A.N. Hey guys.

Wow, the support has been awesome. The follows and faves have really shot up, thank you so much. i can only hope you enjoy this iteration much like the last.

I loved reading the comments and what people think is happening. and now to find the truth of it all.

Hope you enjoy and catch you all soon.


"Tsunade, where is Naruto?! Is Naruto back yet?!"

Ice clawed her veins as the words ran loops in her mind. It was incomprehensible to her. Jiraiya went with Naruto. Jiraiya took Naruto with him; ergo Jiraiya knew where Naruto was. Naruto was with Jiraiya; ergo Jiraiya knew when Naruto was due back.

But Jiraiya was back…without Naruto.

Jiraiya was asking her, where Naruto was…ergo, Jiraiya lost Naruto.

Jiraiya lost Naruto….

"Jiraiya!" The promise of imminent violence was matched only by the anxiety and fear in her voice. "Where is Naruto? How could you lose him?!"

Jiraiya shook his head and stepped close to the female Sannin.

"Not here" He muttered, before setting them both for the rooftops. Tsunade pulled out from his grip and gave a sharp glare and made for the Hokage Tower.

"No! Not yet. No one knows I'm back yet, and I'd prefer if it stays that way."

Tsunade gave another sharp glare and snarled.

"Then why are you back, without Naruto?! Where is my little brother Jiraiya?!" The minute the question left her she closed up. Her eyes went cold as did her chakra. Jiraiya flinched as the air around him seemed to drain of warmth. He inclined his head and they took off, years of experience with Konoha allowed them to drift through the village, without being noticed.

They reached their destination; Naka river, deep in former Uchiha territory. No one used the area, although with Sasuke's defection there were slow talks of opening up the grounds for the use of the village.

As soon as the landed and the area was secure Tsunade rounded on Jiraiya, demanding an explanation. Jiraiya sighed as he leaned against the side of the ravine.

"I lost track of him close to five months ago."


The Edge of Lightning Country

The base was well concealed, without prior knowledge even the ninjas of Kumo would have been hard pressed to ferret it out.

A figure stood not far from it, concealed in a dark coat, its loose ends freely flapping in the morning wind. A soft crinkling joined followed; the figure glanced downwards at his left hand and noted the slip of paper, caught between the cold wind and his tightening grip.

The paper, that was as much the bane of his existence, as it could be his salvation.

Tsu-Hime is going to have my head on a pike…

He gave a sigh and let go of the paper. It fluttered helplessly, before bursting into sharp flames with the ashes carried off in the winds.

The air around him stirred, pulsing with energy.

He had already mapped the entire grounds. Much of the installation was hidden underground, and from what he could tell it was quite expansive. It also meant that anyone who found the location would pass it off a minor base, a stopping point or cache, nothing of much interest.

But he knew better, and what's more his target was present, on site.

There was no way he would let the opportunity slip past him.

Several figures shimmered into existence and a mist rolled around them. Just as it reached head level his eyes opened.

One eye blue; one eye red. Both slitted

'Let's Begin'


I lost track of him close to five months ago.

That rang out in Tsunade's ears. Before she could even comment her teammate carried on.

"I've always known where he was and what he was doing. Look, we officially we went out for a three year training tour. Naruto and I completed the schedule in nineteen months. All of it."

Tsunade blinked in surprise. Jiraiya gave a tired smirk at her look.

"I have never trained someone as driven as him. He is a machine, and with his usage of Kage Bunshin, not to mention his chakra growth, I was shocked we didn't finish sooner."

"Are you saying that he mastered everything in less than two years Jiraiya?"

"I'm saying as far as formal instruction, all of it was done less than two years. What he lacked was experience, and we spent a year on that." Jiraiya stressed ensuring Tsunade understood.

"How did you end up separated then?" Tsunade queried after a while.

Jiraiya shifted and became more pensive.

"I know a few brokers, and have access to bounty stations. There are also some groups, minor ninja clans unaffiliated that owe me favours…of sorts. I set up an agreement and got contracts for Naruto to finish. Most times I let him run the missions solo, hell for a few we weren't even in the same general area."

Tsunade blinked rapidly at what she was hearing.

"Given the state of affairs, and knowing what is at stake, you just let him roam around freely?" she queried in disbelief.

"Yes" Came the deadpan answer. Tsunade looked ready to tear her teammate a new one when his gaze sharpened, stilling her rhetoric.

"It's because of what's coming that I did it. We cannot afford to cuddle him, and once he is back in the village he's actions and movements are going to be under tight scrutiny. He needed the experience, especially considering what my intel suggests."


