Naruto, Temari, and Fu burst into the living room, still adjusting their clothing as they did so. They had the look in their eyes only seen in people who were exhausted but hyped up on adrenaline; slightly bouncy and jittery and in need of action. In the room was just about everyone else involved in the contract, including the leaders or representatives of the nations as well as Kurotsuchi's dad, Kakashi, and Sakura.

Of everyone, Ai was the most on edge, followed closely by Yugito. The three had walked in while he was in mid-sentence. "-ere is no need to wait. We have impetus, means, and intelligence. We have to GO!" he shouted.

Jiraiya held up a hand to hopefully calm the irate body-builder. "That's the problem. We've never had that before. Hell, I don't think we've ever had one of those things before. This is the most classical form of a trap that I've ever seen and more to the point, he's probably already dead. Remember Gaara? He died in less than two hours. What hope does Bee have?"

"He's my brother," Ai spat out vindictively. "You can't expect me to sit around with both thumbs up my ass while he's out there, tortured or dying for all we know."

"That's exactly what we expect," Onoki said flatly. "He's dead. Get over it."

Ai's nostrils flared and Yugito's jaws clenched and unclenched rapidly. There was already the beginnings of a fight. If it went physical then all of Iwa could potentially be in danger.

"Everyone!" Temari said as forcefully as she could, drawing all attention on her. For a few seconds, she eyed them down, saying nothing. "We need to calm down and think this through."

"There's nothing to think about," Onoki said. "We must not take action."

"If not now, then when?" Ai asked sardonically. "Bee's one of the strongest ninja in all of Kumo. If they can take him, they can take anyone. Who knows when your Jinchuuriki are in danger? Who knows if they already haven't been taken?"

"You're not THINKING!" Temari shouted, making everyone flinch slightly. Rare was the sight of Temari with a raised voice. Pinching her chin with one hand and looking to the ground, Temari began considering the situation. "What we know is that one of the Jinchuuriki, Bee has been taken. From the conversation, I assume we also know his whereabouts. Considering how fast it was that Gaara… died, from his extraction, Bee could already be dead."

"Almost assuredly," Onoki mumbled.

"Not… necessarily," Temari said slowly. "Let's say this is deliberate that we know their position. Then they know that we know it's deliberate. And if we know that it's deliberate, then killing their bait would disincentivize us from entering their trap."

Everyone took a second to consider her logic. "That's a… stretch," Shibuki said.

Mei shrugged. "The chance is there though."

"Are we forgetting that if that's true, then it is a trap?" Jiraiya asked. "No if's, and's, or but's about it. If we go, we're putting ourselves in danger."

A heavy silence fell over them all, only broken when Temari whispered "And if it were Naruto?"

Jiraiya looked up, eyes slightly wider. He didn't say anything, deciding to look to the side. Temari looked at Shibuki next. "And if it were Fu?"

He also deigned not to answer.

"And I know if it were Yugito, I would be going as well," Temari added. "This isn't a choice we should be having to deliberate on. If there is going to be peace, then there must be something greater than just deciding not to war with each other. We also have to help each other in our times of need. And if this isn't theirs, then I don't know what is."

Saying that, the kage of Suna turned tail and walked out the room. "Where are you going?" Onoki asked.

"First, I'm going to get the location of where Bee is," Temari said, advancing down then hall. "Then I'm going to go save him."

Yugito and Ai were next follow, then Fu, Mei, Shibuki, Onoki grudgingly, and Jiraiya. Soon it was just Naruto, Sakura, Kakashi, Kurotsuchi, and Kitsuchi.

"I'm guessing you're not going?" Naruto asked Kurotsuchi.

The girl shook her head. "I would, but I just got out of the wheelchair. I'm still pretty wobbly."

"'Sides," Kitsuchi added gruffly. "Three Jinchuuriki, four kage plus another village leader and a Sannin. That seems pretty overkill to me."

Kakashi and Sakura walked forward, both clapping Naruto on opposite shoulders. "Don't worry," Sakura said. "We're coming with. Itachi could be there and I'm pretty sure Kakashi's the only one who can kill him now. Plus, you're all going to need a medic to patch you all up."

Naruto nodded and walked out with the two of them, leaving Kurotsuchi and Kitsuchi waiting for their return.

00000000

The room Sasuke was entering was dark, as could be expected. Just about everything in Orochimaru's lair was dark, as it seemed he was averse to more modern lighting and also had a propensity for wide-open spaces. For most, it was disconcerting, leaving with people a feeling of being watched from just outside their available perception. Sasuke, however, feared nothing. Not anymore.

