Author's note: Okay….another chapter and no reviews…Do you even like this??? U make me sad :( . Any way this is the chapter where things really start to add up to the climax YAA!!!!

Disclaimer: Do I really even need to say it any more???

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Team 7 waited in the mission receiving room for there first mission as chunin. AS you can imagine everyone was very excited. Especially Naruto, although he didn't go all hyperactive like he used to. They were called into the room.

"Alright, let's do this!" Naruto exclaimed

"You are going to travel to the village hidden in the sand to help protect the Kazekage. I know he is perfectly capable of protecting himself, but the council there has reason to believe that the Akastuki are after him. They really just want to be sure. You and other chunin will be going." Tsunade explained

"Why is the Akatsuki after him?" Naruto asked.

"Oh ya. You don't know……Gaara is the Kazekage."

Everyone was shocked.

"So they want the Ichibi." Naruto said sadly.

"Yep."

"Okay, so who are we going with?" Sasuke said wanting to change the subject. He knew that hit close to home for Naruto.

"Please send in the chunin." Tsunade called

The door opened slowly…. First came……..Ino, shikamaru and Chouji. They stood dead in their tracks.

"Well, Well, Well, Look who's back." Shikamaru smiled

"Sasuke!!" Ino yelled

Then came in Kiba, Hinata and Shino.

"Naruto!" Hinata said. But this wasn't just your usual Hinata whisper. Looks like some one finally got over their Shyness

"Hey look it's shorty!" Kiba teased.

"I don't think you can call me that any more." Naruto teased back.

Naruto stood next to Kiba. He was taller, and Kiba hated that.

"You set out tonight. Good luck." Tsunade dimissed them.

Everyone met at the gates later that evening.

"Okay. I've got walkie-talkies for everyone. They cover a very large area so we should be able to stay in-touch." Ino said passing them out.

"So we'll split into our group so we can't be tracked and arrive meet at the designated site on the maps. We camp there and go again the next morning." Sasuke explained

"Got it!" Every one answered and they set out.

5 hours have passed and team 7 was gliding though the trees. All of the sudden there was a slight movement in the bushes. Sasuke stopped and jump to the ground, Scanning the area.

"Hey Sasuke, why'd ya stop?" Naruto asked

"Shhhhh………we're not alone." He whispered.

Naruto and Sakura immediately readied them selves. They were about to be attacked.

Too fast. A mysterious figure appeared, too fast for anyone to see. Any one that doesn't have the sharingan. The figure was about to attack Naruto but Sasuke quickly stopped it with a giant churican.

When the figure stopped it revealed a man.

"What do you want?" Naruto asked angerly.

He chuckled "…..You."

"I'd like to see you try us!" Sakura threatened

"Well then lets see what you brats can do!" he taunted.

"Okay but remember you asked for it!" Sasuke said

Sakura punched the ground, throwing him off guard while Sasuke and Naruto jumped so they wouldn't fall. Then as they where in the air, Naruto created the rasangan and propelled himself off a tree to hit him.But as he was on his way in the air, the man found his opportinute. This was it, the reason he came there. He took out a specialy reserve kunai with a purple liquid on it and struck Naruto in the chest, deeply.

"Naruto!" Sasuke yelled. That's it. He did a the hand signs and prepared the most powerful of fire techniques. The rage of a rouge thousand ninja in his eyes.

"Hurt my best friend….. AND DIE!!" he screamed letting out the giant fire ball jutsu.

"It's too late now. That kunai had poison on the blade…..a special poison was made just for him….. just for the Kuuybi." The man said dodging the fire

Sasuke and Sakura were shocked to the core…he knew about the Kuuybi. Naruto let out an absolutely pain shrilled cry, clutching his chest.

"Naruto!!!" they screamed. Sakura ran over to him and caught him before he fell.

"Oh don't worry… There's only a 95 percent chance he'll die!"

Sakura turned on her walkie-talkie. She barley got any words out through her tears. "Hello?? Any one please answer me!!!"

"Hello? This is Ino. Sakura what happened?!?!"

"We've been attacked. Naruto's down and there was a special poison on the blade. He's dieing!! We are about 5 minutes from the campsite."

"Okay, We're on our way!"

"Hurry!"

Ino's end of the radio. 3rd person

" Ino, what happened. I couldn't make out what she was saying from over here, but it sounded like she was sobbing." Shikamaru asked

"They were attacked. Naruto's been hit by a poisoned blade and by the sound of it he's dieing!" Ino explianed "We have to tell the others." She turned it to Kiba's radio.

"Kiba…come in."

"Kiba here, whats up?" he said in a not-a-care-in-the-world kind of way.

"Don't 'whats up' me at a time like this!"

"What's going on!!!"

"Sasuke, Naruto and Sakura have been attacked and Naruto's been poisoned. We're meeting them at the camp site. Hurry!"

"Okay, we'll be there in a sec."

They had the same thing on their minds. The number 1 hyper active, knuckle head ninja was down.