Yeah, bit of a writer's block here... So don't mind the time gap between chapters... Sorry! -.O

"We have only one lead on the Akatsuki's whereabouts," Tsunade said, swilling the sake around in the saucer.

"Well? Give it to me." Anko seemed quite eager to find Kankuro. It worried Tsunade. She was almost too eager.

"Here," the Hokage handed Anko a folder. "This has all of the information we have on the Akatsuki and the files of your new team as well."

"Thank you."

"Anko."

"Yeah?"

"Be careful. Remember, as it stands, your mission is recon. Just recon. Your team has been chosen because that's what they do. So only engage in direct battle as a last resort."

"Hai." Anko saluted and walked out of the room. Tsunade sighed.

"Maybe this wasn't such a good idea," she muttered, taking a sip of sake.

"All right, maggots!" Once again, three out of four snapped to attention. "We're heading out today! Get your asses in gear!"

"Yes ma'am!" Zen and Haya exclaimed. Sumi nodded.

"Fine," Hisoki said, flipping his hair.

"Are we going to have a problem, Jiuma?"

"No, ma'am." He responded sarcastically.

"The… Nine-tailed?" Kankuro said, and for once, uncertainty hung in his voice.

"Is there a problem?" Itachi asked, turning to him.

"No." He said, and then coughed a few times.

"Aw, he's missing his buddy, the Kyuubi," Deidara cooed. The next second, he was being held against the wall by his collar.

"Don't think for a second that my loyalty lies anywhere other than here."

"All… All right, no need to get violent… Yeah. Unless of course you want me to activate the-"

"That line, again?" Kankuro sneered at the blonde man. He let him drop to the floor.

"Can we please get on with it?" Yasuo said, impatiently.

"Yeah, you guys can get intimate later." Tobi added, chuckling. Kankuro rounded on him, but was stopped by Kisame's sword.

"Enough with the fighting. You all have your missions, get on them."

"Hai." The four men disappeared in a cloud of smoke, Kankuro glaring at Tobi and Deidara.

"Kisame, we should get on our mission, too," Itachi said.

"True, Itachi. Let's go." They, too, vanished.

"So tell me," Anko said, jumping from branch to branch, "What made the Hokage pick you for this mission?"

"She picked me because of my special summoning jutsu," Hisoki replied.

"She picked me because… Um…" Zen stumbled on a large piece of bark sticking out from a tree.

"Because you have experience with the Akatsuki," Anko finished his sentence.

"I was picked because of my superb intelligence-gathering skills," Haya said, helping Zen up, "And Sumi was picked because she also has experience with the Akatsuki." The blue-haired girl nodded.

"And you?" Hisoki asked Anko. "Why were you chosen to lead this mission?"

"Because… because I was best suited for it," Anko replied.

"You don't know why?" Haya asked.

"Of course I do! No more talking!" She commanded. Hisoki smirked.

"Naruto," Kankuro said, passing him what was most likely his tenth bowl of ramen, "You know that you're probably the only person who's nice to me?"

"Really?" Naruto turned around in his stool, grabbing the bowl.

"Yeah, besides Gaara, I guess. But he's my brother, so that doesn't really count."

"Why is that, 'ttebayo?"

"I dunno… Most people seem to think that I'm a jerk."

"Well, I remember the first time I met you, I thought you were a huge jerk!"

"…I just hate runts is all…"

"Whatever, dattebayo. Point is, I'm your only friend?"

"If you want to put it that way," he growled.

"Well, that's just fine with me, 'ttebayo."

Naruto stared up at the ceiling, remembering the conversation he'd had with Kankuro not long before the Puppet Master had disappeared. He also remembered the day they declared him dead. Naruto remembered himself bitching and yelling at Gaara for not looking long enough, and how the Kazekage had said they had tried their best.

But they hadn't! He knew that Kankuro had to be alive, somewhere. It had been an A-rank mission that he'd gone on, but there weren't any enemies around at the time he'd disappeared. It should have taken him two more days to get to enemy territory. But still, they insisted that he'd died in the line of duty and had a funeral and everything. It just wasn't fair!

Suddenly, he heard rapping on the door. "What?" He called, sounding irritated.

"Uzumaki Naruto," Shizune's voice came from the other side of the door.

"Pig lady? What are you doing here?" Naruto got up and unbolted the door. Shizune and about fifteen ANBU rushed into his room. "What is this, 'ttebayo?!"

"Well, you were right," Shizune said in a strange tone of voice.

"Right about what?"

"Kankuro is alive." A smile spread across the Jinchuriki's face. "And he joined the Akatsuki." Naruto's face fell immediately.

"That… That can't be right, dattebayo…"

"We're putting a guard of ANBU on you at all times," Shizune said. "Hokage's orders," She added.

"But Kankuro wouldn't try to attack me! He wouldn't! I'm his friend!" Naruto pleaded.

"I'm sorry, Naruto… But you're in danger." Shizune walked out, re-bolting the door and leaving Naruto in a room full of ANBU… But feeling very, very alone.

"First Sasuke leaves, and now this…"

"Fuck!" Kankuro half-whispered.

"What is it now?" Yasuo said from a short ways behind him.

"Nothing, baka. Just keep your mind on the mission."

"Anything you wanna talk about?" Kankuro gave him a look that said, 'Hey, fag, if I wanted to talk to you about anything, it would probably be how I would kill you.' Yasuo sighed. "Don't let your stupid emotions get in the way."

"I don't have any of those left… Nothing but hate."

"Sure you don't… Just like you never killed anyone and sat at home like a good little boy-Or is that how it went?"

"Fuck you… You don't know shit about me."

"Well then, why don't you tell me?"

"I like to keep my private life and my professional life separate, bak-"

"Is that so?" Anko's voice came from a tree to his left. "Well prepare to put them together."