Hello! Like that good ole cliffhanger at the end? Good, things are about to heat up. By the way, I don't own any characters except Tomitsu...but even that's a stretch, if you've caught what I'm blatantly referencing with him.

Edit: Eh-heh-heh, cut out a bit of gore...it got so close to M...^^;

Chapter 18

Distorted images and grotesque representations of people assailed Naruto while he slept fitfully. He caught sight of a bloody, crimson maw, a pair of equally crimson, bloodthirsty eyes, and a red moon, three tomoe spinning wildly in its center. Fu was there, but her appearance was frightening. Her eyes glowed gold, and translucent, purple wings burst from her back as he watched. He turned to see his friends, but their skin seemed gray, and they melted into smoke. Naruto cowered in terror, squeezing his eyes so tight he thought they would never open again.

A tender hand touched his face, and Naruto slowly opened his eyes to look into cerulean ones exactly the same shade as his. Naruto blinked, and the eyes changed, from narrow, blue to wide, violet. The tender hand stayed, and he blinked again. Suddenly, he was sitting in a field abloom with white flowers. Naruto's eyes widened, and he looked around frenziedly. "Wha? Where am I?"

"In the very depths of your soul," answered a female voice. Naruto started and tried to locate the source, but it seemed to come from nowhere and everywhere. "Here, you won't be disturbed."

"Disturbed?" repeated Naruto, "By what?"

"By your occupant."

"Occupant? I don't have an occupant!" The voice didn't answer. "Hey! You still there?"

The voice changed, turning masculine. "We're always here, Naruto. Don't ever think you're alone."

"How you know my name?" demanded Naruto.

The voice chuckled. "That answer will become clear eventually. For now, remind yourself of the words of comfort I once said to you. Remember them, and may they guide you."

"Huh?" said Naruto confusedly, "What words-," A wind swept through the field, tugging at the flowers' petals. Naruto covered his face, and he felt himself become drowsy. "Hey," he murmured sleepily, "You still...haven't...answered my...questions." He fell onto a mattress of flowers, the happy twittering of a bird the last thing he heard.

"RISE'N'SHINE!"

"Shut yer yap, Guy!"

Naruto jerked awake, and he frowned irately at Guy and Anko. Anko was sitting by the smoldering fire, glaring over at Guy who was dapper as one could be waking before the sun rose. She kept glaring while saying, "Rise'n'shine? Really, Guy, it ain't even sunup and you're already bein' loud."

"What? It's approximately six' o'clock, the perfect time to wake up!" defended Guy, "And you're up, so why are you so grouchy?"

Anko shrugged, and then she shivered. "I dunno. Feels like someone's walkin' over my grave and doin' a little happy dance while they're at it." She kicked at the fire's ashes. "I feel like hell, actually. That's why I'm so damn moody."

There was a derisive snort, and Yakumo sat up in her sleeping bag. "No more than your usual self, sensei, to be honest."

"Shut it, Princess, before I make you cook a potato." Yakumo closed her mouth and pouted, the phrase meaning something to her and absolutely nothing to Naruto or Guy. The blonde finally sat up and stretched. "Blondie, you're up. Good."

"Hm," he grunted, "I guess it's good. Actually had some decent sleep."

"Lucky," mumbled Anko.

Naruto looked at his sensei. "You get good sleep too, sensei? Certainly sounds like it."

"That's a stupid question, Blondie," said TenTen, waking up and rolling over to face them, "Guy-sensei could probably go days without sleep and still be as cheerful as he is now."

Anko laughed. "Right on, Buns, right on. Guy actually set a record in Konoha for goin' the most days without sleep. How many days, Guy? Twenty? Twenty-five?"

"Thirty-four," corrected Guy happily.

"Is that a valid claim, Guy-sensei?" asked Lee, bolting up from his sleeping bag, "For if it is, that is quite an accomplishment." Guy nodded, and Lee admired him with wide eyes. "You are truly amazing, Guy-sensei." Yakumo yawned, and she glanced over at Tomitsu. She raised an eyebrow.

"Hey, sensei, look at Tomitsu. He's actually sleeping without squirming," she said. Everyone awake looked at the samurai. He was laying peacefully on the ground, no sleeping bag enclosing him, and a hand rested on his chest while the other sprawled off to the side. "Usually he moves when he sleeps," explained Yakumo, "We've found him as far as a hundred feet away before. A light sleeper too. I don't know how he doesn't wake up."

Tomitsu's eyes twitched, and everyone was silent. He grunted and muttered, "For what am I being observed strangely?" TenTen giggled, and Yakumo shushed her. "There is no need, Yakumo-san. I am awake." He sat up, hair mussed. He didn't bother to tame it, and it seemed to add a rumpled handsomeness to him. "Is Fu or Neji-san awake as of now?"

Neji, lying close to TenTen, snorted and sat. Fu still slept, mouth hanging open. TenTen touched her shoulder, and Fu withdrew more into her green sleeping bag. TenTen patted her again, and Fu let out a snore. Naruto chuckled. "Looks like she's still asleep," he said, "Hard sleeper. She slept through Guy's yelling." Guy laughed and moved off into the forest, presumably for more firewood. They would stay until after Fu awoke and they ate breakfast.

While they downed a rather bland oatmeal, Naruto noticed that Fu's eyes never left Tomitsu, a questioning and almost awing light in them. He creased his brow as he choked down another bite of oatmeal. What was between them, exactly? Did they really know each other? And, if so, how? He was from the Leaf, and she, from the Waterfall. Then another subject came to mind: his dream.

He'd certainly had more than a fair share of terrifying dreams like the one from last night, but this particular one...it had been like that one from the mission to escort Gorba. Naruto could vaguely remember it, but then it became crystal clear as the voice from the newer dream matched that of the man from the earlier one.

"That answer will become clear eventually. For now, remind yourself of the words of comfort I once said to you. Remember them, and may they guide you." That was from the new dream. What were the words from the other, the one with the blue-eyed, blonde-haired man...? "Only you can change their hearts and minds, no matter how twisted they are." Those were the words the voice had told him to remember.

Naruto snorted, drawing a curious look from TenTen. He ignored it, however. 'Only I can change 'em...riiight, some of 'em are so far gone there isn't any hope. Those guys attacking me proves it.' Naruto felt his hackles raise at the memory of the mob's pursuit. 'Bastards. All of 'em. I can't change them, but I might as well try to change everyone else.'

TenTen, noting Naruto's drawn brow, inquired, "Blondie, whatcha thinkin'?"

Naruto raised his head, but then he grinned mischievously, putting his troubling thoughts to the side. "Sure you wanna know, Buns? I'm a twelve year-old boy, and a naughty one at that..."

TenTen glared. "Pervert." He stuck his tongue out at her, enjoying the angry scowl he received back. "I'd kill you if I could."

"Then why not now?"

TenTen huffed. "Kaa-san and Tou-san said I should get over my temper. So I'm trying."

"Trying's a good word. Failing's a better one," Naruto commented. TenTen glared, and Naruto felt a sting in his arm. He lifted the arm and pulled out a senbon, throwing it to the side. "Yep, definitely failing."

"Be lucky I ain't trying to dent your skull in," she grumbled, drawing a laugh from Fu, who seemed to not mind the oatmeal. Naruto smiled wickedly, and then he noticed the glowering look Neji had been sending him ever since the Hyuuga awoke. Naruto returned the glower with an irritated flash of his eyes. Neji turned away.

After they ate and cleaned up (which mostly consisted of Naruto sealing away the dishes), the party set off again, now in an open field that seemed to spread out for miles in front of them. Wavy, knee-length grass swayed in a light breeze, and trees were sporadic across the meadow. Naruto felt a twinge of foreboding, but he shook it away.

The Genin organized back into their diamond shape around Fu, except this time it was reversed. Anko led while Tomitsu formed the tip, Naruto and Lee just behind him, the girls just behind them, and Neji and Guy formed the end. Neji still scanned with his Byakugan even though a standing person would be seen for miles. Fu ran her hand across the tops of the grass nonchalantly.

There was no definable road, and so Anko had set her eye on a hilltop directly on the other side of the meadow. Naruto personally hoped that they wouldn't go in circles. The meadow looked the same in every direction. The blonde sighed, and he looked forlornly at the grove of trees that surrounded the hilltop. 'This is gonna take forever.'

Fu discreetly stole glances at Tomitsu. She thought of last night, at the stream, when she had sang. Then her dream involving the mysterious boy with ocean eyes and bandages. Then the music...and who exactly was playing it. Her hand had tingled as she had traced the scar, hidden behind those bandages all those years ago. This...man, there really was no other word for him, was that same vulnerable boy.

