A/N: Whoa! Another chapter?! Insane? Probably... I won't keep you guys from the story for too long. Well, here ya go!

Disclaimer: ...do I really have to?

Chapter 13: By Moonlit Sky Thou Shall Find...

Nighttime. All the village was quiet and resting, dreaming of the good day they'd had, and the promise of the new day when they awoke. The sky seemed to shimmer, a smooth, velvet black canvas, completely blank but for the pale moon painted low on its surface, casting a gentle, silver light over the Village of the Leaf. The light crept in through cracks and crevasses and windows - maybe holes in the ceiling - brightening some objects and throwing others into deep shadow. The young rays - for the moon had just risen - leapt and chased after one another, hiding behind the occasional cloud bank that chose to wander by. The wind joined in the game, whispering excitedly as it danced and sang through the reeds and treetops. The fireflies - and other tiny insects - were witness to this moonlight game, and they flashed their tiny lights in concert with the wind's tune.

One mischievous ray of moonlight stole away from the group and found its way into the Uchihara manor. Thinking it harmless, it chose to shine on a random sleeping teen's face. Bothered by the sudden brightness, Takao mumbled incoherently and turned on his futon, facing away from the window that caused him disturbance. Almost at once, he settled back down and almost returned to the dreamland, where a great feast had last been prepared for him...

Clunk!

"Ow!" Takao sat up, wide awake now, rubbing his head. A few feet from the padded mattress lay a sizable book. It was Kyouju's, and it had been sitting on the nearby table in this particular guest room. Glancing up and spotting a familiar silhouette, he deduced what must have happened and grumbled. "Max, could you be a little more careful?"

"Sorry!" Max said, sounding hurried. Takao rubbed his eyes, and then reached for the light. A soft click, and the room brightened. The dark blue-haired teen noticed that his friend had a dark green shirt on and was in the process of donning the Konoha hitai-ate, but still wore his pajama bottoms.

"Max? Why are you dressing?"

The blonde opened his mouth to speak, but was interrupted by the door sliding open noisily.

"I thought the instructions were clear!" Hiromi hissed loudly. "No lights!" She reached up, and the room descended into darkness once more.

"H-hang on!" Takao stumbled to his feet, tripping more than once over his rumpled blanket. "Hiromi, what's happening?" He caught her arm and found that the ruby-eyed girl was clad in a kimono-top with slightly flared sleeves, a detail he'd missed in the seconds between her entrance into the room and when she flicked off the lights.

"Max, you didn't tell him?"

Takao could almost see the blonde shaking his head apologetically. "I'm sorry, Hiromi; I-I was such in a hurry to get dressed that I guess I forgot..."

A heavy sigh, and then Hiromi pulled Takao closer. "Look, we just recieved word from Yuriko that the Shikino have started moving. Kai left a few minutes ago with Rei and Yuriko, but he said that we were to prepare to go out and help. The Hokage doesn't want any lights on in the entire village, except for the places that are usually lit at night, so the Shikino don't know that we're on to them. However, they're surrounding the village even as we speak!"

"Wh-what?!" The stormy-eyed teen was aghast. "So soon? It's only been three weeks since we started training intensively! We're not yet ready!"

"Regardless, Takao-san, we must go..." Yuriko's quiet voice interrupted.

"Yuriko!" Hiromi let go of Takao's arm and went over to the girl. "Why are you here? Did something happen? I thought you were at the front line of defense on the other side of the village, where the main gates are."

A small smile, and the auburn-haired teen laid a gentle hand on the other's shoulder. "Nothing happened, Hiromi-san, but my orders have been changed."

"Your orders were changed? How do you mean?" Max asked, finally emerging from the room. He looked wide-awake and alert. Already he clutched a kunai in one hand, lending to his battle-ready aura. He looked confident, and had every right to. He'd managed to master the Hakkeshou Kaiten just two days ago, never mind that it was of lower level than his cousin Neji's; it would be effective, nonetheless.

"The Hokage wants me to help lead a team into the powerhouse of the Shikino forces. That would be to the southern sector of Konohagakure-"

" - Through the woods at the rear of this property." Hiromi realized. Takao's eyes widened.

"That's too close for my liking..." he commented, shuddering inwardly at the possibility of having been murdered in his sleep.

"In any case, Takao, you'd better get dressed, too." Yuriko continued. It sounded like a request, but her tone of voice indicated a command; Takao had no choice but to turn and go back into the room to fetch his clothes and weapons.

