A/N: Konnichiwa, minna! Long time, no update, ne? Once more, a very heartfelt 'thank you!' to all my loyal readers! You should know full well who you are by now... XD

Just like what happened during my semestral break, over the holiday break, I did everything but work on my fics; family time, y' know? And then, for the week since I went back to school, I couldn't think of anything!

Well, here's Chapter 15, folks! ...uh, Chapter 16 if you count the prologue as the first chapter...

Disclaimer:...right...

Chapter 15: Unexpected Events

"...So that's why they retreated so suddenly."

Neji glanced up, confused. "Pardon?"

Tsunade stood facing the window, her hands on her hips; she was obviously disturbed but trying not to show it. Neji had elected to tell the Hokage of their mission failure upon returning to the Leaf village; Kakashi had lapsed into unconsciousness a few minutes after they started out, and had yet to wake up- a cause for concern for Team Seven, who had never seen their former mentor knocked out after just one hit. Those who were injured - and whom Sakura had been unable to heal as they journeyed home - had been attended to immediately after they passed through the gates; they were probably resting now.

The blonde woman gave a small sigh. "Around half an hour before you and your companions returned, reports came in from the east, west, and north defense lines; all three said the same thing: that the enemy had ceased their attacks, even though they clearly outnumbered our forces. Now I know why..."

"Gomen..."

"There's nothing to apologize for, Neji; you and your teammates did the best you could.

Neji remained silent. He knew, just by reading her body language, that Tsunade blamed herself for not seeing past the facade and spotting the trap underneath. After a few minutes, the raven-haired ANBU member stood up. "I trust there are no further instructions, Hokage-sama."

Tsunade nodded; she still hadn't turned to face him. "Thank you for being prompt in your report, Neji..."

Neji bowed slightly, and then made his way out into the hallway.

When she heard the click, Tsunade shifted her weight from one foot to the other and sighed again. Even though her head was just fine, she massaged her temples with the first two fingers of each hand, as if doing so would prevent a headache from occuring.

So they have Yuriko, and she's still alive...

But...what could they be planning now?

"Something doesn't fit..."

"Did you say something, Sasuke-san?" Rei glanced at the dark-haired young man, who sat less than a foot away from him, to his left. Kai, who sat towards Rei's right, didn't react.

The three were in the hospital, waiting for news on Kakashi's condition. Naruto had grown impatient several minutes earlier and had left to 'grab a bite', as the blonde had said; Takao had elected to leave with him, while Hiromi had offered to accompany Hinata to the Hyuuga compound (perhaps to talk about homemaking skills). Max had not been seen since their arrival, and it was anyone's guess where he was at the moment.

"Haven't you noticed anything?" the Uchiha returned the raven-haired teen's gaze. "According to what we've been told, the Shikino's goal was to eliminate Yuriko's entire clan. That means they plan to kill her."

Rei nodded slowly. He knew that Kai felt responsible, in a way, for Yuriko's kidnapping. That was probably the reason why the Hiwatari heir had been unusually quiet since they arrived in the Leaf. "Go on..."

"If that were the case, then that Eiji character - or any of those other three guys - could have done the job then and there..." Sasuke left the sentence unfinished, allowing the two to come to their own conclusions.

Rei sat up straighter a few seconds later, eyes slightly wider. "But they didn't...which means..."

"They're planning something else now." Sasuke finished, looking grim.

"Kai, did you get that?" Rei asked, turning to glance at his captain "There's still a-" he stopped short and blinked. "Hey, where'd he go?"

Sasuke leaned forward to get a better look, and then, muttering something under his breath, got up quickly.

"S-Sasuke-san?" Rei got up, albeit a little hesitant. "What's wrong?"

The Uchiha didn't reply, motioning instead for the Chinese to sit back down, before taking off down the corridor in what he hoped was the right direction.

That idiot! Sasuke thought as he emerged from the building. A quick glance towards either side affirmed that Kai was no longer in the vicinity. The obsidian-eyed teen sped off once more. He's probably thinking of rescuing Yuriko on his own! But... he added as an afterthought, a tiny smirk crossing his lips. He may have a chance, given how stealthily and quickly he left the hospital just moments ago...

Dammit! Kai cursed silently as he rolled into the bushes, avoiding yet another explosion caused by fuda - pieces of paper on which commands were written, in this case, detonation. Stupid explosions! They're going to give me away at some point... He stood up, brushing the leaves out of his hair and the dust off his clothes. At least I know I'm going in the right direction... Since he'd come across quite a few exploding tags, he knew that the Shikino had probably been here, and didn't want anyone following them.

