A/N: Hello everyone and welcome back

A/N: Hello everyone and welcome back!
Rated: "M" gore / adult situations / torture / violence / language

Welcome to Chapter 16 of "The Collector" -- The Beginning of the End

OoOOoO

As the kyuubi was about to finish off Sasuke, heavy chains and thick ropes were flung onto it. Some restraints encircled its neck and legs while others were simply thrown across it, forming giant "X"s along its back.

"Now!" a man shouted.

The ropes were pulled taut, choking the fox and forcing it down onto the half conscious raven. Sasuke grunted at the impact, the coarse fur brushing against his pale, bloodied skin. The kyuubi hissed in pain, the ropes cutting deep into its body and rubbing harshly against its still tender wounds. Teeth bared, the fox resisted, claws scrambling on the ground while tails flicked violently back and forth. Glowering as it attempted to stand, blood red eyes met up with over two hundred sets of human eyes, each filled with grim determination. They had the fox surrounded, men and women who stood shivering in fear, but held firm to their ropes and chains.

"Fools. Do any of you honestly think you can beat me?" the fox sneered. Opening its mouth wide, chakra sizzled and crackled, forming itself into a large ball that spun rapidly.

"Watch the jaws!" another man warned. The chakra ball had intensified and was now ready to be fired into the surrounding crowd. People panicked, dropping their ropes as they tried to scuttle out of harms way.

Kyuubi felt the ropes and chains loosening, the pressure lifting. Flexing its muscles, the fox broke free of the final ropes and stood tall, its fur blazing red against the white snow.

"It's too late, run for it!" a woman screamed.

"You can't escape me!" the fox roared, its voice causing the ground to rumble and shake.

Sasuke felt the vibrations as he lay under the fox, his skin burning from the sheer power of the spinning chakra ball above him. He could barely make out the other voices he'd heard, their weak sounds drowned out by the deafening ones of the attack about to be fired off. He had to do something, but what? It was then a long, sticky trail of saliva dripped down onto his cheek. Disgusting, but it gave him an idea. Curling his fingers to protect them, Sasuke then shoved his palms up with as much force as he could muster. They shot straight into the kyuubi's lower jaw, snapping it hard against the upper jaw. Kyuubi's teeth rattled at the impact while the chakra ball got caught inside, dissipating into thick tendrils of smoke. The fox coughed and wheezed, shaking its head in disbelief.

"YOU!" Kyuubi snarled down at the raven.

"Naruto!" Sasuke barked, "Don't let this thing beat you."

"That ramen eating bastard is dead! I'm in charge now," the kyuubi growled, only inches from Sasuke's face. "Once I conquer this pathetic human body, I will finally attain my full size and powers. And then, I will crush everyone and everything." It leaned closer, whispering into Sasuke's ear. "But you know what? Nothing will bring me greater pleasure than killing you. Hell, what did you ever do for Naruto anyways, you cold hearted prick. I think maybe, deep inside, Naruto really wants to kill you for all the times you made him miserable. I suppose I owe him that much," the kyuubi mused.

Naruto's voice floated inside the raven's head. "Never. You're everything to me. I'm sorry." For a quick second, the kyuubi's eyes shifted to a cerulean blue before turning crimson again.

Naruto? Sasuke's body flooded with shock. He's still in there.

Suddenly the kyuubi reared up, claws extended, jaws wide. This was the moment he'd been waiting for. Once the Uchiha was eliminated, nothing stood in Kyuubi's way.

OoOOoO

"Everyone grab a hold!" a voice shouted from above. Sai reached out, grasping quickly onto the rope that was flung down the elevator shaft. With the other hand, he latched onto Ino, grabbing her around the waist and holding her tight. Sakura reached out too, barely edging out of the way as the fragile ladder crumbled and fell into the inky blackness below. After a moment or two, they each heard the ladder hit the elevator below, its menacing sound echoing up through the shaft.

Sakura gulped nervously. "To think, that could've been us."

