Blood splattered everywhere at the sound of flesh beating flesh, bruising and battering the captive until he was unrecognizable. The bleeding man groaned and wheezed the longer he spent with his tormentor. He grunted, almost screaming out as another series of punches and kicks landed all over his body without sparing any mercy.

"TALK NOW. TELL ME WHAT I WANT TO KNOW." Naruto spat in the man's face as he screamed at him, shattering the silence of the sleeping forest around them. Enraged, he delivered a furious kick to the old man's guts, enough to cause a pain so agonizing he thought he might die. Naruto was nowhere near letting this man die anytime soon. His frown deepened as the situation he put himself in now seemed pointless.

Damn him. Damn everyone, Naruto thought as he kicked the man again, now out of spite instead of necessity. The old man opened his mouth to scream but no sound came out. Just gurgling, as if he were choking on his own spit and blood. Naruto's eyes twinkled as something caught his attention. He crouched beside the tied up man and forcibly opened his mouth.

"Stop. Stop it. Stop moving!" Naruto belted in his rage.

His frown changed into seriousness when he saw what he most feared at that moment. Right on the man's wriggling tongue was a character that read Silence, which Naruto suspected was a seal meant to prevent the man from speaking. There was no way the old man could speak while this seal was on his tongue.

Naruto had to find another way to get information. He was displeased with the new idea that snaked its way into his mind, but he had no other choice. He was about to speak when memories from one of his clones deep in the forest toward Kusa hit him in full scale. Kakashi and his team were tracking him. Damn, and he didn't have enough time to think over his plan. He sighed deeply as he spared a final glance at the tied up man. There was no other choice but to leave him there. With a glare, he vanished into the trees, leaping from branch to branch and causing the nocturnal animals to scuttle away in fear. Naruto quickened his pace. He would have to keep his distance, yet still keep an eye on his pursuers. With a grin, he vanished, allowing the forest to swallow him into oblivion.

Hatake Kakashi landed behind Pakun. At last they had found the client. Sakura, Hinata, and Shikamaru landed seconds later. On seeing the old man tied up and battered, Sakura ran to his side to easily tear the bonds from the man. A green glow covered her hand as she healed the freely bleeding wounds around the man's head. He groaned, but was compliant and remained wordless as usual. Kakashi looked to Pakun with a questioning expression.

"Seems like the person who attacked you and your team has escaped. I can't pick his scent up anywhere. He must have covered it with chakra," Pakun said in his gruff voice. Kakashi nodded and looked at Sakura who was healing their client. He dismissed Pakun who vanished in a puff of smoke.

"Kakashi-san?" Kakashi turned to face Shikamaru. The Nara genius had lost his indifferent lethargic disposition, replacing it with a serious grimace. Kakashi nodded and walked with him to a distant part of the clearing, well out of earshot of the others. There they spoke.

"From what's just happened, I suggest we reconsider our initial strategy with this mission...An evaluation would be just as well," Shikamaru quickly added when he saw the skeptical expression on Kakashi's face.

"We'll set up camp for the night and talk about it later. We should give the others a chance to recuperate before we decide on anything," Kakashi said as he fished out his novel from its hiding place among his many pockets. Setting up camp was the best idea he could think of. Rest would help everyone on the team and give them an edge in battle. He faced the dark forest and let the hair-raising worry trickle down his spine.

Meanwhile, Hinata stood beside Sakura, who was crouching on the ground nearby their charge. The Hyuga heiress shivered from the cold breeze that really wasn't enough to bring out such a reaction. Truthfully, her mind was not anywhere near where she stood. She was deep in thought about the stranger they had fought earlier that day. She could have sworn on her soul that she saw a whisker on his cheek. And with the way the man could use Kage Bushin, she had her suspicions set on who it could be. She looked into the forest dark as pitch and the darkness seeped into her. If it was truly who she thought it was, then he seemed to have changed a lot. She drew her attention to the night sky. The moon was bright enough to almost shine the worry away from her, but only that. Almost.

"Hinata."

She flinched as she was recalled back to her body upon hearing Kakashi call her name. She faced the team leader.

"We'll be camping here for the night. You should probably help the others set up." He didn't take his eyes from his book.

He couldn't notice the worry in Hinata's face. There was no change in her behavior. Hinata nodded and bowed politely before walking away to do as she was told. Helping Shikamaru and Sakura didn't get her mind off the issue at hand, nor did it calm her down enough to slow the thoughts buzzing around in her mind.

The night sky was a vast ocean of serenity, seeming to bring bleary peace to everyone who looked up. But to the legendary toad sage Jiraiya, the night was far from peaceful. He was on his way to Konoha to confirm his fears. Dropping from the trees and landing calmly on the ground, he bolted down the path that inevitably led to the Hidden Leaf Village. He frowned at the memories that hit him like a nasty blow from Tsunade would.