His fists clenched tight, he breathed in deeply in an attempt to calm himself. The Shikino are planning something else now - at least that's what Sasuke thinks. We could still save Yuriko, and, at the same time, find out what it is they're planning...

"Did you really think you could do this on your own, rookie?"

Kai whirled around, shoulders tense, right hand reaching to his weapons pouch, ready to fling a kunai or two at his opponent. The next second, he relaxed.

"I hate it when that happens," he said, a small smile crossing his face upon seeing that it was Sasuke who had spoken. "Sneaking up on others is usually my specialty..."

The Uchiha arched an eyebrow, slightly amused. "Yet you fail to pick up on others when they sneak up on you? Your training's incomplete, if that's the case; it should be a two-way 'radar', you know."

"I can usually tell if others try to sneak up on me, but this time, I..." the slate-haired teen trailed off, eyes closed, wondering why he hadn't sensed Sasuke's approach. Then he shook his head, as though doing so would clear the self-doubt from his mind. A few seconds later, the firey orbs blinked open, their light dulled but determined. "What are you doing here, Sasuke?" Kai asked, his voice an emotionless monotone.

"You can't take on a reconnaisance by yourself, Kai; by all rights, you're still a genin - a rookie ninja." Sasuke took a step forward, coming out of the bushes he had concealed himself in earlier. "You could get horribly injured, or worse, killed."

Though he hated to admit it, the raven-haired teen had been overjoyed to learn that, despite what he thought, he still had some semblance of a family, and he hated to see his one other relative snatched away so callously. Now, he had to convince Kai to return to Konohagakure and wait - something he, Sasuke, had had to learn, too - or, failing that, accompany him on this rescue and make sure they all got out alive. Being of relatively senior rank, it was his responsibility.

"I've faced death before, Sasuke," Kai said quietly, turning away. "Back in my blading days, I'd refused to acknowledge a friend of mine as worthy competition. He sought power in order to catch my attention, and died because he failed to control it." A deep, shaky breath. "And then, around a year later, I came out of a Beyblade match so badly injured that I spent nearly two months in the hospital; according to my teammates, the surgeons lost me twice on the operating table while trying to repair the internal damage. Despite that, I..." he shrugged.

"That doesn't mean you're going to get lucky this time," Sasuke struggled to keep his voice down.

"But it doesn't mean that I'm going to die, either," Kai returned. "I'm sick of acting only after something horrible befalls those who know me. I avenged my friend's death only after I recieved the news that he had died soon after being admitted to the hospital. I'd left the BBA, only to rejoin it soon after I learned that my prospective team was responsible for another friend's month-long hospitalization."

Suddenly, the tree branch Kai had been holding on to - perhaps to help propel him upwards into the trees - sparked and flamed momentarily, before letting out a groan and crashing to the ground. "This time, I'm going to get Yuriko back before those Shikino rats do anything to her, and before they attack Konoha again."

For a few seconds, Sasuke looked shocked, and then he smiled. "So...you're serious about going after them, after all..."

Kai nodded. "And I'm going whether you like it or not."

"Well, then, go. But..."

Slate brows furrowed slightly. "'But' what?"

Black locked onto red, and Sasuke smirked. "But you're not going alone. Who do you think will serve as a distraction while you grab the girl? You don't even know how to create a clone of yourself!"

Kai smirked back. "Point taken."

"So how is he?" Naruto asked as he and Takao approached Rei. The neko-jin glanced up, a small smile lighting up his features.

"The medic nin said that Kakashi will be fine; he's resting now."

"Thank kami," the blonde ninja heaved a sigh. "I was so worried! I'd never seen Kakashi that badly injured before, so my heart was a set of bongo drums the whole time!"

"'A set of bongo drums'?" Takao looked amused. Naruto shot him a look.

"Well, what else would you call a constant thumping in your chest?"

"Nervousness, of course," the dragon wielder grinned cheekily. Before Naruto could retort, a loud bang echoed through the hall, and then the hurried pit-pat of feet reached their ears.

"Guuuuuuuuuuuys!" Kyouju scampered past the threshold, running pell-mell to where the three were gathered. Rei got up, ready to brace himself for the impact, but the bespectacled teen stopped himself - with more than a little difficulty - just in time. He stood there, panting, one hand braced against his bent knees, the other clutching a sheet of now-crumpled paper.