She shifted her look away from him and off to Naruto. She certainly didn't know him, but something felt familiar about him, not intimately like Tomitsu, but like a person whose name she had forgotten but face was still clear. It was a constant, nagging feeling. She shook her head and savored the feel of soft grass bending under her hand. Grass like this never grew near where she lived.

Guilt, though she was trying to repress it, was killing her. She wasn't being entirely truthful to them. From the very beginning, this mission had been more than just what she had put on paper. Much, much more, and it was tearing her up from the inside. And now that boy, that vulnerable boy, had come back to haunt her, just when she needed nothing to remind her just how heartless she really was.

She bit her lip, trying to clear her mind of trouble. Her hand trailed to her stomach. How she wished she could get rid of her emblazoned curse.

Naruto blinked sweat from his eyes, and he shielded them for the sun as he gauged the distance they were from the tree grove. He groaned inwardly; a mile, and the sun was high in the sky. It would be at least an hour before they reached the shade of the trees. He kicked the ground, checking for rocks before he did, however. Grass flew up, and he glimpsed the sliding, scaly body of a snake as it slithered away.

Yakumo, behind Naruto, let out a shaky gasp, and Naruto turned to look questioningly at her. "Nothing," she said, rubbing her shoulders, "Just...something's gonna happen. I can feel it."

Anko nodded without turning. "Yeah." She glanced around the meadow as if checking for something. "It feels like someone's watchin' us. I just know it."

Neji made a disbelieving sound. "I would detect them if that were the case, and your own eyes are enough to discern any person standing in the grass." Anko scowled back at him, and the Hyuuga met her evenly. Lee stepped in before either could say anything.

"Let us follow Anko's warning," he insisted, "but we will not stop because of a simple feeling, OK?"

"Easy to call it a feeling when you're not the one havin' it," muttered Anko. Fu's hand, unknown to everyone, trembled on the tops of grass and then dropped to her side. Tomitsu, as if sensing her discomfort, glanced back at her, and their eyes met for a single moment before Fu quickly looked away. She wanted something ease her guilt, and then her eyes landed upon a rough carving in TenTen's hands.

"Hey, TenTen, what's that?" asked Fu, smiling strainedly. TenTen stopped carving momentarily, and she played with it in her hands. Fu could make out a muzzle-actually two muzzles-from the piece, but that was all. TenTen still hadn't answered. "Can I see?"

"No," answered TenTen shortly, surprising Fu and everyone listening, "you can't. I don't mean it in a bad way, but...it's private."

"You let me see the bird," Fu argued weakly.

"That...was an old carving. This is fresh and...painful in a way," answered TenTen.

Naruto raised an eyebrow. "You sure you're TenTen we all know?" he teased, drawing a glare from her. She didn't fire back, however, and returned to her carving. He frowned. "Man, no one's in a good mood this morning."

Lee bounced in front of him eagerly. "Have you forgotten about me, Naruto-san? I feel energetic as if the Power of Youth is pouring out of me!" Naruto grinned and playfully pushed Lee back to the side.

"Yeah, yeah, Lee," chuckled the blonde, "I know you're always in a good mood. You don't count." Yakumo giggled, and Lee gave him a cheerful thumbs-up. Naruto gazed up at the sky, but then blinked as leaves blocked his view. They were in the grove just before the hilltop, and Naruto now felt the uneasy feeling of being watched. He expressed it. "Hey, uh, Anko-sensei? I agree with you about being watched."

By now, all of them had sensed it and halted, and Anko slowly drew out a kunai. "Yeah, know whatcha mean, kid. This ain't normal." There was a rustle, and all of them jumped. "Hey, Bushy Brows, get your knuckles," she ordered. Lee saluted and drew from his back holster spiked knuckles, and the others pulled out their weapons of choice. There was another rustle, and Anko flung a shuriken in its direction. A deer leaped from the brush, staring at them fearfully, frozen in its place. Anko relaxed, and the deer bounded back into the brush.

"Damn, I hate this feeling," she muttered. Guy nodded in agreement, distractedly patting where he kept his nunchaku. They cautiously moved deeper into the grove, the Genin tightening their formation around Fu, who was shivering uncontrollably. Something had found her, she knew it, and now these innocent people were going to pay the price.

They entered a small gap in the grove, and Guy and Anko went ahead of the Genin, scanning for any danger. Detecting none, they motioned for the rest to come into the clearing. When they fully entered, a whoop of maniacal laughter echoed from the surrounding trees, frightening birds into flight. Anko snarled, and kunai slid from her sleeve into her hand. Guy withdrew his nunchaku from his jacket.

Two figures appeared just yards from them, both clad in long, red cloud patterned cloaks and straw hats that hid their faces. One was considerably taller than the other, but the laughter emanated from the shorter of the two, irritating the other.

"Shut up," rumbled the tall one, ignoring the party, "Your laughter grates on my nerves."

The shorter stopped laughing to ask daringly, "Whatcha gonna do about it, Kakuzu? Kill me? You know full well you can't." The voice was feminine. The other, Kakuzu, growled menacingly, receiving another laugh from his partner. "Aw, did I piss you off? I'm sorry," she drawled sarcastically.

Guy, narrowing his eyes, demanded, "State your name and intentions before we treat you as enemies."

"And you do not want us as to beat the livin' hell outta ya!" warned Anko fiercely. By now, the Genin had squeezed their formation in until they were almost shoulder to shoulder. Kakuzu snorted in contempt, and another wild laugh escaped the short one. "We ain't kiddin!"

"I doubt that very much," said the short one, "I doubt that very, very much. Leaf ninja have always been second-rate. Too bad I have to say I worked with them once. Such trash."

Guy felt his anger rise. "Watch what you say about the Leaf Village, or you may live to regret it."

"I can say whatever the hell I'd like, thank you," snapped the other, but then she finally recognized Guy. "Ah, I know who you are, Might Guy." He straightened. "Yes, the failure of a Jonin whose ninjutsu is pitifully weak and taijutsu subpar. A ninja past his prime but trying to deny it. And you, Anko Mitarashi," The snake mistress bared her teeth, and the short one laughed, "Once and always Orochimaru's bitch."

"I'll show you bitch, bitch!" roared Anko, dashing toward the other woman. "Hidden Snake Hands!" She made a punching motion, and snakes burst from her sleeves, hissing as they shot toward her opponent. The short one giggled, and Kakuzu lashed out and caught the snakes. They writhed in his grip, and he casually ripped them away from the rest of their body. Anko was stunned, but then she recovered with a growl. "You bastard!"

"Such an overused word," said Kakuzu dryly. He took off the straw hat and tossed it to the side, revealing a dark-skinned, mask-covered face with disturbing green irises and red sclera. A scratched Waterfall headband shined dully on his forehead. "Our intentions are to measure the power of that jinchuriki right behind you." He pointed past Guy and Anko, and Guy was stricken, thinking he meant Naruto. But then he followed Kakuzu's analytic gaze to a terrified Fu. "Let's hope that we don't kill her."

The Genin tensed, and Tomitsu lowly threatened, "If you are to touch a single hair on Fu's head, I guarantee-,"

"What?" interrupted the short one irately, still not removing her hat, "You gonna kill us? Try it and see where it gets you, Big Man." Tomitsu leaned forward to flash-step, but Naruto gripped his arm, shaking his head. She saw it. "Listen to your friend there, Big Man, and let the grown-ups do the talking." A muscle in Tomitsu's jaw jumped, but he heeded Naruto's warning.

Guy, in response to Kakuzu, shook his head. "No deal. You'll have to kill us to 'measure her power'."

Kakuzu paused, momentarily pondering something, but then his eyes glinted cruelly, "So be it." He ran toward Guy and Anko, and Anko shot snakes from her sleeves while Guy ran to meet him, nunchaku whirling. Kakuzu dodged the snakes, and he blocked the crushing force of the nunchaku. He retaliated with a kick which Guy caught with a grunt, and Kakuzu twisted to punch an incoming Anko.

The punch nailed her in the gut, and Anko slid back, gasping for air. Guy traded blows with Kakuzu, noting how the man matched him and never seemed to be in pain. Guy whirled his nunchaku and smashed Kakuzu's arm, confident it had broken, but he was surprised when the same arm grabbed Guy and threw him out of the clearing. Kakuzu dusted off his hands. "Let's move this fight elsewhere." He dashed off after Guy, and an enraged Anko gave pursuit, leaving the Genin alone.