(Stutters) We were supposed to be ready. How did this…?

Moments earlier he was warm. Now, all Koda could focus on was his slowly cooling body. His legs had gone cold what felt like years ago. The chill was already halfway up his chest, his arms no longer responsive.

However his mind, that remained sharp. Sharper than he could ever remember, and focused in great detail at what was happening around him.

They had been ready. They had been prepared.

Several of their bases had gone dark and all were on heightened alert. In fact, the smaller locations had been shut down and personnel reshuffled to the larger ones. He was one of many Chunin level ninjas stationed at the base, a large concentration if truth be told.

That had given them confidence. It turned into their undoing.

The first sign of trouble was the mist. Mist! In an underground base! Koda remembered several Nins attempting to dispel the mist to no avail. They then tried ventilation, using the filtration system but that had been compromised, sending in more mist.

Other than obstructing visibility and muffling sound, nothing seemed amiss and it became clear it wasn't an airborne toxin.

Still, it drove up the tension, and despite the chill Koda could remember feeling flushed, as though running through a heat wave.

The silence…the silence had been maddening. The air went so still it felt like the sound had disappeared.

And all he could hear was the blood. Blood rushing through his veins. Blood pumping through his heart. Blood traveling through his skull!

Blood!

He barely heard it but a figure gasped in front of him, and his relief was palpable. Without a single hesitation he barked a clear order to his squad members and dove forwards.

The edge of his vision caught someone, wearing non Oto-clothes. That was enough for him as he drove his hand into the intruder's throat, before slipping a kunai between the ribs.

Adrenaline rushed through him and he was on a high.

Another gasp sounded behind him and he quickly turned around, only for a kunai to graze his arm. That stunned him for a moment, giving his aggressor time to close the distance. He snapped out of his haze just in time to avoid the attack before launching one of his own, dispatching the second invader.

From that point he was lost in a whirlwind. Everywhere he looked there were Ninjas engaged in combat drifting in and out of the mist. He couldn't remember how many fell to his blades. Or how lucky he was at times, barley avoiding deaths embrace.

Finally, mercifully, it all seemed to stop. The constant flurry ceased as quickly as it started.

"Koda..." A voice whispered. Its stuttering and haunting tones filtered through his battle addled mind.

He looked down to the figure he held in tight grips

"Miyako?!" He breathed out, part question part shock. His hands were slick with blood and her face was marred by tears and fear. Blood pooled on the edge of her lips and bile rose from his stomach.

Koda…why? Why did you attack us? Why are we fighting?

Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why?

Why won't the noise stop?

His eyeballs rolled around his head, the pressure building rapidly. The strain on his emotions was too much as everything leading to that point played in an infinite loop.

They went mad.

They all went mad.

There was no invader. They killed themselves.

There were no figures in the shadows. They were the figures in the shadows.

Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why?

"Koda…." Miyako looked serene as he snapped back to her. He felt her go slack as her last words swept through him.

The noise has stopped. Thank you, for making it stop…

He let go suddenly and watched as her body dropped to the ground.

Noise. Noise. Noise. Noise. Noise! Noise! Noise! Noise! Noise! NOISE! NOISE! NOISE! NOISE! NOISE!

Make it stop! Make it stop! Make it stop! Make it stop! Make it stop! Make it stop! Make it stop! Make it stop! Make it stop! Make it stop! Make it stop! Make it stop! Make it stop! Make it stop! Make it stop! Make it stop! Make it stop! Make it stop! Make it stop! Make it stop! Make it stop! Make it stop! Make it stop! Make it stop!

The pressure in his head grew and tortured screams tore free from his lips. He was afraid to close his eyes, every time he could see the people he worked and fought alongside, dying by his hands. Falling to his blades.

And the noise. The incessant noise threatened to drive him mad.

Please, make it stop

Suddenly he was hit. His body spun round multiple times before hitting the ground hard.

He gasped sharply and his mind cleared. He knew immediately it was a bad hit. Already he could tell, numbness was setting in. he couldn't move his legs, and blood pulled around him.

Strangely, he felt okay with that

The noise….

His eyes blurred, but he could still make out who was leaning over him

"Shinji…?" He smiled tentatively. The perplexed look on his attackers face was lost to him. The questions flew over him. All that mattered was…

"-it's okay Shinji. It's stopped. The noise…it's finally stopped."

Thank you, for making it stop.


We cannot afford to cuddle him. He needed the experience, especially considering what my intel suggests.

"There has been an uptick in chatter in the last eight months, but it's all over the place. I tried to get a handle on things but with Naruto with me I couldn't devote a lot of time to it. On two occasions we dropped his 'missions' to check on actionable intelligence. Something is going down Tsunade, and I have a feeling Konoha is going to be in the thick of it."