-FLASHBACK-

In a bar, one man of three shinobi was the first to notice him. Jiraiya couldn't help the smile that crept onto his face, which was largely focused on the man with the Konoha forehead protector. The other two who wore Iwa forehead protectors seemed to cower in fear from just the name. It wasn't always that someone met the toad sage, right?

"Hmmm, so when did Konoha start to get friendly with Iwagakure shinobi?" He asked with a frown. The three cowering shinobi knew better than to answer or try to escape. But Jiraiya would have loved to see them try.

"Ji-Jiraiya-s-sama." The supposed Konoha affiliate stammered, trying to stand from his seat, but it was too late. His head was quickly smashed down onto the table, and with blood oozing from his broken nose, he reeled back into his seat.

Upon seeing this, everyone else in the bar decided it was best not to get involved and make a hasty escape. Soon the bar was empty, save the four shinobi. Jiraiya smiled. He drew a drop of blood from his thumb and formed several seals.

"Summoning Jutsu," he whispered as he slammed his palm on the floor. Instantly, the room was coated with pink fleshy tissue that seemed to pulsate as if to some horrific song. The perverted sanin smiled at the obvious fear that marred the faces of the shinobi. They'd obviously be easy to break.

-FLASHBACK ENDS-

And they really were easy to break. The Iwa shinobi were to obtain information from Danzo whilst the Konoha sent information to Iwa. (Or wherever they're sending it to, I forgot; it's best to specify these types of things as it gives the story a little depth.) Danzo was careless, or stressed and left with no other choice. The information was simple; it was "the package is en route". From his investigation, Jiraiya already knew about the obvious alliance between Iwa and Kumo. He also knew about Iwa's affiliation with Akatsuki. And by simple deduction, he could easily ascertain that Iwa was allied with both Kumo and Akatsuki. So, why was being Konoha involved? What was Danzo planning?

Jiraiya frowned, filled with anxiety, and increased his speed as he dashed through the murky forest. He would be at his destination soon.

A rather short old man floated effortlessly in the air space of his office. Iwa was particularly calm at night, and this always helped him relax, brought back the concept of peace into his old mind. He was the Tsukage.

"Worried?"

The Tsukage snapped alert and looked to the side of his office not touched by the dancing candle lights. He knew the origins of the voice.

"I do not have the capability to worry; however, I have an adept power to sense stupid ideas," he said, keeping his hard gaze aimed at the darkest corner of his office. He knew exactly who was there, and, even though he would never admit it, this person unsettled him like no one else could.

The stranger hidden in the darkness seemed to chuckle at the dubious reaction the Tsukage gave to his plan.

"How satirical of you," the darkness said to himself with breathy laughter. "I assure you, my plans are anything but stupid," he said proudly, moving almost invisibly in the darkness. This time, it was the Tsukage's time to chuckle, and he didn't even try to hide it.

"What makes you so certain that your plan will work perfectly? Simply with my cooperation, is that it?" The Tsukage was now floating over his desk. The hidden stranger took a step out of the shadows, exposing his feet which were partially covered by the fringe of his robe dark as a void.

"Why, simply because you have no other choice." The eerily cheery response from the darkness was unnerving. "With a disagreement from you, I'll make sure your fears become reality." The stranger spoke in a matter-of-fact tone before receding back into the comfort of the shadows. This seemed to rouse the repressed anger within the Tsukage. He despised being accused of harboring fear.

"Shinobi have no fear," he said in a spiteful voice, sending a glare to the shadow in the darkness.

"Hmmm, a very interesting point. But do civilians have the same fearless attitude toward death?" The shadow eagerly threatened. The Tsukage nearly to cower in fear at this prospect; not for himself, but for the civilians which were his charges. He directed his killing intent into the shadows.

"Now that that's been taken care of, it seems that Danzo's answer isn't in yet. I suggest a retriever," the shadowed stranger said with a slight trace of sarcasm.

"I'll send shinobi to-"

"Don't worry about that," the stranger quickly supplied. "I'll send my own retriever," he added off-handedly.

At that moment, the door opened as if on cue and a second unfamiliar figure stepped into the room. It was a man with deep purple hair that reached the small of his back. His eyes, the color of wet tree bark after a fierce storm, were set on a perfectly square and handsome face. The only obvious disfigurement the Tsukage could immediately find was the slanted scar on his right cheek. He looked indifferent, like he wasn't entirely there with them in the room, but lost in some engrossing reverie. He wore the customary Akatsuki robe and stood proudly. From a moment, it looked as if the flickering light from the candles were cowering in fear of his presence.