"Let's move," Sai ordered. He pushed Ino above him, following closely behind. Bringing up the rear, Sakura began to slowly ascend the rope as well.

Ino surfaced first, where she took one of her rescuer's hands. Looking up, she was startled to see an anbu wearing the leaf symbol over its brow. There were others who wore the leaf as well standing ready nearby.

The pale teen was next to emerge, shaking off any assistance.

"Oh thank goodness," Sakura sighed in relief, her pink head bobbing above the shaft's entrance. "You guys have no idea the magnitude of what's been happening here," the pink haired girl said anxiously. "We have to find Sasuke and Naruto is…"

"We know what Naruto is," Tsunade said dismally, leaning over Sakura. She extended her hand to the girl, lifting her to safety. "But we can discuss the details later. Konoha Anbu! Let's move out!" the hokage ordered. She leapt off with about a hundred men, all headed towards the danger that was being carried out barely a mile away.

OoOOoO

"DIE!" the kyuubi snarled. It was about to crash down onto the Uchiha when more ropes and chains covered its body, pulling it backwards. The fox pranced on its hind legs briefly before falling onto its back against the snow. Nets were lobbed onto it, secured with thick, heavy ties. Kunai and swords were sent flying into the fox's body, where it howled at each stab.

"How dare you!" it shrieked. It thrashed wildly, only to succeed in getting even more tangled in the web of ropes of chains. Not even its many tails could break free. Damn nets had to be enforced with special seals. Despite all its thrashing about, the kyuubi was weakening and fast. Too many wounds had been inflicted and too many new ones were being added too quickly. Its chakra couldn't keep up to repair the damage fast enough.
It snarled and kicked, then finally flopped to its side, its breathing ragged and harsh. "This isn't over," the fox muttered threateningly.

OoOOoO

Deidara shifted his arm around Sasori's waist. They hadn't gotten very far before the redhead collapsed, slipping into unconsciousness. Deidara had been quick to maneuver himself under his friend, and now supported the extra weight on himself, carefully taking the two of them down the dimly lit corridor. Anger simmered inside of Deidara, but he had to push it aside for the sake of Sasori, as the redhead was in desperate need of medical aid. But still, Deidara was sure he'd hit Karin with that rock hard enough to keep her unconscious for hours. Yet she had slipped out of his hands without a sound. Frustrating wasn't even the half of it. But for now, Deidara knew a place he could go, hoping it was still in one piece.

(flashback)

Fourteen-year-old Deidara awoke abruptly to a creaking sound. Although it was dark, he knew where he was. Back in that hellish place, room 43. He lie on his back on the cold stone floor. They didn't even have the decency to put him back on his bed, not like it was anymore comfortable than the floor anyways. Deidara's arms flared with pain as sensation came back into them. He bit his lip to keep from crying out while fresh tears poured down his cheeks. At least in his exhausted sleep, he didn't have to think about the pain. But pain was only one of the problems he was facing.

Light filtered into the room, sliding over Deidara's pathetic body. A shadowy figure rounded the door, stepping inside the room. Oh God, what did they want from him now? Deidara wanted to be brave, to yell and fight back, but fear overrode anything else as he slunk further against the wall, chains rattling as he did so.

The figure closed the door silently, sending everything into darkness once again. It shuffled cautiously across the floor towards Deidara. Leave me alone! Deidara wanted to cry out, but all he could manage was a small squeak. A lighter flicked on, revealing the stranger. Deidara gasped, but was quickly silenced as a hand closed around his mouth.

"Shh!" the man said in a low voice. Deidara nodded, and the hand soon fell away.

"Obito," Deidara whispered. He knew about the intern as he'd usually been the one to clean him up after the others had maltreated him. The older man sat back on his hunches, clearly in shock at what he was looking at.