The remaining partner laughed. "Looks like it's just me and you, kiddos. You ready to have some fun?"

TenTen shook her fist at her. "Put a sock in it, you psycho bitch!" Naruto glared at her, although he was impressed with her confidence. "You can't even take that hat off, you're so scared of us!"

The other laughed again, unsettling Naruto. "Scared, am I? Then let me introduce myself." She gripped her hat and threw into the air with a flourish, revealing a face of twisted beauty. Black hair framed a carven face with full lips, but her sinister red, three-tomoe eyes held a light of insanity, a scarred Leaf headband above them. She bowed mockingly. "Sayuri Uchiha, at your service."

Guy grimaced as he pushed himself up, the light of the clearing in the distance. He swung his arm in its socket experimentally before he sensed Kakuzu charging straight for him. Guy leaped to the side as a punch shattered the ground where he had been, and he looked around for his nunchaku which had flown from his hands. Kakuzu didn't let him rest, however, and Guy ducked as Kakuzu kicked, cracking a tree. Guy threw his pinwheel senbon, and Kakuzu looked at them curiously before they deflected off his chest.

"Pinwheels...so you are in fact Might Guy, taijustu master of the Leaf," observed Kakuzu, bending over to pick up one. Guy used this opening to lash with a foot at his head, but a single hand stopped him. "The bounty on your head is quite substantial. This little scouting mission might be more profitable than I thought. The head of the other man wasn't worth much."

"What other man?" asked Guy, throwing shuriken. Kakuzu threaded his fingers through the holes lazily.

"A man that had command of a group of beast men. He was sent to see if the jinchuriki was with your group." Kakuzu threw them back. "I killed him. Wasn't very hard." His hands blurred. "Fire Style: Dragon Flame Jutsu!" A torrent of flame washed upon Guy who vanished and reappeared behind Kakuzu.

"Leaf Hurricane!" With two kicks, high and low, Kakuzu was sent flying. Guy smirked, but his eyes widened as Kakuzu merely brushed himself off. "What! You should have-," He noticed the slight darkening of Kakuzu's skin. "Wait...what are you?"

"An interesting question," said Kakuzu, "I'm simply an old soul with a powerful spirit." His hand detached and dove into the ground, black tendrils trailing from the arm. Guy was frozen until the hand emerged from the ground and punched him squarely in the jaw. "And a few tricks up his sleeve." The hand shot back into the hole and back onto Kakuzu's arm. Guy wiped blood from a scrape, and he smiled as he sensed Anko approaching, and he rolled to the side as snakes flew past him.

"Take this, you weird-eyed freak! Hidden Snake Hands!" Kakuzu stood unblinkingly as the snakes bit down on his shoulders and arms. The snakes froze, and black tendrils like the ones that connected his hand drilled through the backs of their heads. "Wha-! You son-of-a-bitch!" spat Anko angrily, withdrawing her snakes. "You and your short friend are both pain-in-the-asses! Once I kill you, I'm gonna go after that other bitch-,"

"Something I would not recommend," said Kakuzu, "If you can kill me to begin with."

"Oh, you better not doubt me like that bitch back there!"

"I don't. You are Anko Mitarashi, Jonin of the Leaf, Head Torturer of Leaf Torture and Interrogation, ranked at a high-B, low A. Former student of Orochimaru." Anko snarled at the name, and Kakuzu turned to Guy, "Might Guy, Leaf Jonin, taijutsu master, capable of opening all Eight Gates, expert with nunchaku. Ranked from low- to high-A." He tilted his head. "The Bingo Book says to never take either of you single-handedly."

"You're about to learn why," said Guy lowly.

"U-Uchiha?" repeated Naruto in disbelief.

Sayuri grinned evilly at them. "Yep. Sayuri Uchiha, delighted to make your minds mincemeat." Her red eyes flashed. "Looks like Kakuzu left with the grown-ups." She clapped her hands excitedly. "Yay! He left me to the kids! I'm always so happy when I get to tear the minds of children apart!" She giggled hysterically, and Naruto shuddered.

"Great," he muttered, "Just what the world needs: another friggin' crazy Uchiha. I had enough of Sasuke."

"Sasuke?" said Sayuri, frowning, "So Itachi-kun left someone alive? Tch, knew he was getting soft."

"What do you mean by that?" asked Naruto cautiously.

"None of your business, Blondie," replied Sayuri briskly, but then she gave a twisted grin. "Family matter."

TenTen twirled her staff in her hands imposingly, electrifying it. "You better tell us before we beat the livin' crap out of you," she said menacingly.

Sayuri waved away her words. "You couldn't touch me. You're just a bunch of fresh, wet-behind-the-ears Genin. You've never had a taste of real battle. The thrill of killing, the exhilaration of seeing blood pour from your opponent, the ecstasy of power," she closed her eyes, savoring her words, "It's so delicious." She opened her eyes to gaze at them hungrily. "I can't wait to toy with you."

TenTen bared her teeth. "You won't be able to, psycho!" She charged recklessly.

"TenTen!" shouted Naruto, "No!"

TenTen swung, and Sayuri parried with a kunai. Sayuri lunged, but TenTen dodged and brought her staff around to smash into her back. The Uchiha dodged narrowly, but TenTen then fired off her staff. The electricity arced to Sayuri, and she fell to the ground, spasming and cursing through clenched teeth. TenTen tried to knock her unconscious, but she recovered just in time to roll away.

"You bitch!" screamed Sayuri, "You're gonna die!"

"Not if you fight like that!" countered TenTen, unfurling a weapons scroll. A flood of senbon exploded forth, and Sayuri dodged to the side, and Tomitsu flashed in front of her. He swung, and she held up a kunai to catch his sword. Tomitsu's katana sliced through the kunai's metal like butter, and he ripped the front of her cloak. Sayuri snarled and shoved him away with a kick.

She examined the rip and glared back up at the samurai. "You're damn lucky you didn't hurt me, kid." Sayuri's eyes widened as she sensed Lee and Naruto leap up into the air behind her, and she turned. "Fuc-,"

"Twin Leaf Hurricane!"

Four kicks delivered expertly, and Sayuri skipped across the ground, and she caught herself, the cloak more tattered now. Lee and Naruto grinned and high-fived each other. "That worked just like we planned, Lee," commented Naruto smugly. Lee pumped a fist and whooped in agreement. Sayuri snarled and stood shakily. "You ain't too good," Naruto observed, "Not good enough to kill that guy that the senseis are fighting."

She smiled wickedly. "You are so wrong, brat. So dead, dead wrong." She stood fully, and her eyes gleamed. "Do you know why the Akatsuki let me in?"

"Akatsuki?" repeated Naruto.

"Special organization that only hires people of extraordinary power." She gestured to herself. "Like me."

Tomitsu raised a skeptical brow. "We are successfully attacking you, and you've yet to inflict any real damage. How can you say that you are powerful when you cannot overpower Genin?"

Sayuri laughed. "You'll see...right now." She vanished, and Tomitsu held up his sword to match her kunai. She smirked, and there was a long pause. Tomitsu gazed wildly at her before sliding down to the ground, his eyes continuing to stare off blankly. "Fool." Yakumo gasped, and Lee roared as he tore toward her. He jumped into the air, spinning to strike her. She turned to him, eyes gleaming.

"Leaf Hurri-!" He stopped and fell to the ground limply. Sayuri's smirk grew, and Yakumo growled. No one else hastened to attack. Naruto looked at Neji.

"Teme, what the hell is going on?" he asked.

Neji sneered at him. "Do you not recall the Uchiha's most powerful ability?"

"No, I don't, dammit, and you better tell me what it is before I shove my foot up your-,"

"Guys!" shouted TenTen, glancing between them and a madly grinning Sayuri, "Now's not the time to be arguing!"

"We're not arguing!" insisted Naruto.

"Sure sounds like it." Sayuri took a menacing step toward them. "Guys, hurry up and figure something out!" She took another step, and Naruto glared at Neji. He didn't answer. Sayuri took another step. "Guys!" Yakumo stepped between TenTen and Naruto and stared down the approaching Uchiha.

"Don't you guys move," she ordered, "I think she's a genjutsu nin. A gen-nin. I'll try to deter her." Yakumo held her hands in front of her, fingers forming a triangle. "Demonic Illusion: Yomi's Spear!" Her hair blew in a frenzy around her, and they felt an ominous presence pressing upon them. Naruto resisted it, and he watched as Sayuri halted, frowned, and then hissed at the girl.