"What's up, Chief?" Takao asked, sensing the panic in the diminutive teen's voice.

"The Tactics division...sent me to talk to the Hokage...and I just...came from there..." Kyouju gasped. "I thought...you guys had to...know, too..." He took a deep breath, straightening up slowly, then took his glasses off, cleaned them, and put them back on. "A group of hostile forces is headed for Konoha. Scouts had been sent out earlier after the sudden retreat, and they spotted around forty Shikino ninja heading this way."

"Is that such a thing to panic about?" Naruto looked unpurturbed. "The scouts can take care of them, can't they?" Truth to tell, the blonde jinchuuriki found this member of Takao's group to be entertaining, what with his susceptibility to panic.

"There were only three scouts that were sent out to that particular sector, Naruto-san. Three against forty is not an easy fight, and those three will most likely be gravely injured, if not killed..." the Beyblade researcher-turned-budding tactician glanced at the paper he held. "That's not all. Almost all the advance guard are out with injuries, and we can't seem to contact the reserve squads.

"Around twenty-five of the thirty ANBU involved with the earlier fight are still being treated; like the reserve squads, we can't contact the remaining five, and the ANBU who were away on missions and instructed to return are still en route to the village."

The tension of shock hung in the air. "Woah..." Takao half-whispered. Kyouju paid no attention - now that he'd settled into a semblance of calm and professionalism, he didn't want to stop to think about the odds that were against them. He cleared his throat and went on.

"The scouts also spotted Kai and Sasuke; those two are on a collision course, so to speak, with the enemy and they don't know it!"

Rei frowned. "Didn't the scouts tell them what was happening?"

Kyouju shook his head. "Apparently, telling them was too risky; any of the three scouts could have been spotted or sensed using their chakra signatures, thus alerting the Shikino to the presence of enemy ninja. Not only would the scout group be at risk, but so would Kai and Sasuke."

"Well, someone has to tell them," Rei reasoned. "Otherwise, they're still almost good as dead!"

"I'll try to see who I can find," the bespectacled teen said. "The three of you have just returned from a mission, and it's mandatory that you get adequate rest," he continued, accurately reading his friends' intentions.

Rei flopped back down on the bench, blowing a few stray strands out of his amber eyes. "Well...just hurry. We can't afford to lose even two ninja now, what with the majority either killed, injured, or mysteriously vanished..."

Kyouju nodded, pressing the 'talk' button on his headset radio. "Tactics?" he spoke quietly into the small microphone. "Kyouju here. As regards the recent sighting..."

"Hang on." Sasuke reached out swiftly, grabbing Kai by the shoulder. Kai turned, glancing at Sasuke out of the corner of his eye, tuning in to the caution in his companion's voice. He allowed himself to be dragged gently backwards for around half a meter before the Uchiha pulled him down into a crouch behind a very large, leafy bush.

"What is it?" he asked after a few moments, keeping his voice barely above a whisper.

The Sharingan had been activated, the blood-red contrasting with the stark black of Sasuke's hair and the paleness of his skin. "Ninja. Hostile ones. You were about to step right into the range of fire, Kai."

The slate-haired teen kept silent, thankful for agreeing to Sasuke's accompanying him, at the same time miffed that he had failed once more to sense a presence, especially since this was the enemy they were dealing with this time and not childish pranksters sneaking up on their victims. Next to Sasuke, he was an amateur, and he did not like admitting that, even if it was only to himself.

"How many are there?" he asked a few moments later. In the silence, he had struggled with the tendrils of jealousy and had finally managed to beat them down, shutting them away where they couldn't interfere with any improvement he might make soon.

"Around forty," Sasuke replied, frowning. "I also sensed three allied units to Konoha, but they left fairly quickly."

Kai gave a small smile; now these he had been able to sense, but had spared no thought to them. "Probably to make a quick report; apparently, these Shikino are headed towards the village."

"You got that right..." Sasuke muttered, using the Sharingan to track the enemy's movements. "We have around thirty minutes before they reach the city wall. If we hurry, we can either get back to Konoha and confirm the sighting so proper action can be made..."

"Or take as many of them out as quickly as we can," the crimson-eyed teen finished, reading his cousin's eyes.

"I always liked a good challenge," Sasuke smirked, reaching up to tighten his forehead protector. Kai did likewise - he wore his around his forehead, too, but it was obscured by his slate-gray bangs - and then adjusted his gloves. The Uchiha noticed this.