"I can't believe she actually fucking did this," Obito uttered in disbelief. Deidara's hands were severed mid-forearm, and were now throbbing with pain and infection. "How dare she not even tell me about this," he growled. Deidara only whimpered in reply, shifting nervously under Obito's scrutinizing gaze. The older man reached into his lab coat pocket, withdrawing a set of keys. He then set to work, unlocking Deidara's ankle chains.

"Why bother?" Deidara muttered bitterly.

"Why bother?" Obito said incredulously. "Do you want her to win?" he snapped.

"She's already won. She took my…my…" Deidara couldn't even say it.

"No," Obito deadpanned. "You still have your life." With that, Deidara's chains clicked open and fell to the floor. "Karin has gone far enough with all of this."

(end flashback)

Deidara was so lost in his thoughts that he nearly missed the very thing he was looking for. A frosted glass door stood to his right, outlined in thick wooden paneling. With his free hand, he fingered at what remained of the last occupant's name. Holding his breath, Deidara checked the knob. He was surprised it turned, the door opening inward, its hinges squeaking in protest.

Looking around, it was much different than what he remembered. No longer was it the obsessively clean medical room and office. Wood, glass, and dust was scattered everywhere. Deidara gulped seeing the faded traces of blood splattered across the floor and walls as well. He turned away, closing his eyes, trying to keep the bile from rising in his throat. Dear God, Karin had found out about his escape and Obito had most likely paid the ultimate price.

Deidara opened his eyes and glanced down at Sasori, whose breathing had become faint and strained. Pushing aside some of the debris with his foot, he did his best to clear a spot for his friend. Gently, he sat Sasori down back against the wall. Panting heavily, Deidara waited for the wave of nausea to pass, then rose onto his feet once again. He set to work running his hands along the walls carefully. It wasn't long before Deidara cursed. Exhaustion, pain, hunger, worry, and fear were taking their toll on his body, and it was hard to remember through his haze of memories. After Deidara had covered the office and examination room once, he went back to Sasori, sliding down next to him against the wall. Drawing his knees up to his body, he wrapped his arms around them. Sighing deeply he said to himself, "Think. You know it's here. You just have to remember where." He closed his eyes. It seemed hopeless.

(flashback)

Obito had brought Deidara back to his office, knowing he had only a small amount of time before Karin reported in for the day. As for Deidara, he sat dazed on the examination table, mewling in pain. Obito set about to opening one of the cabinets when he heard Deidara gasp.

"I can feel them!" Deidara cried out.

The dark haired male frowned. "What?"

"My hands, they're still here," Deidara said crazily, looking down at his bloodied stumps. "She didn't get them. Must've been just a hellish nightmare and in any moment now I'll wake up and.."

"Deidara!" Obito turned, running his hands through his hair. This was really tough at times. He tried to explain. "What you are experiencing is called 'phantom limbs,' a condition not uncommon to people who have experienced trauma like you have."

"But…" Deidara looked up, pleading it wasn't true.

Flustered and pressed for time, Obito went over to Deidara, gripping tightly onto his boy's mangled stumps. "Can you feel this?" Obito said sullenly. He squeezed hard enough for Deidara to cry out. "I assure you, it's all very real." Deidara fell silent, despair washing over him.

Obito felt terrible for doing that, but he had to make a point. If Deidara was going to survive, he had to be fully aware of his situation, pleasant or not. He went back to the cabinet he'd been at previously and withdrew a syringe. Stepping over to Deidara, he wasn't surprised when the young blond barely noticed what he was doing. The needle slipped into Deidara's vein, enough morphine for someone twice his size, but it would have to do. He then took Deidara's stumps into his own hands, surveying the damage. It was a shotty job, but all he had time for was a quick clean up.

As gently as he could, Obito pulled off the old bandages, then rubbed the exposed wounds in alcohol. He could feel the stitches in Deidara's flesh were mediocre at best, a job done with little to no interest. "This was probably done by Suigetsu," he muttered darkly. Grabbing a fresh wad of gauze, Obito wrapped it tightly and as securely as possible around Deidara's stumps. Blood leaked through layer after layer, so Obito added some extra padding with cotton balls and bandages. Through it all, Deidara sat motionless, grief about his predicament evident in his dull blue eyes and slack body.