"Fucking Kurama, aren't you!? I know this feeling anywhere! Well, let's go. You ain't gonna win against the Sharingan!" Sayuri charged, rage twisting her face. Seeing that her genjutsu had failed, Yakumo ran to the side and threw a kunai. Sayuri deflected it, but it spun just in front of her face, allowing the Uchiha to clearly view the explosive tag attached. "Fuc-!" It exploded, and Naruto set down a barrier.

Yakumo grinned, but then she was taken aback as the smoke parted and Sayuri emerged merely annoyed. The cloak showed slightly more damage, but that was all. "What! That was perfect!"

Sayuri spat. "Not perfect enough." She grinned and blurred in front of Yakumo, tilting her chin up to look at her. "Not even close." Yakumo did not respond, and she fell to her knees.

Naruto shouted at his teammates, "Protect Fu!" TenTen and-reluctantly-Neji nodded, and they huddled around Fu who was watching the unfolding scene with a horrified expression.

Sayuri smiled in amusement and laughed again. "You look so terrified! Those wide eyes, shaking hands, it's so obvious." She shook her head patiently as if they were dim. "And that girl does not need your help. Even though she doesn't have control of it, she's more capable of taking me on than any of you." She charged at them, fist drawn back, but Neji grabbed her wrist and threw her over his shoulder.

She flipped to recover, and Neji jabbed at her joint nerves. She bared her teeth and moved easily around his strikes. His pace began to quicken, and Sayuri found herself being pressed to her rather weak body's limits. She was slow to respond to a strike, and Neji made contact with an arm. She growled and cut with a kunai, and Neji sprung backwards. "Get back here, Hyuuga! I ain't done with you yet!"

"You'll have to be," he replied laconically. Sayuri growled, and he pointed up casually. She slowly raised her head, and she stared in puzzlement at TenTen and Naruto, both having leaped into the air. TenTen unfurled a scroll, and Naruto created a group of clones.

"Weapon Techique!" they shouted, "Piercer and Crusher!" A multitude of senbon shot forth from the scroll, and the clones took off their weights and lobbed them. Naruto was grinning by the time he was finished with his handsigns. "Great Breakthrough!"

Sayuri's hackles rose, and her face twisted as she roared defiantly up at them. The senbon reached her first and then the weights cratered the ground, both driven by the Naruto's forceful winds. TenTen and Naruto high-fived each other, and Neji went over to check on Team 6. Fu ran over to Tomitsu and fretted over him. Naruto still had the excited grin on his face. "Hell yeah! Worked like a charm!" TenTen, a grin matching his, grabbed him around the neck and mussed his hair. "Hey! Quit it!" She let him go with a laugh, and he laughed back as he straightened his hair.

"Don't you laugh just yet!"

They froze, and Neji, kneeling by Yakumo, jerked his head and narrowed his eyes, veins popping back up around them. He had deactivated his dojutsu when his teammates attacked, sure that Sayuri wouldn't survive...but she was proving to be quite the stubborn adversary. Sayuri walked from the edges of the forest, imperious expression evident. Her cloak was still tattered, and her arm was hanging loosely, but she appeared to be fine otherwise. "I ain't that easy to kill."

Neji rose, and she, avoiding everyone, dashed and wrapped a hand around his throat. He pried at her fingers, and he met her insane gaze. Slowly, as if in water, his hands dropped to the side, and his stare became glassy. Naruto was speechless, TenTen gasping in fear beside him. The Uchiha turned her head lazily to Fu. "Hey, jinchuriki, you mess with us while we're out, your friends die. Got it?"

Fu was petrified, indecision and the heavy pressure of fear on her mind. She could use the beast inside of her, not very well, but it was still a semblance of control. But she didn't want to use it in front of these people, people that had been the first friendly faces she had seen in while. They would consider her a monster, a freak of nature. She shook in fear and frustration.

Sayuri looked back at TenTen and Naruto, both angry but unwilling to advance. She laughed and sauntered slowly over to them. TenTen charged her staff defensively, and the Uchiha smirked. Naruto sensed her movement before he saw it, and he spun around, kunai in his hand. Sayuri hissed as it ripped her cloak, and she punched him in the face. TenTen whirled and gave a wild swing, but Sayuri ducked and came close to TenTen. Naruto clenched his teeth angrily, his hand covering a healing bruise, as TenTen's legs buckled under her.

"You bitch!" he shouted.

"Of course I am!" replied Sayuri laughingly, "Always and forever a psycho bitch!" She laughed, and Naruto sensed her movement again, and he turned to intercept a kick with a forearm. "When you gonna learn that?" she taunted, kicking with the other leg. Naruto blocked it and responded with a furious salvo of punches, Sayuri dancing around them. "Ha! Can't touch thi-!"

"Leaf Hurricane!"

She tumbled away from Naruto who ran after her. He threw shuriken as she stopped and stood, and Sayuri snarled and ducked, and the blonde delivered a kick right under her jaw. She groaned, and Naruto took the opportunity to punch her gut as many times as he saw fit. He finally finished with a crushing kick to the chest, and she sailed away. He was breathing heavily, and he shook numbness from his fists.

Naruto looked over to his fallen teammates, tended by Fu, and was about to rush over until Sayuri's familiar, ever-twisted laugh rang out. "Lemme say again: I. Ain't. Easy. To. KILL!" Naruto turned and nearly lost his head as Sayuri sliced through the air with a kunai. "You're gonna die!" She grabbed his collar and pull him close, eye-to-eye. He could every detail over her red, spinning, three-tomoe eyes. She grinned, and her pupils dilated to take up most of her iris, and lines branched off and swirled to the edge of the iris. "Mangekyou Sharingan!"

Naruto felt he was falling gradually from her grip as he gazed deeper into the hypnotic stare, and he was vaguely aware of Fu yelling and Sayuri answering sarcastically. His arms weighed a ton, but he tried to lift them to seize Sayuri's arms. There was more yelling, and the falling sensation became more evident as his stomach dropped. He struggled more with his arms, managing to weakly grip Sayuri's cloak. More yelling, and then, "You're a tough one, aren'tcha? Well, this'll getcha: Illusion World Capture!"

Guy still had not found his nunchaku.

Anko had not stopped the steady flow of curses ever since the battle started.

And Kakuzu did not give a damn.

Guy flipped as Kakuzu's hand shot off his arm again, and Anko retaliated with snakes. Kakuzu shook his head in disappointment before withdrawing his hand and forming handsigns. "Fire Style: Dragon Flame Jutsu." The snakes curled up as the fire roared over them, and Anko used a jutsu of her own.

"Earth Style: Earthen Wall!" A wall emerged from the ground in front of her, and the fire washed over it, but did not reach her. She pointed a finger blindly around the barrier. "Water Style: Water Spike!" A tiny bullet of water leap from her fingers, nearly invisible with its speed. Kakuzu's skin darkened, but the tiny spike pierced him in the chest, right over his heart. Anko looked to Guy. "A hit?" He nodded. "Fuck yeah! Finally!" She came from behind the wall.

Kakuzu looked down curiously at the small hole in his cloak. "It seems as if you've gotten to one of my hearts," he commented, "Five more to go, unfortunately." Anko blinked in confusion, and Guy narrowed his eyes.

"Hearts?" he asked.

Kakuzu's eyes gleamed. "Yes, hearts. You see, I take hearts from shinobi and implant them into my body. It allows me to last longer in battle and forces the opponent to kill me the number of times equal to my number of hearts. Meaning," he gestured broadly, "You have to kill me five more times."

Anko hissed. "And I'll enjoy every minute of it! And then I'll get back to the bitch back with the brats!"

Kakuzu snorted surprisingly loud with the mask. "The brats are probably dead or just as insane as her right about now. Unless Sayuri decided to toy with them." Anko stiffened, drawing a curious glance from Guy. "She's always trying to drive her opponents into madness. Annoying, really. I have to kill them afterward."

"Did you just say, 'Sayuri'?" asked Anko slowly.

"Yeah," said Kakuzu, "You would know her, Head Torturer. Your predecessor prodded her down the path of madness, after all." His eyes smiled twistedly. "But her stay in Hozukijo was what cemented it."

"Sayuri?" repeated Guy inquiringly.

"Sayuri Uchiha," began Anko, eyes darkening, "Former member of ANBU and younger sister of Fugaku Uchiha. She went rogue during a mission and killed all of her squad members. However, when they found her, she was lying over them, as if she had been crying. She stood military trial and argued she was innocent, that their target had controlled her, but it was useless. She was sent to Hozukijo, the Blood Prison."