Tsunade bit her lip as she thought furiously. Her current mission reports confirmed some of what Jiraiya was saying, the slow increase in confrontations not to mention the sheer chatter going around was giving the intelligence division serious headaches. Much of it was noise, but noise was useful for hiding things one didn't want found.

"Still doesn't explain how you lost Naruto"

Jiraiya shook his head and carried on

"I had word on Akatsuki, the first in a year, clear actionable intelligence. What's more I would have a full list of Akatsuki members. Names, village of origins, preferred fighting styles, financial backers. Everything." Jiraiya shook his head as he spoke.

Meanwhile Tsunade couldn't believe what she was hearing. That information was worth its weight in gold, but something was consistent.

"You identified Kisame and Itachi. You must have had some idea."

Jiraiya shook his head.

"I gambled and struck gold. Besides they were after Naruto, and for two random S-Rank Nins to team up and just happen to go after a Jinchuriki, especially considering that Itachi is aware of Naruto's status. It was a forgone conclusion, what I didn't have was anything tangible on the organisation."

Tsunade seemed to accept the explanation, but again back to Naruto.

"Tsunade, the data was time sensitive. Me finding out about them was luck, only because Orochimaru and Akatsuki had a disagreement. From then it's been at least three and a half years, most of which was interrupted training Naruto. I left a message with a group Naruto was due to meet up with, just on the borders of Grass Country, and then headed for the drop point. The location was Uzushi."

"That is on the other side of the map Jiraiya" Tsunade deadpanned. Seeing Jiraiya slump she bit back some of her insults and looked closer at her teammate. The weight of his decisions clearly had taken some toll on him. In any other situation it would have been a good idea. What they had now was worst case scenario, and one Tsunade was unwilling to accept.

"What happened?"

Jiraiya nodded without looking up.

"I go to my rendezvous point to meet with my contact; instead I get ambushed by remnants from Land of Wood. Why I'm not sure but from what I recovered among them someone directed them to my meeting point."

"Why?"

Jiraiya shrugged "I'm not sure. I'm also certain they were expecting someone else, someone from Konoha but they were remarkably tight lipped. It seemed one Konoha Nin was as good as any at the end of the day."

As he spoke he ran a hand through his hair, frustration colouring his tones.

"From there I tried to get back to the group Naruto was meeting up with. Took three weeks to finally catch up to them only to find they had been victims of an attack and Naruto hadn't linked up with them. All traces of him went cold. And that was four months ago."

"Then I started hearing of bases and locations going dark. At first I didn't pay attention, and then it turns out to be some of Orochimaru's outlying bases and supply stations. I put two and two together and redirected my search. Unfortunately the trail was cold at that point and it was difficult making sense of the patterns. There was no logic as to why one base was hit and another wasn't."

Tsunade bit her lip as she tried furiously to think through the problem Jiraiya presented.

"He's looking for something." The words whispered out.


Move swift as the Wind and closely-formed as the Wood. Attack like the Fire and be as still as the Mountain

"The Art of War" Naruto murmured to himself as he surveyed the carnage.

The Hidden Sound base was almost completely trashed. Bodies lay across the floor. Walls and doors smashed with debris scattered around. Fires and smoke dotted the area.

All in all, a job well done.

"That will do Soprana." Naruto murmured as he pulsed his chakra strings. Split moment later the light pressure around his ears came to a stop.

Naruto raised his left hand to the back of his ear and ran a finger down the length, followed swiftly on the second ear. Fuinjutsu scripts lit up briefly before fading away, the protection they offered no longer necessary.

After that Naruto turned backwards, and gave his puppet a quick once over.

Model two-six-seven; Banshee Class.

He called her Soprana.

This puppet was much more refined in style, compared to a few years ago. The form was feminine in stature, with its outfit design moulded into the body structure, a short oriental style with high neckline with keyhole design. The keyhole framed the first major weapon system of Soprana; a small, compact, but powerful speaker.

Attached to the upper left arm was another speaker; this consisted primarily of an extremely shallow cone, often so it was mistaken for a disk. The shallowness was countered by the use of chakra to maximise its effectiveness.

On the right forearm was attached a modified crossbow, capable of either burst fire, or a single high powered precision shot.

Her face was utilitarian, with no real features. over her head however were stylised headphones, with fitting going through her ear canals. The headset hung over her head, with two mouthpiece extensions at a fixed angle.