"Oh, and here," the amethyst-eyed girl added, placing a small scroll into Max's hand. "This scroll contains orders for all three of you. Kai and Rei have already recieved theirs, and Kyouju is with Shikamaru, working on back-up strategem, in case my mission doesn't go as planned." With that, Yuriko turned quickly on her heel and strode down the hall, back towards the front door.

Max and Hiromi just stood staring after her disappearing figure until it was gone from their sight completely, rather surprised by their behavior.

"She seems more edgy than usual..." Hiromi noted, sounding more than a little puzzled.

"Yeah..." Max nodded. "I wonder why..."

"Okay, guys! I'm ready!" Takao exclaimed rather loudly as he stepped into the hallway.

"Hush!" Hiromi berated. "I swear, Takao, your voice could wake an entire village if you wanted to!"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever, Hiromi," the blue-haired teen said, waving her comment away. "Let's just get - hey! What's with the scroll thing?"

"Huh?" For a moment, Max looked confused, and then remembered that he hadn't opened the scroll Yuriko had given him earlier. "Oh, yeah! Come closer, Takao; the orders in here are for all three of us."

"'Kay."

Slowly, the blue-eyed teen undid the thin rope holding the scroll closed, and then unrolled it a few inches, watching the message unfold bit by bit. By the time they reached the end, it was clear why Yuriko had been on edge.

"No...way..."

"All right..." Kakashi began, tucking the small, orange book - which he carried everywhere - back into his pocket. "Is everyone here now?"

"All units present, Kakashi-san," Yuriko spoke up from beside him. She looked very somber in her black shirt and dark olive green flak jacket. She wore fingerless gloves on her hands, and, in addition to the weapons pouch she carried, a wazikashi dangled from her hip. This last one was the traditiona short sword, usually used for ritual suicide. Tonight, though, circumstances were different, and its role was to be different than the norm; it would take no one's life but the enemy's.

Kai glanced up when he heard how cold and mechanical Yuriko's voice sounded. He wasn't used to that! Talk about a personality change... He adjusted his black fingerless gloves so that they fit more comfortably, and then fingered the dark piece of cloth he'd worn around his neck instead of his customary white scarf. It wouldn't do for your clothing to give away your position, especially given the situation they were facing. Out of boredom, he noted who else had gathered in the clearing

Standing in a rough circle around Kakashi and Yuriko were Sasuke, Naruto, Sakura, Neji, and Hinata. They would be the 'main squad' for Mission: Take Down.

Takao, Max, Rei, Kai, and Hiromi had received the same orders: accompany and assist the mission squad, and act as back-up should things go wrong. The members of Team BBA were spread out across the small clearing, still within hearing range, but it was understood that the mission had begun the minute they'd set foot in the forest that night. Their first task was clear: act as look-outs while battle strategy was discussed; information would be disseminated to them as soon as the plans had been laid out.

Awww, man... Takao groaned inwardly, fingering the handle of his kunai as he leaned against the steadily-rotting pine tree trunk. This is just so wrong! We're definitely not ready...

A few feet away from him, to the right, stood Max, his hands in his pockets - a nervous gesture, in this case - looking unsettled as he tried to concentrate, to no avail. The dark blue-haired teen knew that Rei was up in a tree somewhere to his left - maybe further than he thought - keeping watch from above; this would give them the advantage if the Shikino decided to move towards this general area. And across from him stood Hiromi, naginata in hand.

At length, Yuriko gave a signal, telling everyone to move closer. Takao pocketed the knife and joined the group, sighing inwardly.

"All right, listen up," Kakashi began. He crouched down, forcing everyone else to hunch closer in order to hear him. "Our principal targets are Shinichi and Shinji. These two are the puppeteers behind this whole mess, so we have to take them out. The secondary targets are Eiji and Keitaro, the two most powerful ninja in the Shikino clan."

"Eiji and Keitaro?" Takao exclaimed upon hearing their names. "Yuriko, aren't they the two who-"

"Yes, Takao, they are, indeed, the same people," Yuriko replied, the harsh tone of her voice startling the stormy-eyed teen. "Please, keep your voice down; if our positions were to be given away..."

Takao nodded, understanding the amethyst-eyed teen's unspoken message. Yuriko gestured to her former mentor, indicating that he continue.

"By taking these four down, we reduce the number of dangerous adversaries the other Konoha ninja must guard against. Since this sector of the village is hard to get to, defense troops may not get here in time. It's our job to give buy them enough time to do so, at the same time lessening the risks they must take."

There was no hint of playfulness in Kakashi's voice now; the scenario was all too familiar for him. "The best way to avoid detection as we near the targets is to split up into small groups of two, at the very least, all the way up to four at the very most," he went on, adjusting his forehead protector. "Once within attack range, Yuriko and I will carry out the assassination part of this mission; another group of two to three people will serve as our back-up, while the rest of you will take out the, shall I say...external units, to minimize risk of discovery."