Kakuzu nodded, and he picked up, "And then she escaped with that accursed seal on her body still intact. No one knows how she did it or survived outside of the radius, but she has. She's told me that she put the prison warden under a genjutsu, and that nulled the effects of the Heavenly Prison seal. However, it still limits her body. But not her eyes."

"Her eyes?" asked Guy.

Anko nodded. "Sayuri was an accomplished user of the Sharingan, nearly as talented as her nephew Itachi. She's highly dangerous and unranked...though it's agreed that she's an S-rank ninja."

"So our kids..."

"Are royally screwed."

Kakuzu chuckled. "I couldn't have put it better myself."

Naruto's eyelids were heavy, and he blinked them open with an effort. He was staring up at an oddly tinted sky, a sky tinted...purple. He blinked again, but the purple didn't fade. 'What the...?' He sat up, wincing at a pain in his shoulder. He scanned the area around him. A barren wasteland, dry, cracked ground stretching out in every direction greeted him. There was no other color except for the ominous sky above.

He noticed the fluttering of pink clothing, and he squinted. His face rose. "TenTen!" He stood and ran over, TenTen sitting up at his call. She rubbed her head, frowning. Naruto held out a hand, and she took it. "What happened? Where are we, do you know?" he asked.

"I ain't got nothing better than you, Blondie," replied TenTen, "Just woke up after that-hey, there's Neji!" She pushed past him to help a shaky Neji stand. "You good, Neji?" she asked. He nodded, and he pulled away from her to regard the landscape.

"Nothing here," he stated shortly.

Naruto rolled his eyes. "Thanks, Captain Obvious. Couldn't figure that out myself." Neji glared at him and activated his dojutsu. He scanned the area for himself, and he zeroed in on three familiar chakra signatures.

"I've found Team 6, I believe," he said. The signatures came closer, and Neji could make out the details. "Yes, Tomitsu, Yakumo, and Lee are all well and fine. Their chakra's not fluctuating to indicate an injury." Team came closer and waved. They waved back, and they met in the middle.

Yakumo was the first to speak. "We're in some sort of genjutsu. I can tell by the uneasy feeling. It's very elaborate, though. It's fooling all five senses..." She picked up a bit of dust and pressed a small amount to her tongue. She coughed. "Yeah, definitely all five."

"How do you break a genjutsu?" asked Naruto. It was something Guy had never taught them. 'Better not to be caught at all," he thought.

Yakumo, who was frowning up at the purple sky, answered, "You pull in all chakra to your core, and then release in one massive blast. Why you do that is because genjutsu messes with your chakra, so if you give nothing and suddenly a whole helluva lot, it overloads it." She looked to him. "You wanna try? All of us?"

Naruto nodded, but then a familiar laugh floated across the wasteland. "You can try that, kiddies, but my genjutsu world can withstand blasts from Kage-level ninja and up. You ain't got shit to do against it."

Naruto shook a fist at the general direction. "We're gonna try it anyway, you psycho!" He looked to the others. "Pull in!" He clasped his hands together and focused on pulling in all of his chakra until there was only a trickle left. He trusted the others had done the same, and he called out, "Release!"

A massive whirlwind swirled as they released their pent-up chakra. Sayuri, observing from a dark pocket in the sky, arched her brows. The levels they were exerting were impressive. The weakest ones, coming from Yakumo, TenTen, and Lee, matched low Chuunin. Neji matched higher Chuunin. But Naruto and Tomitsu...they were putting out mid-Jonin levels. She grinned; this just might be the most fun she'd had with her playthings.

Naruto restrained his chakra, and the whirlwind slowly died down as the others did so too. He cursed as the landscape remained unchanged. "I thought we had close to Kage-level chakra!"

"Do you know exactly how high that is, Naruto-san?" asked Lee.

"No, but apparently it's pretty damn high."

Sayuri's voice floated to them again. "You see? It's totally useless! Though, I admit, you surprised me slightly. Your levels are higher than I though..." There was a silence as they tried to look for the source. "This is gonna be so much fun!" She crashed down a distance from them abruptly, kneeling and grinning up at them. Her cloak was still tattered, but she didn't mind. "But yer all gonna die in the end!"

TenTen growled. "That line's getting old."

Sayuri stood, her unsettling grin seemingly plastered to her face. "Old but true, darling, old but true."

"Don't you dare call me darling!"

Sayuri laughed, and Tomitsu narrowed his eyes. He commanded, "Release us from this genjutsu or suffer the consequences." Her laughter grew more maniacal, and he pointed his katana at her. "And cease with your laughter."

She stopped and eyed Tomitsu in amusement. "You really are an idiot, aren't you?" She gripped her cloak and threw it off of her, revealing a battered ANBU uniform underneath. They went rigid, staring with wide eyes. Sayuri's grin widened. "I don't think you fully understand my power," she said, "Do any of you know about the Sharingan?"

Neji nodded slightly. "Yes, it's a dojutsu that allows the wielder to predict every movement of an opponent makes and will make."

Sayuri smiled. "And you know that how?"

He narrowed his eyes. "The clan library has books."

"So the Hyuuga kept records on the Uchiha?" she said. She shrugged. "Can't say I blame them. We Uchiha had a bunch of information on you Hyuugas." She played with her hair. "But what he says is partly right, kids, but Sharingan can do much, much more. Copying and spitting back out every jutsu seen, casting genjutsu with eye contact, allowing me to create this beauty!" She gestured broadly. "The Byakugan could never hold a candle to the Sharingan."

"That's debatable," said Neji plainly.

"To hell it is, Hyuuga," retorted Sayuri.

Tomitsu cut in. "This is all very illuminating, but I must state my ultimatum again: release us from this genjutsu or suffer the consequences."

Sayuri grinned and spread her arms wide, leaving her chest unprotected. "Give it your best shot, Big Man," she whispered sultrily.

Tomitsu's eyes became steely. "I will comply." Before the others could constrain him, his katana flared with white light. He raised it above his head, and the light conformed to his blade. "Heavenly Blade!" He swung, and the crescent scythed its path to Sayuri. "Nothing can stop its honed edge," he stated flatly.

Sayuri laughed and held up a hand. "You sure about that, Big Man?" The crescent made contact with her hand, and she gripped it between her fingers. "Wrong again." She shattered it, the light dissipating into the air. "You have another?"

Naruto grabbed the samurai's arm. "Tomitsu, don't-,"

"She's challenging me, Naruto-san. Please do not interfere," he said, shaking him off. He raised his voice. "So you desire to see more of my techniques? I will comply." Sayuri grinned and stood still as Tomitsu held his katana out in front of him, tip high in the air. He looked to the others. "Stand back. I do not have full control over this technique."

They stepped back, and Tomitsu closed his eyes. An atmosphere of unease permeated, and was increased by liquid black light forming in orbs around Tomitsu. He lowered his blade to point to the ground, and the orbs sank into the ground, the dark light resurfacing and whirling in a circle. The circle became tighter, tighter, and tighter until its edges were inches away from his feet. Suddenly, he raised his blade, and the dark light leaped onto his blade. He opened his eyes gradually.

"Ancient Technique of the Samurai: Hellish Blade."

He swung, and the dark light surged toward Sayuri like a long snake. She held out a hand confidently, but her expression was one of surprise as the light slammed into her and drove her back several feet. Tomitsu, although exhausted, did not miss a beat as he appeared next to her and thrust his katana under her ribs. "Checkmate," he murmured.

Sayuri's head fell onto her chest, and Tomitsu pulled his katana out. He aimed to wipe it on her sleeve, but then her hand grabbed it. Her breathing was labored and choking. "Don't...wipe that...on me..." Her breathing became normal. "Because I ain't dead yet." She raised her head, blood trailing from one side of her smiling mouth. "Away with you!" Tomitsu was blasted back, and he caught himself.

Sayuri glanced at the katana in her hand before throwing it away. The wound, formerly under her uniform, was nonexistent, though blood marked where it had been. "This is my world, my rules. I am the goddess of this place. You can't hurt me! But I can sure as hell hurt you! And anything that happens here happens in the real world!"

She vanished from view and came up behind Tomitsu. "Time to fly!" She grabbed his collar and launched him upwards. Naruto moved to stop her, but they all felt an invisible force slam them backwards. Sayuri laughed, and she pointed her hand at the ground. "Down, boy!" Tomitsu smashed back into the ground, sharp, chilling bone cracks filling the air. He moaned. "Left!" He was dragged against his will to the left. "Right!" To the other side. "And all around!" His body flew a rapid spin.