Soprana was a tactical puppet, meant for heavy infiltration and sabotage, she was meant to sow discord in enemy troops and cause hysteria, breaking the enemy before the battle even began.

Satisfied with his observations Naruto took off at a dead sprint, Soprana following close behind.

Despite the sheer amount of panic and hysteria, followed by massive casualties due to friendly fire, there were still Oto Nins alive, some capable enough to fight. Also Naruto could sense those with cursed seals running around the base.

It didn't matter.

None of them were really in any condition to challenge him, not after the psychological attack. And Naruto hadn't spent the better part of two years resting on his laurels. Moving from shadow to shadow Naruto ghosted through the complex, redirecting the few that stood in his way and cutting down any that would have spotted him.

He moved swiftly through the base and finally found his goal; Naruto's mind went back to Wave Country, his infiltration of Gatou's home.

He walked into the room, filled files, records, data disks. Written gold, worth more than the layman could possibly imagine.

"How far I have come, from those early days." Naruto murmured as he slowly reached for a discarded file.

His fingers made to coil around the article, when he froze.

Another presence made itself know, and one he was intimately familiar with now.

"Yes indeed….although in my opinion you are slowing down. Perhaps the challenge was a bit much this time…"

Naruto's eye twitched and he stiffened at the slight. He quickly schooled his expressions, but it was far too late. Finally he turned around to the speaker, finding him perusing several files while sat comfortably on a fold out chair.

"Naruto….You're late"

"My apologies….Sasori"


"It took you three-quarters of an hour to get through the gauntlet." Sasori commented. He lifted his gaze from the file he was ready as he monitored Naruto, first securing the room before moving to the data disks and files.

"Actually it took you forty-two minutes and thirty-eight seconds, from your initial attack until you registered my presence."

….

He got no reply as Naruto rapidly tapped the keyboards and view the results on screen.

"The last base took thirty-eight minutes, twenty three seconds."

…..

Again no reply, but the key strokes stopped.

"The one before only took twenty-one min-"Before he could finish he was cut off.

"Is there a point to this line of inquiry?"

Sasori turned back to his file and flipped the page.

"You are getting slower, progressively so. I'm beginning to wonder if the challenge is becoming too much for you. Orochimaru has increased the numbers in each base; still perhaps I have overestimated your skill level."

"Is that what you really think?"

Sasori looked up again, facing the challenging stare of mismatched eyes.

"How would you rate my efficiency then, in today's exercise? Based on your thrice dammed standards?"

Sasori smiled, it was always so enjoyable, needling Naruto.

Still….

"Based on execution, adaptability, success. I would put it on mid A-Rank"

Naruto's eye twitched to Sasori's continued amusement.

"And the one before"

"Low B-Rank"

"And the previous"

"Please. That travesty was C-Rank at best, and that is me being generous."

Naruto ground his teeth, forcing himself to calm down.

"In other words your point is moot. Time was not a factor in this case and I accomplished my set goals with minimum loss of resource and fighting capacity on my part. My enemies however were in complete disarray and outright depleted as the set on each other like rabid dogs."

Naruto paused, as though to let the information sink in. he turned back to face the screens and continued to peruse the data.

"I'm not even sure why you keep playing these games. After all it's not like you are unaware of the circumstances and my likely response."

"Ahh, but each day and with each lesson I learn something new about you, Kohai"

At the statement Naruto snapped out of his chair, blasting it away with the force of his chakra. Rage twisted his face as he rounded on Sasori.

"I am not your Kohai! You are not my Senpai!" Naruto eyes morphed both glowing red.

Sasori carried on regardless.

"Your work on puppetry impresses me. Your combat skills and tactical awareness is fascinating. Your approach is intriguing. Very few manage to get my attention, and for you to thoroughly engage me in my own field. That speaks very highly of you Naruto-Kun."


It wasn't the first time Sasori had made such declarations. Nevertheless it always set Naruto's warning bells off. Dealing with Sasori was a delicate balance, as it seemed with most erratic S-Ranked Ninjas. Other than his fascination with him, Naruto couldn't tell what the Suna Puppet Masters motives were.

Still, he wasn't one to cower. Cautious yes, but never cower.

Naruto turned back to the screens and tapped away on the keyboards. Silence reined as neither had anything further to discuss. As the minutes flew by frustration mounted on Naruto's features as he desperately looked through the files.

"No, no, no, no, no, no, no." he murmured under his breath as each search came out negative. Sasori stood up and made his way over to the screen, ignoring the growls coming from Naruto.

"What are up to?"

Naruto ignored the query as he kept trying to find the information he sought.

