A/N: Happy Belated New Years everyone! Hope you're all doing well. :)

Feedback is appreciated if you enjoyed this chapter. Radio silence is never fun, haha.

Neji stared at the mirror and, for the first time in his life, he felt satisfied with what he saw.

Because what greeted him was not the Main Family Cursed Seal or his Byakugan, but two shining green eyes and a completely unblemished forehead.

He gripped onto his bathroom sink and smiled. It was magnificent. He couldn't believe how beautiful the sight of his ever present seal being gone was.

He knew this day would come ever since he learned of how he could escape the Hyuuga clan. He quietly thanked his forefathers. If they hadn't rebelled all those decades before, if they hadn't risked the dissolution of the clan if the Branch Family wasn't treated better, he wouldn't be able to escape his cage.

The Main Family had given the Branch Family all those years ago the option of leaving the clan if they were dissatisfied with how the family was led. The Cursed Seal would be removed in exchange for their eyes being destroyed. It was argued that, at that point, there wouldn't be a need for the seal. If only his ancestors had gone further.

If only they hadn't allowed themselves to be appeased.

Because the Main Family betrayed them decades later with the clause of having to be made infertile before they left. It was to keep them safe, they said. They could still be kidnapped to make more Hyuuga, they argued.

There was backlash at first, but in time, the people were appeased once more.

There was no longer a possibility for Neji to conceive children, and there wasn't any hope of reclaiming his past eyes.

But for the chance of freedom? The prospect of no longer being a caged bird–a slave? Neji would give up anything to have his life be his own.

He had gladly accepted.

And so he was here, in the bathroom of his new apartment, a week after the operation to replace his eyes with normal ones, and staring at the magnificent sight of Neji.

He was no longer a Hyuuga–considered untouchable by his family. None of his relatives were allowed to acknowledge his existence.

That was fine. Preferred, even. He stopped caring about any of them long ago.

A knock reached his ears, but he didn't bother to move. The door was unlocked.

His guests were expected.

He listened as they opened the door and traversed his home. They checked every nook and cranny, no doubt marveling at how spacious his apartment was, before settling in the living room, waiting for him to appear.

He took one last glance at his features, before heading out. The bathroom connected right to the living room so he only needed to open the door to be met with the sight of his visitors.

What greeted him were four of the closest things he had to brothers. They all held eyes that shined brilliantly and unblemished, beautiful foreheads.

They were those of the Branch Family who held enough contempt for the Main Family that they were willing to follow Neji to exile.

The blue-eyed Takeo, adorning that ever-present smile of his.

The amber-eyed Daiki, withholding his usual dour countenance to revel in their freedom.

The gray-eyed Hiroshi, his smile belying the apprehension he felt underneath. The step they had taken to be free from their cages scared him, but–in the end–he had been willing to take the plunge.

The brown-eyed Koharu, his blank face not able to disguise the satisfaction he felt.

They were his family, his true relatives. The only people he cared about in this world.

If need be, they would follow him to the ends of the world.

And they very much would need to.

Because together, they would destroy the main family. The second massacre in Konoha would commence.

Soon.

Sakura frowned.

As the group followed closely behind Naruto, and the landscape blurred around them as they dashed through the frozen wasteland, she lamented how her curiosity could get ahead of her sometimes.

Ever since they had set off to find the bandits this morning, Sasuke kept glancing at Naruto from the corner of his eye. At first, she hadn't noticed, but when it kept happening, it became obvious, though not to Naruto. He was so focused on zeroing in on their targets, he ignored the rest of the world.

She knew it wasn't her business, but she was intensely curious.

Biting her lips, Sakura ignored her inhibitions and went for it. She sidled up to Sasuke's right, keeping pace. She smiled when he gave her a confused look. "Sasuke-kun, sorry to ask, but why do you keep looking at Naruto?"

Sasuke looked away from her and didn't say anything for a while. She was about to apologize, but he spoke before she could. "He asked me a weird question last night. When I asked him one of my own, his response was… worrying."

"Worrying?" she repeated, hoping he'd clarify.

Sasuke gave her a blank look. "I'm not going to tell you much, Sakura. It was a private conversation." When she sent an apologetic nod, he continued, "But I will tell you he… laughed, and it went on for far longer than it should've. It wasn't a manic laugh, so I'm not afraid of him snapping, but I am… worried, and I don't quite know what to do."

Sakura thought about it for a moment. "Did he ever answer your question?" When she received a negative, she frowned. "Have you tried talking to him?"

Sasuke scoffed. "Of course I have. That was the first thing I tried when we woke up, but he said he'll 'get back to me as soon as he has an answer'. I was asked to drop it for now."

Sasuke was right–that was a bit strange. She didn't know what to say to that. They were silent for a while.