Obito sighed, he knew this was too little too late but he had to try. He had no idea of the level of evilness inside Karin. This boy was barely hanging onto his life, let alone his sanity. Nevertheless, he had to keep going. Next was the boy's feet, where Obito created makeshift boots out of strips of cloth from his personal lab coats. Pulling a scalpel from his breast pocket, he tucked it safely inside Deidara's boots. Satisfied, he then swung a gray blanket around the boy's body. "Deidara," he said. The boy seemed despondent. "Deidara!" Obito said again, command in his voice. The boy looked up, his eyes dull and foggy. "Listen to me. There is a village not too far from here. The Village of the Trees. It lies East of us. Go there and they will help you."

"But how?" Deidara said, his voice barely above a whisper.

"Watch and see," Obito said with a knowing look.

(end flashback)

"That's it!" Deidara bolted upright and headed for the wall behind the broken desk. Shoving away debris, he bent down and studied a squat three level bookcase. There were books of all sizes and thicknesses on each shelf. Deidara lightly blew inside, sending the dust flying. Scanning through the titles, he came across a book entitled, Amoebas and You. He scowled at it. "This is definitely the one. It was a dull tan color with dark brown letters, and somewhat thick. "It sounds boring even now," Deidara mumbled. Jiggling it slightly, it wasn't long before a secret half door slid open silently next to him. Deidara dropped to his knees, his ribs protesting the action, but he didn't care. It was still here. Thank god Karin hadn't discovered it. Taking a look inside, it seemed smaller than he remembered. Yet then again, he was merely skin and bones the last time he went this way. "Now to get Sasori and get out of here."

OoOOoO

"Tsunade-sama, over here!" a young female anbu called out. The busty hokage sprinted over, her jaw dropping at the sight before her. "Sasuke," she muttered incredulously. Dropping to her knees, her hands centered over the raven's chest. They began to hum as chakra lit around them. For the first time in her life, Tsunade felt overwhelmed at what lie before her. Sasuke was covered with blood, his skin ripped, torn, and tattered. Frostbite had set in, darkening his fingers, toes, and lips. Dehydration and over-exertion further deteriorated his body. The raven's hair lie matted against his face and cheeks, thick with grime, sweat, and snow. Worry creased Tsunade's brow as she could barely see the soft puffs of life as the raven struggled to breathe.

Sasuke moaned softly as he opened one bruised eye. "Naruto?"

"No." the hokage said softly. "It's me, Tsunade." The hokage gently brushed back Sasuke's hair from his face, letting the raven breathe a little easier. Leaning in closer, she noticed the needle holes around Sasuke's temples. "What is this?" she thought grimly to herself. Gently she let her fingers glide over the marks, her frown deepening.

"Never mind me," Sasuke rasped, pulling away from probing fingers, "Where's Naruto?"

"He's being taken care of," Tsunade's eyes swept back to where both Konoha anbu and the people of the Village of the Trees were working together to haul the Kyuubi out of the forest. "It seems Naruto is in trouble."

"You don't understand," Sasuke protested. The raven struggled to sit up, but Tsunade pressed him back down.

"Quit talking and quit moving," the hokage said firmly.

"I'm the only one who can…," Sasuke was cut short by a fit of violent coughing. Tsunade carefully rolled the raven onto his side, where he vomited a mixture of blood and gruel. Exhausted by the effort, Sasuke remained on his side, panting.

"Here, have some of this," Tsunade ordered, placing a thermos in front of the teen.

"I said forget about me," Sasuke growled.

"Do it." Tsunade said flatly.

Sasuke reached a hand out tentatively to search the ground for whatever it was Tsunade put out. The busty hokage watched as Sasuke's hands felt around the snow, almost as if he was… "Just as I thought, you can't see," she said.