"He's here; the note said he was here." Naruto yelled out as he stood and slammed a fist on the desk, frustration in his tones. Sasori reached over the keys and gave a few quick strokes, pulling the search parameters.

"He was."

"Then why can't I find him?"

"Because I had him moved."

….

Naruto turned mechanically to Sasori as the other merrily tapped away at the keys. He stood, unable to speak, or even express the rage that was building.

"Like i said before, i enjoy observing you. How you grow, how you adapt to changing situations, how you navigate difficult problems. I knew about your objective here, because i set the bait in the first place. It was just as easy to have your target moved a day before your planned assault."

Sasori gave a backward glance to the fury ridden Jinchuriki.

"Still, not all is lost" Sasori inclined his head to the file he had been reading. Naruto zeroed in on it and moved. He quickly flicked through the contents. Chakra pulsed around him, seconds later the file was gone, sealed away.

Naruto turned to leave when Sasori called out to him.

"You might want to hurry. As you invaded this base, an anonymous tip went out to Kumogakure, regarding its location and enemy composition. Also someone might have spread word a little early of your presence here."

Sasori paused and glanced on the wall clock

"Given how long ago that was, it would be very entertaining to see how you'll get round this-"Sasori trailed off as he turned towards Naruto's position, only to see empty space.

The Suna puppeteer merely smiled and turned back to the screens, tapping away on the keyboards.


He's looking for something…

Jiraiya's attention snapped back to her. She shook her head and continued more slowly.

"He's is looking for something. Moving from base to base, whether there is a pattern or not. And knowing him, destroying the base is a chance to deny resources to Orochimaru, and sow confusion in Oto's ranks."

She looked up to Jiraiya in time to see him nod at her assessment.

"Orochimaru will have to consolidate his forces, resources. How many bases have fallen?"

"By my last check four; but none of them can be considered true bases. Outposts maybe or just drop points."

Tsunade shook her head

"You need to get back out there. Find him Jiraiya. Find out what happened, where he has been and why he avoided contact with us."

"Get my brother back Jiraiya"

At the command Jiraiya straightened. With a quick nod the male Sannin disappeared.

Tsunade sighed into the darkness, the icy grip of worry still holding tight to her. The a quick flex of chakra she was off. A few minutes later she was back in her office.

Just in time to register the commotion.

"Tsunade! Where have you been?!"

The Elder Council were out in full force. Displeasure coloured each of their faces, however Tsunade was keen enough to notice the hidden depths of worry in Koharu and Homura.

Danzo, as usual, was like stone. Unmoving. Unfeeling.

Also present were her attendant Shizune, Jonin Commander Nara Shikaku, and the ANBU Commander.

This didn't bode well.

"We have confirmed reports, and the chatter keeps coming through. I have several ops teams on standby, waiting for your call to move out." The ANBU Commander quietly stated as she looked around in confusion.

Before she could ask the bombshell was dropped.

"Naruto has been spotted in Lightning Country. There have been unconfirmed reports that he was responsible for the destruction of a base that is rumoured to an outpost, a training camp for the 'Thunder Cloud Formation', a subdivision of Lightning's Chunin squads. The base is completely destroyed"

Homura summarised, the sinking in Tsunade's stomach grew even more.

"The destruction happened two days ago. Even if he somehow makes it out of Lightning, he has to traverse through Land of Frost, Hot Water and possibly Sound before he can get to Fire Country borders."

Tsunade's chakra sharpened, causing the gathered individuals to stiffen. Split second later twin disruptions appeared as two runners stood before her.

"Get me Hatake, right now!" With the order the left, as quickly as they came.

Tsunade barely paid attention as she rounded on the ANBU Commander.

"I want our eyes and ears in Lightning on the lookout. Not one detail out of place. Find out what you can about this base, I don't for a second believe it belongs to the Thunder Cloud. Also get bodies in Frost and Hot Water, if possible set up safe houses and extraction points."

"Jiraiya was on a secondary assignment, no doubt he may have heard so he would be on the move as well. Once Kakashi is here I'll put together a unit to reinforce them."

Tsunade moved behind her desk and pulled all the notes presented. She indicated at a spare seat for Shikaku to use before they started serious work, the Elders already seated at the conference table set up. With the ANBU Commander gone and Shizune's departure the room went into lock-down.

As everything happened, Tsunade's hand ghosted over her chest, were a necklace used to be.

Please Otouto. Come back safe.


A.N. So concludes another chapter. Thanks again for your support. Special thanks to Seta88 for the correction on 'Wind' Country.

Also check out my Strings & Theory - Times before trials series. Another post will be going up soon.

Anyways, keep those reviews coming and thanks again.