The first thing he saw when he stopped in the middle was Orochimaru's eyes cracking open a fraction of an inch. Nothing else could be seen aside from the slight flickering of a torch to their side that did little to light the room "Hello Sasuke," he said in a raspy, oiled voice.

Sasuke nodded. "Why have you called me here?" he asked, hand on his sword.

Orochimaru chuckled, if it could be called that. It sounded more like he was choking down a small rodent, but that was beside the point. The Sannin stood up and paced around the room in slow, languid steps. "I just got a notice from a little birdie. The akatsuki are ramping up their operations like nothing they've done before. And to that end, they've set up a small trap to ensnare their remaining prey."

Sasuke blinked. "And what does this have to do with me?"

The snake chuckled again. "I'm sure you've heard the news. Your precious little friend is one of those Jinchuuriki they're aiming for. And he's stupid enough to walk into that trap."

Sasuke shifted one of his feet back and squinted at his teacher. "I'm still lost."

Slowly, Orochimaru walked into the light again. His body was beginning to reject itself. He was going to need a host soon. Something unsaid between the two of them like a sword hanging above their heads by only a single horse hair. "Well… your friend also has an affinity for making others follow him. And my, does he have some… powerful friends with that treaty in place."

"It'll be a warzone." Sasuke stated.

Orochimaru nodded. "Both sides will weaken each other and then I… well, I can sweep through and claim what's left."

Sasuke's jaw clenched. "Right now you're too weak to do that."

Orochimaru began laughing. Horrid, wretched laughing. "You're right. I am too weak… right now."

For thirty seconds, not a single muscle was moved. Sasuke waited for him to take an action and he just… stood there. Eyes peering at him like they knew something he didn't. Swaddled in bandages and with a creeping smile carved in his face.

And then all hell broke loose.

00000000

Madara gazed dispassionately at the slumped-over body beneath him, chest barely rising at all. As far as opponents go, this one was one of the harder to take down, surprisingly enough. He'd thought that the age of truly great ninja was gone.

It would appear not.

Large, dark-skinned, a penchant for rapping, tattoos, and strange clothing. The eight-tailed Jinchuuriki was nothing if not an interesting fight.

Madara looked behind himself and at one of the last remaining Uchiha, Itachi. The remaining members of Akatsuki were in a cavern big enough to hold the Gedo statue. Even Nagato was there in his 'true' form, flanked by Konan and the six other paths of pain.

"I just can't get it out of my mind," Madara said listlessly. Itachi perked up and gave him some slight attention. "Remind me again as to why we have to do this? Surely, our forces are enough to capture a mere three Jinchuuriki, two of which are barely trained. This trap seems needless."

Itachi's eyes were half-lidded with disinterest. "And remind me, who killed four of our members? You said it yourself, for as great as your plan is, whatever it is, the alliance jeopardizes it. You even left Hidan and Kakuzu before you could confirm a death. You are powerful. But your arrogance flows from every pore of your body. It's unseemly."

One of Madara's eyebrows twitched upwards. To him, it was like an ant raising its voice. Inconsequential to the point that any insult levied against him provoked no reprisal. "They were expendable. And they seemed to be able to get the job done. I didn't see the need to be there and watch them do it, like a father trying to see if the child he raised was good enough at a particular thing to gather attention. In this case, I was disappointed."

"And you'd be just as disappointed if you tried to capture those three on their turf and were surprised to find that they're more competent than you would have liked to imagine."

"If they put up a good fight, all the better," Madara said, laughing slightly. He sighed once he stopped laughing. "Though… we should try to avert needless bloodshed. There's no real point to what we're trying to do if we go about, killing willy-nilly."

Their conversation evidently over, Itachi walked towards the entrance of the cavern, a fair distance away from everybody, where Kisame was sitting with Samehada on his lap. He had a bad look on his face. "Hm," Itachi hummed to announce his presence. "I didn't think you could make that expression."

Kisame sighed. "I was sold on the sale pitch of a world with no conflict. But this…" Kisame turned back to the cavern where the rest of Akatsuki were. "This is too much. It's getting too… weird. And this is coming from a guy who can transform into a shark."

When Itachi didn't say anything, Kisame looked up to the man, shocked to find that his face was set staring off into the distance. Itachi didn't 'do' absent-mindedness. Kisame gripped the hilt of Samehada. "What's wrong?"

Itachi blinked, coming back to his senses. "I'll be gone for a few hours. Our prey should be here at morning. I'll be back by then."