Yakumo screamed at her, "Stop! Please stop!" Lee ran at her, but again he was forced back. Sayuri laughed and waved a languid hand at the screaming Yakumo. She stopped mid-sentence and grabbed her throat. Her face grew worried, and she tried to speak, but no words came out. Lee clenched his fists and glared deathly at Sayuri.

She laughed and brought Tomitsu to a stop, his body limply hovering inches above the ground. She brought him close and smiled wickedly as he opened his eyes. "Having fun, Big Man?" He said nothing and spat in her face.

"That's what I think," he whispered strainedly, "of you."

Her smile turned sick. "Too bad. I was thinking of killing you last." She summoned a sword in her hand, and she waved it in front of Tomitsu tauntingly. "You scared yet, Big Man?" A pained growl was his response. "No?"

Tomitsu snarled. "I hope you die!"

She laughed. "And I hope you die too!" She plunged the sword into his heart, and Tomitsu stared at her, eyes angry and wild, before his head slumped against his chest. Sayuri pulled her sword out and wiped it in his robes. "Good thing he's wearing black, or this would show up." She grinned over at the others. "As if it matters now." Tomitsu's body hit the ground in a pile of dust.

Fu watched her new friends in worried anticipation. It had been a few minutes since the lady, Sayuri, had sat down in a tree and fallen into a sort of trance. She dared not attack her or help her friends. That warning had been enough, and the lady had meant business. That look of madness that Sayuri had as she sunk into the trance confirmed it.

She jolted at a choking noise, and she looked around wildly to Tomitsu, his hand clutching his chest. She ran over to him, eyes widening in horror. Red blossomed under his robes, and she hurriedly peeled away the layers of clothing soaked in red. She winced as she saw the wound, a small but deep-looking gash right over his heart. Tomitsu, eyes resigned, stared at her. She caught the look and squeezed his hand. "Don't worry. I-I can fix this." She hoped she could.

She put a shaky hand over the injury, her slight knowledge of medical jutsu telling her it was useless, that she should let him die. But she couldn't. This was the boy that needed comfort when he cried. That danced when he was happy. That made her happy even after his sadness. Her savior, and she, his. She would not let him die without a fight. Her hands glowed softly, and tendrils of chakra brushed against his skin.

Tomitsu hadn't stop staring at her, but now his eyes moved to the chakra and then back to her. He gave a minute shake of his head. "It's hopeless. Nothing can save me." Fu blinked away tears, and the tendrils slid into his chest. Another minute shake of the head. "Please. You can't save me."

"I'm not going to let you die, Tomitsu!" she shouted, flaring the chakra, "Not ever!" The tendrils dug into the torn flesh and slowly began to regenerate the tissue. Tomitsu gazed at her gently but resignedly. "Don't think that you're gonna die that easily!" yelled Fu, "You're Tomitsu!"

He tried to chuckled, but blood choked it off. The wound closed, and Fu sat back, sweaty and pale. Tomitsu watched her, and then he smiled weakly. His last words were, "I may be Tomitsu, but I am also...human. Goodbye, Fu." His eyes closed, the smile turning content. Fu grew alarmed, and she gripped his hand.

"Tomitsu?" No answer. She felt for a pulse. No pulse. "Tomitsu?" Still no answer. She again felt for a pulse. Still no pulse. Her heart pained, and her stomach sank. "T-Tomitsu?" Nothing, nothing but the breeze rustling through the leaves and the call of a mourning dove. "Tomitsu!" She pulled him close and sobbed, blood staining her jacket. "You can't die! You can't!"

"Whose next?" asked Sayuri, watching them as a cat watches a helpless mouse. Neji and Naruto eyed her cautiously, and Lee shook in anger. Naruto tapped him on the shoulder and breathed into his ear. Lee blinked and then nodded. Sayuri threw back her hair and regarded them. "You got a plan to beat me yet?" Naruto and Lee exchanged glances with the others, and the blonde stepped forward, hands nonchalantly in his pocket.

He boasted, "Definitely. We'll beat the hell out of you for killing Tomitsu."

"And you'll do this is how?"

Naruto grinned cunningly. "Weights, off!" Lee smoothly unclasped his leg weights, and they fell with a loud boom. The blonde reached inside his jacket and tapped a seal. He instantly felt lighter than air, and he signaled Lee to make the first move.

"For Tomitsu!" Lee bellowed, disappearing from everyone's view. He blasted by Naruto who was slightly taken aback at the boy's raw speed. Naruto's grin widened, and he tore after Lee. "Leaf Hurricane!" cried Lee, stunning Sayuri into stillness. She went flying back, and Naruto ran after her, passed her, and then spun to deliver his own Leaf Hurricane.

Sayuri skipped across the ground, and she stopped before she reached Lee again. She snarled, a bruise visible on her face. She turned to attack Lee, but found that he had vanished. "Over here!" She was punched from the side, and Naruto again intercepted her to kick back. She halted in mid-air and then ducked as Lee's kick whiffed over her.

She tapped him with a finger, and he was blown back. "Gah!" He ended up near Yakumo, and Naruto stopped to look back at him.

"Lee! You alright?"

"Yes, Naruto-san! I believe so!" answered Lee, Neji helping him to his feet. Yakumo, voice returned, whispered something to him and then Neji. The Hyuuga nodded and ran over to Naruto, and Lee clasped a fist in one hand in front of him, eyes closed. "Neji-san will take my place for the time being, Naruto-san!"

The blonde frowned at Neji. "You better do damn good, teme. We ain't on exactly on good enough terms for you to mess up."

"Likewise."

Sayuri threw her head back in a laugh that grated Naruto's nerves. "You really think you have a chance? I don't know what that kid is doing, but it ain't gonna help." She waved a hand, and two clones composed of earth rose in front of them. "Meanwhile, play with these." One clone's arm morphed into a sword, and it swung clumsily at Naruto.

Naruto sidestepped and lashed out with a kick. The clone shook as the kick connected with its chest, but then it swung again. He leapt back, and he took an explosive tag from his jacket and threw it. "Take this!" It stuck to the clone's arm, and it detonated. "Direct-what!?" The clone stumbled out from the smoke, arm gone but mobility unhampered. The sword arm swung again, and Naruto dodged it. He looked over to Neji who dodged a hammer blow narrowly. "Teme! How ya doin'?"

"You do care, Uzumaki-san," said Neji dryly, "I'm flattered."

"You keep talkin' like that, and I won't care anymore!" shouted Naruto, parrying a swing with a kunai.

"I thought you hated me," replied Neji, pressing a point on his clone's arm and watching it crumble.

"I may hate you, teme," said Naruto, leaping and kicking his clone on top of the head, "But you're still a teammate and damn good fighter!" The explosive tag planted on the clone's head went off, destroying it. "You with me?" Neji struck a point in the middle of his clone's chest, shattering it. He turned to Naruto and nodded.

"This time, I am."

"Good." Naruto looked over his shoulder at Lee. "Hey, Yakumo! Is Lee gonna do what I think he's gonna do?" She nodded, and he smiled knowingly. "Alright, don't need to worry, then."

"What is Lee-san going to do?" asked Neji.

"To tell you the truth, teme, I've got no effin' clue, but it's gonna be awesome. I've only heard stories about it." Naruto looked over to Sayuri who had created a smooth, obsidian throne in which she sat. "Hey, Uchiha! Just warnin' ya, but you're about to get it now!" She laughed and waved a hand, and four more earthen clones rose. Naruto snorted in annoyance, and he flitted between all of them. Before any clone could react, explosive tags covered every inch of their body. "And here goes the-," Naruto made a handsign, "BOOM!"

The clones exploded, and Naruto quickly laid down a barrier to cover him and Neji. The dust cleared, and Sayuri tapped her cheek impatiently, arm resting on the arms of the throne. She sighed again as she saw the barrier. "You kids are really annoying, y'know." She smiled. "But then that makes you all the more pleasurable to kill."

Naruto growled as he took down the barrier. "You know what? Screw you. Just screw you. I hope Lee kicks your face in good." He looked again at Yakumo. "How's it goin'?" He could make out bulging vessels on Lee's forehead. She shrugged, but then a wave of chakra erupted from him, knocking Naruto and Neji off their feet. "Never mind!"

