A/N - It's finally here! The long awaited chapter. You know, I think I've spoiled you guys with all the recent updates. You're demanding them faster than I can fulfill them, lol. Oh well, I'll keep trying.

Unbeta'd, so ignore the spelling errors.

Disclaimer - Naruto belongs to Kishimoto-sensei, not myself. Though if it did belong to me, I'd have asked the fans to open a ramen shop named Ichiraku's just so I could eat there. Mm. Ramen.

The mission they had received from Tsunade seemed pretty simple to Naruto. Escort old guy from point A to point B. He didn't understand why Sakura was so nervous about it, but every time he glanced at her she was tensed, as if ready for a fight. She sat in the front seat of the van next to Kakashi, who was driving. Sasuke, much to Naruto's dismay, was sitting right next to him and Tazuna was in the back seat.

Even though the mission seemed simple enough, Naruto was still nervous. His Kekkei Genkai wasn't well developed enough to do anything if they ran into trouble. He still had troubles causing simple explosions. He'd have to rely on Sakura and Sasuke if things got rough, and that annoyed him.

He was also very bored. They'd been driving for hours on end and he had nothing to do but watch the scenery change. It was quiet in the van for the most part, with only occasional conversation. Mostly Kakashi talking to Tazuna about some plans to build a bridge or something.

Naruto didn't see what was so important about Tazuna that he needed government hired body guards to protect him, but he didn't ask. Instead, his boredom finally getting the better of him, he decided on something else to do.

Sasuke had been ignoring him the entire trip. Not that Naruto had attempted to talk to him, but it was still aggravating to Naruto. He hated being ignored by anyone. Especially arrogant emo kids with duck-butt haircuts.

"What are you doing?" Sasuke snapped. Naruto grinned and pushed his finger closer to Sasuke's face. Sasuke narrowed his eyes at him.

"I'm not touching you." Naruto said innocently. His finger was hovering just next to Sasuke's cheek, close enough that he could feel the body heat the teme's skin was emitting. Sasuke's glared turned into a glower.

"What are you, four?" Sasuke pushed Naruto's hand away and turned to look out the other window. Naruto lifted his hand and put it right back where it had been. Sasuke tensed and then turned to him.

"Naruto," His voice was venomous and it made Naruto shiver. Naruto vaguely realized it was the first time Sasuke had said his name. "If you don't get that finger out of my face right now, I'm going to break it."

"But why?" Naruto's grin was full of mischief and feigned ignorance. "I'm not touching you, Sasuke." That was barely true. One bump of the van and Naruto's finger would connect with Sasuke's cheekbone. There was almost no space between his finger and the teme's cheek. Naruto scooted a little closer to Sasuke and inched his finger forward the tiniest bit. Sasuke snapped.

"Let me go, teme!" Naruto yelled as Sasuke grabbed Naruto's wrist and proceeded to twist his arm until it met his back. It was uncomfortable and almost painful and Naruto fought not to yelp.

"I told you I'd break a finger if you didn't stop." Sasuke's mouth was so close to Naruto's ear that he could feel the teme's breath. He shivered involuntarily. "But now I think I'll just break all of them."

Naruto's eyes widened as he felt Sasuke apply pressure to the joint of his index finger. He grit his teeth. There was no way in hell he was gonna let the teme break his fingers. But just as he tried to turn and push Sasuke off him, Kakashi slammed on the breaks.

Sasuke and Naruto were both thrown forward. The only thing that kept them from connecting with the seats in front of them were their seat belts. Naruto heard Tazuna grunt in surprise behind him as the van skidded to the side. Naruto's eyes widened and his heart sped up as he looked out the windshield.

The were going to go off the road.

"Stay calm!" Kakashi instructed as he jerked the wheel violently. Sakura was screaming. The vans tires had already met with the shoulder of the road and the van was tilting dangerously on two wheels. Naruto squinted his eyes closed as he felt the van tip. They were going to roll.

Naruto's heart was racing a mile a minute and Sakura's screaming was grating on his nerves, making goosebumps rise along his arms. He braced himself for impact as they toppled over, the ceiling groaned as it indented and the glass blew out.

Naruto's eyes flew open in shock.

He turned his head slightly to see Sasuke had undone his seatbelt and had surrounded Naruto's body with his own like a shield. Naruto was basically cowering in Sasuke's lap as the van slid a few more feet. He could see blood leaking down from Sasuke's hair and something his chest clenched. Sasuke's dark eyes met his and Naruto's heart rate sped even faster. Sasuke's eyes were unguarded and soft as they looked at him, causing Naruto's already labored breath to hitch.

As quickly as it had come, the expression was replaced by an impassive mask. A moment of silent understanding passed as they stared at each other, Sasuke's arms wound tightly around Naruto's torso. They would never, ever mention this event after this was done and over with.

Finally, the van stopped sliding and Naruto breathed a sigh of relief. They were pushed uncomfortably against the ceiling of the upside down vehicle. Sasuke still hadn't released his hold.