Itachi took a step forward, but was stopped when Kisame grabbed his other ankle. The shark-man had a dangerous look on his face. "Why do I get the sense that you're lying?"

"Have I ever lied before?"

Kisame shrugged. "Could just be that you're so good at it that I never caught you in the act."

Itachi considered that briefly. "Let's hope that you never do."

Kicking his leg away from Kisame, Itachi continued on his way before blinking out of existence in a body flicker.

Kisame shook his head and gripped Samehada tighter. Why was he even doing this anymore?

00000000

Everyone's faces were grave as they looked at the medium-sized fire. For shinobi, operating in the dark, smaller fires were used, if at all, but their party was significantly larger and there was almost no danger if they were to get noticed, so a decision was made to make a bigger fire, make a big meal, and perhaps raise moral.

If moral was raised, then it was quiet moral. A lack of knowledge on the akatsuki made plan-making alarmingly difficult. It was such that Jiraiya, the self-appointed head of the team, was at a loss for what to do other than to bum rush with enough force to stagger them, grab Kirabi, and get the fuck out.

He gave everyone a small tag that anyone could detonate, detonating the rest of them; a signal that Bee was safe. And he also intonated that such a mission was deadly. Deadly enough to kill if they weren't careful, powerful as they were.

And then they made dinner and were sent to rest for the impending battle that would happen on the morrow. All their journey, however, Naruto couldn't help but to notice Yugito. Worry gnawed at her very being, it was evident to him even if not to anyone else. And so, when all the hot food was consumed, he bedded down next to her.

They had set camp in a small clearing in the forest. The Akatsuki's hideout was about 7 miles away, which they would trek in the early hours.

Yugito's head was firmly affixed upwards, looking at the break between the forest canopy at the twinkling lights above. The moon was full and shone dull light upon the whole clearing. They were all spaced out as far as sleeping arrangements went, so there was an expectation of privacy between them. After a few minutes of silence between them, Yugito sighed and turned her head towards him.

"Don't you want to be with them?" Yugito asked. "This could be your final night together. It's a dangerous thing we're doing."

Naruto shrugged in his sleeping bag. "They can take care of themselves… Wait, no, that sounded kind of mean. I'm not dismissing them; they're just very self-sufficient. I love them and they know it. I don't have to be with them to let them know."

"Sounds pretty mature for someone who just began one of those relationships last night."

"Well… that's the way things are."

"But how?" Yugito asked, sitting up so she could look at him properly. "How can you know? Do you know her past? What she wants to do? What she's done? How can you know you love her? And to also be so confident as to announce it to the world and act like you've been with her for years? And that applies to Temari too. It's been less than two goddamn weeks and you're already acting like you're on your honeymoon."

Naruto sat up too, his sleeping bag sliding down to his waist. Again, he shrugged. "I don't know."

"That's not…" Yugito scrunched her face up and looked away, her tone falling. "That's not a good enough answer."

"I think," Naruto said as he laid his back against a tree and tilted his head to look at the stars and moon "that it's because I believe them."

Yugito copied Naruto's actions next to him, looking up at the same stars and moon. "Could you elucidate?"

"I could, if I knew what it meant to do that."

Yugito blinked slowly. "To explain something. Don't be vague just because you can. Explain to me what you mean."

"Well, don't use big words just because you can. I get that enough from Temari."

"Naruto…" Yugito said dangerously.

"Yeah, yeah, I know. And… yeah, I believe them. When they say that they love me, I believe them. I don't doubt it. I know it. And because I know it, I don't have to confirm it every hour, every night, every day of my life. They know how I feel and I know how they feel and… we're okay with it."

Yugito contemplated that for a moment or two. "You defy all expectations," she said finally. "You're like a person that shouldn't exist. Your very being is infectious. It crawls inside of you and festers and bites and gnaws until you finally realize that you have nothing left to do but to believe in you. I hate it."

"…Wait, what do you hate? You lost me there. And why do you believe in me? I've failed so much."

Yugito sighed. "It's not the fact that you've failed. It's the fact that you keep on getting back up. You keep on resolving to be better, get better, kinder, even smarter. You don't give up. Not ever."

Naruto shook his head. "Nope. Not ever. But, that's not that uncommon."

Yugito shook her head too. "No, I guess not. Still though, everything you do makes me believe in you. I can't even explain it properly. It's a little bit upsetting."

Her last sentence hung over their heads like a lake full of water, just waiting to splash down and drown them both.