It wasn't a question, it was a fact. Sasuke closed his eyes. "It's nothing compared to what's happened to Naruto," he replied grimly.

"Naruto has his own problems and you have yours," Tsunade clipped. "Where is my medical team!" she shouted over her shoulder.

"We're here, hokage-sama," a team of four ninja dressed in white appeared next to Tsundae.

"I want him taken back to Konoha and prepped for surgery the moment I arrive back there."

"Of course," the group responded simultaneously. They carefully loaded Sasuke onto a stretcher and lifted him from the ground. A thick wooly blanket was spread and tied around him. The warmth felt so good and Sasuke was ready to give in to unconsciousness, but not before one last thing. With the last of his strength, he hand shot out, making contact with one of the hokage's coattails. He gripped the fabric tightly. The hokage looked down in surprise.

"He's still in there," the raven whispered before succumbing to the darkness.

OoOOoO

Satisfied that the injured were being treated and taken care of, Tsunade turned her attention to the group of ninjas that pulled the kyuubi back towards Konoha. Her frown deepened at the way they pushed and prodded the fox. Emotions were mixed being either smug in victory or silent in fear. The elders weren't going to be thrilled with her. They'd probably rub it in her face about how they were right and she was wrong regarding the kitsune child. A low growl escaped her lips.

"I'd say," Jiraiya spoke up, breaking into Tsunade's thoughts. The hokage grit her teeth, then composed herself for the elder. She turned cool amber eyes towards the older man. "What do you plan on doing with such a beast?" he asked her curiously. Without waiting for a reply, he continued loudly, "If it were me, I'd have the thing skinned, then have its head mounted above a fireplace."

"Well, no one asked for your opinion, now did they?" Tsunade snapped. Jiraiya shrank back. Tsunade turned, rubbing at her temples. The answers were clear before, but after hearing what Sasuke told her, things had become extremely complicated. But she wouldn't tell this old fool that. "So," Tsunade clipped, going off-topic, "Seems someone had enough sense to ask for help."

Jiraiya raised a brow. "I assume by someone you would mean ..."

"Not you," Tsunade finished for him. "There's no way you'd actually do it. There's no room for common sense inside that great big head of yours. Besides, getting help from the outside is forbidden in your village, or so I'm told. Which brings me to ask why summon my ninjas to your village in the first place?" she asked, amber eyes blazing.

"That's no way to talk to an elder," Jiraiya huffed. "And what's this about summoning your ninjas? You said so yourself, I would never call on outsiders."

Tsunade blanked. "Well, if not you, then…"

"Tsunade-sama! Tsunade-sama!" a female voice rang out. The hokage looked past Jiraiya to see her student dashing for her at top speed. The pink haired anbu slid to a stop, waving her arms as she fought for balance. "I can answer that. There was this guy, Suigetsu, and he …," she began, only to be cut off abruptly by her mentor.

"Slow down and breathe, Sakura," Tsunade said. "I want a mission report written up once we all get back to Konoha." She turned towards Jiraiya. "I am glad that we were able to answer your call and work with your villagers. Perhaps now, you'll see that the 'outside world' as you call it, is not such a bad place." The older man 'hmmphed,' crossing his arms.

"At least thank her, sir," Itachi said in exasperation. Jiraiya was startled to see the young raven haired bartender approach him. Narrowing his tiny black eyes, he was about to say something when Itachi dismissed him. "Yeah, it was me. I contacted Konoha via hawk. Sorry, but I couldn't be idle anymore. Our village is small, too small to handle an emergency like this. We have injured, damaged lands, hell…, we can't do it alone."

Jiraiya glanced around. Sighing, he patted Itachi on the head, ruffling his hair. "You know, you're right. I suppose an old guy like me can still learn a thing or two."

Itachi pulled away smoothly from the affection, running his hands through his hair to even it back out. "Sir? Earlier you mentioned you knew of that place," Itachi said, gesturing over to Huntington Ridge. "It's obviously been there for awhile, but why was it that no one had seen it before?"