"You seem to favor gloves," he commented. "Those are the same pair you were wearing when we first fought, back when we didn't know each other."

Kai nodded, reaching into his pouch to see how many weapons he had on hand. "They grew on me after I started using them around three years ago." He fished out his wallet, removed a few wallet-size photographs. These he handed to Sasuke. "The first photo was from four years ago, when my teammates and I first became a team. The second one is from a year later, and the last is from the most recent tournament we came out of. Of course it's been three years, so I can't exactly call it 'recent'..."

"You have a penchant for the...eclectic," Sasuke noted, glancing up briefly from the first photo, where Kai was still wearing his red armguards. "It suits you, though, and I can see what you mean. You ditched the armbands for gloves, which you still wear. But the armbands looked more intimidating."

"It became too obvious after a while," Kai said, preparing to step out of the bush and move closer to the Shikino. "The red armbands were something of a self-handicap..."

"That part I know of," the Uchiha replied, returning the photos so Kai could replace his wallet in his trouser pocket. "I saw how Yuriko had difficulty in lifting your scarf from the ground while you did it with only one hand. You always give yourself a handicap in battles?"

"It hides my true strength until it's too late..." Kai said quietly, moving over to a tree. "I believe I'll create a barrier for our guests, just to see if they can be shaken up a little..."

"Isn't a fireball a bit-" Sasuke began, but quickly trailed off when Kai punched the trunk of the giant pine.

A small, cracking sound was heard, along with a bit of a groan as the wood on the other side gave way to the sudden weight. Slowly, the pine tree toppled, felling another tree on its way down. A few moments later, loud whinnies - some of the Shikino ninja were riding horses - and baffled shouts reached their ears. The two gigantic trees had blocked the narrow path, and with the size of the troop, the dark ninja would have a hell of a time getting around the roadblock.

Sasuke glanced at his companion, an eyebrow arched questioningly. Kai shrugged.

"I guess I've gotten stronger."

"That's always an advantage, as long as it doesn't hamper your agility," Sasuke agreed, hiding his surprise. He hopped up onto a nearby tree branch. "Ready?"

Kai nodded, crouching behind another bush, this one nearer to their target. "Hopefully they have Yuriko with them so we kill two birds with one stone; otherwise, we beat the information out of them."

A second later, Sasuke leapt off the branch, propelling himself through the air to land on another branch on the other side of the Shikino group.

A ground offense, and an aerial offense... Kai noted. And from opposite sides, too... He trained his gaze on where he saw Sasuke land, hoping that his diluted Sharingan ability would be able to spot a signal from this distance.

A flash of steel, and then a strangled cry from one of the Shikino. From the slight gurgle in the sound, Kai guessed the carotid artery or the trachea had been hit. He took this as a sign to launch his offensive, too. Carefully, he slid out several shuriken in one hand, three kunai in the other, and took careful aim.

Thk, thk, thk! went the shuriken as they embedded themselves in three different locations on one man. Down he went, rashly tearing out the weapon that had buried itself deep in his throat. A fatal mistake. Frantic gurgling as the enemy nin gasped for air, and when it did not come, he coughed, effectively wrenching in half his severed windpipe. He was gone in mere seconds.

Kai spotted the movement in the trees, and knew instinctively that Sasuke had changed moved downwards and a few feet to the left; the slate-haired teen, deducing what he must do, moved up into the trees and a few feet to his left. Changing their positions, he recalled, would confuse the enemy, if only for a few minutes. They would in the spot where the projectiles had come from, but by that time, at least two more would have been struck down.

He and Sasuke repeated the movements - striking down an opponent each, and then alternating their positions - three more times. Only thirty-two ninja left to deal with, Kai thought, a smirk curving his mouth, and it's only been two minutes... He moved to change his position once more, as he saw movement in the trees indicating that Sasuke was doing the same.

And then, the blinding flash of flame, a great fireball, scorching the trees where the Uchiha had been hiding.

Did they- Kai thought, frantic for a moment. And then, he relaxed when he realized that the fireball had come from Sasuke and not towards him. The slate-haired teen decided to help out a bit by launching an elemental attack from his end as well.

Suddenly...

"Suiton!" A voice suddenly sliced through the chill night air, stopping Kai in the midst of his chakra molding as though he had had been doused with an entire gallon of ice-cold water. "Baku Suiryuu Ha no Jutsu!"