No doubt Sasuke was busy thinking as well.

She tried her best to come up with a solution, but without context, there wasn't much she could do. Naruto had given a worrying response, and then didn't want to talk about it until he answered Sasuke's question…

She shook her head and inwardly moaned. Why did boys have to be so confusing sometimes?

Looking at Sasuke, he didn't seem in the mood for any more conversation. He had run ahead to be beside Kakashi, still lost in thought.

She sighed but accepted it. He was better friends with Naruto than she was, so if anyone could figure out what to do, it'd be him.

A few minutes later, she was the one who now had someone running up to be beside them.

Ranmaru gave her a small smile. "Trouble in paradise?"

Sakura blinked. "Is that supposed to imply Sasuke-kun and I are a couple?" she asked confusedly.

Ranmaru shook his head. "I was referring to your team, actually. It seems you're all tense."

"No, we're fine. Just something weird is happening, and Sasuke likes to be alone when he needs to think. I don't know too much about it, however, so please don't ask," Sakura said, shaking her head.

"I wasn't planning on it. Whatever happens between your team is none of my business. I just wanted to ask if you needed someone to talk to," he offered.

Sakura considered it. "Can I ask a question about Ame?"

Ranmaru tilted his head, obviously taken aback at the sudden change of subject. She just smiled at him. "As long as it's nothing sensitive, I can oblige," he said, amused.

"So explain to me how a minor village like Amegakure can afford to accept any rogue ninja that wants to join them. Aren't you afraid of retribution from the other villages?" she asked. That was what really stumped her. There was a reason no one had tried anything like this before.

When a shinobi deserted their nation, they were hunted down until they were killed. Consequently, they were forced to live a life on the run. If any village harbored them, the others became rather cross, and the more powerful villages always threatened war unless their criminal was returned.

"One thing you have to keep in mind, Sakura-san, is that our world is fueled by money. There are hundreds of different languages people speak, but one everyone understands is the language of bribery. Amegakure–as perplexing as it is to me–seems to be fluent. I would suggest you see it, but Ame only accepts those who denounce any other allegiance they may have, but it is beautiful.

"You wouldn't believe the sights. Buildings that stretch high into the sky, marketplaces so large you couldn't find any as big in the entire continent, and people who wear the most fantastical clothing. There isn't any homelessness, poverty, or any hint of discrimination. All seem to be welcome. It… doesn't make sense to me. I can't even begin to guess at how they managed to achieve it–and this is something I've pondered many times–but that's the beauty of Ame. It just works," he said, the awe in his voice apparent.

As they traveled through the Land of Frost in search of the bandits, Ranmaru continued waxing poetics about Amegakure.

Sakura began to share in his awe as the time went by. If what he was saying was true, she really wished she was able to see it, but it perplexed her as much as it did Ranmaru. Where did Ame get the money needed for that?

Sakura would have to go research after this mission was over. She needed as much information as possible.

It was an hour later when Naruto finally pinpointed the location. They stood before a part of the mountain, with him arguing it was unnatural.

"There's a cave on the other side of this wall. I don't know where exactly or how many, but there's a large group of people underneath the mountain," he said.

Ranmaru stepped forward, his gaze fixated on the ground. "I can confirm Naruto-san's assessment. There are too many to count, but if we tear through this wall and traverse the cave on the other side, we'll find at least half a thousand bandits currently mining."

Raiga whistled. "I know Shinto said there would be hundreds, but I didn't actually think those mongrels would be so organized. I have to give them tops."

"Do that after they're captured. Now, it's best for all of you to stay back," Kakashi said.

They gave him a wide berth. Kakashi held his right hand with his left, encasing his arm with lightning. Naruto had to cover his ears due to the loud sound of a thousand birds chirping. A second later he was forced to cover his eyes when Kakashi blurred toward the mountain. Dust billowed everywhere and the sound of part of the mountain being reduced to powder could be heard even as Naruto tried his best to muffle it.

He could feel Sakura using his back as cover.

When the dust settled and everything turned quiet did he risk uncovering his eyes and ears.

Laughter replaced the silence. "Hatake! You and I are going to fight once we're done with this! I swear," Raiga joyously shouted.

Kakashi could be seen coming from the newly formed entrance to a large cave.

"There's nothing else in this world I want less than to associate with you any more than I have to. Now, come on. There was far too much I had to destroy to open this cave up. I want to get done with this already," Kakashi stated, gesturing for them to follow.

Naruto ran to be beside Kakashi. He looked behind him to see Sakura whisper something to Sasuke. He heard a slight "that Chidori" before Sasuke whispered something back to her.

He ignored them, focusing instead of flashing throwing hand signs and using his Earth Tremor Sense.

"I think I know where we need to go," he said to Kakashi.