"I think I'm in love with you," Yugito said breathlessly, not even looking away from the twinkling heavens. Rather than confessing her love, it sounded like she was confessing guilt.

Naruto nodded. "I had an idea."

Yugito took in a deep breath and looked down. "I guess I was a little bit obvious, wasn't I?"

"I wouldn't say that. At least you realized it. It took me a while to realize that I didn't love Sakura; really love her anyway."

Another punctuated silence. "I can't believe it," Yugito said. "I thought I was going to be without love, companionship my entire life. Or at the very least, I didn't think I would ever feel this way again. And yet, here I am. To someone a decade my junior. Another Jinchuuriki. From another nation. Almost always happy-go-lucky. Striving always onwards."

Naruto nodded along with what she was saying. "So what now?" he asked.

"That depends on how you feel about me."

"You know how I feel about you. What it really depends on is what you want to happen now."

Yugito shook her head. "I might be wrong. I need you to tell me how you feel."

Naruto edged his way a little bit closer to her. "Well, when I first met you, I thought you were scary. I guess that's obvious. You tried to kill me."

"Threatened. That's not the same thing. And it was a hollow threat."

"I didn't know that at the time," he said with some feigned indignation. "Anyway, I thought you'd be the hardest to work with. Temari's practical. Fu's all over the place. Kurotsuchi's annoying. Mei was… Mei. But you… you were scary and threatening and strong. I didn't know how I was going to interact with you.

"And then I realized… that you were really, really scared. Like, scared of so many things and you tried to cover it all up by being as brave as you could be. And you were successful for a little bit. So full of pride and gusto. But in truth, you were scared of getting close to people who might die on you. Who might betray you."

Yugito had wrapped her arms around her legs by that point. "You know… I don't feel like an adult when I'm around you," she said, sniffling a little bit. "For so long, I've felt like a scared little girl. I'm so afraid all the time that I can't even begin to explain to you in words. And for so long, I've held all the responsibility of all the lives of my peers and I'm always scared something might go wrong; that I might go wrong. But I never wanted to let them down. I didn't want them to hate me. And I've been so alone. The only person I've ever loved betrayed me and the only person who believed in me was stuck in my body for as long as I lived. I feel like… there are all these great people standing at the same level as me, respecting me, looking up at me, and I… I don't feel complete yet. I feel like I haven't finished growing."

Naruto clapped a hand on her shoulder, a great beaming smile brightening the woods and her world. "That's good," he said. "Saying that you're done growing is like saying you can't get any better or do any more. And that's the same as giving up. Never give up. Never stop growing. You'll never be complete. And that's okay."

Yugito looked at him, face wet with tears and mouth slightly agape. Her heart, which had been aching for so long felt… lifted up, for lack of better words. Like there was a hole there and now there wasn't.

"And as far as being afraid," he continued "that's okay too. As long as it doesn't stop you from acting, fear is good. It reminds you of what you are, or how you are. If you acted without fear, those around you might be put in danger."

"And?"

"And what?"

"And finish," she said desperately. "How do you feel about me?"

Naruto nearly laughed at her question. "I love you, of course. I know that you're scared. But you don't have to be. Not anymore. Not while I'm around."

Yugito looked away. "You make it sound so easy. But in truth, we've been tossed about like play-things." She took a second to sigh deeply. "We're in over our heads. All of us combined could barely take two of those monsters on. And we're rushing into their nest."

"And?"

She gulped. "We might die… but if we don't do this, I won't be able to live with myself."

Naruto wrapped an arm around her and held her close. "It's okay to admit that you're a nice person."

Yugito's head rested on his crown as she snuggled closer to his warmth. "I'm not mean. I try not to be, at least. But I don't think I'm nice. I usually keep people at a distance. A lot of the people I work with think I'm icy. Sometimes I say harsh things."

Naruto chuckled a little bit. "At the very least, let me think of you as nice. You can think of yourself however you want, but I think you're nice. You've been nice to me."

"Remember when I threatened to kill you?"

"It was a hollow threat, remember? Besides, actions are always going to be more powerful than words."

He looked at her and she looked back. Their eyes met, already dangerously close. Their lips were held only a few inches away, locked in a miasma of indecision.

"Don't kiss me," Yugito said, closing her eyes and putting her forehead on his. "After this," she said in barely a whisper. "If everything goes okay. If we all get out of this fine… then."

"Right…" Naruto said. "Then. Now come on. Big day ahead. We should try… to get… some sleep," Naruto blinked a few times in confusion. Yugito wasn't responding. No, it wasn't just that. It was like she was stock still. Even more than a statue could be.