Crimson orbs widened when he heard and saw the attack. A great wave of water, glistening pale blue in the moonlight, bursting from what looked like a small wooden room on a raised platform. The liquid seemed almost unreal, shining gently even as it followed an invisible, lethal path. A water-user! the slate-haired teen thought. But... he reflected, frowning thoughtfully. Only Max knows that attack, Bursting Water Dragon Wave...That is, only Max and...

His thoughts cut short as realization struck.

No...

Forgetting all caution and abandoning the need to stay hidden, giving in instead to the urge to disprove the conclusion he'd come to and dispel the doubts beginning to gather in his mind, he rushed forward. Sparing no thought to the Shikino ninja that blocked his path, he slashed mindlessly, felling them.

There! he thought, spotting the carriage from which he knew the water attack had emanated. He was only vaguely aware of Sasuke shouting at him - there was no need to keep quiet now - as he stared, openmouthed, at the opening that had been carved out of the darkened, water-stained wood.

"No..."

"Looks like we didn't get our 'mandatory rest' after all..." Takao remarked, swatting a small, leafy branch out of his way as he leapt from one giant branch to another.

"Well, there was no one else available, apparently," Rei returned. "And we were the only ones close enough to the projected point of entry, so what else could they do?" He stumbled momentarily on a rather thick vine that had entwined itself so completely on the branch that it was almost one with it, but because of his almost feline heritage, the neko-jin caught himself quickly and had jumped onto a new, relatively smooth branch within seconds.

"It's just a shame that we had to leave so quickly," Max said. "Just when I'd gotten the movements required for a higher-level Hakkeshou Kaiten..."

"You mean you were at the Hyuuga compound the whole time?"

Max nodded. "I met up with Neji soon after he left the Hokage's tower and asked him if he wasn't too tired to help me with my defense. Well, he said he wasn't, so..."

"You must have missed that, huh, Max?" Rei asked, giving the blonde a small smile. "Playing defense while we took care of offense."

Another nod. "A good offense is often a good defense."

"But at least you know you can pull off offense, too..." Takao commented, referring to the ninjutsu techniques his friend had learned in the short time they had been in Konoha.

"Yup! Now I guess I'm not so one-sided..."

"Heads up, guys," Naruto interrupted. "We're nearing the point where the Shikino were last sighted; we have to slow down and keep sound to a minimum."

"Roger that,"

All of a sudden...

"Suiton: Baku Suiryuu Ha no Jutsu!" And then a burst of pale blue light from ten meters off.

"Max, isn't that one of your techniques?" Naruto turned quickly to the other blonde, who looked just as shocked as he probably did. Max nodded slowly.

"Yeah, but I'm the only one of two people who know that technique."

"Who's the other one?"

"The one who helped us work out a 'human' version of our bit beast's attacks," Takao replied for the blue-eyed teen. "It's Yu-"

The three members of Team BBA stopped short, glancing at one another, afraid to hope, yet hoping that they'd found their friends.

"Do you think-?" Takao began, the hint of a smile showing on his pleasantly rounded face.

"It's gotta be!" Max said, grinning widely for what seemed the first time in a two weeks; he'd been so focused on training, so paranoid of the impending attack, he barely found the time to smile. Now, there was a sign, a chance that everything was not going against him and his friends.

"But if she's fired it off, then..." Rei interrupted, looking thoughtful.

The same thought struck all four, and, without another word, they all sped off into the trees once more, running full tilt towards the arew where the light had been seen.

Three against forty is not an easy fight, and those three will most likely be gravely injured, if not killed... Kyouju's words ran through Rei's mind. One glance told the neko-jin that Takao was thinking the same thing. The amber-eyed teen grit his teeth, fearing for his three friends.

The forest, like its name, remained still as death for what seemed a long time after the sudden interruption to the silence, adding all the more to the urgency the four teens felt as they hurtled onwards. Towards what, they couldn't be sure, but they kept up the pace, picking up speed as they rushed through the looming, greenish darkness of the trees.

A/N: Such a sucky ending! And I'm waaaaaay to obvious...I'm so dumb like that...

One reader pointed out that most of my chapters end with a line spoken or thought by a random character (Rei, Kai, Yuriko, Kakashi, etc). So, I thought I'd end the chapter differently for a change...but it's still sooooo sucky...

And I'm not sure if anyone noticed, but I edited the part towards the end, where Takao and Company rush off to help Kai and Sasuke. I made a small error... oops!

Anyway, please let me know what you think! I'll work really hard this week in order to try and update this fic next week as scheduled.

Dewa mata! Peace out and God bless!