It was only ten minutes later, after traversing a mess of twists and turns, that they were met with the sight of…

A dead end.

Naruto frowned. He was so sure that this was the right way. He glanced at Ranmaru from the corner of his eye. Didn't he say he had an enhanced Byakugan, and that he was going to warn them when Naruto made a mistake?

Naruto was just about to flash through hand signs before Kakashi interrupted him.

"Don't bother. I believe this a genjutsu. It's very subtle, but not perfect," he informed them.

Naruto nodded, slightly frustrated he wasn't able to determine that by himself. He focused on his chakra pathways and quickly smothered the foreign intrusion.

The dead end that was there before was replaced with an honest to goodness door.

"Maybe they have a sense of humor?" Sakura asked, amused.

"If they do, they should come up with better jokes," Sasuke said, rolling his eyes.

Ranmaru's eyes glowed red for a moment, "I don't sense any traps. It seems to just be a door they made with Earth Release. I can enter first to check if you'll just stand back for a second."

When he was given room, he slowly opened the door and entered. From where Naruto was standing, he was able to see a balcony. Ranmaru motioned for them to follow.

Naruto was one of the first to enter after him, and what he saw shocked him.

From the balcony the door led to, he could see a large cavern that had glowing yellow crystals lighting up every inch.

To their left was a staircase that led to the ground, where large swathes of people were mining some of the crystals. Naruto couldn't guess how many there were, but he could definitely believe there were half a thousand of them.

"Alright, gameplan. Who here can defeat large numbers of bandits nonlethally?" Kakashi prompted, staring at the bandits far below.

"Ranmaru can use the blunt part of his sword to knock them out. Good shot to the head is all they need," Raiga said with a feral smirk. "I'll be using my fists. More fun that way."

Sasuke frowned. "I can use my Lightning Release to knock them out if I don't use too much power."

Kakashi himself answered this time. "I'll be doing the same. Sakura, I know you don't have either the chakra or the jutsu to deal with large groups yet. From a distance, throw smoke bombs to confuse a few of them. If you see a bandit about to land a killing blow, use genjutsu to distract them. Hopefully, you won't need to."

"For wimps like these, there isn't a chance," Raiga sneered.

Kakashi rolled his eyes. "Naruto?"

Naruto glanced at Sakura. "If Sakura's staying back, then I can summon quite a few Earth Clones to help out. I'd be out of chakra, but she can watch my back while I recover."

Kakashi turned to Sakura. She nodded emphatically. " I can protect Naruto and throw smoke balls at the same time, Kakashi-sensei," she said.

"Alright, then get ready. We'll jump directly on top of them. Make sure not to get too hurt," Kakashi ordered.

Sasuke stared down at the bandits, thinking of the best way to incapacitate them. Any genin could handle a group of bandits, but ones numbering this high could give even a group of jonin pause.

Staring at his team, Sasuke mentally snorted. They had two jonin and a group of genin. Not good odds, but he had confidence.

They were no ordinary team.

Kakashi gave the signal to begin and they jumped down. When they landed softly, they were greeted by the sight of startled bandits, before the miscreants roared and attacked the ninja that suddenly appeared in their midst.

Kakashi and Raiga blurred away. No doubt they were running to deal with the ones at the back, heading off any possible retreat.

Sasuke activated his sharingan and flashed through hand signs. When he was finished, he was surrounded by fifteen bandits. He gave them a small smile before he discharged lightning outside his body. They screamed and fell unconscious, but he was already onto the next group.

He jumped onto one bandit's shoulder, landing with one foot and using the other to kick him in the face. As the bandit dropped to the floor, Sasuke leaped away to land on another bandit that was fighting Ranmaru. They fell to the floor, and Sasuke landed in a way that caused the outlaw to sustain a harsh blow to the head, knocking him out.

Sasuke quickly got back up, nodding to Ranmaru when the boy gave him an amused look.

Another group surrounded him, blocking off the sight of his fellow genin. Once more, he discharged a current of lightning outside his body. A few of them jumped back, flinging kunai at him. He dodged them easily and charged ahead.

Sasuke was a blur as he kicked one bandit solidly in the stomach, knocking him back to hit a few other bandits.

He grabbed the arm of an outlaw who was planning on stabbing him with a long dagger. The bandit tried punching Sasuke in the face, but he was electrocuted before it could land. Still holding onto the bandit's arm, Sasuke grabbed a fistful of the outlaw's clothes and shoved him onto the path of a few dozen shuriken.

It was unfortunate, but the bandits were wising up. They were improving with every seco–

His sharingan screamed at him to dodge.

Sasuke obeyed, jumping in the air. He had to pivot his body minutely to dodge a stray kunai on the way to the ground.

When he landed, he was swarmed again.