Naruto turned his head at the clearing. The flowers weren't moving. The leaves didn't rustle. It was a like a painting.

A painting with an unknown figure inside of it.

Every neuron in his brain fired at once, telling his body to run or jump or start a shadow clone or do anything that he could but he couldn't. From the neck down, his body refused to move. He could still feel everything, but his muscles wouldn't so much as twitch.

The shadowy figure moved forward to him. The only thing discernable was a set of glowing red eyes that pierced through the darkness and past his soul.

"SASUKE!" Naruto screamed, struggling against the hold on him to no avail. The figure got closer and closer, moving with no discernable angst.

It shook its head. "Close, but no." His words were familiar, but it wasn't Sasuke. As he got closer, more telling facial attributes became apparent. Tear trenches, narrower cheeks, differing hairstyles. It wasn't Sasuke.

It was his brother.

Naruto blinked. His brain couldn't tell whether it should feel anger or fear, so it settled with a gut-churning combination of the two. "Itachi?" Naruto whispered, already knowing the answer.

Itachi nodded. "Don't try moving. You're in a genjutsu right now."

"Why are you doing this?!" Naruto practically yelled. "Why are you like this? Why are-"

Oddly enough, he was interrupted when a raven with a Mangekyo Sharingan eye flew into his mouth and disappeared down his stomach.

Naruto coughed deeply, expecting to be choking. "K-Kyuubi! Save me!"

No response.

Itachi shook his head. "Not much point in trying to dispel the genjutsu now. I don't have much time; either here or on this mortal coil. Your fellow Jinchuuriki is being held in the deepest part of the cavern. If you truly wish, you can prevail, but the cost will be quite high."

The adult Uchiha turned to walk away, but Naruto shouted "Wait!"

Itachi paused and turned around, quirking an eyebrow up. "Yes?"

"What are your plans? Why are you doing this? Where's Sasuke?"

Itachi turned and looked up at the full moon, strangely pensive for a deranged serial killer. "My plans are forever changing. I'm doing this for the leaf, and also for me. And I don't need to know where Sasuke is. Soon, he'll be finding me. And perhaps you afterwards."

And then he left, making sure to leave Naruto unconscious before he did so.

00000000

Last night

"So are you just gonna sulk there all night or are we going to talk?"

Kurama lifted a single eye to look at Chomei with obvious contempt. Kurama was still held back by the cage, forever unbreakable, whereas Chomei was practically free to do as she pleased. In between the two were the mind-states of their hosts, locked in an almost eternal, sexual embrace. Soft moans emanated from the both of them and they writhed slowly.

"What's there to talk about?" Kurama asked.

"Well, there was that one time you tried to kill yourself with your host."

Kurama's eyebrow twitched. "I'm over that."

"Oh, are you?"

"Yes!" Kurama snapped back.

After a few terse seconds of silence between the two of them where the only sounds that could be heard was that of a few stifled gasps, Kurama sighed. "Why do you like that one?"

"Who?"

"Your host," Kurama ground out aggravatedly.

Chomei did the tailed beast equivalent of a shrug. "Dunno."

Kurama sighed and shook his head, turning back into himself to hopefully get some more shut-eye, which seemed to be the only thing he was capable of doing.

"She's happy."

Kurama lifted his head. "Huh?"

"She's made the decision for herself to be happy and she's stuck with it. And not just her. She wants me to be happy too. She wants everyone she likes to be happy. She's a girl that's gone through so much in her life and all she wants is to make others smile. She's a weird one, but I like her."

Kurama blinked slowly. "Right…"

"Something on your mind?"

Kurama stood up, displacing some of the water on the ground. "You're damn right. She's your warden and you like her? What, have you lost whatever remained of your sanity?"

"It's better than hating her."

"Oh, well, fucking… great for you, huh? It feels better to love than hate so let's all just hold hands and get along. Give me a fucking break."

"You know," Chomei said slowly "I think I remember you being the loudest in support when Asura said just about the same thing."

"That was then. Things've changed."

Chomei considered that for a moment or two. "I don't know. I feel like the winds are changing. I also feel like you kinda want your host to like you the way Fu and Yugito like me and Matatabi."

Kurama leveled a stare at Chomei. Neither said anything. The sexual embrace of the lovers between them was reaching a fevered pace. Fu was moaning loudly and Naruto was grunting gutturally. "Looks like you don't know me very well, then."

Kurama turned his head and fell asleep.