As-assassination? Max's eyes widened as he realized what was being asked of them. No way! He glanced at Yuriko, more than a little shocked. Yuriko could never kill anyone, even with that...bloodline thingy of hers...

"We estimate that, given our advantage of surprise, the assassination group should be in and out within twelve minutes. Five, if the targets are caught completely off-guard." Yuriko was saying. "Listen on your radios for the signal either of us will give. If twelve to fifteen minutes have passed and the signal hasn't been given, then..." Yuriko glanced at each of the members of Team BBA, so new to her world yet so willing to help, and was instantly sorry for bringing them into this. She took a deep breath and began again. "...Then, that's your sign to follow us in and finish the job. Afterwards, fall back and return to the village. Don't trouble yourselves with searching for us; in this situation, we either make it, or we don't. There are no in-between options. Does everyone understand?"

One by one, they nodded, slowly coming to terms with the weight of the mission handed them. Failure on their part - along with possible loss of life, heaven forbid - would mean the Shikino's chances of victory would increase drastically, and this could not be allowed.

Hinata bit her lip, suddenly nervous. Yes, she had grown up quite a bit through the years, but that didn't stop her from falling into self-doubt once in a while; she was still, she thought, at a lower level compared to Neji, so it was a bit of a surprise that she had been chosen for such an important mission. Then, she felt a warm, gentle hand on her shoulder, and glanced up.

It was Naruto.

"Hinata, don't be so worried," he said by way of assurance, grinning that cocky grin he'd had since childhood. "It'll go great, you'll see. And don't you think being chosen for the mission is a sign of Tsunade-babaa's faith in your abilities?"

The pale-eyed girl blushed slightly, falling back on her reflexes from when she was young. "Um...uh...I-I guess...y-you're right, Naruto-kun..."

The blue-eyed teen's hand moved until he was holding her pale hand in his, and he gave it a small squeeze. "Why don't you be part of my group? I know I'm a bit low on defense, so I might need your help at some point..."

"A fine suggestion, Naruto," Kakashi interrupted suddenly, the laid-back attitude suddenly returning. Naruto's eyes widened, and Hinata gave a small gasp and reddened a bit more. She and Naruto had been seen holding hands -!

"Before we set out, perhaps the groups should be decided. All groups make sure that you have a good defense as well as offense; the Hokage stressed that retaining one hundred percent manpower would be one of our priorities."

Murmurs broke out as the group, except Kakashi and Yuriko, began discussing the best distribution. Several minutes passed before they reached a decision.

"So Sasuke and Kai will form one two-man team," Kakashi began after seeing how they'd grouped themselves, "Naruto, Takao, Hinata, and Hiromi a four-man team; and Sakura, Rei, Max, and Neji, another four-man team. Are you sure this is the formation you want to head out in?" The silver-haired Jounin fixed his gaze on the Uchiha and his companion. "Sasuke, Kai, are you okay with this arrangement? There are only two of you, and-"

"We can take care of ourselves, Kakashi," Sasuke answered abruptly. Kai kept quiet, but his eyes conveyed the same message.

"All right, then...We'll head deeper into the forest now. Remember, stick with your teammates and keep a distance of fifteen meters - around fifty feet - from the other teams. When you're around ten meters into the forest, stop and wait for the sound check that will also serve as an info lay-out; you'll know how far away each team is from the other, and Yuriko or I will contact you with details on the proximity of the targets - depending on who spots 'em first - and an estimate on the 'entourage'. Got it?"

"Hai!"

"All teams, spread out!"

One by one, the young ninja leapt into the surrounding trees, moving southward and using the quarter moon as their guide. Yuriko and Kakashi stayed behind, if only for a few moments.

"Yuriko..." Kakashi began, adjusting his weapons pouch while the younger ninja adjusted the ropes that held the wazikashi at her side. "You don't have to do this, you know..."

"Unfortunately, Kakashi-san," Yuriko glanced at her teacher, grim smile on her face. "I'm the only one who can."

What's taking so long? Kai wondered as he played with a kunai, trying to balance the knife tip on the tip his finger without injuring himself. Sasuke, clad in an all-black outfit and dark gray arm bands, crouched on one of the lower branches. The Uchiha's eyes burned crimson now as he cast quick glances about, straining to catch any sign that an enemy was close.

