deactivating his dōjutsu. "There's a cut in the ribs themselves as well as small fractures and it seems like some of the muscle has been severed from the bone."

"Damn, I was afraid of this. We can't keep this pace up, hell she shouldn't be walking at all, it will kill her." Hana says.

"Can you do anything for her?" Hizashi asks.

Hana shakes her head, "This is so far beyond my skills, she needs a properly and fully trained Iryō-nin. I'm a medic, I can stop bleeding and bind wounds well enough, but this requires major surgery."

"So what do we do? I don't want to be a burden." Nami says.

"You're not a burden, you're the mission." Hizashi says with a smile, "We'll figure this out, don't worry."

"She can't walk anymore and if one of us tries to carry her on our backs, the jarring motion is likely to cause even more damage… maybe a stretcher, if we move carefully enough that might work." Hana says, looking up at Hizashi. "But unless you have a couple of wooden poles in your pack I don't know if that's a viable option or not."

"Very well, I will venture out and see if I can find something that will work-" Hizashi however is interrupted by the rumbling growls of the Haimaru brothers. A second after they start growling, Hana is looking up at the entrance to the cave, her own nose having caught the scent just a second after her hounds.

Hizashi straightens up and activates his Byakugan and steps in front of his fellow Leaf shinobi. Hana stands as well, channeling her chakra through her body, causing her senses to sharpen along with her canines and turning her nails into claws. The Haimaru brothers step in front of her, fur bristled, growling as they get ready to annihilate the threat to their alpha.

"It appears the false trail was a failure. They've found us." Hizashi speaks calmly as three Kumo shinobi drop down in front of the cave entrance.

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xXx-Author's Note-xXx

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Hey everyone, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Things are finally coming to a head with Eiji and his plan. In addition Hizashi, Hana, and Nami have now been found by three Kumo shinobi while Yugao and Quinn/Rin are separated from them. So things are definitely about to go down.

In addition, if any of you are interested in what is happening on the Glee side of things, I am putting up a one shot story called "From the Ashes". It covers a little bit of what's happened to some of the Glee characters since Quinn died. If that's something you might be interested in reading it's there, but it's not currently necessary for this story right now. They will eventually play a bigger role but we are a long ways off from that.

Any who, I hope you all liked this chapter and I will do my best to update it as soon as I can. Schools about to start again and I have classes starting on Monday so that will unfortunately cut into my writing time, but I will try my best to update quickly.