"Third Gate: Gate of Life, open!" Lee's skin turned dark red, and more veins bulged from his forehead. Disbelief and then realization crossed Sayuri's face, and she rose from her throne. "Fourth Gate: Gate of Pain, open!" The ground at his feet cracked, and chakra stormed around him. Yakumo remained close, but TenTen was pushed back by the chakra's pure force.

Sayuri roared. "You ain't gonna pull Eight Gates on an Uchiha, Mini-Guy!" She vanished and reappeared by Lee, a giant metal spear held in her hand. "Die!"

"Fifth Gate: Gate of Closing...OPEN!" Sayuri found herself in the air before she plunged with the spear, and then Lee, eyes white and skin red, blurred in front of her. "Hidden Lotus!"

"Fuck you!" she shouted before being tossed around like a tennis ball. Naruto watched as Sayuri ricocheted off of Lee's punches, both of them but blurs to his eyes. He grinned, but then he noticed that the purple sky wavered for a second, blue breaking through intermittently. He frowned, and then trees became visible. 'What in the world?'

Fu, wiping her reddened eyes, gazed sadly at Tomitsu. She traced his scar, and she lay him down carefully. She knelt at his side, praying. She raised her head, and she laid a hand over his chest, and felt something cold and small. She frowned, and her fingers found a metal necklace, a pendant of a dragon in mid-roar. She blinked, but then placed it back in his shirt, assuming it was personal. She bent her head in prayer. 'Please, let him rest peacefully.'

She raised her head again, and a torrent of chakra washed over her. Fu winced, and she turned around. Her eyes settled upon Lee's immobile body, the ground around him cracked. She shielded her face as wind whipped up. 'Wha-what's happening?'

Guy stopped abruptly, fist drawn back and Kakuzu only a few feet away. The latter arched a brow, but then he too sensed the chakra. Anko turned in the direction of it. "What the hell is that? Wait...Bushy Brows!" She stamped a foot. "The Gates! Dammit, he's opened them! That idiot! I'll kill'im later for that!" Guy inhaled patiently, and he whirled his nunchaku, having found them earlier. Anko growled. "Lookie here, freak, I ain't got time to-," She ducked under Kakuzu's kick and then leaped into the air to dodge a slicing gale of wind.

"Then make time," he said dangerously.

The world continued to distort, and Naruto glanced at Neji. "Teme! What the hell's goin' on?"

Neji shook his head. "I have no inkling. The genjutsu is...twisting?" Naruto looked back at the distortions, and he wondered at their cause. The genjutsu was twisting...could that mean it was failing? Did it have something to do with Lee going to the Fifth Gate? Naruto's eyes widened as Guy's explanation of the Eight Gates came to mind. 'They grant the user many times their power and chakra, up to a hundred time to be exact. But opening the Eighth Gate results in...death.'

Lee's astronomical jump in chakra output could have easily tipped the balance in their favor. 'The chakra...is it dispelling the genjutsu?' Naruto pondered this as Sayuri bounced around in the air. She stopped dead abruptly, Lee's unraveled bandages wound tightly around her, and Lee delivered a final, finishing strike, one that sent her crashing into the ground. Lee landed safely, red fading from his skin and eyes returning to normal. Yakumo ran over as Lee stumbled and went to a knee. She helped him stand.

Naruto smiled slowly as he applauded Lee. "Damn, Lee. Never knew you could do that. Ain't gonna mess with you no more." Lee gave him a tired grin, but Yakumo appeared troubled, and her expression grew more so as time progressed. TenTen ran over, and she noticed.

"Yakumo? You good?"

"This genjutsu," she replied, "It should be lifting if the caster is dead and no longer powering it. Unless..." There was a bone-chilling snap where Sayuri had crashed, and her hand rose above the lip of the crater she'd made. It grabbed onto the lip, and another snap. "...she's not dead." The hand pulled up, and the twisted visage of Sayuri appeared over the lip.

She spoke in a rattle, "You...can't...kill...me."

Naruto unsealed a kunai calmly. "I'm getting tired of hearing that."

"None...of...you...can kill...me. No one."

He tied an explosive tag to the kunai's ring. "Yep, really tired of hearing that."

"You...can't...kill...-"

"I can and I will!" He threw the kunai, and it buried deep in Sayuri's skull before detonating. The smoke cleared, and Sayuri's head was gone, leaving a bloody stump. TenTen held a hand over her mouth, and she turned to retch. Naruto grimaced, his own stomach rolling, but he kept down his nausea. Sayuri's body fell back into the crater, shielding it from view.

The blonde inhaled, and then slowly exhaled, trying to calm himself. This was warranted, he told himself. She had tried to kill him and had succeeded in killing his friend. Completely justifiable, but it still sent a cold shiver up his spine. Completely justifiable, he told himself. He looked at the others, notably Yakumo. "Are we free?"

Her expression sent another shiver down his spine. "No. She's still alive, somehow."

"But I just-,"

Sayuri's wild laughter echoed through the wasteland. "You dumbasses! Especially the blonde one! You really though you could kill me such a cheap trick? You oughta be ashamed!" A dust devil touched down not far from them, and Sayuri stepped out of it languidly. Her uniform, apart from its usual battered state, looked unaffected, and she walked as if Lee had never touched her. "Ta-da! Good as new!" She bowed extravagantly.

"You-you-you," stuttered Lee, "How?"

Sayuri grinned twistedly. "My world, my rules, remember? I can't dieunless I want to. And who on earth would want to do that? Now, all of you but the green brat..." She swept her arm to the side, "Be gone!" Lee fell to the ground as the rest of them were thrown to the side. "You little pest," she said, dragging Lee up by the arm, "You nearly got me that time. I'm impressed." She smiled evilly. "You'll die quickly."

Her sword materialized in her hand in a flash of light, and she plunged it into his chest. Lee made a choking noise, and Sayuri dissolved into dust and came together a distance away, pulling up her obsidian throne. Yakumo screamed, and Naruto bellowed like an angry bull. He, Neji, and TenTen charged Sayuri while Yakumo caught Lee before he fell to the ground.

"Take this!" shouted Naruto, creating a clone. "Combination: Scorching Grand Fireball!" The clone cast a whipping wind, and Naruto billowed a giant fireball from his mouth. Sayuri rolled her eyes and closed her hand. The fireball was extinguished, but TenTen emerged from the smoke. "Weapon Technique: Slasher!" She unsealed a huge number of shuriken, and another one of Naruto's wind jutsu caused them to reach blurring speeds.

"I told you it's useless!" shouted Sayuri, pointing a finger at the shuriken. They stopped mid-air and reversed course. Naruto jumped in front of TenTen and erected a barrier which they pinged off of. "How many times-," She stopped and dodged a kick from Neji who had come from the side. "Go away, dammit!" She punched him, and he flew back. She turned just in time to catch TenTen's crackling staff, and her face changed into a mad rictus.

TenTen grinned victoriously at her, but then she gasped as Sayuri grabbed the staff with both hands. "But-but you should be-should be frozen!" She moved to move away, but the Uchiha held her staff firmly. "Let go, you bitch!" Sayuri didn't respond, instead choosing to glare fatally at her. TenTen electrified the staff, but Sayuri still didn't react. "Let go!"

The rictus became a snarl, and one hand lifted off the staff. "No!" The hand not holding the staff sparked gravely, and Sayuri touched TenTen right in the middle of her chest. "Only if you do first!" TenTen stood still as the electricity coursed through her, and her gaze grew clouded. An arm muscle spasmed, but she refused to relinquish her weapon. "You want more, little girl?" said Sayuri, "Then have it!" Sayuri's hand sparked again, and TenTen was thrown back.

Neji caught her and skidded back, and Naruto matched Sayuri's feral snarl. He blurred, and Sayuri found herself defending from kicks that came from all directions. She kept his rhythm, and Naruto soon had to dodge as she attacked back. She laughed, and Naruto became angry. He feinted to left, to the right, and then delivered a sweeping kick. She stepped back easily and poked him in the forehead.

Naruto tumbled, but he righted himself near Neji who was checking TenTen's pulse. Yakumo was near, holding Lee. He whispered something, and she broke into sobs as his body turned to dust. Naruto's heart dropped, and he looked at Neji, hoping for good news. The Hyuuga met his eyes, his own white ones saddened, and shook his head. Naruto's heart pained; TenTen looked so peaceful, lying in Neji's arms, eyes closed. Naruto wiped away a tear, and they watched as she became dust.