The slate-haired teen ran a hand through his bangs, exhaling heavily. He hated being restless; he thought it proved him of weak character. In an effort to expel some of his tension and boredom, he pocketed the knife, performed a few seals in rapid succession, and then held out a hand. Slowly, a small fireball, no bigger than a large ping-pong ball, took shape, throwing his face into high relief and deep shadow.

Then...

Ksh-kshk!

Kai reached up two fingers and pressed the tiny phone a bit more into his ear so he could hear better.

"Teams, what are your positions?"

Sasuke pressed the small switch hanging from a wire attached to his collar and spoke. "Sasuke here. Kai and I are around ten meters from the origin, approximately thirty degrees northeast, Kakashi."

"Twelve meters from origin, forty-five degrees southeast," Neji's voice came next over the radio.

"Naruto, Hinata, what's your team's position?" Yuriko pressed when nothing was heard from this last team.

"We...we don't know yet, Yuriko-san..." Naruto answered hesitantly after a few more moments.

"We're still trying to estimate how far we've come, in what direction..." Takao continued, sounding sheepish.

"N-Naruto-kun..."

"What is it, Hinata?"

"Um...I, uh... think we're around nine meters into the forest, ten degrees northwest..."

"Thank you, Hinata," Kakashi replied. "Yuriko, your position."

She's out there alone! Kai realized, crimson eyes widening. Dammit...Whose idea is it to send a girl out on her own?!

"Twenty meters from exit point, twelve degrees south, Kakashi-san," Yuriko replied.

"All right. Moving south, currently forty-five degrees northwest from you, Yuriko. Any sign of the target?"

"None yet, Kakashi, looks like - oh, wait..."

For a few minutes, the static rang in Kai's ear as he waited tensely for Yuriko to speak. Finally, the radio crackled to life again, and the crimson-eyed teen could feel himself exhaling with relief at the sound of her voice.

"I've just avoided detection by the advance scout," she reported. "That means the target can't be far behind."

"How many?" Kakashi pressed, meaning how many scouts had been sent.

"Five. I'm going after one now; it lessens the chances that I'll be spotted at some point.. Sasuke, Kai, heads up; two are headed your way. Same goes for your group, Naruto. Looks like they've split up."

"Just to confirm: no one's moved from their position?" Kakashi asked, his question directed at the different teams.

"Affirmative, Kakashi; maintaining position."

"Awaiting orders," Neji added.

"Ditto." That was Naruto.

"Excellent!" Kakashi sounded pleased. "Yuriko, I'm nearing your previous position. Everyone else, if you spot the scouts Yuriko mentioned, take them out quickly and silently."

"Wakatta,"

"Hai." Sasuke took his finger of the switch, and then glanced at Kai. "You heard that?"

"Two advance scouts coming our way; take them down and out. Fast."

The Uchiha nodded, giving a small smile. He hadn't participated in any other major missions before this, and he'd missed the adrenalin rush he felt whenever he did. It felt good to be back in the game.

"Let's roll."

"Well, that takes care of 'em," Naruto said, brushing his palms off. "Not too hard, really..."

"Uh-huh..." Hiromi rolled her eyes good-naturedly as she retrieved her the bladed end of her modified manrikigusari. "If I recall correctly, you wouldn't be here right now if Hinata hadn't sensed that one attack and saved your sorry butt." The ruby-eyed girl turned to her female teammate. "Great reflexes, Hinata! You saved us back there."

The pale-eyed Hyuuga, whose short blue-black hair had now grown out, blushed. "Um...thanks. It...it was n-nothing, really."

"There's no need to be so shy, you know..." Hiromi, looped an arm around the girl's shoulder.

"Uh...Kakashi, Yuriko, our area is...secured," Takao said, speaking into the radio, though he was unsure of how to phrase his 'report'. "Both scouts are down, and rest assured that neither of them will be getting up."

"Good work, guys." Yuriko said by way of congratulating them. "Now, we just have to-"

"Yuriko, external targets have been neutralized," Kai's voice suddenly came on.

"Great! That's five less ninja to worry about," the amethyst-eyed teen sounded genuinely pleased that so far, everything was going smoothly. "Anyway, Kakashi-san and I have just sighted the targets and their companions. Aside from the four targets..." she paused, probably to get re-estimate, but her companion beat her to it.

"I'd say there are around two hundred men uh...escorting them," Kakashi said, saving Yuriko the trouble.

"Did he say two hundred?!" Takao mouthed to his companions. All three nodded; they, of course, had heard.

"Proximity?" Neji asked, straight to the point as always.

"External units are scattered in a fan-shaped formation, all heading south. Around twenty meters directly north from our current position."