Jiraiya sobered up. "Indeed, I know of that place, though I wish I didn't." Itachi and Tsundae exchanged glances. The group fell silent for a moment.

"Ah..excuse me, hokage-sama?" Sakura cut in quietly. "About Naruto and Sasuke?"

Not wanting to alarm the girl, Tsunade answered with a vague, "We have them." Then abruptly changed the topic. "Now, I'll need you to keep a liaison with the Village of the Trees while we sort through this mess."

"Oh. Of course," Sakura replied, clearly discouraged by the lack of information she was given.

"I can do it from our end," Ino piped up from behind the crowd.

"Excellent," Tsunade nodded. "Well, I'll leave the two of you to it while I head the teams back for medical treatment. I will leave other anbu to investigate the building and the surrounding area. We'll be in touch," Tsunade pointed at both Sakura and Jiraiya. She then swiftly took to the trees, dashing out of sight.

"I suppose I better get back to the village. Tsunade will want facts about Huntington Ridge as soon as possible," Jiraiya said, opting to leave as well. "Coming, Itachi?"

"No sir. I'm going to see what I can do here."

"Very well. I'll leave men with you. Do be careful then." With that, Jiraiya headed back towards the Village of the Trees.

Itachi watched him leave, then turned, nearly crashing into a pale teen. Eyes darkened as he glowed at the man before him. "Sai, how good to see you're not dead."

"I'm sure you're thrilled," Sai replied with a fake smile. Rolling his eyes, Itachi sidestepped the teen, then proceeded towards the mysterious building. "I don't think he likes me very much," Sai observed dryly.

"Gee, you think?" Sakura muttered. What Ino saw in this man, she'd never know.

"So, now that the building has been discovered, Naruto put under control, everyone working together to get things cleaned up and people tended to, everything's going to be alright now, huh?" Ino said hopefully.

"Don't kid yourself," Sai said flatly. "That place affects people and no one leaves unscarred." The girls were surprised when Sai actually shivered in fear.

OoOOoO

Karin staggered into her office, immediately heading for the small fridge she kept behind her desk. Although the power was out in most of the underground labyrinth, she knew the things inside would still be in good condition. Opening the door, she felt around blindly for the small freezer door near the back, ripped it open, and snatched out the ice cubes that lay inside. Not even bothering to wrap them in cloth, she fisted them, then brought them up towards the pounding lump she had on her head. "Ahh…" she sighed in relief.
Collapsing into her office chair, she sunk down deep into the cushion. After a few moments, she used her free hand to shuffle through her top drawer in search of her flashlight. Withdrawing it quickly, she clicked the switch, a dim beam emitting from the small lighting device. "Great," she muttered, taping the flashlight on her desk in hopes the beam would intensify. It was all to no avail. "Argh!" Well, whatever, at least she had some type of light. She'd have to go find the back-up generator later when the swelling went down and she stopped seeing double.

Karin growled in frustration. It was so unlike her to get so involved in her work. But she had to admit, that redhead doctor was really something. He was very beautiful and the more he was bloodied, the more she was turned on. She sighed regretfully. Too bad. He would have made a great minion for her had he just agreed with her proposal. But that seemed to be the trend as of late. No one saw the potential as she did. But she was having a good time. At least until…

She bolted upright, the ice dropping from her hand where it clattered to the floor, completely forgotten. The manila envelopes were scattered across her desk as she'd left them earlier. Scanning through them quickly, she slid those of unimportance right off her desk. Finding the "H" file, she flicked it open, thumbing through the various personal files she'd kept. She drew in a gasp. "There's no mistaking it," she breathed. "He's alive." Deidara's file flittered back onto the table. "And he's come back." Karin couldn't help that despite what happened, a sadistic smile pulled at her lips. Maybe today wasn't such a bad day after all.

OoOOoO

END CHAPTER 16

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