Sayuri laughed, and Naruto and Neji whirled in anger, faces set. Sayuri, perfectly normal, sat on her throne, but now it was on a raised platform with steps leading to it. She carelessly played with her hair, and she smiled down at them. "Aw, are the little children sad now? Are you sad that your friends are dying? Are you sad because I'm going to kill you?" She suddenly rose, angry. "Then get used to it! People are going to try to kill your whole life, so you might as well start now!"

"No."

The Uchiha jerked her head to Yakumo who stood with her back facing Sayuri. "What'd you say, brat?"

"No."

"No, what? Have you finally lost your mind?" taunted Sayuri, "It's about damn time!"

"No."

"You have lost your marbles!" she crowed, "How does it feel to be completely out of control?"

"It feels...delicious." The voice was deep and grating, demonic-sounding. Naruto and Neji jolted in surprise, and they looked closely at Yakumo. Her back was still to them, but her hair was floating around her head as if in swaying in the wind. She turned to face them fully, and Naruto stifled a scream. Her eyes were black, iris, sclera, everything, and her teeth had turned crooked and sharp. "Pitiful human. You have awakened the girl's anger and, in turn, me." She examined her hand and then jerked it back down to her side."Now your life is...OVER!"

An infernal air emanated from Yakumo, and her twisted smile sent chills down Naruto's back. Sayuri smirked. "Oh, so you're a special Kurama? One that can make genjutsus real but has one helluva alter ego?" The smirk darkened. "This'll be fun to watch."

"For me, perhaps, but not for you!" Yakumo made through a series of handsigns. "Demonic Illusion: Sword of the Shinigami!" Naruto and Neji watched in awing horror as a gargantuan arm burst through a rip in the air, the hand wielding a sword the size of a building. The skin was gray and sickly, and prayer beads ran the length of it. "Ha-ha! Die, human!"

Sayuri gazed up at the arm, unfazed. It cleaved down, and she blinked. The arm dispersed into dust. Yakumo was taken aback. "What? How?" Sayuri grinned and answered by pointing up. All of them looked up, and Yakumo screamed in her voice as the sword split her in two. Naruto covered his face, and he grimaced as his stomach lurched sickeningly.

"How-how can you do this? Just kill without caring?" he asked weakly, "How can anyone do this?"

Sayuri laughed. "I'm a ninja, buddy. A ninja kills and doesn't worry about anything else."

Naruto faced her. "That's not true! A ninja protects those they love and the land they are loyal to! They don't kill in cold blood!"

Sayuri shook her head. "You're so innocent, aren't you? About everything. Killing in cold blood is the thing ninjas are paid to do because some rich bastard needs someone dead. We're mercenaries, plain and simple."

"Ninjas aren't like that! We're more than just thugs, we're upstanding people willing to sacrifice for our village! We are the protectors of peace!"

"A village that could easily sacrifice you without missing a beat and a peace easily shattered by a single word," retorted Sayuri, "Open your eyes, kid, and smell the bloody roses."

"The Leaf Village-,"

"Don't even start on them!" she shouted, "Those old farts are the most ruthless people I know! They threw me in prison and tossed the key after someone forced me to kill my teammates! I was innocent! Innocent!"

Neji snorted derisively. "I doubt that very much. You probably just killed them for the enjoyment of it."

Her face contorted. "There is one thing you don't accuse me of, Hyuuga," she growled, "And that's killing my former teammates!" She howled and ran at them, her face a mask of anger. Neji ducked under a punch, and Naruto lashed out with a kick. Sayuri parried it and sidestepped a strike from Neji. She kicked Naruto in the gut, and he skidded back.

Neji dodged a kick, and he pressed several points along her arm, paralyzing it. Sayuri hissed, and the arm regained function enough to wallop the Hyuuga. He wiped blood from his lip and ducked under a punch. He struck a point on her chest, but Sayuri batted it away. Naruto came back in, and he barraged her with attacks. She kept up and eventually landed a blow on his chest.

A cracking sound was heard, and Naruto gasped in pain. He went to a knee, and Sayuri kicked him away. Naruto bounced along the ground, and he came to rest about ten feet away, a few of his ribs broken. He breathed painfully, ribs mending but slowly, and Sayuri appeared over him. "I've had enough of you!" A sword flashed into her hand, and she was about to come down until Neji stepped in.

"Eight Trigrams: Sixty-Four Palms!"

"Two!"

"Four!"

"Eight!"

"Sixteen!"

"Thirty-two!"

"Sixty-four palms!" After an onslaught of tenketsu strikes, Neji ended the technique with a palm to the gut, winding Sayuri and throwing her away. Neji watched her come down imperiously, and then he looked to Naruto. After a moment, he held out a helping hand. Naruto smiled gratefully and took it. "She can't move for the time being," informed Neji, "Maybe we could-,"

His chest burst in rain of gore and blood, a red, earthen pike piercing him. Sayuri was no longer on the ground, but rather on her throne a few yards away. Naruto watched in horrified disbelief as the pike retreated into the ground, leaving Neji standing for a few long seconds. Neji's expression was one of fear, and he fell forwards into Naruto, his headband falling off and exposing his curse mark. His mouth moved but no sound came out.

Naruto laid him on the ground gently, hands shaking. He couldn't believe it. Neji, the unbeatable, dying before his eyes. The person who tested his patience and temper everyday whose mouth was red with blood. Hands that had beaten him time and time again lying uselessly next to the genius. Neji breathed hoarsely, and he choked out a few words. "Wasn't...good...enough."

"No, you were plenty good, teme," reassured Naruto, "Just the opponent was too good. C'mon, get up and take her on again." Even as he said those words, the blonde knew there was no offhand chance that Neji would live. The pike had hit the spine, heart, and lungs. There never was a chance, just a futile hope. Naruto blinked tearfully, and Neji even had the energy to tease him one last time.

"Don't...cry...you...weakling," said Neji.

"I can't help it!" shouted Naruto, "You're my rival! The one that I test myself against! The one that's my best friend and worst enemy! You're like an annoying, mean older brother I never had!" He wiped away a tear, and Neji gazed at him evenly. "And now you're dying, and there's nothing I can do," said Naruto dejectedly, "I really am a failure."

Neji shook his head weakly, and his voice grew a little stronger. "You were never...a failure, Naruto. I was the failure...the one who couldn't...look past his anger. I'm sorry...for saying those things to you. I...never hated you, Naruto, and...I never could."

Naruto wiped his eyes, and he sat quietly for a few moments. "A-and I'm sorry," he choked out finally, tears flowing back out, "about saying I hate you, too. I can't and never will hate you. Won't even," he hiccuped, "consider it."

Neji smiled and nodded weakly. "Good...now this bird can finally," his breathing grew fainter, "...be free from his cage" the last words were a hoarse whisper, "...Goodbye, Naruto." His eyes darkened, and his chest stopped. Neji let out his final breath, and his head fell to the side, curse mark fading from his skin. Naruto squeezed his eyes shut, holding back a dam of tears, but it broke. He wept, tears falling onto Neji's jacket. Neji was gone, really gone. This couldn't be real, it just couldn't be real. But there he lay, unmoving. The blonde shakily reached and closed Neji's eyes.

"Goodbye to you, too, Neji." He burst into renewed tears, but Sayuri's words cut across his mind.

"That idiot!" laughed Sayuri, "He really thought I was down from those tickles? Such an idiot."

Naruto quieted suddenly, and Neji's dust was carried away by the wind. He stood with his back to her, fists clenched.

"And now look where it's gotten him! He's dead! Dead, dead, all dead!"

"Shut up."

"Aw, is the little boy mad? Are you? Well, I'm sowwy that I killed your fwiend."

"Shut up."

"And I'm so sowwy that your fwiend was so fucking dumb! He thought he could take on me, the goddess? Ha, I feel so elated to have killed him!"

"Shut up."

"You shut up, Blondie! Or I'll kill you just as I killed all of your other friends."

"I said," repeated Naruto slowly, "SHUT UP!" His voice turned wild, and red chakra started to pour forth from his body. "Maybe Neji was dumb. Maybe I am mad. Maybe I die fighting. But there is one thing I'm sure about," Naruto turned and looked Sayuri in the eye. She gasped, stunned. His red, animalistic eyes reflected the pure intent to kill without restriction, to slaughter and enjoy it even more than she. It was like looking in the mirror and the image terrifying the owner. "Is that...Yer gonna DIE!"

Three tails of malevolent chakra sprung forth, and Naruto grinned in a feral fashion. "Yer gonna die, and... You… Can't… KILL ME!" He roared in laughter that echoed in the wasteland.