"Naoki, one of my most trusted," the stranger said as way of introduction between the Tsukage and the emotionless newcomer. At a glance, Naoki looked like an average civilian. But to the trained eye of a shinobi, nothing was hidden from the Tsukage. There was something powerful about the man who neither frowned nor smiled.

"He will see to the retrieval of the information, and also cut any loose ends." The Tsukage was still in deep thought about the stranger before him, and was unable to respond. "Naoki, track the informant through the chakra signature of Danzo's seals and bring only the information," the shadow instructed, receiving a nod from Naoki.

"What about witnesses and the Konoha shinobi who might be guarding the messenger?" Naoki spoke in a deep but clear voice which lacked any trace of human emotions.

"Ahh, yes. The Leaf Shinobi. Killing them is the only option. Since you do not exist, remain only a shadow, like me," the shadowed figure said and smiled deeply when he saw his trusted servant disappear in a blur of black.

Naoki was fast, much faster than anyone knew and was extremely dangerous. No one could survive his attack. The shadow man looked at the Tsukage who was still staring at the closed door. There was one thing left to do. The Tsukage turned around, oblivious to the shadow's actions until it was too late. He gazed into a frightening and blood red sharingan. Everything faded around him as his memory of Naoki was erased. With no recollection of the mysterious mercenary, he stumbled into his seat and groaned from the headache.

"Seems our meeting is complete." The shadowed figure vanished in a swirl.

The Tsukage was now alone in his office.

Hyuga Hinata sat on a log outside the tent made for both herself and Sakura. It was her time to guard while the others slept. She idly looked around, letting the warmth of the flickering fire before her caress her pale skin. A yawn escaped her lips once she activated her byakugan. Immediately, the enlarged vision and range hit her, causing her to gasp. Deep into the forest, she could see a figure slumped against a tree. She could clearly see the chakra pathways. Whoever it was was deep in sleep. Shakily, she stood up and moved, not wanting to wake the others.

She pushed her way deeper and deeper through the thickets, making sure not to deactivate her Dojutsu. She was close now and could hear the faint snores from the figure. She deactivated her eyes as she approached the sleeping body. From the whitewashed light the moon reflected onto the forest, she could see that it was definitely the same person they'd faced earlier. She took another step...another step...another st-

Snap.

She stepped on a twig. She looked to her feet and looked back to...the figure was gone. Her heart doubled its pace, threatening to tear through her ribcage with its desperate ferocity.

She reached for her weapons pouch.

"Not a good idea."

She froze. The voice was different somehow. It sounded more familiar, edging on cordial. It made her shiver. It couldn't be...just couldn't be. Slowly, she began to turn around and met the same hooded face, and again she could see whiskers. The kunai in the hand of the figure strangely felt harmless to her; in her mind there was a voice cooing, no threat. She opened her mouth to speak.

"Shadow possession successful."

Hinata's eyes widened at the sound of Shikamaru's voice. Behind the figure was a thin, reaching shadow connecting with his. Shikamaru was crouched on the other end of the wormy shadow. It seemed that the moonlight had helped him complete his family technique. Hinata took a step backwards and was about to speak when something caught her attention. The figure wasn't panicking like every other victim of Shikamaru's shadow manipulation.

"Well done, Shikamaru, Hinata," Kakashi said as he appeared beside the Hyuga heiress staring at the immobilized figure. "Who are you?" Kakashi spoke with a hard tone that would send most any shinobi running with their tail tucked, but this question seemed only to elicit laughter from the stranger.

"Seems like everyone forgets a fellow shinobi once in a while." The figure spared a quick glance at Hinata. His plan was working perfectly. With a deeper smile, he vanished in a puff of smoke, bringing Kakashi to his senses. If the person here was a clone, then...he looked at Hinata. The Hyuga heiress knew exactly what Kakashi's expression meant, and activated her Dojutsu.

"He's headed for the camp site," she almost shouted.

"Shit..."

They raced back toward the campsite thinking he was the only threat. By the time Kakashi and his team arrived, they noticed that no one was there. It was peaceful, even. He looked to Hinata.

"H-He's gone," she said helplessly.

Kakashi nodded. The one Hinata must have seen was a clone. Sakura stepped out of her tent.

"What's wrong?" She asked, sensing that something was wrong. Kakashi was about to speak when something caught his attention.

"Scatter!" He shouted and leaped out of the way right before a kunai embedded itself in the center of their camp and exploded. When the smoke settled, a figure donning an Akatsuki robe stood before them. His eyes were deep brown like upturned earth.

"Who are you?" Kakashi slowly drew a kunai, his guard up at the sight of the Akatsuki member. This was not good at all.

"No one."

Kakashi gasped as a voice sounded behind him. He spun around just in time to see a kunai hurtling through the air toward him. He cursed under his breath, too slow to react.