"Everyone still breathing?" Kakashi, much to Naruto's chagrin, sounded amused. He couldn't see the man, as Sasuke was blocking his view, but he was sure his strange eyes were closed in one of his weird smiles. Naruto wanted to punch him but instead groaned his confirmation. Relief washed over him when he heard Sakura do the same. Sasuke just grunted. Tazuna let out a breathy gasp from behind them.

"Good." Naruto heard rummaging from the front seat as Kakashi said this. Sasuke let go of his midriff only to grab his wrist. Naruto let Sasuke pull him out through the open gap that had been the window. The second they were out of the van and had managed to stand up, Sasuke dropped his hand. Naruto fought to even his breathing as Sasuke went to pull Tazuna out of the wreckage.

Kakashi helped Sakura crawl out of the passenger window. Naruto gave her a once over and noticed that her right shoulder was badly injured. Blood was seeping from the open wound and silent tears streamed down Sakura's face as she lifted her hand to the wound and started healing it.

"You okay?" He asked, feeling useless. He didn't know what to do and adrenaline was still coursing quickly through him, making him feel like he had to act. Sakura just nodded at him. Her pink hair was matted and charred in some places, but she'd stopped crying. Naruto gave her a weak smile and turned to Kakashi, who was standing by Sasuke and Tazuna.

"Why did we crash?" He demanded. It had all been so sudden that he hadn't given it much thought, but something had to have caused it. If they had just gone through all of that for some stray animal, Naruto was going to lose it. Kakashi stared at him for a few seconds and Naruto noticed that the silver-haired man was uninjured. In fact, he looked completely fine, his clothes weren't even torn. Kakashi raised an arm and pointed toward the road.

"Some unwelcome interference." Kakashi said. Naruto looked in the direction he was pointing and his jaw dropped. Sasuke walked up beside Naruto and looked as well, his eyes narrowed suspiciously.

Standing in the middle of the road were two people. One was huge, over six feat tall and well muscled with spiky hair. The other was petite looking with long dark hair and pale skin. Naruto couldn't see their faces well but he could have sworn they were smiling.

"Well kids," Kakashi sounded downright jubilant. "Time for us to earn our keep."

Temari felt like she'd been trapped in the dungeon for months on end, but knew it had only been a few days. None of the Akatsuki had come down in that time, so she couldn't try to bargain for an escape. The only human contact she'd had was with the guards that brought her food once a day and Sai.

She and Sai had talked a lot since she had gotten there, and while the boy wasn't entirely pleasant company, he was better than nothing. Temari was sure she would have lost her mind by now if she'd been stuck down there alone. She had no idea how Sai had handled it.

She had found out that Sai was from the very place she was trying to get to. Konoha High School. He had been sent out on a mission with a girl named Hinata and had been caught by surprise by the Akatsuki. He'd been there prisoner ever since. When Temari had asked about why Konoha hadn't sent someone to break him out, he'd just laughed.

"Hey Sai," Temari was sitting with her back to the cold wall, her eyes closed. She somehow knew Sai was doing the same from his side. "What's your Kekkei Genkai?"

It was one subject they hadn't talked about yet and Temari was not only curious, but hopeful. If the boy had a useful ability, they might be able to escape.

"I'm telekinetic." Sai sounded like he was torn between amusement and boredom. "But don't think you can use me to break out of here, it won't work."

Temari wasn't surprised he'd known what she was thinking. Sai wasn't an idiot. An asshole, yes, but not an idiot.

"Why not?" She asked idly, already disappointed. She couldn't afford to be trapped there much longer. Gaara's life was resting on her shoulders. She could feel herself growing weaker by the days, as if the dungeon was seeping the life out of her.

"The Akatsuki have my ability under lock and key." Temari sighed. She'd thought as much, but that didn't make it any less disappointing. The Akatsuki would have to nullify the powers of their prisoners somehow. She knew the only reason they hadn't done it to her was because hers was pretty useless in this situation. She'd already tried.

"What rank is your ability?" She asked, just trying to fill the silence now. She'd rather talk about anything than listen to quiet of her dark surroundings.

"I'm S-rank." Sai just sounded bored now. "Something you wouldn't know about, since your abilities are weak."

Temari bristled and Sai chuckled. "How do you know if my ability is weak or not?" She wasn't really angry, she was pretty used to being called weak. But the argument was a welcome distraction.

"Because if you had any kind of decent power, the Akatsuki would have you under lock and key too."

Temari scoffed, but a small smile was playing at her lips. He was right, and he knew it. She opened her mouth to ask if he wanted to know her ability when she heard a door open. She snapped her mouth closed and looked out of her cell as light flooded the corridor. It wasn't time for them to be fed, so no one should be down here. Temari grimaced at the fact that she knew the Akatsuki's schedule so well.