Gritting his teeth, he prepared for the same old song and dance. Before he could discharge lightning, the ground turned to mush where the bandits were running, sinking them into the ground. Suddenly, he was joined by a few Naruto's who were grinning at him. He nodded back at them.

Now, instead of Sasuke meeting swarms of bandits by himself, he had comrades of his own with him.

In the middle of a few Naruto's, Sasuke flashed through hand signs. A ball of lightning appeared in front of him, and he directed it to fly into the air.

When it began gradually gaining in size, pumped a large amount of his chakra into the technique. The jutsu took quite a lot out of him–and took a second to charge–but it was devastating enough to be useful.

When it grew to be double the size of Sasuke's head, he sent it careening down to the floor.

When it touched the ground, it exploded. Massive amounts of lightning were discharged onto a cluster of bandits. The ones closest to the epicenter would need serious attention after this, but the majority would only require a few days to recover.

Sasuke didn't put that much power into it. He didn't need a body count today, and his use right now was only ever an experiment. He wanted to test how powerful it was, and by the damage it caused, it was every bit as impressive as he had imagined it to be.

His Lightning Release: Lightning Bolt really would need some practice, however. Far more bandits were seriously injured than he was comfortable with.

But he continued on.

In tandem with a few Naruto's, the bandits began crumbling. Kakashi and Raiga eventually dealt with enough goons in the back to be visible.

Sasuke was back to back with a Naruto–the clone of his friend dealing with a few sword wielding outlaws with a kunai in his hand–while Sasuke flashed through hand signs and vented multiple orbs of lightning at any goons he got too close.

He was just about to prepare another Lightning Release: Lightning Bolt when he heard a shriek.

The sound came from the balcony they originally entered from. Looking up, his body stilled. Time seemed to slow as he stared at a horrible sight.

Five men–none possessing the simple physique of bandits–were attacking Naruto and Sakura. A few clones of Naruto and the original were valiantly fighting back, but they were being overwhelmed. The men had to have been jonin with the skill they were displaying.

Sakura's face was being smashed onto the ground while one jonin used her hair as leverage. She was knocked out soon after.

Sasuke began to run to help them before he was grabbed from behind. He was about to retaliate before he saw it was a couple of Naruto's clones.

He stared at them confusedly before one of them answered him, "Stay still for a second. We can help you get there faster."

Sasuke nodded, trusting them. They blurred through a set of hand signs before they each placed a hand on his back.

With a burst of superpowered wind, Sasuke was blurring away to the balcony.

He stared at the jonin attacking his teammates as he flew towards them.

Naruto was bloody and bruised, doing his utmost to escape but always being held off by a jonin kicking him down to the ground. His clones having all crumbled to dust, he was a lone genin facing off against grown shinobi.

One of the jonin–Iwa shinobi, he was able to tell now–noticed Sasuke rushing through the air towards them. No… he was actually seeing through Sasuke, not even paying a mind to him.

Sasuke glanced behind him.

It was hard to see, but Kakashi was a blur as he ran sideways in the wall towards the jonin.

Sasuke smiled. As strong as Sasuke was, he didn't truly think he would be able to stop the group of jonin. His only hope had been being able to last long enough for Kakashi to notice.

Sasuke was just about to land on the balcony before the jonin started disappearing through the ground with Naruto in tow.

No! He was only a few seconds away. Not yet, please not yet, he begged in his mind.

Reaching out with his hand, he grabbed onto the railing and pushed himself onto the platform.

It was much too late.

Sasuke was forced to stare at the sight of the grinning Iwa-nin before even their faces disappeared.

Kakashi landed onto the platform, and he, too, melded with the ground, chasing after the jonin.

Sasuke stared blankly at the ground, cursing himself for being too slow.

A few minutes later, Kakashi returned. Sasuke looked hopefully at him before it was all dashed away when Kakashi shook his head.

"Their trail disappeared. Naruto… Naruto's gone," he said with a sigh, looking utterly defeated. "Watch after Sakura, Sasuke. I have to help finish off the bandits. I promise, after that, we'll look for them."

Sasuke stared at the spot Naruto had been just a second ago and nodded.

"I have to be there, Kakashi, when we rescue him," he said mutely.

Whether they were jonin or Kage, Sasuke wasn't going to just fiddle his hands when his friend–the son of the Fourth Hokage–was captured by shinobi from Iwa.

Shinobi that would kill him at the first chance.

A/N:

Please tell me what you thought of this chapter! I'm not sure how well I did on the fight scene.

Was it okay to read? I still struggle with with fights. Feedback on it would be greatly appreciated.

And what do you guys think about Neji? Stuff is going down in Konoha-or at least, stuff is being planned.

I would love it if you could tell me your thoughts!