"Kai, Sasuke, adjust your position." Kakashi came back on the line and began to give instructions.

"Specifics?"

"Around forty degrees northeast, then begin travelling in that direction for...around twelve minutes. That should take you to seven meters from the target."

"Wakarimasu."

"Neji, adjust position by seventy degrees northeast; Naruto, ten degrees adjustment, same direction. We'll all rendezvouz with Kai and Sasuke - they're closer, so they'll arrive first at rendezvouz point - and then discuss tactics."

"Roger that,"

"Hai!"

"Is the plan clear?" Kakashi glanced up from the picture he'd carved into the thick, moss-covered branch. For the past ten minutes after the Shikino forces had set up camp, the group of twelve had been going over idea after idea, finally finding one that suited them. From there, they'd formulated a plan of attack, and a back-up should the first one fail.

Naruto nodded, the laid-back, happy-go-lucky expression wiped clean from his face. Neji sat beside him, mouth set in a grim line. He was used to danger, having been recruited into the ANBU around a year ago, but dealing with two hundred ninja was no easy feat, even for a 'genius'. Also, one couldn't help remembering that he and his companions were only teens, and their foes were at least twice as old as they.

On Naruto's other side crouched Sasuke, crimson orbs aglow He'd listened to the plan as Kakashi outlined it for all of them, but he kept his gaze on the throng of dark ninja, trying to make out what would be the best point of entry for them. The hairs at his nape were standing on end, chilled by the sheer amount of evil intent emanating from them, made detectable all the more because of his short stint with another evil entity. He knew what dark energy felt like, having harbored it inside him at one time. Thank goodness he'd locked it away now, but he didn't know for how long...

"Naruto, Neji," the masked Jounin went on, catching and holding the two teens' gazes now. "Since both of you are more or less the most experienced in you respective teams, I want each of you to lead them."

Neji nodded in agreement, but Naruto looked very shocked indeed.

"M-me?!"

Kakashi smiled beneath his mask. "I figure it will be good training for you, so you'll learn how to form a strategy of your own instead of relying on brute strength or ability all the time." The silver-haired man turned to the other Hyuuga beside him. "Hinata."

"Y-yes?"

"I want you to be Naruto's second,"

"Ka...Kakashi-san?"

Another smile. "I want you to be the second-in-command for your team. In the event that Naruto falls into enemy hands or is unable to continue his duties for any reason, you will take over."

Pale, lavender orbs widened, and then a small smile lit up the girl's face. "Hai! I'll do my very best!" Determination and happiness mixed inside her, for having been given that position; Hinata knew she couldn't betray that trust.

"Sakura, I want you to be Neji's second."

"Got it!"

"Sasuke, Kai, you two watch each other's backs."

The slate-haired teen nodded, brows slightly furrowed. The Uchiha said nothing, but the look on his face was answer enough.

"I'm sure Yuriko explained fully the implications of the diagram each ninja wears on their sleeve," Kakashi went on, standing up now and gazing at the camp they were about to infiltrate - and utterly destroy, if possible. Unmasked, all looked the same: dark hair, darker eyes. "Each of them was trained to and will kill, be it man, woman, child, elderly, sickly."

"That's why we need the advantage of surprise," Yuriko added. "Now that they've set camp, even for just a few hours, it makes it that much harder to catch them off-guard."

"Kakashi, I believe the best course would be to attack from the rear," Sasuke suddenly spoke up, having finished observing the black nins. "The men there are most probably the weakest of the lot, having been placed at the back."

"Sasuke's right," Neji piped up, activating his Byakugan to confirm what the Uchiha had said. "Their chakra signatures are not that strong, indicating possible weakness, and there are only around fifty of them. If we move fast enough and hit hard, we should be able to take them out easily, surprising the other one hundred and fifty retainers that are left."

"Hmm..." The masked ninja looked thoughtful, and then turned his gaze towards the Shikino encampment. "That makes sense, and it fits perfectly into the plan...All right, we enter from the rear of their formation, working our way to the front. Remember: work as quickly and as stealthily as possible. Help each other as well; if you see or sense a threat to a teammate, act on it immediately. Let's try to make it so no one has to worry about themselves because the others are doing the worrying, all right?"

Murmurs of agreement, and then everyone stood up.

"Mission: Take Down, commence!"

A/N: I have NO idea what's wrong with me. Those military terms - if they are, indeed, inspired by the military - came out on their own! I swear! I hope you didn't have a hard time 'deciphering' this. So, you all know what to do, right?

Peace out and God bless! ...oh, and there's another chapter waiting for all of you. Hehe...yes, I'm an insane updater...