There were two guards. They stopped in front of her cell and she raised her eyebrows, confused. The guard at the front was unlocking her door and the one behind him had his arm around a smaller persons throat. She couldn't see the new prisoners face because there was a black bag over their head. The metal groaned as the guard slid the cell door open and stepped inside.

"Get up." He spat. She didn't waste any time complying. Once she was standing the guard grabbed her by the wrist and yanked her out of the cell. Temari watched sympathetically as they tossed the new prisoner inside. The guard that had a grip on her wrist steered her forward a few feet. The second guard finished up locking up what used to be her cell and walked over to unlock the one in front of her.

They pushed Temari forcefully inside of it and she stumbled forward, barely managing to get her hands out in time to stop her face from connecting with the cold pavement. There was a small smile on her lips as she rocked back to her knees and looked around.

Sai was sitting against the wall to the left, his eyes sparkling in amusement as he stared at her. She took in his short dark and hair and pale skin and mourned at how long he'd been trapped down here. His sweats were threadbare and he had metal cuffs locked around his wrists. The smile stayed on her face though.

"Hello, stranger." She said cheerily as she heard the guards slamming the door behind them as they left. Her voice dropped to a whisper. "Still unwilling to make that escape attempt?"

Sai's mouth pulled back in a smirk and he raised his hands to indicate the cuffs. "Get these off and I'll not only break you and me out, I'll get the new guy out too. Because I am just that nice."

Temari crawled across the cold floor, too lazy to get up and sat next to him. Her mind was racing at the new opportunity the Akatsuki had unknowingly presented her. "Do you know what my Kekkei Genkai is, Sai?" She asked. He arched an eyebrow at the humor in her voice. "It's Astral Projection." She continued happily.

"Then why haven't you projected yourself and gotten the damn keys yet?" Sai sounded accusatory. Temari rolled her eyes.

"I already tried." She explained. "The Akatsuki kidnapped me. They knew about my powers and they were ready for me."

"What do you mean?"

"My projections can't go more than one mile away from my real body. Which is why my ability is pretty useless. This dungeon that we're trapped in is a little over one mile away from the actual headquarters. I couldn't go for help because we are the in the middle of fucking no where."

"Then why the hell are you so happy?" Sai had resumed sounding bored, as if he'd already given up on her plan before she'd even told him about it.

"Those handcuffs," She pointed to them to accentuate her point. "Are they only rigged to stop your abilities?"

"Yeah."

"So otherwise they're just normal handcuffs?"

"Yeah." Sai sounded annoyed now but Temari laughed under her breath. Things were finally looking up.

"Which part of the cuffs limit your abilities?"

"The chain." She wasn't surprised that he already knew all about them. He'd been down there forever, so surely he'd figured some things out. Sai looked at her and she smiled back at him.

"About a quarter of a mile from here is an abandoned house." She told him. Her heart rate had picked up and adrenaline was pulsing through her. "Inside of that house is an ax."

Sai stared at her for a few more seconds before a smirk pulled across his face. Temari's returning smile was blinding.

It looked like fate was on their side.

Tsunade glared at the outraged brunette teenager in front of her, and he glared right back. She had called Hinata here to give her a mission and hadn't been surprised when he protective cousin had walked through the door with her.

"You're not going." She repeated and watched Neji bristle. "You're not a part of Hinata's team, there is no reason for you to be there."

"Sai wasn't a part of Hinata's team either and they went on a mission together." Neji pointed out. "And he's the one all of the fuss is about. I'm going with Hinata whether you like it or not.

Tsunade met Kurenai's eyes and when Kurenai merely shrugged, she sighed in defeat. "Fine." She conceded. "But don't let your need to protect your cousin jeopardize the mission."

"What is this mission anyways?" Kiba asked. Tsunade didn't fail to notice how excited he looked. Only kids would think something as dangerous as life threatening battles were awesome.

"You, Hinata, Shino, Neji and Kurenai-sensei are going to track down Team 7." She instructed, looking down at the paperwork in front of her. "And bring them back here."

"Why?" Tsunade rolled her eyes. Kiba asked too many questions.

"Because we've gotten a tip related to Sai's whereabouts and we need Kakashi to help us infiltrate the facility he's being held at."

"Is Sai okay?" It was the first time Hinata had spoken since she'd arrived in Tsunade's office. Tsunade could barely see her, as Neji was standing in front of her protectively. She fought the urge to through the telephone on her desk at the stubborn brunette.

"We don't know." Tsunade told Hinata truthfully. "We're going to assume he's fine and hopefully we'll get there in time to see that assumption true."

Hinata didn't look any more relived, if anything, she looked more tense and nervous. Tsunade rubbed her temples to fight the headache she was getting before passing out files to each of them. The briefing took two hours too long and all Tsunade thought about the entire time was the bottle of sake locked in the second drawer of her desk.

A/N - And the plot thickens! Again...lol. Any guesses as to who the new prisoner is? Virtual hugs if someone gets it right!